Beaufort Castle emerges as focal point in Israel’s southern Lebanon campaign

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian 

With expectations of a U.S.-Iran agreement declining and negotiations with Lebanon reaching a dead end, the Israeli military is moving to expand operations in Lebanon, while Tel Aviv is seeking to persuade Washington to support strikes on Beirut.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has discussed various military plans with security chiefs, has opted to highlight the recapture of Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon as a message to the Israeli public.

The Israeli military disclosed details of the battle for Beaufort Castle, acknowledging intense clashes with Hezbollah fighters under heavy air and ground fire support.

A senior official said five bridges were constructed over the Litani River, along with the opening of crossing routes in the river area and nearby wooded terrain, to facilitate movement across the river.

Israeli forces advanced toward the high ground where the castle is located from the western side, rather than from the eastern Khardali route, as in the 1982 invasion.

According to Israel, the central objective is to strengthen control over a wider area in Lebanon and eliminate the direct threat of anti-tank missile fire toward towns in the Galilee Panhandle, particularly Metula.

Amid intense fighting on the Lebanese side, the area under rocket fire in northern Israel has expanded, reaching Haifa, the Krayot area, and Acre.

Tel Aviv is seeking to exploit the escalation to increase pressure on Beirut on one hand, and on U.S. President Donald Trump on the other, in an effort to remove restrictions on Israeli military operations in Lebanon and on strikes targeting Beirut and its southern suburbs.