On June 16, 1946, Jewish forces fighting the British in Mandatory Palestine launched Operation Markolet, “the Night of the Bridges.” In 1946, Jewish-Zionist forces had been fighting an insurgency against British rule in Mandatory Palestine for two years. The 1939 White Paper, which limited Jewish immigration and land ownership, strained ties between Zionists and the British. By 1946, the Haganah, the Irgun, and the Lehi, the three major Jewish fighting forces, were working together. They wanted to send a message to the British that they were a formidable force capable of fighting and winning a war.The plan was to destroy the bridges that linked Mandatory Palestine to Libya, Syria, Egypt, and Jordan, stopping the reported movement of troops and weapons into Palestine and demonstrating the ability of the Haganah. The operation achieved all of its objectives and was a key point for the Jewish resistance movement. During Operation Markolet, the Palmach attacked 11 separate bridges, connecting Mandatory Palestine to Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. The Northeast Metulla and Yarmuk Bridges were found unguarded and were blown up without issue. The raids on the Sheikh Hussein, Benot Ya’akov, Damiya, and Northwest Metulla Bridges were also carried out smoothly, though some gunfire was exchanged between the Palmach and the British and Arab forces. Only the raid on the Nahal Akhziv Bridges failed. The Palmach force was discovered soon after they arrived, and a bullet from the Arab side hit the explosives on the bridge, injuring five and killing 14 Palmach soldiers, including the commander. Despite the failure of the operation at Nahal Akhziv, Operation Markolet ultimately achieved all of its goals, and the Haganah demonstrated its impressive tactical and militaristic capacity. For a while, British Mandatory Palestine was cut off from neighboring countries, and the damage cost the British Mandate £250,000. Immediately following the operation, the British started tracking down the perpetrators and raided both Tel Aviv and Haifa in what they called Operation Agatha.In 1947, the British left Palestine, and the rejection of the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine by the Arab League would escalate the conflict into the full-fledged Arab-Israeli War of Independence.