ISTANBUL 

At least four people were killed and seven others wounded in Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese Health Ministry said Sunday.

In a statement carried by the state news agency NNA, the ministry said the casualties resulted from two strikes targeting the areas of al-Sultaniyah and al-Sawana.

Israeli forces also struck the Qasmiya Bridge along the coastal highway that connects the Sidon district to the south of the Litani River in the country’s south, according to the report.

The attack came shortly after the army threatened to bomb the Qasmiya Bridge on the coastal highway in southern Lebanon, claiming that the structure is being used for “militant activity” and the transfer of operatives “under the cover of the civilian population.”

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the army to “immediately” strike bridges over the Litani River in southern Lebanon.

In the Nabatieh region, Israeli warplanes carried out an airstrike on the town of Yahmar al-Shaqif, while launching a series of intense strikes on the towns of Shoukine, Mayfadoun and Zebdine.

The Israeli army has pounded Lebanon with airstrikes and launched a ground offensive in southern Lebanon since a cross-border attack by Hezbollah on March 2.

According to Lebanese authorities, at least 1,024 people have since been killed and 2,740 injured in Israeli attacks since March 2.

The current escalation followed a joint US-Israeli offensive on Iran, which has killed over 1,300 people since Feb. 28. Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, along with Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries, which it says are targeting “US military assets.”