Israel Strikes Beirut Suburbs, Seizes Hezbollah-Held Beaufort Castle as Both Sides Accuse Each Other of Ceasefire Violations

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered new airstrikes in Beirut’s southern suburbs on June 1, 2026, one day after Israeli forces recaptured the 900-year-old Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon. Residents of Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahiyeh clogged exit routes on June 1 after an Israeli evacuation warning.

Israel had warned hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate their homes in southern Lebanon, including the entire coastal city of Tyre, last week.

An Israeli soldier was killed by a Hezbollah drone near Beaufort Castle. Israeli soldiers raised the flags of Israel and the Golani Brigade over the castle on May 31. ” A Washington-brokered ceasefire for Lebanon was announced in mid-April 2026.

Israeli forces are occupying a swath of southern Lebanon, and Hezbollah has hit back against those forces while also targeting northern Israel. Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel in late 2023 in solidarity with Hamas. A full-blown Israeli offensive against Hezbollah occurred in autumn 2024, during which Hezbollah’s top leaders and commanders were assassinated.

Hezbollah rebuilt many capabilities and changed tactics during an 18-month ceasefire. -Israel war against Iran was launched in late February 2026. -Israeli bombing campaign targeted Iranian officials.

U.S. 20-point plan and an Iranian 14-point plan. The White House aims to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and bring down global energy prices. Iran suspended its participation in indirect talks with the United States, according to Iran’s Tasnim News Agency.

-Iran ceasefire “is unequivocally a ceasefire on all fronts, including in Lebanon. U.S. Noncompliance with the ceasefire. U.S. Central Command launched self-defense strikes over the weekend against Iranian radar and drone command centers and two Iranian drones aimed at ships.

U.S. Forces in Kuwait. U.S. Central Command stated that the two Iranian ballistic missiles were immediately defeated. UNESCO has listed Beaufort Castle as cultural property under enhanced protection. Israeli forces attacked the medieval fortress repeatedly when the Palestine Liberation Organization occupied it after 1976 and held control of the castle during Israel’s occupation of a self-declared security zone in southern Lebanon from 1982 to 2000.

Hezbollah is launching dozens of exploding drones guided by fiber-optic cables every day, according to analyst Amos Harel.