Israeli forces have made their deepest incursion into Lebanon since their withdrawal decades ago, seizing the Beaufort castle in the south while direct Israel-Lebanon talks begin in Washington. The move complicates U.S.-brokered efforts to extend an Iran war c
On Sunday, Israeli forces seized Beaufort castle in southern Lebanon—an ancient fortress perched more than 700 meters (3,000 feet) above sea level—turning a symbolic mountaintop into the latest pressure point in a war that has spilled across borders and into diplomacy.
The capture marks Israel’s deepest incursion inside Lebanon since it withdrew from the country more than a quarter-century ago. It comes as the United States is still trying to extend a wider ceasefire framework tied to the Iran war, with Tehran seeking an end to fighting in Lebanon as well.
Beaufort, also known as Al-Shaqif, has long been more than stone. Built as a Crusader castle around the 12th century. it has been used by Saladin’s Jerusalem army. the Mamluks. the Ottomans. the French mandate. the Palestinian Liberation Organization. and the Israeli military until 2000. when it was partially restored and opened to visitors. On Sunday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pointed to the site’s dual meaning. saying it is “a symbol of a heroic battle for our fighters. but was also a symbol of deep division between us.”.
Israel says the operation is aimed at the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group, which has strong political presence in southern Lebanon. Israeli officials say Hezbollah has launched thousands of missiles and drones at Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon and at northern Israel. Israel has also warned Lebanese civilians across the south to evacuate or risk being in the line of fire.
The consequences of the fight have been brutal. Over 3. 300 people. including dozens of children. have been killed in Lebanon since fighting began on March 2—two days after the Iran war started. About 1 million people have been displaced. On Israel’s side. at least 25 Israeli soldiers and a defense contractor have been killed in Lebanon or northern Israel. along with two civilians in northern Israel.
In the wake of the capture, some in Israel questioned whether the military advance is worth its cost. Orna Mizrahi. a former deputy director in the government’s National Security Council. said the return of troops to the fortress feels like “Israel is going in circles. ” adding. “There’s a feeling of. ‘For what?’” Mizrahi. now a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies. said Beaufort carries a “sense of victory” for the Israeli military after it was captured in 1982—but also the memory of the “high price to defend the site before it was handed over in 2000.”.
She argued that Israel’s physical hold on the fortress will eventually end. “Israel likely eventually will relinquish control of the fortress,” she said, even as Defense Minister Israel Katz has vowed to make it part of Israel’s permanent security zone in southern Lebanon.
Mizrahi said the military presence does not solve the underlying problem with Hezbollah. “Yes, we are damaging them in the operations, but in parallel we need to pursue a political and diplomatic solution.”
That tension—between battlefield momentum and a fragile push for talks—runs through the wider diplomatic picture.
Israel has long considered Hezbollah a threat. The Shiite Muslim armed group emerged in 1982 in response to an Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon. Hezbollah has targeted communities in northern Israel, and joined the war in Gaza in 2023 in solidarity with the Palestinians.
Israel says it badly weakened Hezbollah during months of war. Fighting ended with a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in late 2024 after indirect talks, and Israeli forces withdrew except from five strategic hilltops along the border.
When a new Lebanese government came to power, it did so with promises to disarm groups like Hezbollah. Hezbollah resisted. Israel, for its part, claimed Hezbollah was rearming and rebuilding. On March 2, Hezbollah again fired at Israel, prompting Israel to invade southern Lebanon.
Israel has also described its efforts to change the nature of the fight, including a new kind of fiber-optic drone that has been widely used in the war in Ukraine—Israel says it is trying to keep Hezbollah from hurting its forces and civilians with that technology.
Lebanon, though, says Israel is crossing lines beyond military targeting. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam accused Israel on Saturday of “implementing a policy of total destruction of cities and towns.” As Israeli forces have carried out airstrikes and ground troops have pushed into the country. hundreds of thousands fled southern Lebanon. many of them sheltering in Beirut. where hundreds have been killed. including during an intense. minutes-long bombardment in April.
Israeli forces now control large areas in southern Lebanon and have demolished homes and historical sites. Salam said Israel is trying to “uproot Lebanon’s memory and erase the people’s history.”
Even as violence continues, direct talks between Israel and Lebanon are underway.
Historic talks between senior officials from Israel and Lebanon began in April in Washington, the first in more than three decades between the two countries, which have no formal diplomatic relations. On Friday, the first direct military talks occurred in decades.
The issues include an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, deployment of Lebanese forces there, and disarming Hezbollah. Hezbollah has refused to accept giving up weapons while Israeli forces remain in the country. Negotiators are scheduled to continue this week. but Hezbollah is not taking part. and says it would not accept any results.
Hezbollah’s position is that negotiations should benefit from Iran’s leverage, and that the Lebanese government is weak—a view shared by some others in Lebanon.
Lebanon’s people are also divided. Protests met the announcement of the talks. Many Lebanese are angry with Hezbollah for the destruction it has caused in the country, but also wary of Israel. On Saturday. Salam called the direct negotiations “currently the least costly option. ” while saying they do not mean a surrender and acknowledging they are not guaranteed to produce results.
For nearly all sides. the timing is everything: the U.S.-brokered ceasefire that began in mid-April has not held in the way that it did during the Iran war. and fighting in Lebanon now sits squarely in the bargaining space. The deeper Israel’s forces move inside Lebanon. the more the ceasefire extension will be tested—especially as Tehran wants the Lebanon front to be part of any end to the fighting.
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Chehayeb reported from Beirut and Anna reported from Lowville, New York.
Israel Lebanon Hezbollah Beaufort castle Al-Shaqif ceasefire Iran war U.S. brokered talks Netanyahu Nawaf Salam Israel Katz