Israeli Forces Seize Hezbollah Outpost at Beaufort Castle in Southern Lebanon

Israeli forces captured the medieval Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon on Sunday and raised the national flag over the hilltop site. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the seizure marked a dramatic shift in the campaign and directed troops to deepen and expand their hold in areas previously under Hezbollah control.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the recapture commemorated soldiers who fell in the 1982 Lebanon War.

Hezbollah said it struck Israeli forces near the castle and targeted positions in Shlomi and Nahariya, triggering air-raid sirens in the Acre area. The Israeli military reported that a Hezbollah explosive drone killed one soldier on Saturday, bringing its death toll in Lebanon since early March to 25.

Lebanon's health ministry said Israeli attacks have killed more than 3,412 people since early March.

A strike near a hospital in Tyre wounded 13 staff members, according to the ministry. Civil defence teams from Tyre relocated to Sidon after being ordered to evacuate. Diplomatic sources told AFP that the UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Monday at France's request.

Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah called the castle a national archaeological site and said the Israeli flag there should provoke the feelings of every loyal patriot. Displaced residents in Sidon expressed fear and said they could not return home amid ongoing destruction.