The capture of Beaufort Castle, near the town of Nabatieh, followed several days of airstrikes and intense fighting in nearby villages, where Israeli troops clashed with members of Hezbollah.
The capture marks a major turning point in the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah, which began March 2 when Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel, two days after the United States and Israel attacked its main supporter, Iran.
Israel has since launched a ground invasion, seizing dozens of Lebanese villages and towns near the border. Hezbollah has fired thousands of missiles and drones at Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon and northern Israel.
The Israeli offensive took place despite a nominal ceasefire in effect since April 17 and just days before the next round of direct talks between Lebanon and Israel, scheduled for June 2-3 at the State Department.
A historic and strategic fortress
The Arab spokesman for the Israeli army, Avichay Adraee, published a photo on X showing Israeli soldiers marching outside the castle.
Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote on X that they had raised an Israeli flag over the castle.
Israeli troops had already captured the castle in 1982 and held it until their withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000.
Beaufort Fortress, perched atop the green hills of Lebanon and overlooking the Litani, served as a strategic military asset for many armies for almost 1,000 years.
Built as a Crusader castle around the 12th century on top of earlier fortifications, it was used by the Crusaders, Saladin’s army in Jerusalem, the Mamluks, the Ottomans, the French Mandate, the Organization of liberation of Palestine and the Israeli army until 2000, when it was partially restored and opened to visitors.
The capture of the castle by the Palestine Liberation Organization in 1982 was a major victory for the Israeli army, then led by Defense Minister Ariel Sharon, who later became Prime Minister of the country. At the time, the Israeli army had advanced to the north and occupied Beirut.
During the previous war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2024, UNESCO strengthened the protection of 34 cultural sites in Lebanon, including Beaufort Castle, in order to preserve it from any damage.
The castle lies a few kilometers north of the Israeli border and overlooks much of southern Lebanon and northern Israel.
The Israeli army said in a statement that it had launched an operation a few days ago on the Beaufort Ridge and in the Suluki Valley, further south, with the aim of dismantling Hezbollah’s infrastructure and eliminating direct threats to civilians. Israelis.
The press release specifies that the army is ready “to extend the operation if necessary”.
Israel extends its invasion of Lebanon
In recent days, Israel has expanded the scope of its operations in Lebanon, sending troops across the Litani River, which previously served as a de facto border, and demanding that residents leave much of southern Lebanon.
Israel designated the area from the Litani to the Zahrani River as a combat zone. Some residents have already left the region due to the intense strikes in recent days, but the population remains present in many towns in the region.
Israeli troops have been advancing for several days in the villages near Beaufort Castle.
They are now about five kilometers from the town of Nabatieh, a major center in southern Lebanon, and have called on all its residents to leave, as well as residents of the coastal city of Tyre, the country’s fourth city, and its surrounding areas.
Hezbollah and the Lebanese government made no immediate comment on the Israeli offensive.
Exchanges of fire at the border continue
Overnight, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for two attacks targeting Israeli troops and a Merkava tank in the southwest town of Bayada, near the border.
In recent days, the group has clashed with Israeli troops in several towns just north of the river.
The National Information Agency, managed by the Lebanese state, reported air strikes on different villages in southern Lebanon, indicating that they had caused casualties without giving details.
Hezbollah’s use of fiber optic drones that are difficult to detect has proven deadly for the Israeli army, which is struggling to respond.
According to the Israeli military, nearly 200 alerts have been issued to Israeli civilians across northern Israel over the past 24 hours warning them of the presence of drones and missiles.
The latest wave of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has left 3,350 dead in Lebanon and displaced more than a million people.
According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, at least 25 Israeli soldiers and a defense contractor were killed in or near southern Lebanon, including one on Saturday. Two civilians were also killed in northern Israel.
