Israel has captured a Crusader castle in southern Lebanon, as it warned more civilians in the south of the country to evacuate their homes.
The Golani Brigade, one of Israel’s most decorated units, confirmed that it had seized Beaufort Castle and raised the Israeli flag on one of the 900-year-old fortress’ crumbling towers.
Israel Katz, Israel’s Defence Minister, pledged that Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) troops would remain there “as part of the security zone in Lebanon”.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s Prime Minister, ordered troops to move further into Lebanon in the battle against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terror group.
“I instructed the [military] to expand its ground manoeuvre in Lebanon,” Netanyahu said in a statement, adding that his aim is to “deepen and expand our grip on the places that were under Hezbollah’s control”.
Built high on the cliffs above the Litani River, the castle overlooks much of southern Lebanon and northern Israel.
It was the scene of a fierce battle between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian militants during the First Lebanon War in 1982, in which six Golani Brigade soldiers were killed.
After launching its 1982 invasion in response to repeated cross-border terror attacks by Palestinian militants, Israel occupied large parts of southern Lebanon for nearly two decades, and Beaufort Castle served as a military base for much of that period.
Israeli forces withdrew from Lebanon in 2000 after years of guerrilla attacks by Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group, which inflicted mounting casualties and eroded public support for the occupation.
“Twenty-six years after the withdrawal from the security zone in Lebanon, the Israeli flag is once again flying over the peaks overlooking the Galilee communities,” Katz said during a memorial ceremony commemorating those who died in the 1982 campaign.
The latest advance came amid an intensification of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah despite a ceasefire agreed in April.
The capture of the hilltop fortress followed days of heavy fighting in nearby villages, during which one Israeli soldier was killed.
The latest casualty brings the number of Israeli soldiers killed in the campaign to 25. Israel claims to have killed about 2500 Hezbollah militants, while Lebanon’s Health Ministry says 3350 people have died since the war reignited in late February.
Today, the Israeli military issued an evacuation order for Lebanese civilians living south of the Zahrani River, which lies south of the port city of Sidon.
“Residents of southern Lebanon, you must move immediately to the north of the Zahrani,” Avichay Adraee, the Israeli military’s Arabic language spokesman, wrote on social media.
“Anyone present near Hezbollah elements, facilities or combat assets endangers their life. Any building used by Hezbollah for military purposes may become subject to targeting,” he added.
Yesterday, Israel reported one of the largest recent barrages of Hezbollah rocket fire against towns near its northern border.
Nawaf Salam, Lebanon’s Prime Minister, has accused Israel of pursuing a “scorched-earth policy and collective punishment” in the south.
He called for an end to the conflict, saying that it was “destroying towns and villages, and forcing their inhabitants into exile”.
Lebanese and Israeli officials are holding high-level talks in Washington aimed at reaching a peace agreement between the neighbouring countries.
It is the first time the two states have entered into official high-level negotiations on mutual recognition.
However, Hezbollah, which operates as a powerful state within a state in southern Lebanon, is not a party to the talks and has fiercely rejected them, raising doubts about their prospects for long-term success.
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