The damage to the Qasmieh Bridge on April 9, 2026, the day after an Israeli bombardment. (Credit: Kawnat Haju/AFP)
BEIRUT — U.S. President Donald Trump announced Thursday afternoon on his Truth Social platform a long-awaited cease-fire in Lebanon, set to take effect at midnight local time for a duration of ten days.
In the immediate aftermath of the announcement — rejected the previous day by Israel’s security cabinet — the Israeli army carried out heavy bombardments across several areas of southern Lebanon, according to our correspondent. Missile explosions were heard as far as Saida, accompanied by the constant roar of aircraft overhead.
Throughout the day, even as signs pointed to an imminent cease-fire, the Israeli army continued its destructive and deadly strikes.
The Qasmieh Bridge
In the South, the Israeli army advanced on Debbine in the eastern sector and continued its clashes with Hezbollah in Bint Jbeil, in the center of the border strip, while the party-militia claimed a series of attacks against Israeli soldiers, notably in these areas as well as in Qantara, Robb Thalathin, and Odaisseh.
Israel also bombed and destroyed the Qasmieh Bridge, which connects Sour to the rest of Lebanon, according to our south Lebanon correspondent. The Israeli army confirmed the bridge had been "targeted and destroyed, with the goal of separating the area south of the Litani from the north and isolating it." They announced an "inspection and work to rehabilitate it as soon as possible."
Shortly before the strike, the army had evacuated a checkpoint near this infrastructure, while drone attacks in the area left several injured. The Lebanese Army confirmed that the strikes killed one person and wounded three others, including a soldier who was on the bridge. Prior to this strike, a drone attack in an orchard behind the al-Saheli factory in the village of Qasmieh had killed a Syrian national and injured another person.
Fire belt over Kfar Roummane
Israeli air and artillery forces also bombarded several areas in the south, from Bint Jbeil to the heights of Jezzine, and carried out a series of strikes on Kfar Roummane, targeting the village 13 times, notably the outskirts of its industrial zone. In Mjadel (Sour), a strike killed the head of the local Islamic Health Committee (CSI, affiliated with Hezbollah), Mohammad Fayez Abdel Hussein, according to our correspondent.
A gas station was also bombed in Doueir (Nabatieh), as well as a quarry in Aaramta, in the Jezzine district.
Drone strikes on major roadways
Further north, Israeli army drones targeted main routes in other parts of the country. A strike on a pickup truck on the main Dahr al-Baidar road killed one person, according to our correspondent. This is the second attack on Dahr al-Baidar since March 6, when Israel had already targeted a vehicle there.
In the afternoon, another drone strike targeted a car in Saadiyat, on the main highway linking Beirut and Saida, killing a woman. This area had already been targeted twice on Wednesday morning.
Overnight Wednesday to Thursday, Israeli aviation bombed, for the first time since resuming its offensive on March 2, a building at the entrance of the Burj al-Shemali Palestinian camp near Sour. This strike, carried out around 1:30 a.m., targeted a residence near the former UNRWA clinic, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees.
The strike caused significant damage, including to a power transformer, several cars and houses, and sparked fires that firefighters laters contained. No casualties were reported. Earlier — also a rare event — an airstrike targeted a house on the outskirts of Hebbarieh (Hasbaya), killing its owner, Friz Abou Qays. Emergency crews were on site searching for potential additional casualties.
According to the latest figures from the Ministry of Health, Israeli strikes have killed 2,196 people in Lebanon and wounded 7,185 others since March 2.
