​​​​​​​Israeli warplanes on Monday bombed the Qasmiyeh Bridge over the Litani River in southern Lebanon, the second strike on the bridge in 24 hours, Lebanese media reported.

The state-run National News Agency said the attack destroyed the bridge and cut off the main road linking the cities of Tyre and Sidon.

Several journalists were present in the area at the time of the attack, the agency said but reported no injuries.

A similar attack targeted the bridge Sunday, when the Israeli army claimed that the Iran-backed Hezbollah group was using it to transfer fighters, weapons, rockets and rocket launchers from north to south of the river.

It said the crossing was used by Hezbollah commanders and fighters to carry out attacks against Israeli forces and civilians and that its destruction was intended to protect both Israeli and Lebanese civilians.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had ordered the military to immediately strike bridges over the Litani River, according to Israeli media reports.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said the order aimed to prevent the movement of Hezbollah fighters and weapons southward.

Israeli forces had previously struck the Qasmiyeh Bridge, a critical crossing over the Litani River on Lebanon's southern coastal highway near Tyre, acting as a primary link between Sidon district and the area south of the river.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the strikes, calling them a "dangerous escalation" and a "blatant violation of Lebanese sovereignty."

He warned that the destruction of infrastructure and vital facilities in southern Lebanon could be a prelude to a ground invasion, saying Lebanon had repeatedly warned against such a move through diplomatic channels.

The broader regional escalation has flared since the U.S. and Israel launched joint attacks on Iran on Feb. 28.

Israel expanded its campaign against Hezbollah on March 2 and launched a limited ground incursion into southern Lebanon on March 3.