Mapped out: Invading Israeli troops begin the battle for Bint Jbeil
by L'Orient Today staff · L'Orient TodayBEIRUT — The battle for Bint Jbeil has begun, with fierce fighting between invading Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters.
On Thursday afternoon, Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir appeared in a video near the key town in southern Lebanon. “We are continuing to deepen our ground maneuvers and keep striking Hezbollah,” he said during a supervisory tour. If Israeli forces capture the town, they would deal a significant blow to the party.
The Israeli invasion is advancing simultaneously along two other axes in southern Lebanon. In the eastern sector, they are trying to consolidate their position in Khiam and the surrounding areas.
In the western sector, where Hezbollah has not reported any operations in the past 24 hours, invading Israeli troops are reinforcing positions along the coast. Here is the situation as of the morning of April 10, 2026.
The western sector
In the Sour district, Israeli forces are strengthening their coastal positions.
Over the past 48 hours, Israel has intensified the destruction of buildings in Naqoura. It also struck the Qasimieh bridge, which connects the region south of the Litani River to the north, signaling a possible escalation.
On Thursday, the Lebanese Army reopened a narrow passage for vehicles leaving Sour.
The central sector
Invading Israeli forces have reached Bint Jbeil, where intense fighting is taking place, including in the city center.
The city carries strong symbolic weight. Former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah delivered a “victory speech” there after the South's liberation from Israeli occupation in 2000.
The town also lies along the “anti-tank line,” the eight-kilometer-deep buffer zone Israel is attempting to establish in southern Lebanon.
After surrounding the city in recent weeks, Israeli forces are now advancing from its north through Ainata, southeast through Maroun al-Ras and Aitaroun, and west through Hanine, Rshaf, and the outskirts of Dibil and Ain Ibl, which remain inhabited.
West of Bint Jbeil, Israeli forces have demolished additional homes in Hanine, signaling they have established a firm presence there.
The eastern sector
In the Marjayoun district, Israeli forces have made their deepest advances and continue to reinforce their positions. This sector is strategically important because the Litani River lies only a few kilometers from its border.
Israeli troops appear to have reached the river after advancing to Deir Siryan, a village overlooking it, where they continue demolition operations.
Khiam and Marjayoun are the main towns in this sector. Israel claimed it captured Khiam and continues to advance around the town, forcing Hezbollah to fight on two fronts, here and in Bint Jbeil.
A new front in western Bekaa?
If Israeli forces continue advancing in the eastern sector, they could push toward Mount Rihan in the Jezzine district, which borders western Bekaa and came under heavy bombardment after the 2024 cease-fire.
From there, they could try to reach the rest of the Bekaa, where Hezbollah’s main weapons depots are believed to be located. This front has remained relatively quiet over the past two days.
To advance on this front, Israeli forces could move along two main axes in the eastern sector:
- from Khiam and Marjayoun toward Kawkaba and Dallafeh (Hasbaya district),
- from the far east, from Kfar Shuba toward Kfar Hammam and Hebbarieh, then on to Rashaya al-Foukhar and Freidis, all in the Hasbaya district, aiming to reach areas facing key western Bekaa localities such as Zellaya and Maidoun.
They could also rely on positions they occupy on the Syrian side of the border, in Mount Hermon, to support these operations.
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