Middle East crisis live: Israeli army captures strategic castle in Lebanon in deepest incursion into country in 26 years | US-Israel war on Iran
important events
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu Accompanied by Israeli defense minister Israel Katz, he visited soldiers on Israel’s northern border. Israel is increasing its attack in Southern Lebanon.
During Friday’s visit, Netanyahu and Katz received a briefing on military activities in Lebanon and met with field brigade commanders.
Israeli takeover Beaufort Castle Coming after one of the hardest days Hezbollah Northern Israel has been under fire since a ceasefire in April, prompting school closures and restrictions on Saturday, Reuters reported.
The advance towards Fort Beaufort provided Israeli troops with many points of oversight. Southern Lebanon and Northern IsraelAttacks were launched against Israeli settlements.
The Israeli army said Hezbollah “conducted numerous attacks” from the hill, adding that its troops operated against launch infrastructure in the area, from which “hundreds of projectiles were launched at Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers.”
Israeli soldiers were also conducting an operation nearby. NabataeaThe military said it was a major Hezbollah stronghold in southern Lebanon.
This morning’s images He raised the flag of the Israeli army Beaufort Castle Bombardment sounds can be heard around the castle and smoke rises.
The fortress commands panoramic views of Southern Lebanon, making it a location of significant strategic value. The Crusader castle, which dates back to the 1100s, changed hands between the Crusaders and Islamic forces before Sultan Baybars captured it in 1268. Israel And LebanonThis makes it one of the few medieval castles that have proven valuable in modern warfare.
Israeli forces captured the castle Kalaat al-ShaqifThey used it as a base in 1982, and they also used it as a base during their previous occupation of Southern Lebanon, which lasted almost two decades until it ended in 2000.
Opening summary
Israel Troops captured a mountain in the south that contained a citadel built by the Crusaders Lebanon It is the deepest attack on the country in more than a quarter of a century.
Capture of Beaufort castle Nabataea It came after days of intense clashes and airstrikes in nearby villages, where Israeli troops battled Hezbollah members in the rugged region.
Arabic spokesman of the Israeli army Avichay Adraee Posted a photo on X It shows Israeli soldiers walking outside the castle and the defense minister Israel Katz He wrote that they raised the Israeli flag over the castle. Israeli troops had previously captured the castle in 1982 and held it until they withdrew from the castle. Lebanon In 2000.
“Forty-four years after the heroic Battle of Beaufort and on this day commemorating the fallen soldiers of the First Lebanon War (1982), our troops returned to the Beaufort summit and once again raised the Israeli flag there,” Katz said on his Telegram channel.
Israel’s move comes despite a so-called ceasefire that has been in effect since April and just days before the next round of talks to be held at the US State Department on June 2 and 3.
Other recent developments regarding the crisis in the Middle East are as follows:
-
Israel expanded the scope of its operations in Lebanon by sending troops to the Litani River, which previously served as a de facto border. Israel has designated the area from Litani to the Zahrani River as a war zone. Although some residents have left the area due to intense strikes in recent days, people continue to stay in many towns in the region.
-
Hezbollah claimed responsibility for two attacks overnight, targeting Israeli soldiers and a Merkava tank in the southwestern town of Bayada, near the border. The group said it had clashed with Israeli soldiers in recent days in Nabatiyeh and several towns north of the river, near the fortress.
-
Lebanon’s Ministry of Health said the death toll in the country since March stands at 3,371, including civilians and combatants. The Israeli army announced on Sunday that one of its soldiers was killed by an explosive Hezbollah drone in southern Lebanon the previous day, bringing the number of Israeli military deaths since the beginning of March to 25.
-
While US President Donald Trump said that he had received guarantees that Iran would not develop nuclear weapons, there were reports that he sent a harsher peace offer to Tehran. Trump has said his priorities for any deal include stopping Iran from developing any nuclear weapons and reopening the blockaded Strait of Hormuz.
-
Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered the Israeli army to take control of 70 percent of the Gaza Strip. In a move that threatens to undermine an already fragile ceasefire and create catastrophic humanitarian conditions in an already devastated region.
