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Hezbollah inflicts heavy losses on Israeli army during Bint Jbeil battles

April 16, 2026

Hezbollah resistance fighters are fiercely confronting the Israeli military’s attempts to capture the strategic southern city of Bint Jbeil, inflicting heavy losses on invading troops, Hebrew media reports have confirmed.

Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported on 15 April that Hezbollah’s operations in the besieged city were “exacting a toll” on the Israeli army.

“Despite advancing under heavy fire cover from both land and air in an attempt to avoid casualties, the talk is about a densely built-up area, just like in the Gaza Strip, and therefore, close-range clashes cannot be completely avoided,” it said.

Days earlier, Israeli media had said that Bint Jbeil – a highly strategic city which links south Lebanon’s eastern and western sectors – was close to being captured, claiming hundreds of resistance fighters were killed.

Yet Hezbollah retains a significant presence in Bint Jbeil and is targeting Israeli forces encircling the city.

“The Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance targeted at 12:00 am on Wednesday, 15-04-2026, a gathering of the Israeli enemy’s armored vehicles and soldiers in the northern outskirts of the city of Bint Jbeil with a rocket salvo,” the resistance movement said on Wednesday.

Ynet reported late on Tuesday that Rambam Hospital in Haifa has been receiving a steady influx of wounded Israeli soldiers evacuated by helicopter from south Lebanon, with medical teams working continuously alongside the military.

Dr Avi Weisman, deputy director of the hospital, who also serves as head of medical operations and a senior anesthesiologist, said, “We are working around the clock here with the various IDF bodies, all in order to ensure rapid and efficient intake.”

“It really reminds me of the days of the First and Second Lebanon wars, with helicopters constantly evacuating wounded to us,” he added. “A great many of the wounded here are suffering from limb injuries.”

He went on to say that “There are almost daily two helicopter landings here arriving from the war zone in Lebanon.”

According to Ynet, 10 Israeli soldiers were injured in a clash with three Hezbollah fighters in Bint Jbeil this week. Three are in serious condition.

Some have been taken to Rambam Hospital, and others to different hospitals. So far, the Israeli military has admitted to the deaths of 13 soldiers since the start of the Lebanon ground operation in early March. The army says 21 soldiers have been injured in the last 24 hours alone, bringing the number of wounded troops to 586 since early March

“The resistance has employed the ‘deadly pocket’ tactic, allowing enemy forces over the past few days to advance and encircle the city’s outskirts. Instead of a linear defense, the fighters have penetrated the narrow alleyways and engaged in close-quarters combat. This tactic neutralized the Israeli Air Force’s superiority, leaving enemy armor vulnerable to FPV attack drones, tandem shells, B-29s, and Kornet missiles,” Lebanon’s Al-Akhbar newspaper says.

VIDEO | Hezbollah publishes footage of its fighters targeting an Israeli army Humvee in the town of Taybeh in southern Lebanon using an attack drone. pic.twitter.com/9L1uEtVSJ4

— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) April 14, 2026

“The Givati Brigade suffered losses as it advanced the first 200 meters into the defensive zone established by the resistance northeast of Bint Jbeil, unable to penetrate the market or approach the stadium. The Paratroopers Brigade failed to secure the city’s northern entrance, managing to advance only a few dozen meters towards the Awaini area,” the newspaper added.

The commander of the 52^nd Battalion of the Israeli army’s 401^st Brigade was seriously wounded during battles in the Bint Jbeil area, Israeli Channel 14’s Hillel Biton Rosen reported on 14 March. The commander is reportedly undergoing surgery.

The co-founder and general director of the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), Dyab Abou Jahjah, identified the wounded commander as Daniel Ella, who leads the battalion responsible for the killing of 5-year-old Hind Rajab in Gaza in January 2024.

A Lebanese security source told Al Jazeera on Sunday that Israeli forces have closed all main access routes to Bint Jbeil and are targeting it with fighter jets, artillery, and phosphorus munitions, but have not been able to reach its main landmarks.

As the battle for Bint Jbeil rages, Hezbollah has continued cross-border drone and rocket attacks on Israeli bases and troop gatherings in Kiryat Shmona, Avivim, and other northern settlements.

VIDEO | Hezbollah publishes footage of its fighters targeting the Kiryat Shmona barracks with a rocket barrage. pic.twitter.com/TTvywOqG1G

— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) April 15, 2026