Israeli forces seize Beaufort Castle in deepest Lebanon incursion in 26 years

Crossing the Litani River and seizing Beaufort Castle marked a sharp new threshold in Israel’s campaign in southern Lebanon, putting Israeli forces on a ridge that overlooks wide stretches of southern Lebanon and northern Israel. The 900-year-old fortress, also known as Qalaat al-Shaqif, sits near Nabatiyeh, Lebanon’s fifth-largest city, and its capture shifted the military map toward terrain long treated as a de facto boundary.

The seizure came after days of airstrikes and close fighting in nearby villages, including Yohmor and Zawtar al-Sharqieh, where Israeli troops battled Hezbollah members in rugged ground. Israeli forces said they had expanded ground operations beyond the Litani River and struck more than 100 targets in support of those operations, underscoring how far the fighting had pushed beyond the line that has long separated the conflict from deeper Lebanese territory.

The move also carried powerful symbolism. Israeli forces had taken Beaufort Castle in 1982 and held it until withdrawing from Lebanon in 2000, making the latest capture both a military gain and a return to one of the war’s most recognizable strongpoints. Defense Minister Israel Katz described the seizure as a significant tactical victory, and Israeli troops raised a flag over the castle after taking control.

The operation widened regional concerns because it unfolded despite a ceasefire announced more than six weeks earlier. Saturday was one of the heaviest days of Hezbollah fire toward northern Israel since that truce, prompting school closures and restrictions in Israel, including in the Galilee Panhandle. At the same time, Washington hosted Israeli and Lebanese defense representatives in talks aimed at reinforcing the ceasefire and addressing Hezbollah’s disarmament, leaving the battlefield move in direct tension with fragile diplomacy.

The fight also reached into the politics of heritage protection. Lebanon has decried Israeli attacks near protected cultural sites, and UNESCO granted Beaufort Castle provisional enhanced protection in November 2024, giving the fortress an international preservation status even as shells and troops closed in around it. With Hezbollah still active, Lebanese diplomacy under strain, and U.S.-brokered efforts trying to hold the truce together, the capture of Beaufort Castle has made the risk of a broader war harder to dismiss.