Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz on Sunday said that the military had captured the strategic medieval fortress of Beaufort in southern Lebanon, where it is expanding ground operations against Iran-backed Hezbollah.
“44 years after the heroic Battle of Beaufort, and on this day commemorating the soldiers who fell in the First Lebanon War (1982), our troops have returned to the summit of Beaufort and once again raised the Israeli flag there,” Katz said on his Telegram channel.
Israel and Lebanon have been at war since Israel was created in 1948, and are currently holding direct talks in Washington. The Israeli push came despite a nominal that has been in place since April 17 and just days before the next round of talks are set to be held at the State Department on June 2 and 3, Associated Press reported.
What is the Beaufort Castle?
The capture of Beaufort castle — also known as Qalaat al-Shakif — near the city of Nabatiyeh came after days of intense fighting between Israeli troops and members, as well as airstrikes in nearby villages.
The Israeli army’s Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee posted a photograph on X showing Israeli troops walking outside the castle, and Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote on X that they had raised an Israeli flag over the castle.
News agency AFP said its footage from Sunday morning showed the Israeli army flag raised above the citadel, with shelling audible and smoke rising from the surrounding area.
The fortress commands sweeping views of south Lebanon, making it a position of considerable strategic value.
Why is the Beaufort Castle a strategic capture for Israel?
This is being reported as Israel’s deepest incursion into Lebanon more than 25 years. Israeli troops previously captured the castle in 1982 and held it until they withdrew from Lebanon in 2000.
“Under Prime Minister and my direction, the IDF expanded the operations in Lebanon, crossed the Litani River, and captured the Beaufort Ridge — one of the most important strategic points for defending the communities of the Galilee and safeguarding the security of our forces,” AFP cited Katz as saying.
Israeli troops have been advancing for days in villages close to Beaufort castle after crossing the Litani River, which the Israeli military previously used as a de facto boundary.
They are now about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the city of Nabatiyeh, a major center in southern Lebanon, and have called on all its residents to leave. Israel has designated the area from the Litani up to the Zahrani River a combat zone.
There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah or the Lebanese government on the Israeli push.
Hezbollah overnight claimed two attacks targeting Israeli troops and a Merkava tank in the southwestern town of Bayada near the border. In recent days, the group has said it has clashed with Israeli troops in several towns just north of the river near Nabatiyeh and the strategic castle.
Hezbollah in recent weeks has frustrated Israel with attacks on troops and northern towns using hard-to-detect fiber optic drones.
What rekindled the conflict?
The latest Israel-Hezbollah war began on March 2, when Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel two days after the US and Israel attacked its main backer, Iran.
Israel has since launched a ground invasion, capturing dozens of Lebanese villages and towns close to the border.
It has left 3,350 people dead in Lebanon and over 1 million people displaced.
According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, at least 25 Israeli soldiers and a defense contractor have been killed in or near southern Lebanon and two civilians have been killed in northern Israel, the vast majority by drones.
— With inputs from agencies
