Israel Neutralizes Hezbollah Rocket Launch Site at Beaufort Castle

Israeli forces captured Lebanon’s Beaufort Castle, a medieval hilltop fortress in the country’s south, on Sunday during an expanded ground offensive against Hezbollah. The Israeli military raised its flag over the historic site as part of the broadest incursion into Lebanon in a quarter of a century.

Background on the Site Beaufort Castle has changed hands multiple times over centuries and sits on a strategic ridge overlooking the Litani River valley. Israeli troops last held the fortress during their 1982–2000 occupation of southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah stepped up rocket and drone attacks on communities in northern Israel in the days before the castle seizure. The Israeli military said the ground operation aims to push Hezbollah fighters farther from the border.

“Israeli military has captured Lebanon’s Beaufort Castle, a medieval hilltop fortress in the country’s south, amid an expanded military offensive against Hezbollah." Israeli troops also raised their flag at the castle, according to military statements reported by multiple outlets. The offensive marks the largest Israeli ground push into Lebanon since the 2000 withdrawal from the south.”

The fighting has displaced tens of thousands of residents on both sides of the border in recent weeks. No immediate casualty figures from the castle operation were released by either side.