Israeli army captures strategic castle in Lebanon in deepest incursion into country in 26 years

BEIRUT (AP) — Israeli troops have captured a strategic mountain topped with a Crusader-built castle in southern Lebanon in the deepest incursion into the country in more than a quarter-century, the military said Sunday. The capture of Beaufort castle, near the city of Nabatiyeh, came after days of airstrikes and intense fighting in nearby villages where Israeli troops fought Hezbollah members in the rugged area. Its capture marks a major development in the latest Israel-Hezbollah war, which began on March 2 when Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel two days after the U.S. and Israel attacked its main backer, Iran. Israel has since launched a ground invasion, capturing dozens of Lebanese villages and towns close to the border. Hezbollah has launched thousands of missiles and drones at Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon and northern Israel. The Israeli push came despite a nominal ceasefire that has been in place since April 17 and just days before Lebanon and Israeli hold their next round of direct talks in Washington starting Tuesday. A historic and strategic fortressThe Israeli military's Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, posted photographs on X showing Israeli troops walking outside the castle, and Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote on X that they raised an Israeli flag over the castle. Israeli troops previously captured the castle in 1982 and held it until they withdrew from Lebanon in 2000. "Twenty six years after the withdrawal from the security zone in Lebanon, the Israeli flag has returned to fly on the peaks that overlook the Galilee towns," Katz said Sunday at a memorial ceremony for Israeli soldiers killed in its previous occupation of southern Lebanon. Katz said Israel intends to hold the castle as its troops work to destroy thousands more homes that he says were used by Hezbollah and other military infrastructure in southern Lebanon. The Beaufort fortress, perched high atop Lebanon's rolling green hills and overlooking the Litani River, has been a strategic military asset for centuries. Built as a Crusader castle around the 12th century on top of previous fortifications, it has also been used by Saladin's Jerusalem army, Mamluks, Ottomans, the French mandate, the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Israeli military until 2000, when it was partially restored and opened to visitors. The Crusaders named it Beaufort, which is Old French for "beautiful fortress." The 1982 capture of the castle from the PLO was a major victory for the Israeli military that was led at the time by Defense Minister Ariel Sharon, who later became prime minister. At the time, the Israeli army pushed all the way north and occupied Beirut. During the previous Israel-Hezbollah war in 2024, UNESCO gave enhanced protection to 34 cultural sites in Lebanon including Beaufort Castle to safeguard them from damage. The castle is a few kilometers north of the Israel border and overlooks wide parts of southern Lebanon and northern Israel. In Arabic, it is called Al-Shaqif castle, an old Syriac word referring to the formidable rocky area. Beaufort is symbolic across the region, including in Israel, where it was one of the most well-known places Israel controlled during the 18-year occupation. One of Israel's most well-known war films, "Beaufort," explores the moral questions and reservations and the futility of war, in the last days before the military withdrew. Israel expands invasion in LebanonIn recent days, Israel has expanded the scope of its operations in Lebanon, sending troops across the Litani River, which previously served as a de-facto boundary, and demanding that residents leave much of southern Lebanon. "The occupation of Beaufort is a dramatic stage, and a dramatic shift in the policies we are leading," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday, citing the military occupation of security zones in Syria, Lebanon, and Gaza along Israel's borders. He said Israel has killed 3,000 Hezbollah militants since the start of the war. Hezbollah has not disclosed the number of their casualties. Israel has designated the area from the Litani up to the Zahrani River a combat zone. Some residents have already left the area due to intense strikes in recent days, but people remain. Israeli troops have been advancing for days in villages close to Beaufort castle. They are now about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the city of Nabatiyeh, a major center in southern Lebanon, and have called on residents to leave, as well as the residents of the coastal city of Tyre, the country's fourth largest city, and its surroundings. There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah or the Lebanese government on the Israeli push. The expanded operation would give Israel an upper hand in the upcoming talks with Lebanon in Washington, said Beirut geopolitical analyst Joe Macaron. "We are at a tipping point," Macaron said, adding that it is still too early to say how Hezbollah will react to the loss of land. "The more land they (the Israeli military) can grab before the ceasefire, the more they can impose conditions on Hezbollah before their withdrawal." Exchanges of fire across the border continueIsrael has continued striking near Tyre, including near the Hiram Hospital. Lebanon's Health Ministry said 13 health workers were wounded in the strike. Elsewhere, a strike in Deir al-Zahrani near Nabatiyeh killed eight people and wounded 16 others, according to Lebanon's state-run National News Agency. Hezbollah overnight claimed two attacks targeting Israeli troops and a Merkava tank in the southwestern town of Bayada near the border. In recent days, the group has said it has clashed with Israeli troops in several towns just north of the river near Nabatiyeh and the strategic castle. It also claimed attacks deeper into Israel near the northern city of Haifa, Nahariya, as well as border areas. Hezbollah on Saturday fired salvos of rockets into northern Israel, including Kiryat Shmona, the largest city in the area. Hezbollah's use of hard-to-detect fiber optic drones has been deadly for the Israeli military, which is struggling to respond. There have been nearly 200 alerts for Israeli civilians across northern Israel warning of drones and missiles in the past 24 hours, according to Israel's military. The latest round of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has killed 3,350 people in Lebanon and displaced more than 1 million people. According to Netanyahu's office, at least 25 Israeli soldiers and a defense contractor have been killed in or near southern Lebanon, including one on Saturday. Two civilians have also been killed in northern Israel.