As talks between Israel and Lebanon got underway, the IDF continued to deepen its hold and expand its control in southern Lebanon, now concentrating its efforts on a town considered one of Hezbollah's most powerful symbols – Bint Jbeil, located approximately 3–4 kilometers (2–2.5 miles) from the border.
The IDF announced Monday that Division 98 forces had completed the encirclement of and launched an offensive on the town in the Nabtiyeh district, long regarded as a hotbed of Hezbollah terrorist activity.
Combat teams from the Paratroopers, Commando, and Givati brigades, operating under Division 98's command, have been expanding their targeted ground operations to extend the security buffer zone in southern Lebanon.
Video: IDF's Division 98 in Bint Jbeil. Credit: IDF Spokesperson's Unit
Over the past week, the forces completed the encirclement and launched an assault on the town, killing more than 100 Hezbollah terrorists in close-quarters and aerial combat, destroying dozens of terror infrastructure sites, and seizing hundreds of weapons in the area.
Bint Jbeil carries enormous symbolic weight. It is the site where the late Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah – killed by Israel in September 2024 – delivered his "Spider's Web" speech in 2000, in which he claimed that Israeli society was weak and crumbling. The town has now been fully encircled by IDF forces, who are preventing any movement of terrorists in or out.
Brig. Gen. Guy Levy, the commander of Division 98, addressed the symbolic closing of the circle in a letter sent to his fighters. "Commanders and fighters – my brothers-in-arms," Levy wrote. "Bint Jbeil, 2000: There was someone here who stood up and boasted about cobwebs and spiders. Today, that man is gone, the stage he stood on is gone, and his words are worth nothing. Bint Jbeil, 2026: Our forces control the area, destroying terror infrastructure and dozens of terrorists. Behind us stand the residents of the north, whom we are defending; before us lie the national days that remind us why and what we are fighting for. With us are the finest forces, full of courage, capability, determination, and unshakable spirit. I trust you and am proud of you. Keep moving forward with everything you've got!"
