Dozens of trucks line the last few kilometers of road on Syrian soil before the border with Lebanon. Many have containers or are tarped over, concealing their contents. Three eighteen wheelers with flatbed trailers carry what appear to be unused diesel generators. Then, two large water pumps; piping; more generators; a series of automobile lorries loaded with new cars of various makes and models, covered in dust from the trip.

The trucks appear to have been used principally to evacuate movable assets to avoid their destruction.

Both the Lebanese and Syrian border crossings are functioning normally, but with long lineups to exit Lebanon into Syria. There is also a steady, albeit much slower flow of traffic back into Lebanon. These are all automobiles; there do not appear to be any trucks entering Lebanon.

Between 7 and 8 a.m. the same day, the Israeli Air Force struck three or four locations on the highway south to Tripoli. At the last exit from the highway before each strike, barricades have been erected, directing drivers to detour onto the coastal roads, which remain intact.

The first exploded bridge (the second detour, traveling southward) is a scene of massive destruction. The span was approximately 200 yards. The entire surface of the road now lies in a twisted heap at the bottom of the ravine, perhaps 150 feet below.

On the seaward side of the collapsed roadway, smoke is still rising from the wreckage of a small flatbed truck. The truck is not immediately recognizable as such because the bed is separated from the cab. A bystander states that there was one passenger in addition to the driver. Both are dead. She then mumbles “This is just the beginning, this is just the beginning…”

The second bridge to be hit is near Casino du Liban. The damage is much less severe than the first bridge. Only the southbound lane has been hit and the bridge is still structurally sound. There is a gaping hole and rebar protruding upward, but a motorcycle can pass on the right shoulder. Southbound cars and trucks are obliged to detour onto the coastal road. Northbound cars pass readily on the highway.

The third bridge, located at Ghazir, was hit primarily in the southbound lane and also partly along the median. The missile struck the roadway immediately in front of a van. The van crashed into the crater. Bystanders indicated that the driver died later of the resulting injuries. The van’s front wheels stick down through the road top toward the abyss, while the rear end protrudes up slightly. --Big Red