IDF destroys Hezbollah stronghold where Nasrallah declared Israel ‘weaker than a spider’s web’

The IDF has destroyed Hezbollah's "Spider Web Stadium" in Bint Jbeil, Lebanon, a symbolic stronghold where Hassan Nasrallah declared Israel "weaker than a spider's web" in 2000. This action is part of Operation Galilee Fists, a renewed ground offensive launched in February 2026 after Hezbollah violated a ceasefire. Israeli forces, including the 401st Armored Brigade and Paratroopers Brigade’s 101st Battalion, have encircled approximately 400 Hezbollah fighters and demolished about 40% of the town's military infrastructure, with projections to reach 70%.

"When you reach a villa in a landscape like this and destroy it because it serves as enemy infrastructure, it hurts... But we have no choice."

The current mission, unlike previous engagements in the 1990s and 2006, aims to decisively push the threat away from northern Israeli communities. Despite extensive destruction, small pockets of Hezbollah fighters and explosives remain. Israeli commanders emphasize a shift in strategy, focusing on denying Hezbollah capabilities rather than assessing intentions, stating, "I do not care whether Hezbollah wants to attack us today. I want to know whether it can, and I want us to make sure it cannot."