Israel Seizes Beaufort Castle, Expands Lebanon Ground Operations

Israeli forces have issued fresh orders forcing residents to flee areas south of the Zahrani River in southern Lebanon, while troops seized the historic Beaufort Castle and pushed further across the Litani River in an escalation of operations against Hezbollah. The moves come despite a ceasefire reached more than six weeks earlier and have drawn swift condemnation from Lebanese officials and France.

The Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, posted on social media Sunday directing all residents south of the Zahrani River to move north immediately, warning that anyone remaining risked being killed. The order covers territory north of the Litani River and roughly 40 kilometres from the border, marking more than ten such directives in the previous 24 hours. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz described the advances as essential for protecting communities in northern Israel, claiming troops had captured the Beaufort Ridge, which he called one of the most important strategic points overlooking the Galilee.

Footage and reports showed the Israeli flag raised over the 12th-century castle, a site Israeli forces previously held from 1982 until their withdrawal in 2000. Katz linked the operation to the anniversary of the First Lebanon War, stating that troops had returned to the summit after 44 years. The military said one Israeli soldier was killed during fighting focused on the ridge and the nearby Wadi al-Saluki area, where it claimed Hezbollah had maintained launch infrastructure used to fire hundreds of projectiles toward Israeli territory.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the broader campaign as a “scorched earth” policy. France, which has historical ties to Lebanon, rebuked the expansion and requested an urgent United Nations Security Council meeting to address the situation. The orders have displaced thousands more civilians in a region already battered by months of cross-border exchanges that began after Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel in March in solidarity with Palestinians under attack in Gaza.

Israeli officials maintain the operations target only Hezbollah infrastructure and warn that buildings used by the group may be struck. Critics, including rights groups, argue the sweeping evacuation notices amount to collective punishment that empties entire communities under threat of bombardment. The seizure of Beaufort Castle deepens Israel’s footprint in southern Lebanon at a time when a parallel ceasefire with Iran remains in place, raising questions about whether the northern front can be contained.

Residents in Nabatieh, one of southern Lebanon’s largest cities, reported hearing shelling and seeing smoke as Israeli units approached. The city has long been viewed by Israeli planners as a Hezbollah stronghold. With displacement orders now extending well beyond the Litani, aid organisations warn of a growing humanitarian crisis as families scramble for shelter farther north with limited resources and damaged infrastructure.

The developments follow weeks of intermittent Hezbollah rocket fire that prompted school closures in northern Israel. Israeli statements frame the castle capture and river crossing as defensive necessities, yet the pattern of repeated evacuation orders and deeper incursions suggests a sustained effort to reshape the security map along the border regardless of earlier diplomatic understandings.