Battle of Bint Jbeil

Battle of Bint Jbeil
Part of the 2006 Lebanon War

Map of South Lebanon showing the location of Bint Jbeil
Date23 July – 11 August 2006
(2 weeks and 5 days)
Location
Bint Jbeil, Southern Lebanon
Result

Hezbollah victory

  • IDF failed to capture the town[1][2]
Belligerents
 Israel Hezbollah
Commanders and leaders
Brig. Gen. Gal Hirsch
Col. Tamir Yedai
Maj. Roi Klein †		 Com. Khalid Bazzi  †
Com. Muhammad Abu Ta'am  †
Units involved

35th Paratroopers Brigade

  • 101st battalion
  • 890th battalion
  • Recon company

Golani Brigade

401st Armored Brigade

  • 52nd battalion

7th Armored Brigade

847th Armored Brigade

Units from air force and artillery[3]

Armed wing

  • Local garrison
  • Nasr Unit, Hezbollah Special Forces unit
Strength
5,000 soldiers 100–150 fighters in the region, incl. 40 Special Forces (IDF estimate)[4][5]
Casualties and losses
17 IDF soldiers killed[6] 32 killed (Hezbollah claim)[7]
50–70 fighters (IDF claim)[8]
"A very large number" (Winograd Report)[9]
"Dozens" (Reuven Erlich)[10]
76 Lebanese civilians killed in Aynata,[11] Bint Jbeil,[7] and Aytaroun.[12]

The Battle of Bint Jbeil was one of the main battles of the 2006 Lebanon War. Bint Jbeil is a major town of some 20,000 (mainly Shia) inhabitants in Southern Lebanon. Although Brigadier General Gal Hirsch announced on 25 July that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had "complete control" of Bint Jbeil, this statement was later discredited. In spite of three sustained attempts by the IDF to conquer the town, it remained in the hands of Hezbollah until the end of the war.[13] The town was the scene of some of the fiercest fighting of the war, with both sides taking heavy losses. Three senior Israeli officers, including Major Roi Klein, were killed in the battle. Hezbollah similarly lost several commanders, most notably Khalid Bazzi, commander of the Bint Jbeil area.

  1. ^ The final Winograd Commission report, p. 364 and 368
  2. ^ Kober, p. 28-29
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Rap15 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ehrich, p. 77 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Harel, p. 139
  6. ^ Kober, p. 28
  7. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference SafirBint was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "The Second Lebanon War: A Timeline IDF Blog | the Official Blog of the Israel Defense Forces". Archived from the original on 8 July 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  9. ^ "The Final Winograd Commission Report, p. 364" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 February 2009.
  10. ^ Erlich, Part Two: Documentation, p.23
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference SafirAyn was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Zeina Karam (23 October 2006). "Violence Casts Shadow on Muslim Holiday". The Washington Post. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  13. ^ Operation Webs of Steel 2 (23–29 July), Change of Direction 8 (1–3 August) and Change of Direction 10 (6–9 August), see The final Winograd Commission report, p. 364-74