Summary

The Israeli military has said its troops have completely surrounded a key town in southern Lebanon after killing more than 100 Hezbollah fighters there over the past week. The announcement marks a significant advance in Israel's ongoing invasion of southern Lebanon. "The forces of the 98th Division have completed the encirclement of the town of Bint Jbeil and have begun an assault on it," the military's Arabic-language spokesman Colonel Avichay Adraee said on X. Over the past week, Israeli forces have killed more than 100 Hezbollah fighters in and around the town in "face-to-face" clashes and with air strikes, he said. The Iran-backed Hezbollah said it has been engaged for days in clashes with Israeli forces in Bint Jbeil. Just five kilometres from the Israeli border, Bint Jbeil has long been both a symbolic and strategic flashpoint in confrontations between Israeli forces and Hezbollah. It was the scene of some of the fiercest fighting during the 2006 war, when Hezbollah's resistance there became central to the group's narrative of defiance. It was from the stadium in Bint Jbeil in 2000 that the group's former chief Hassan Nasrallah delivered the "Liberation" speech following Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon after 22 years of occupation. On Thursday, Hezbollah said it was engaged in "point-blank" clashes with Israeli forces in the town. Since then, the group has repeatedly reported targeting Israeli forces and vehicles there, most recently yesterday, when the state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported "intense clashes" in the town. The NNA has today reported Israeli artillery shelling at the town's entrance. Read more: US to blockade Iran ports after talks fail to reach deal Iran demands Lebanon ceasefire before peace talks Latest Middle East stories The escalation in Bint Jbeil comes as diplomatic efforts to contain the cross border fighting have risen over the past few days. Israeli and Lebanese officials are set to hold talks tomorrow in Washington to end the war. Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East war when Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel after US-Israeli strikes killed Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei on 28 February. Israel responded with massive strikes and a ground invasion. During a visit to troops in southern Lebanon on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli forces had eliminated the threat of an invasion by Hezbollah militants. But he added: "There is still more to do, and we are doing it." Israeli officials have repeatedly said that Israel wants to establish a "security zone" in south Lebanon to help prevent Hezbollah attacks.