Israel Captures Beaufort Castle in Its Deepest Push Into Lebanon in 26 Years

The Israeli military captured Beaufort Castle, a 12th-century fortress on a cliff above the Litani River in southern Lebanon, in its deepest ground advance into the country in 26 years, the Financial Times reported. Israeli forces said the operation aims to establish control of the Beaufort ridge and the nearby Wadi al-Saluki area and to dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure there. The advance crossed beyond the Litani despite a ceasefire that the two sides agreed to in April.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the capture as a dramatic stage and a shift in policy, while cautioning that restoring security to residents of northern Israel would take time, according to Ynet. He did not specify how long the operation would last.

Hezbollah responded by extending the range of its rocket fire. Sirens sounded in Acre, Nahariya, and repeatedly in Kiryat Shmona, with some rockets intercepted and others falling in open areas, Ynet reported. The exchanges show that the April ceasefire has not held.

The escalation drew an international response. France requested an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council. The expanding conflict in Lebanon raises the risk that it becomes connected to the separate United States effort to finalize a ceasefire with Iran, which is Hezbollah's principal backer.