BEAUFORT: Israel has occupied the medieval fortress atop Beaufort Ridge in southern Lebanon on Sunday as the military warned Lebanese civilians to evacuate a large area ahead of expanded ground operations.
The capture of the 900-year-old Beaufort Castle marked Israel’s deepest incursion into Lebanon in 26 years, The Associated Press reported.
Israeli forces famously used the crusader-era stronghold as a base during their previous two-decade-long occupation of southern Lebanon, which ended in 2000.
Defense Minister Israel Katz said troops had captured the strategic ridge, which commands sweeping views of south Lebanon, as they expanded operations.
“Forty-four years after the heroic Battle of Beaufort, and on this day commemorating the soldiers who fell in the First Lebanon War, our troops have returned to the summit of Beaufort and once again raised the Israeli flag there,” Katz said in a social media post.
“Under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and my direction, the IDF expanded the operations in Lebanon, crossed the Litani River, and captured the Beaufort Ridge — one of the most important strategic points for defending the communities of the Galilee and safeguarding the security of our forces.”
Israeli troops first seized the castle from the Palestine Liberation Organization in 1982, a victory for then-Defense Minister Ariel Sharon as Israeli forces pushed north and occupied Beirut.
The push to Beaufort came as the Israeli military issued a sweeping evacuation order for areas south of the Zahrani River, north of the Litani and about 40 kilometers from the border, saying it was targeting Hezbollah.
The Israeli military said a “significant number” of ground soldiers had begun offensive operations aimed at expanding the forward defense line, adding that the operation was expanding to additional areas.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam accused Israel on Saturday of pursuing a “scorched-earth policy and collective punishment” in the south, urging a halt to the fighting and warning that Israel was “destroying towns and villages, and forcing their inhabitants into exile.”
Military delegations from both countries held security talks in Washington on Friday, with more U.S.-brokered negotiations planned next week. Salam said the outcome was “not guaranteed” but called the talks “the least costly path for our country and our people.”
A truce to halt the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah officially began April 17 but has never been observed. Both sides accuse each other daily of violating the ceasefire.
A U.S. statement after Friday’s talks made no mention of the truce but said the “productive military-to-military discussions” would inform next week’s political meeting. Hezbollah vehemently opposes the direct talks.
On Saturday, the armed group said it launched multiple attacks targeting northern Israel and clashed with Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon.
