Israel takes strategic Beaufort Castle in biggest Lebanon advance in 25 years
Beirut: Israeli troops have captured Beaufort Castle, a strategic hilltop fortress in southern Lebanon, marking the country's deepest military incursion into Lebanese territory in more than 25 years, the Israeli military said on Sunday.
The capture of the Crusader-era castle near the city of Nabatiyeh came after days of airstrikes and heavy fighting in nearby villages between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants.
The development represents a significant Israeli advance in the latest conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. The war began on March 2, when Hezbollah launched rockets into northern Israel two days after the United States and Israel attacked Iran, Hezbollah's main backer.
Since then, Israel has carried out a ground offensive and taken control of dozens of villages and towns near the border. Hezbollah, meanwhile, has fired thousands of missiles and drones at Israeli troops in southern Lebanon and targets in northern Israel.
The military advance comes despite a ceasefire that has been in place since April 17. It also comes days before Lebanon and Israel are due to hold another round of direct talks in Washington starting on Tuesday.
Ceasefire concerns and international reaction
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a close ally of Hezbollah, said he could guarantee the group's "full, comprehensive and immediate commitment to a ceasefire."
"But who will force Israel to stop its aggression?" he said in a statement broadcast by his television station, NBN.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss Israeli military operations in Lebanon, describing them as "unacceptable."
"Nothing can justify the prolongation of Israeli military operations in Lebanon and its increasingly deep occupation of Lebanese territory," Barrot said on French broadcaster BFM TV on Sunday.
Diplomats said the Security Council meeting could take place on Monday afternoon, speaking on condition of anonymity before a formal announcement.
Historic fortress at the centre of the advance
Israeli military Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee posted photographs on X showing Israeli troops outside the castle. Defence Minister Israel Katz said on X that Israeli forces had raised the country's flag over the site.
Israeli troops previously captured Beaufort Castle in 1982 and held it until withdrawing from Lebanon in 2000.
"Twenty six years after the withdrawal from the security zone in Lebanon, the Israeli flag has returned to fly on the peaks that overlook the Galilee towns," Katz said during a memorial ceremony for Israeli soldiers killed during Israel's earlier occupation of southern Lebanon.
Katz said Israel intended to retain control of the castle while troops continued operations against what he described as Hezbollah infrastructure and homes allegedly used by the group in southern Lebanon.
Perched above the Litani River, Beaufort Castle has held military importance for centuries. Built by Crusaders around the 12th century on the site of earlier fortifications, it was later used by the forces of Saladin, the Mamluks, the Ottomans, the French Mandate authorities and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The Crusaders named it Beaufort, meaning "beautiful fortress" in Old French.
The fortress was captured from the PLO by Israeli forces in 1982 during a campaign that eventually reached Beirut. It was partially restored and reopened to visitors in 2000.
During the 2024 Israel-Hezbollah war, UNESCO granted enhanced protection status to 34 cultural sites in Lebanon, including Beaufort Castle, to help protect them from damage.
Known in Arabic as Al-Shaqif Castle, the fortress stands a few kilometres north of the Israeli border and overlooks large areas of southern Lebanon and northern Israel.
Israeli operations expand in southern Lebanon
In recent days, Israel has widened its military operations in Lebanon, deploying troops across the Litani River, which had previously served as a de facto boundary, and urging residents to leave large parts of southern Lebanon.
"The occupation of Beaufort is a dramatic stage and a dramatic shift in the policies we are leading," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday.
Referring to military operations in Syria, Lebanon and Gaza, Netanyahu said Israel had killed 3,000 Hezbollah militants since the war began. Hezbollah has not released its casualty figures.
Israel has declared the area between the Litani River and the Zahrani River a combat zone. Some residents have already left following intense airstrikes in recent days, though others remain.
Israeli troops have been advancing through villages near Beaufort Castle and are now about 5 kilometres from Nabatiyeh, one of southern Lebanon's main urban centres. The military has also called on residents to leave the area around Nabatiyeh, as well as the coastal city of Tyre, Lebanon's fourth-largest city, and nearby districts.