Israel Captures Beaufort Castle

Israeli forces captured the medieval Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon on Sunday, marking their deepest military incursion into the country since Israel ended its 18-year occupation of south Lebanon twenty-six years ago. The strategic hilltop castle, dating back to the Crusader era, offers commanding views of both southern Lebanon and northern Israel.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) launched over 550 munitions, striking more than 70 sites across southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley following drone attacks by Hezbollah that violated a ceasefire agreement that began on April 17. According to NPR, Israeli troops raised their flag atop the 900-year-old Beaufort Castle while black smoke billowed from nearby towns.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Israel is 'at war with Hezbollah' and instructed the military to deal them a crushing blow. The escalation follows heightened tensions after Hezbollah carried out eight attacks earlier in the day, including drone strikes on Israeli troops in Misgav Am. Lebanese health authorities reported at least 31 people were killed and 40 injured in Lebanon following the Israeli air strikes.

The IDF declared a new swathe of southern Lebanon as a combat zone, advising residents to evacuate areas south of the Zahrani River. This is the first time Israel has ordered the evacuation of the entire zone south of the Zahrani since the ceasefire began on April 17. The Israeli military urged civilians to stay away from Hezbollah operatives, facilities, and weapons sites.

In a video posted on social media, Netanyahu stated that Israel will target Hezbollah due to recent drone attacks and mentioned a special team is addressing the fiber optic drones used by the group. According to Sky News, UNIFIL and Lebanese authorities have documented over 5,700 Israeli ceasefire violations since the US-brokered ceasefire began a month ago.

The escalation in Lebanon comes as regional tensions rise further following U.S. defensive strikes against Iranian targets on May 26. According to NPR and HuffPost, the U.S. conducted these strikes after Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps attempted to place mines and launched missile attacks. The IRGC reported that three Iranians were killed in a U.S. strike south of Lark Island.

European leaders have condemned Israel’s expanding incursion into Lebanon, with France’s president Emmanuel Macron calling for an end to fighting, saying “nothing justifies the major escalation under way in south Lebanon”. The foreign ministers of the UK and Germany joined France in condemning the new operation. Britain’s Yvette Cooper called for the ceasefire that has been in place between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah since April to be respected.

Israel says it is targeting Hezbollah, which has a strong political presence in southern Lebanon and has launched thousands of missiles and drones into northern Israel. Israel’s campaign has forced more than a million people from their homes, while 3,300 people, including dozens of children, have been killed.

The current conflict began in March after Hezbollah fired rockets towards Israel in retaliation for the US-Israeli killing of Iran’s supreme leader. Lebanon’s prime minister, Nawaf Salam, on Saturday accused Israel of “implementing a policy of total destruction of cities and towns”. Netanyahu has called Sunday’s capture of Beaufort castle a “dramatic shift” in the campaign against Hezbollah.

Talks between senior officials from Israel and Lebanon began in April in Washington, the first in more than three decades between the countries, which have no formal diplomatic relations. Those discussions are set to continue this week, but Hezbollah is not taking part and has said it will not accept any results.