Israeli troops captured Beaufort castle on a strategic mountain in southern Lebanon after days of intense fighting and airstrikes, marking Israel’s deepest incursion into the country in more than 26 years.
Israeli troops moved into a Crusader-built stronghold on a rugged mountain in southern Lebanon, taking control of Beaufort castle after days of intense fighting and airstrikes that struck nearby villages.
The capture came near the city of Nabatiyeh, at a time when the latest Israel-Hezbollah war has been under way since early March. For Israel, the move represents a major gain in an escalation that has pushed deeper into Lebanese territory than at any point in more than a quarter century.
Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee posted a photograph on X showing Israeli troops walking outside the castle. The castle had been under Israeli control for 18 years before Israeli troops withdrew from Lebanon in 2000.
The days leading up to the takeover featured fighting in the same rugged area, with Israeli troops battling Hezbollah members, according to the description of the operation that included airstrikes in nearby villages.
That ground advance arrives as Israel and Hezbollah’s conflict continues to play out against a wider political backdrop: direct talks between the two sides have been taking place in Washington, even as the fighting carries on.
The sequence—days of strikes and combat, followed by the seizure of a long-contested landmark—underscores how rapidly events on the ground can reshape the stakes for both countries as negotiations proceed.
Israel Lebanon Hezbollah Beaufort castle Nabatiyeh Avichay Adraee Crusader-built castle Israeli incursion Washington talks Israel-Hezbollah war
So they just went and took a castle??
I don’t get how this is “strategic” when it’s literally hitting villages too. Like what is the end game here, more fighting while they pretend to talk in Washington.
Wait wasn’t that castle basically Israel’s already? It says it was under Israeli control for 18 years and then they left in 2000, so why act like it’s some new surprise deep incursion… feels like they never stopped owning it emotionally or whatever.
The headline makes it sound like “deepest in 26 years” = suddenly safe for everyone now? Idk, but airstrikes near towns and then troops walking outside the castle like that’s a victory lap… Nabatiyeh is gonna be miserable. Also Washington talks while shooting is just insane, like they can’t decide if they want peace or not.