IDF Encircles Hezbollah Stronghold in Southern Lebanon
The Israeli military said Monday it is close to capturing the Hezbollah stronghold of Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon, claiming more than 100 members of the Iran-backed group have been killed during fighting in the area.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said troops from the 98th Division, including Paratroopers, Commando units and the Givati Brigade, have been operating in the town for weeks as part of an effort to expand control in southern Lebanon.
“Over the past week, the forces completed the encirclement and launched an offensive in the town of Bint Jbeil,” the IDF said in a statement on Monday.
“The troops eliminated more than 100 terrorists from the Hezbollah terror organization in close-quarters combat and from the air, destroyed dozens of terrorist infrastructures, and located hundreds of weapons in the area,” the statement added.
During the operation, the military captured Bint Jbeil’s stadium, where the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah delivered a victory speech following the IDF’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000.
“Bint Jbeil 2000: There was someone here who spoke and boasted about webs and spiders. Today, that man no longer exists, the stadium is gone, and his words are worth nothing,” said 98th Division commander Brig. Gen. Guy Levy in a message to troops on Monday.
Military officials said the operation in Bint Jbei would likely conclude within days as forces target the remaining few dozen fighters in the area.
The Israeli military said it struck approximately 150 Hezbollah targets across multiple areas in southern Lebanon over the past 24 hours. The targets included rocket launchers, UAVs, military structures, anti-tank missile launch sites, and command centers.
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Meanwhile, Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel throughout Monday. The Israeli military also said two soldiers were moderately wounded and six lightly injured in a Hezbollah drone attack in southern Lebanon.
Fighting between Hezbollah and Israeli forces has intensified in recent weeks after Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel on March 2, following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, a key backer of the group.
Israel has continued strikes on Lebanon even after the U.S. and Iran announced a two-week ceasefire. U.S. and Israeli officials said Lebanon was not covered by the agreement, while Iran has said otherwise.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that he had authorized direct negotiations with Lebanon “as soon as possible” to address the conflict. In a video message, Netanyahu said the talks aim to achieve two goals, disarming Hezbollah of its weapons and securing a historic peace agreement.
Hezbollah leader Naim Kassem, in a televised address Monday, urged Lebanon to withdraw from direct talks with Israel set to take place in Washington.
“We refuse negotiations with the Israeli entity. These negotiations are pointless,” Kassem said in a televised address, calling them a “free concession” to Israel and the U.S.
He called for a return to the ceasefire that ended the last major Israel-Hezbollah war in 2024, which had been mediated indirectly by the U.S., France and the United Nations.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry said at least 2,055 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since the conflict escalated, including 252 women, 165 children and 87 medical workers, while more than 6,500 others have been wounded. More than 1 million people have been displaced.
