The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) pushed further north into Lebanon on Sunday, capturing the strategic Beaufort Crusader castle for the first time in 26 years, as Hizbullah, in response, stepped up its rocket and drone strikes into large areas of northern Israel.
The Beaufort castle, built 900 years ago north of the Litani river, was considered by the IDF a key Hizbullah position because of its commanding position over large parts of southern Lebanon and the border with Israel. It has changed hands many times during wars in the area.
As the Israeli forces advanced, evacuation orders were issued for residents of southern Lebanon south of the Zahrani river to leave their homes. Hizbullah fired dozens of projectiles into northern Israel.
Prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu hailed the capture of the Beaufort castle as a “dramatic shift” in the Lebanon campaign. He said Israel has killed 8,000 Hizbullah militants since the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7th, 2023, including 700 in the last month of fighting.
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“I instructed the IDF to expand the manoeuvre in Lebanon. Our forces crossed the Litani. They seized commanding positions. They captured the Beaufort ridge,” he said. “We will restore security to the residents of the north, just as we did for the residents of the south. It will take time, but we will complete the mission.”
Lebanese prime minister Nawaf Salam, in a televised address, accused Israel of a “scorched-earth policy and collective punishment” in the south of the country.
Despite the daily clashes, a fourth round of negotiations between delegations from the Israeli and Lebanese governments is due to be held in Washington this week.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio is leading efforts to stabilise the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire and is expected to announce a new agreement following this week’s talks, according to the privately owned Lebanon Broadcasting Corporation International, citing sources.
The IDF have already expressed concern that an end to the fighting will be declared while troops are still operating deep inside Lebanese territory, requiring a dangerous withdrawal under fire.
[ Israeli army captures 900-year-old Beaufort Castle as troops push into LebanonOpens in new window ]
Former IDF top general Gadi Eisenkot, now head of the centrist Yashar party and a key political rival to Netanyahu, visited the northern border on Sunday and warned the government must not impose limits on the army operation. “The use of force must lead to the demilitarisation of southern Lebanon, the disarmament of Hizbullah and long-term security for the residents of the north,” he said.
Lebanon says more than 3,300 people have been killed since the latest round of fighting erupted in early March when the Iranian-backed Hizbullah launched rockets at northern Israel in response to the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. There have also been 25 Israeli military deaths.
Hizbullah opposes the talks with Israel and vows it will never give up its weapons. It hopes Iran will be able to impose an end to fighting in Lebanon as part of a comprehensive settlement to end the Gulf war.
France, which often plays a key role in Lebanese ceasefire efforts, has requested a meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss the latest escalation. Foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Israel was making a big mistake. “Nothing can justify the prolongation of [Israel’s] military operations in Lebanon and its increasingly deep occupation of Lebanese territory,” he said.
Lebanese foreign minister Youssef Raggai said he had spoken with Barrot, who “reaffirmed France’s solidarity with Lebanon, its commitment to the full respect of its sovereignty, and its support for direct negotiations as the only path toward a lasting solution”.
