The Israeli military said it targeted positions in the Lebanese capital following overnight operations that included the destruction of a bridge linking Sohmor and Mashghara over the Litani River, a route it said was used to transfer reinforcements.

An AFP journalist reported hearing two explosions in Beirut early Saturday, with smoke seen rising from one of the strike locations. Local media said Israeli warplanes hit areas in the southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold that has been repeatedly targeted in recent days.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency confirmed the bridge strike, while local reports indicated a second crossing was also hit. Israeli forces have previously targeted multiple bridges along the Litani River, an area roughly 30 km north of the Israeli border where Israel has signaled it seeks to maintain security control.

The escalation follows Hezbollah’s entry into the broader regional conflict on March 2, when the group launched rockets at Israel after a U.S.-Israeli strike killed Iran’s supreme leader.Lebanon’s health ministry said two people were killed and 15 wounded in Sohmor after an Israeli strike hit as worshippers were leaving a mosque following Friday prayers.

Separately, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon reported that three peacekeepers were wounded in an explosion at one of its positions in southern Lebanon, the third such incident in recent days. The origin of the blast remains unclear, with Israel accusing Hezbollah of launching a rocket that struck the site.

According to Lebanese authorities, more than 1,300 people have been killed since the latest round of hostilities began. Israel’s military says it has struck over 3,500 targets across Lebanon in the past month, while Hezbollah reports carrying out more than 1,300 operations against Israeli positions.

Residents in Beirut’s southern suburbs continued daily life amid the strikes, with religious observances taking place despite the ongoing bombardment.

The conflict has also taken a toll on UN peacekeeping forces, with multiple fatalities reported in recent days. The United Nations says 97 personnel have been killed in violence since the mission was established in 1978.

Iranian authorities said the aircraft was shot down by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ aerospace defense systems, describing the jet as “completely obliterated” and confirming that search operations were ongoing. U.S. media reported that one of the two crew members had been rescued by American special forces, while efforts continued to recover the second.

The U.S. Central Command did not immediately comment on the incident, though the White House said President Donald Trump had been briefed. In remarks to NBC, Trump said the loss would not affect ongoing negotiations with Iran, stating, “No, not at all. No, it’s war.

”Iranian state media indicated that authorities had offered a “valuable reward” for the capture of any surviving crew member, underscoring the urgency and strategic importance attached to the recovery effort.

In a separate development, Iran’s military said it had also struck a U.S. A-10 ground attack aircraft in the Gulf, while U.S. media reported that the pilot in that incident had been rescued. There was no immediate confirmation from U.S. officials.

The incident comes amid an escalating conflict that began more than a month ago following U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, triggering a broader regional confrontation. The conflict has disrupted economic activity across the Middle East and raised concerns over global energy security.U.S.

Central Command said earlier this week that American forces had flown more than 13,000 missions and struck over 12,300 targets during operations in Iran. Despite sustained bombardment, analysts say Iran retains operational air defense capabilities.

Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said the downing likely reflected continued effectiveness of Iran’s residual defenses. He noted that U.S. aircraft flying at lower altitudes may be more exposed to threats, adding that portable shoulder-fired missiles were a plausible cause.

Mark Cancian, a defense adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said such systems are harder to detect and could explain the aircraft loss. He described the broader U.S. air campaign as successful but noted that even limited losses can carry political consequences domestically.

Retired U.S. brigadier general Houston Cantwell said survival training for downed pilots prioritizes concealment and communication to enable recovery while avoiding capture. He added that both sides typically attempt to intercept or manipulate signals during such operations.

The downing represents the first U.S. jet loss in combat since 2003, when an aircraft was struck over Baghdad and the pilot was safely recovered. Rescue missions in contested environments often rely on helicopters, which Cantwell said are particularly vulnerable due to their slower speed and lower altitude.

The U.S. military has previously acknowledged other aircraft losses during the current conflict, including a tanker crash in Iraq and several fighter jets downed in friendly fire incidents involving allied forces.

Zelensky said on X that he had instructed Ukraine’s intelligence chief to brief Kyiv’s international partners on the reported plans, which he described as part of Moscow’s continued use of Belarusian territory and occupied areas of Ukraine to support drone operations.

In his nightly video address, Zelensky said the intelligence indicated Russia intends to build additional ground control stations to enhance long-range drone capabilities. He added that Belarus had previously played a role in amplifying the impact of Russian strikes earlier in the conflict, before Ukraine took countermeasures.

“We now have information from our intelligence that Russia intends to continue using the territory of Belarus and temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine to build ground control stations for long-range drones,” he said.

Zelensky warned that Ukraine would respond to any such developments. “There will be responses to this. And they will be felt,” he said, without providing details.

The Belarusian foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside business hours.