The Israeli army announces the capture of Beaufort Castle and expands its incursion into southern Lebanon

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Sunday the expansion of the ground incursion into Lebanon and the capture of the strategic Beaufort Castle in the southern Lebanon.

Katz said in a statement: “Under the direction of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and my own direction, the Israeli army expanded its ground operations in Lebanon, crossed the Litani River and seized the Beaufort Heights (Shaqif Castle), which is one of the most important strategic points for defending the towns (settlements) of the Galilee (northern Israel) and maintaining the security of our forces”.

The hill of Shaqif gains its importance from it overlooking the city of Nabatieh and strategic areas north of the Litani River.

Katz continued: “Today the blackout imposed on the operation to prevent information from reaching the enemy has been lifted”.

Threatening to escalate, Katz said: “This is a clear message to our enemies: those who threaten the citizens of Israel will lose their strategic assets one after another”.

He concluded by saying: “The battle isn’t over yet, and we are all determined to break Hezbollah’s power and complete the mission: ensuring security for the residents of the North”.

This comes as the Israeli army announced on Sunday morning that it had begun a military operation days earlier aimed at occupying the Shebaa Heights and the Wadi al Salouqi area, and that its forces had advanced north of the Litani River in southern Lebanon.

In this context, the Israeli army said in a statement: “Following the alerts that were activated a short time ago after the detection of an infiltration of an enemy aircraft into several areas in northern Israel, a suspicious drone was identified as having crashed in an open area”.

The Israeli army claimed that no injuries resulted from this, at a time when Israel is imposing a major blackout on its losses.

Shortly before that, the Israeli army announced the activation of sirens in the Arab al Aramsha area and the settlements of Even Menachem and Shomera in the Western Galilee, following the detection of a drone launch from southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah’s marches, through which it responds to Israel’s violations of the agreement, have become a source of concern for Israel, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu describing them as a major threat and calling on the army to find a solution, but the danger continues.

This comes as the Israeli army continues its attacks on Lebanon as part of its daily violations of the fragile ceasefire agreement that has been in effect since mid-April and extended until the beginning of July.

These violations result in the martyrdom and injury of Lebanese civilians, including children, women and the elderly, as well as the destruction of civilian facilities and buildings, including schools, health centers and places of worship such as mosques and churches.

Negotiations between Lebanon and Israel are scheduled to resume Tuesday in Washington, while Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam stated on Saturday that negotiating with Israel is the least costly option for his country.

Israel occupies areas in southern Lebanon, some for decades and others since the previous war between 2023 and 2024, while during the current aggression it has penetrated about 10 km into the southern borders.