Israeli Forces Kill Six Hezbollah Fighters in Bint Jbeil Clash

Israeli forces reported killing six Hezbollah fighters in the flashpoint southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil on Friday during a clash that included a firefight, according to the Israeli military as quoted by Naharnet and Al Jazeera.

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Naharnet said the Israeli military identified six Hezbollah fighters operating in Bint Jbeil and described an exchange of fire in which “the soldiers eliminated two (militants),” before “the soldiers struck the structure from which the (militants) had been operating” and “the four remaining (militants) were eliminated.”

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Al Jazeera similarly said the Israeli military “eliminated” six Hezbollah fighters in an exchange of fire in Bint Jbeil, southern Lebanon.

The Times of Israel added operational detail, saying Hezbollah carried out several attacks on Israeli forces stationed in southern Lebanon on Friday and that the IDF published footage showing six gunmen being struck after exchanging fire with troops in Bint Jbeil.

The Times of Israel also placed the town “in the Israeli-held security zone in southern Lebanon,” and said IDF paratroopers spotted fresh food and military equipment at the entrance to a building in Bint Jbeil’s “kasbah.”

It further described a sequence in which the paratroopers sent in a drone and a dog from the Oketz canine unit to scan the site, and said “The dog revealed the position of the six gunmen before being shot dead by them.”

In a separate thread of reporting, Al Jazeera said the Lebanese Health Ministry reported “two people were killed in an Israeli air strike in the southern area of Touline,” while Naharnet focused on the Bint Jbeil clash and the Israeli military’s account of the firefight.

The Bint Jbeil fighting unfolded after a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon was extended, but multiple outlets described continued military activity and violations.

Al Jazeera said Israel continued its attacks on southern Lebanon “hours after ceasefire between the two countries was extended for a further three weeks,” and it described the attacks as “the latest violations of a ceasefire that began on April 16 after weeks of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.”

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Al Jazeera also said Israeli forces remained stationed in southern Lebanon after establishing a “yellow line” in the region, and it reported that the casualty toll since the current round of fighting broke out on March 2 had risen to “2,491 people killed and 7,719 wounded, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said.”

The Times of Israel tied the ceasefire extension to US President Donald Trump, saying Trump said Thursday night it would be extended by three weeks while noting that Israel could carry out strikes in Lebanon in self-defense.

It also said Trump announced the ceasefire extension after hosting Israeli and Lebanese envoys for the second round of the two countries’ “highest-level negotiations in decades,” and that the sides in a joint statement agreed on the “urgent need” to revive a November 2024 ceasefire deal requiring the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah.

Meanwhile, Al Jazeera quoted Hezbollah dismissing the extension as “meaningless,” with Hezbollah lawmaker Ali Fayyad saying “It is essential to point out that the ceasefire is meaningless in light of Israel’s insistence on hostile acts, including assassinations, shelling, and gunfire.”

Naharnet framed the clash as part of a broader dispute over peace efforts, saying it came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hezbollah was trying to “sabotage” efforts to secure peace with Lebanon following the extension of the ceasefire.

The ceasefire extension and the continuing clashes triggered sharply different political responses from Israel, Hezbollah, and international mediators.

Naharnet reported that the clash came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hezbollah was trying to “sabotage” efforts to secure peace with Lebanon following the extension of the ceasefire between the two sides, and it included a line from Netanyahu’s remarks that Hezbollah “needs to just disarm and end this charade, once and for all.”

Al Jazeera quoted Netanyahu as saying Israel was “maintaining full freedom of action against any threat” and accused Hezbollah of “trying to sabotage” the ceasefire deal, while it also described Hezbollah’s dismissal of the extension as “meaningless.”

Al Jazeera gave Hezbollah lawmaker Ali Fayyad’s response, saying “It is essential to point out that the ceasefire is meaningless in light of Israel’s insistence on hostile acts, including assassinations, shelling, and gunfire,” and it added that Fayyad said every Israeli attack gave Hezbollah the “right to retaliate.”

In the same Al Jazeera report, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the extension of the ceasefire and praised the US for its role in mediating the truce, quoting Guterres: “Everyone must fully respect the cessation of hostilities, cease any further attacks & comply with their obligations under international law.”

The Times of Israel also framed Netanyahu’s position through the lens of self-defense and ceasefire enforcement, saying Trump noted Israel could carry out strikes in Lebanon in self-defense and that the IDF said the incident was a “blatant violation of the ceasefire understandings by the Hezbollah terror organization.”

Arab News likewise foregrounded Netanyahu’s accusation, quoting him saying “We have started a process to reach a historic peace between Israel and Lebanon, and it’s clear to us that Hezbollah is trying to sabotage this,” and it described the IDF striking Hezbollah structures in Deir Aames in response to a “ceasefire violation.”

Alongside the Bint Jbeil firefight, Israeli forces issued evacuation orders and carried out strikes in multiple southern Lebanese towns, while Hezbollah continued firing rockets and drones, according to Al Jazeera and The Times of Israel.

Al Jazeera said the Israeli military on Friday issued a forced evacuation order for the town of Deir Aames and reported that Israeli forces confirmed a claim by Iran-aligned Hezbollah that the group had used a missile to shoot down an Israeli drone in southern Lebanon.

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It also reported that earlier on Friday “several people were wounded in an Israeli artillery attack on the town of Yater in southern Lebanon,” citing the Lebanese state-run National News Agency.

The Times of Israel described the IDF’s actions in response to a rocket barrage, saying it issued an evacuation order and carried out strikes in southern Lebanon in response to “a rocket barrage that the Iran-backed terror group fired at Israel late Thursday.”

The Times of Israel named additional towns, saying the IDF struck buildings used by Hezbollah in Khirbet Selm and Touline in response to the rocket barrage on the northern border community of Shtula, and it said Lebanese state media reported three Israeli strikes in Deir Aames with “No casualties were reported.”

It also quoted an Israeli warning from army spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee to residents of Deir Aames, saying “Hezbollahs terror activities and the launching [of rockets] from the village force the IDF to act against it in your area of residence,” and it added that Adraee called on residents to “immediately” evacuate their homes and move “at least a kilometer from the village.”

Al Jazeera’s reporting from Tyre described continued military activity despite the truce, quoting Heidi Pett: “There have been air strikes, drone strikes, home demolitions and continued occupation of territory here in southern Lebanon.”

Different outlets emphasized different aspects of the same events—Israeli tactical claims, Hezbollah’s framing, and the broader meaning of Bint Jbeil—while also describing the stakes for negotiations and civilian life.

“- “We have started a process to reach a historic peace between Israel and Lebanon,” Netanyahu said - “It’s clear to us that Hezbollah is trying to sabotage this” JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hezbollah on Friday of trying to “sabotage” efforts to reach a peace agreement with Lebanon”

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The Times of Israel presented the Bint Jbeil operation as a tightly controlled IDF action, saying that “Within an hour and a half of the initial identification, all six gunmen were killed by troops with light arms, tank shelling and an explosive drone,” and it added that “No Israeli soldiers were hurt.”

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Al Jazeera, by contrast, stressed the continuing pattern of attacks despite the truce, quoting Heidi Pett that “There have been air strikes, drone strikes, home demolitions and continued occupation of territory here in southern Lebanon,” and it described Hezbollah responding with “rockets and drones.”

Naharnet and Arab News both highlighted Netanyahu’s accusation that Hezbollah was trying to sabotage peace efforts, but Arab News also included the IDF’s rationale for strikes, quoting the IDF Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee warning residents of Deir Aames to “evacuate your homes immediately and move at least 1,000 meters outside the area.”

Beyond the immediate clash, Libnanews framed Bint Jbeil as a “node of battle” and described how the city became “one of the centres of gravity of the war,” linking it to diplomatic efforts and the “test” of whether Israel could “permanently begin Hezbollah’s military architecture in the southern band.”

Libnanews also described a timeline of Israeli movement, saying “Since 9 April, according to consistent reports, the Israeli army has entered Bint Jbeil after gradually encircling the city,” and it referenced an Israeli military source relayed by a news agency claiming “full operational control” could be reached “within a few days.”

In the background of these narratives, the stakes for civilians and displacement appeared in multiple reports, including Al Jazeera’s description of ongoing military activity and the evacuation orders for Deir Aames, while the Libnanews framing tied the urban battle to broader diplomatic recovery.