A worker tries to restore electricity on the Qasmiyeh bridge spanning the Litani River after it was damaged in Israeli airstrikes, in southern Lebanon, March 23, 2026. RAFAEL YAGHOBZADEH FOR LE MONDE
The highway suddenly becomes nothing but dust, rubble and twisted metal. At the end of a long descent into the valley, the gray asphalt, tinged with the ocher soil of the fields, turns red as you approach the Litani River. A chasm of several dozen meters now separates the two sides of the road. Nearby, the acrid smell of melted asphalt sticks to your feet.
Eighty kilometers south of Beirut, the Qasmiyeh bridge on the main road linking the Tyre area to the rest of Lebanon was destroyed on Sunday, March 22, by two Israeli airstrikes. Spanning the dark waters of the river, this crossing point – which was attacked again on Monday afternoon – had been used both by Lebanese fleeing Israeli bombardment to head north, and in the opposite direction, to bring supplies to towns and villages in the region.
Now, only one access route remains to connect the capital with the city of Tyre, located 20 kilometers from the border with Israel: the old coastal road, reached after winding through banana plantations.
