- Israel advancing on Hezbollah stronghold Bint Jbeil, expanding southern Lebanon security.
- Israel seeks Hezbollah dismantling, lasting peace through diplomatic negotiations.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin netanyahu on Wednesday said that their forces continued to strike the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah and are close to overrunning what he described as the group’s stronghold in Bint Jbeil, amid growing international pressure for a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.
Netanyahu, in a video, said he had instructed the military to strengthen the security zone in southern Lebanon while simultaneously pursuing a peace agreement with Beirut. He noted that such negotiations had not taken place for over four decades, adding that renewed talks reflect Israel’s current position of strength, Reuters reported.
According to Netanyahu, Israel’s primary objectives in discussions with Lebanon are the dismantling of Hezbollah and securing a lasting peace “achieved through strength”.
The latest escalation between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah followed US-Israeli strikes on Iran on 28 February, which triggered a broader regional conflict.
Netanyahu said Israeli operations are currently focused on Bint Jbeil, which he referred to as Hezbollah’s “capital” in southern Lebanon, adding that forces are on the verge of eliminating the group’s stronghold there.
“We are, in effect, about to eliminate this great stronghold of Hezbollah,” he said.
On Iran, he said the United States continues to keep Israel informed, with both countries aligned on key goals — removing enriched nuclear material from Iran, ending its enrichment capabilities, and ensuring the Strait of Hormuz remains open.
“It is too early to say how this will end or develop,” Netanyahu said, adding that Israel is prepared for any scenario should hostilities escalate further.
Israel Strikes On Lebanon
On Wednesday, Israeli airstrikes targeted two vehicles along the coastal highway south of Beirut, near the towns of Saadiyat and Jiyeh, areas outside Hezbollah’s traditional strongholds.
Footage from one of the sites showed a charred van, with emergency responders working to put out the fire and recover remains. There was no immediate response from the Israeli military.
In northern Israel, a man was injured in Tamra after Hezbollah fired around 30 rockets across the border, according to officials and medics.
Hezbollah said it had carried out rocket attacks on 10 locations in northern Israel.
Lebanon-Israel Peace Talk
A meeting held in Washington on Tuesday brought together Lebanese and Israeli representatives, marking their first direct, high-level engagement in nearly three decades despite the two nations remaining formally at war.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio mediated the talks between Israeli ambassador Yechiel Leiter and Lebanese ambassador Nada Moawad.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun expressed cautious optimism, saying he hoped the discussions would mark “the beginning of the end of the suffering of the Lebanese people”.
Israeli officials, however, framed the talks as part of a broader strategy against Hezbollah. Leiter said the meeting suggested both sides were “on the same side of the equation” and described the engagement as the start of a wider effort against the group, as per BBC.
While both sides termed the discussions constructive, no ceasefire agreement was reached, and the move has exposed divisions within Lebanon.
Hezbollah strongly opposed the talks, with its MP Hassan Fadlallah warning that the government’s decision to negotiate could deepen internal rifts. He reiterated the group’s demand for a comprehensive ceasefire, rather than a return to the near-daily strikes and targeted killings seen after the November 2024 truce.
