Lebanese army vehicles pass by a damaged building in Naqoura, Lebanon, Nov. 28, 2025. (Credit: Aziz Taher/Reuters)
Bekaa witnessed a new military escalation on Friday, as the Israeli army destroyed two bridges over the Litani River linking Mashghara to Sohmor, after having already targeted infrastructure in southern Lebanon during the first month of the war. Israel also reaffirmed its intention to disarm Hezbollah and expand its “security zone” in the south, where ground fighting continues with the pro-Iranian group.
Israeli forces had warned as early as 2 p.m. that they would strike the bridges in Bekaa, before targeting them shortly after 10 p.m.
In south Lebanon, three U.N. peacekeepers were injured in an explosion near Odaisseh, according to a statement from UNIFIL. "This afternoon, an explosion inside a UNIFIL position near Odaisseh (Marjayoun) injured three peacekeepers, two of them seriously," said the U.N. force, specifying that they were evacuated to a hospital. "We still do not know the cause of the explosion and it is under investigation," a spokesperson told L'Orient Today. Three peacekeepers from UNIFIL's Indonesian battalion, were killed in two similar incidents in south Lebanon last Sunday and Monday. Reacting to this attack, the Israeli army said in a statement released by its spokespersons that Hezbollah was responsible for the "mortar fire."
Casualties and injuries
Israeli strikes intensified on Friday across Lebanon. Israel struck the village of Reshknanieh (Sour district), injuring several, as well as a house in the village of Ansar (Nabatieh district), where ambulances were dispatched to the site of the attack in the al-Mashaa neighborhood. Another Israeli strike hit the area around Salah Ghandour Hospital in Bint Jbeil, where the remaining medical staff had been evacuated as a precaution due to fears of an Israeli ground advance.
Five Syrian nationals were killed in an attack that hit a poultry farm in Rmadieh (Sour), reports our correspondent. In another strike, three people were injured in an Israeli air raid targeting a farm in the same village. Two others were killed in a drone strike on the town of Burj Qalaway (Bint Jbeil).
Small arms and rocket clashes also broke out between Hezbollah fighters and an Israeli army unit attempting to advance near the village of Shamaa (Sour). Israeli soldiers also detonated houses inside Naqoura (Sour).
These south Lebanon strikes damaged installations belonging to the Water Authority. They hit the stations in Ibl al-Saqi and Maysat (Marjayoun), causing significant damage, and damaged the solar systems at the Zahriya station in Qennarit, near Saida, as well as solar panels in the village of Sharqieh (Nabatieh), according to a statement from the public distributor.
No evacuation from Ain Ibl
In this tense context, the municipality of Ain Ibl in South Lebanon — a village from which the Lebanese army withdrew on Tuesday — denied reports that an evacuation of the locality had been requested. "False information is being circulated about a request to evacuate Ain Ibl. The only measure being considered as a precaution is the movement from the northern to the southern sector of the village for security reasons, not a departure from Ain Ibl," the municipality clarified.
In Bekaa, two people were killed and 11 others wounded after an Israeli strike on a mosque in Sohmor, according to our correspondent. The Israeli army first threatened to bomb the bridges linking Sohmor to Mashghara in Bekaa, before destroying both structures a few hours later.
It also carried out four attacks on the southern suburbs of Beirut, which had been spared for two days.
The Israeli army spokesperson reaffirmed that the aim of the offensive against Lebanon is to dismantle all of Hezbollah’s infrastructure and weapons. According to some Israeli media outlets, the army is considering establishing a buffer zone similar to the yellow line in Gaza, extending up to 3 kilometers from the border with Lebanon. "We are expanding the security zone in order to protect the communities of northern Israel," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
First Hezbollah sniper fire
Hezbollah announced for the first time since the start of the war that it had targeted Israeli soldiers in south Lebanon’s village of Rshaf (Bint Jbeil district) with sniper fire on Thursday. It also claimed attacks on units in Maroun al-Ras (Bint Jbeil), Honin (Marjayoun), and Ainata (Bint Jbeil). Hezbollah also launched rocket attacks against northern Israel, including Nahariya, Kiryat Shmona, Safed, Rosh Pina and Avivim.
Since March 2, the war has killed at least 1,368 and injured 4,138, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health. Meanwhile, the Israeli army said Friday it had "eliminated 1,000 Hezbollah fighters in one month and targeted more than 3,500 objectives in Lebanon."
