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The southern Lebanese city of Bint Jbeil is witnessing a sharp military escalation, with what have been described as “fierce” clashes between Hezbollah fighters and the Israeli army, in one of the most intense rounds of fighting since the current escalation began.
According to field reports and corroborating accounts, the fighting is taking place inside residential neighbourhoods and on the outskirts of the city. Military and media sources say the clashes involve direct engagements at close range, as Israeli forces attempt to advance into positions inside the city, facing resistance and repeated ambushes.
Hebrew-language media outlets described the situation as “street-by-street battles”, noting that Israeli soldiers encountered unexpected resistance. Hezbollah fighters were reported to be emerging “from all directions” to launch surprise attacks on advancing forces, highlighting the complex and close-quarters nature of the fighting.
READ: Hezbollah bloc chief rejects Lebanon direct talks with Israel
Alongside the ground clashes, Bint Jbeil and its surroundings have been subjected to heavy air cover involving warplanes and drones, as well as intense artillery shelling. This has effectively turned the city into an open battlefield, where air strikes overlap with ground engagements.
Reports also indicate that Israeli forces have carried out demolition and explosive operations inside parts of the city in an effort to secure their advance, as the heavy fighting continues.
Hezbollah, for its part, announced a series of large-scale operations targeting Israeli troop gatherings and military vehicles in and around Bint Jbeil. The group said it carried out successive rocket barrages and artillery strikes throughout the day and night, claiming direct hits on advancing forces.
The group also said it targeted a military bulldozer of the D9 type using a suicide drone, in addition to drone attacks on Israeli military positions in southern Lebanon and along the front line.
READ: Israel launches operation to demolish homes in frontline villages in Lebanon: Report
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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