The Media Line: Israel Expands Bint Jbeil Ground Offensive as Washington Talks With Lebanon Set for Tuesday  

Israel Expands Bint Jbeil Ground Offensive as Washington Talks With Lebanon Set for Tuesday  

By The Media Line Staff  

Israel expanded its ground offensive in southern Lebanon on Monday, the military said, as forces advanced on the Hezbollah stronghold in Bint Jbeil, a day before planned direct talks between Israeli and Lebanese officials in Washington.   

Israeli troops have encircled the town of Bint Jbeil, near the border, and launched ground operations targeting Hezbollah infrastructure. The IDF said more than 100 Hezbollah members were killed in the area, and it has dismantled dozens of sites and discovered hundreds of weapons.   

Close-quarters combat was underway, supported by airstrikes, as part of what the military described as efforts to strengthen its forward defense posture in the Bint Jbeil area. Israeli forces also dismantled a Hezbollah underground tunnel route in southern Lebanon that was used for planning and advancing attacks against IDF soldiers.   

Bint Jbeil is considered a center of Hezbollah’s power, and Israeli forces have been gradually encircling the town in recent weeks as part of a broader effort to extend control in southern Lebanon.    

During the Second Lebanon War in 2006, the IDF fought Hezbollah in the town but did not fully capture it.   

Israel’s military also reported that more than 250 Hezbollah terrorists and commanders were eliminated across Beirut, the Beqaa, and southern Lebanon in what it described as the largest strike conducted in the area.   

Those killed included Hezbollah members identified as responsible for smuggling and storing weapons, intelligence gathering, target development, and launching missiles toward Israel, the IDF reported.   

The operations come ahead of scheduled talks on Tuesday in Washington involving Lebanese Ambassador to Washington Nada Hamadeh, Israeli Ambassador to Washington Yechiel Leiter, and US Ambassador to Beirut Michel Issa, who will lead their respective delegations. Reports indicate Washington and Lebanon are expected to pressure Israel to agree to a ceasefire, while Israel has previously stated that negotiations will take place “under fire.”