Israeli forces captured the historic Beaufort Castle in Nabatieh Governorate in southern Lebanon on Sunday in its deepest incursion into the country in 26 years.
The military’s Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee shared images on X, showing Israeli troops walking outside the castle.
Defense Minister Israel Katz posted on X that the forces raised an Israeli flag over the fortress. The Israeli military had previously captured the castle in 1982 before they withdrew from Lebanon in 2000. The site was partially restored and opened to visitors.
Katz said at a memorial ceremony for Israeli solidiers killed in its previous occupation of southern Lebanon on Sunday, “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 the troops would be holding down the castle while they worked to destroy thousands of homes, claimed to be used by Hezbollah and other military infrastructure in southern Lebanon.
The Crusaders built the historic Beaufort castle around the 12th century after which it was also used by Saladin’s Jerusalem army, Mamluks, Ottomans, the French mandate, and the Palestine Liberation Organisation. Beaufort is Old French for “beautiful fortress”.
UNESCO had given enhanced protection to the castle, along with 33 other cultural sites, to protect them from damage during the Israel-Hezbollah war in 2024.
Israel intensifies aggression
Israel had launched a ground invasion in Lebanon after the Iran-affiliated armed group Hezbollah fired rockets in northern Israel on March 2, two days after the joint operation by Tel Aviv and Washington against Tehran. While Hezbollah has launched air stikes at Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon and northern Israel, Tel Aviv captured several Lebanese villages and towns near the border.
Despite the declaration of a ceasefire in April 17 as part of a broader deal between Iran and the United States, Israel and Hezbollah continue to exchange fire. Beirut and Tel Aviv are scheduled to participate in the next round of direct talks in Washington on Tuesday.
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a prominent Hezbollah ally, guaranteed the group’s “full, comprehensive, and immediate commitment to a ceasefire” in a statement made to his television station NBN.
He also criticised Tel Aviv for its continuous attacks, questioning, “But who will force Israel to stop its aggression?”
French Foreign Minister jean-Noel Barrot called Israel’s military operations in Lebanon “unacceptable” and requested an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council.
“Nothing can justify the prolongation of Israeli military operations in :ebanon and its increasingly deep occupation of Lebanese territory,” said Barrot on French televisiom BFM TV on Sunday.
Diplomats, who remain anonymous, said a meeting might take place on Monday afternoon.
