Israel Defense Forces entered Bint Jbeil, a city in southern Lebanon on Sunday, Israel’s Channel 12 reported. The army has called it the “last stronghold” of the terror group Hezbollah that threatens northern Israeli settlements. It expects to conquer it in the coming days.
Lebanon’s National News Agency on Sunday described “violent clashes” in the city amid Israeli artillery shelling. The IDF said dozens of terrorists have fled to Bint Jbeil, which it has surrounded for several days.
Bint Jbeil is considered a symbol of Hezbollah “resistance.” Its former Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah delivered his infamous “cobweb” speech from the city on May 26, 2020 during Israel’s evacuation from Lebanon under then-Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.
“This Israel, with its nuclear weapons and most advanced warplanes in the region, I swear by Allah, is actually weaker than a spider’s web,” Nasrallah said. “Israeli society is war-weary and lacks the resilience to endure a bloody conflict or suffer casualties. Israel may appear strong from the outside, but it’s easily destroyed and defeated.”
Nasrallah was eliminated by Israel in Sept. 2024.
Israel has announced it intends to clear southern Lebanon of terrorists up to the Litani River to protect its northern residents. Hezbollah has repeatedly broken its pledge to evacuate its forces from the area, which it agreed to do as part of an Israel-Lebanon ceasefire deal reached in November 2024. On March 2, Hezbollah attacked Israel in solidarity with Iran.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on April 9 that Israel will hold direct dialogue with Lebanon with a view to disarming Hezbollah.
Israel is reportedly under pressure from the Trump administration to wrap up its operations in Lebanon as part of a ceasefire with Iran announced on April 8, even though it contradicts earlier statements by Israel and the U.S. that the Iran agreement does not include Israel’s actions to bring the terrorist group to heel.
The U.S.-Iran ceasefire itself appears on the ropes as Vice President JD Vance left Pakistan on Sunday after talks broke down with his Iranian interlocutors. “The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement, and I think that’s bad news for Iran much more than it’s bad news for the United States of America,” he said.
Tehran opted “not to accept our terms,” Vance said, speaking alongside Steve Witkoff, U.S. special envoy for peace missions, and Jared Kushner, who advises his father-in-law, U.S. President Donald Trump.
