Israeli Troops Capture Beaufort Castle as Netanyahu Expands Lebanon Offensive Against Hezbollah

Israeli troops captured Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon as they expanded a ground offensive beyond their original demarcation line of the Litani river, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling it a "decisive shift" in the offensive against Hezbollah.

“Israeli forces have reached the outskirts of the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh and captured the strategic Beaufort Castle despite a ceasefire agreement in place since April, as analysts warn Israel is laying the groundwork for long-term control of territory inside Lebanon”

Al Jazeera

The BBC reported that the capture came as the Israel Defense Forces increased the zone in southern Lebanon that it has warned residents to evacuate from, while Lebanon’s prime minister accused Israel of carrying out "collective punishment".

Al Jazeera

Lebanon’s Health Ministry said 13 hospital staff were injured in an airstrike in the vicinity of Hiram hospital in Tyre, southern Lebanon, and the military confirmed another soldier had been killed.

The Guardian said the IDF was pushing towards the Zahrani River, about six miles north, after capturing Beaufort Castle, also known as Qalaat al-Shaqif, and said the IDF had “launched an operation in the Beaufort Ridge and Wadi al-Saluki area of southern Lebanon to dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure and expand its control of the area”.

France requested an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss the Israeli military operations, and President Emmanuel Macron said on X that "it is urgent that the weapons fall silent - all of them, and for good".

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam made a televised address accusing Israel of a "scorched-earth policy and collective punishment" in the south of the country, while the Guardian said the advance further shattering a nominal US-brokered ceasefire and complicating efforts to extend the separate truce between the Washington and Tehran.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot requested an emergency meeting of the UN security council and described the operations as unacceptable, saying "Nothing can justify the prolongation of Israeli military operations in Lebanon and its increasingly deep occupation of Lebanese territory," on French television BFM TV.

Al-Jazeera Net

In Israel, Defence Minister Israel Katz said the Golani Brigade had returned and raised the Israeli flag above Beaufort Castle, and the BBC said Katz recalled the battle 44 years ago against the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO).

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri told his television station NBN that he can guarantee Hezbollah’s "full, comprehensive, and immediate commitment to a ceasefire," but asked "But who will force Israel to stop its aggression?"

The Guardian reported that the advance poses a challenge to stalled negotiations between the US and Iran, as Tehran wants any deal to include the end of fighting in Lebanon as well, and said Israel and Hezbollah accuse each other daily of violations as justification for their attacks.

Al Jazeera reported that Israeli forces now occupy about 2,000 square kilometres (770 square miles) of Lebanese territory—nearly one-fifth of the country—and said evacuation orders extended as far north as the Zahrani River.

“Israel seizes castle in Lebanon as it expands ground offensive The Israeli military has captured the strategic site of Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon, in what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described as a "decisive shift" in its offensive against Hezbollah”

BBC

The Guardian said Israeli forces appear to be positioning themselves for a potential encirclement of Nabatieh, a city described as an economic centre and a cultural heartland for southern Lebanon, and said taking over Nabatieh would deal a blow to Hezbollah’s morale.

Al Jazeera quoted Imad Salamey, an international relations professor at the Lebanese American University, saying Nabatieh is "one of the principal political, economic, and social centres of Lebanon’s Shia community" and that control would provide Israel with greater operational depth beyond the Litani River.

The Jerusalem Post reported that Israeli soldiers took control of the Beaufort Ridge outpost and Wadi al-Saluki areas north of the Litani River, while Hezbollah managed to shower northern Israel with drones and more than 50 rockets throughout the day.

DW reported that German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul called on Israel and Hezbollah to return to the ceasefire and warned that continued advance into southern Lebanon is "a cause for great concern" and urged Israel to ensure attacks do not harm civilians or civilian infrastructure.