Israeli Troops Capture Beaufort Castle Near Nabatiyeh as Netanyahu Orders Deeper Lebanon Incursion

Israeli troops captured Beaufort Castle, a Crusader-built fortress on a strategic mountaintop in southern Lebanon near Nabatiyeh, in what the Israeli military described as its deepest incursion into Lebanon in more than a quarter-century.

The taking of Beaufort followed days of airstrikes and intense fighting in nearby villages between Israeli troops and Hezbollah militants, and it came as a nominal ceasefire had been in place since April 17.

Al Jazeera

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the operation was a “dramatic stage and a dramatic change in the policy we are leading,” and he ordered forces to deepen and expand their hold on areas that had been under Hezbollah’s control.

The IDF said the operation was focused on establishing operational control of the Beaufort Ridge and the Wadi al-Saluki area and aimed to dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure in both areas.

The capture also unfolded as Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said he can guarantee Hezbollah’s “full, comprehensive and immediate commitment to a ceasefire,” but asked “But who will force Israel to stop its aggression?”

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot requested an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, saying “Nothing can justify the prolongation of Israeli military operations in Lebanon and its increasingly deep occupation of Lebanese territory.”

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the invasion, saying Israel’s “scorched earth policy, collective punishment and expropriation of villages and towns will not achieve security and stability but will instead deepen the divide with the Lebanese people.”

Al Jazeera

Hezbollah claimed to have destroyed an Israeli tank near the castle, while the Lebanese state-run National News Agency reported Israeli air raids and “intense bombardment” in the area surrounding Beaufort.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said “Our brave soldiers have captured the Beaufort once again — and they will remain there as part of the security zone in Lebanon,” framing the seizure as part of a broader security effort.

In Washington, diplomats said the UN council meeting might take place Monday afternoon, and the AP reported that the capture came just days before Lebanon and Israel’s next round of direct talks in Washington starting Tuesday.

The advance around Beaufort is tied to Israel’s stated aim to expand operations beyond earlier lines, with the IDF saying it had “expanded its operations against Hezbollah targets north of the river” and in “additional areas.”

“Israeli army captures strategic castle in Lebanon in deepest incursion into the country in 26 years Israeli army captures strategic castle in Lebanon in deepest incursion into the country in 26 years BEIRUT (AP) — 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”

AP News

Netanyahu said on Sunday that “now my directive is to deepen and expand our hold on areas that had been under Hezbollah’s control,” while Israel has designated the area from the Litani up to the Zahrani River a combat zone.

Displacement and casualties are central to the stakes described in the reporting, with NPR saying Israeli attacks and demolitions have leveled entire villages and displaced more than 1.2 million people, and with the Lebanese ministry of public health saying more than 3,300 people have been killed.

The fighting also threatens diplomatic efforts, as NPR said the fighting threatens to complicate, or even undermine, the U.S.-Iran efforts to end the war in Iran, while Iran says any agreement must also include an end to the conflict in Lebanon.

UNESCO’s enhanced protection for 34 Lebanese cultural sites in 2024, including Beaufort Castle, is highlighted as the conflict moves into a site described by UNESCO as “as one of the best-preserved examples of medieval castles in the Near East.”