IDF announces imminent bombing of Litani River bridges in southern Lebanon — Hezbollah supply line interdiction, mass evacuation ordered north of Zahrani river

The Israeli military announced on March 18 that it will soon begin attacking bridges across the Litani River in southern Lebanon, in a major operational move aimed at cutting Hezbollah supply and reinforcement routes. IDF Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee posted the warning on X, explaining the strikes are intended to prevent Hezbollah from moving reinforcements and combat equipment to areas where Israeli forces are currently operating. Adraee simultaneously repeated an earlier mass evacuation warning, ordering all residents south of the Zahrani River — located several miles north of the Litani — to evacuate northward immediately. The Litani River forms a key geographic boundary in southern Lebanon, running approximately 160km from the Bekaa Valley to the Mediterranean coast near Tyre. Its bridges are critical Hezbollah logistics corridors connecting Iranian-supplied weapons and fighters from the Bekaa Valley to the southern front. Destroying them would significantly impair Hezbollah operational mobility and resupply capacity. This marks a significant escalation in the IDF Lebanon campaign beyond targeted building strikes to systematic infrastructure interdiction, expanding the area requiring civilian evacuation across all of southern Lebanon.