Mudeirej Bridge

The Mudeirej Bridge or Mdairej Bridge is a bridge in Lebanon. It was partly destroyed on July 12, 2006 during the 2006 Lebanon-Israel conflict.

The bridge was inaugurated in 1998 by the assassinated former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri and built at a cost of $44 million. It stood 75 meters (246 feet) high, making it the highest bridge in Lebanon and lay along a mountainous route on the Beirut-Damascus highway.^[1]

Subject to an Israeli air strike, the bombardment caused two pillars of around 200 meter (656 feet) crashing to the ground. The destruction of the bridge which was a symbol of Lebanese architectural pride was considered by many in Lebanon to be unjustified given that the bridge had no strategic value in Israeli's conflict with Hezbollah. According to one observer of the bombing, “The bombing of this bridge , which is the pride of the Lebanese people, clearly proves that Israel is committed to destroying the infrastructure of the whole country. This bridge is not used by Hezbollah since it lies in a mountain resort area of Mount Lebanon , far away from the south of Lebanon." ^[1]

In 2008, USAID announced that it would be involved in an extensive reconstruction of the bridge.

Reconstruction work

• 
• 

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Israel destroys the highest bridge in Lebanon". Ya Libnan, Turkish Press. July 22, 2006. http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2006/07/israel_destroys.php. Retrieved January 30, 2009. 

External links

• USAID

Coordinates: 33°48′3.0″N 35°43′37.5″E / 33.80083°N 35.727083°E / 33.80083; 35.727083