Israeli troops launched an attack on Monday to capture Hezbollah fighters entrenched inside a key town in southern Lebanon. thus intensifying the war against the Iran-backed group on the eve of historic talks between envoys from the Israeli and Lebanese governments.
With the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors to the United States set to meet Tuesday in Washington, Lebanon’s foreign minister said Beirut would use face-to-face negotiations to press for a ceasefire in the war that has complicated broader diplomatic efforts to end the conflict in the Middle East.
But the prospects for the meeting – a rare face-to-face meeting between countries that are formally in a state of war – have been clouded, after Israel has stated that it will not discuss a ceasefire, while Hezbollah has opposed negotiations with Israel, reflecting a sharp worsening of political tension in Lebanon.
On the ground, in southern Lebanon, the Israeli army completed the encirclement of the town of Bint Jbeil, just across the border, and had begun a ground assault there, as reported by an Israeli military spokesman and Lebanese security sources.
Lebanese sources claimed that Hezbollah fighters entrenched inside were prepared to fight to the death, noting the strategic and symbolic importance of Bint Jbeil, Hezbollah stronghold, provincial capital and gateway to surrounding villages.
Israel seeks to secure the border strip
An Israeli military officer said that full operational control of Bint Jbeil would be achieved within days, and that only a small number of militants remained in the area.
On Sunday, Hezbollah said it had attacked Israeli forces in and around Bint Jbeil with rockets, artillery fire and suicide drones.
A foreign security official based in Lebanon said the seizure of Bint Jbeil would give Israel greater control over Lebanon’s entire southeastern border strip. leaving the western part of the border zone, which is largely forested and more difficult to clear.
Hezbollah opened fire on Israel in support of Tehran on March 2, triggering an Israeli offensive that Lebanese authorities say has killed more than 2,000 people. and has forced more than a million to leave their homes.
Israel says its goal is to occupy southern Lebanon up to the Litani River, which flows into the Mediterranean about 30 kilometers from the Israeli border.
