Israeli Forces Capture Beaufort Castle as Hezbollah Fires Rockets and Drones Near Nabatiyeh

Israeli forces captured Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon, raising the Israeli flag over the Crusader-built fortress near the city of Nabatiyeh after days of air strikes and intense fighting in nearby villages.

“Hezbollah Military Media released a new video, displaying the Resistance attack on a Merkava tank belonging to the Israeli enemy army in the vicinity of the historic Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon, by the Ababil loitering drone”

Al-Manar TV Lebanon

Euronews said the capture came as it marked “the deepest incursion into the country in more than a quarter of a century,” and CBC reported the Israeli military said the ground offensive expanded as troops fought Hezbollah members in the rugged area.

Al-Manar TV Lebanon

Hezbollah responded with claims of attacks in the south, including rocket and drone operations targeting Israeli troops and vehicles near Yohmor Shaqif in the Nabatieh district, according to L'Orient Today.

In the same reporting, L'Orient Today said an Israeli strike on Adloun (Sour) killed eight people, all of them Syrian nationals, while Hezbollah also announced two operations including targeting a Merkava tank in Yohmor Shaqif at 7 p.m.

The fighting also continued despite a nominal ceasefire, with Euronews noting it had been in place since 17 April and CBC saying direct talks between Lebanon and Israel were set to be held in Washington, D.C., starting Tuesday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the capture of Beaufort marked a “dramatic turning point” in Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, and he added, “We have returned united, determined and stronger than ever,” in a video statement reported by Euronews.

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a key Hezbollah ally, said he could guarantee Hezbollah’s “full, comprehensive, and immediate commitment to a ceasefire,” but asked “But who will force Israel to stop its aggression?” in a statement on his television station NBN, according to CBC.

Anadolu Ajansı

France condemned the move and demanded a UN Security Council meeting, with Euronews reporting that French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot described the operations as “unacceptable.”

Euronews also reported that the Israeli army’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, posted a photograph on X showing Israeli troops walking outside the castle, and Defence Minister Israel Katz wrote on X that they had hoisted an Israeli flag over the structure.

CBC reported that Barrot said, “Nothing can justify the prolongation of Israeli military operations in Lebanon and its increasingly deep occupation of Lebanese territory,” as it described the push beyond the Litani River and calls for residents to evacuate.

Euronews reported that Israel designated the area from the Litani to the Zahrani River as a combat zone and said Israeli troops were about 5 kilometres from the city of Nabatiyeh, urging residents to evacuate along with residents of Tyre and its surroundings.

“Israel seizes strategic castle in Lebanon as ground offensive expands Israeli troops have captured a strategic mountain topped with a Crusader-built castle in southern Lebanon in the deepest incursion into the country in more than a quarter-century, the military said Sunday”

CBC

CBC said Israel intended to hold the castle as its troops work to destroy thousands more homes that Israel says were used by Hezbollah and other military infrastructure in southern Lebanon, while also noting Hezbollah had not disclosed the number of their casualties.

On the battlefield, L'Orient Today reported Hezbollah announced multiple suicide drone strikes throughout the day on military barracks in northern Israel, including Malkieh, Yiftah and Netua, while it also claimed rocket and drone attacks near Yohmor Shaqif (Nabatieh).

Euronews said the Lebanese Health Ministry reported an Israeli strike near Hiram hospital in Tyre wounded 13 members of the hospital staff, and it quoted the ministry’s statement urging “the international community to put an end to the ongoing escalation and the expansion of Israeli attacks”.

Meanwhile, CBC reported that Netanyahu said Israel has killed 3,000 Hezbollah militants since the start of the war, and it described the capture as coming despite a nominal ceasefire and just days before the next round of direct talks in Washington, D.C.