Israeli military strikes key bridge used by Hezbollah

The Israeli military has confirmed it carried out an airstrike on a bridge in southern Lebanon, marking what appears to be the first time in the current conflict with Hezbollah that it has admitted targeting civilian infrastructure.

The military stated the Tayr Filsay bridge, which spans the Litani River, was being used by Hezbollah militants for movement between northern and southern Lebanon, and that launchers were positioned nearby for attacks against Israel.

It asserted: "In order to prevent a threat to Israeli civilians ... it was necessary to sever the bridge." However, no evidence was provided to substantiate these claims.

While international law generally prohibits attacks on civilian infrastructure, exceptions can be made if it is actively used for military purposes.

The Israeli military did not disclose what legal guidance, if any, was sought before the strike, nor did it report on potential casualties.

This development follows an earlier incident reported by Lebanon's state media, where a drone struck a residential apartment in Beirut's Burj Hammoud district, on the northern outskirts of the capital.

This marked the first time in the conflict that Beirut's predominantly Christian northern suburbs have been hit, suggesting a potential expansion of Israeli targeting.

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Israel has been carrying out daily strikes on Lebanon since 2 March when Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel to avenge the killing of Iran's supreme leader in Tehran on the first day of the US-Israeli war with Iran.

Almost 700 people in Lebanon have died in Israeli attacks in Lebanon and hundreds of thousands have been displaced. Israel's military said it has targeted Hezbollah militants and Iranian forces.

Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Friday said that non-essential diplomats in Lebanon had been directed to leave, a day after similarly directing some diplomats to leave Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

In a late night press conference on Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to keep hitting Lebanon. His defence minister, Israel Katz, earlier on Thursday said the military was preparing to expand its operations in Lebanon.

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The military has sent additional ground forces into Lebanon over the past week carrying out raids on Lebanese villages near the border with Israel in what it describes as defensive maneuvers to protect civilians in Israel's north from attacks.

On Wednesday night, Hezbollah launched 200 rockets at northern Israeli communities. Israeli strikes have pounded the suburbs of Lebanon's capital, Beirut, and the country's south.