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Israel captures strategically vital Beaufort Castle in Lebanon
🇸🇪 Sweden /Conflict & Security

Israel captures strategically vital Beaufort Castle in Lebanon

From Dagens Nyheter · () Swedish

Translated from Swedish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • The Israeli military has advanced into Lebanon, capturing the strategically important Beaufort Castle, marking their deepest incursion in 25 years.
  • The operation aims to establish control over the Beaufort Ridge and Wadi al-Saluki area, weaken Hezbollah, and dismantle its infrastructure.
  • Beaufort Castle, built by Crusaders in the 12th century, has been occupied by Israel in previous conflicts, notably in 1982, and sustained significant damage.

The Israeli military has pushed deeper into Lebanon than in the past 25 years, capturing the strategically vital Beaufort Castle during an operation that began days ago. Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on X that the operation is ongoing.

According to the Israeli military (IDF), the operation focuses on gaining operational control of the Beaufort Ridge and the Wadi al-Saluki area. The stated goals include weakening Hezbollah and dismantling terrorist infrastructure reportedly built on the ridge under Iranian leadership. This marks the deepest ground invasion by Israel into Lebanon in over a quarter-century.

The capture of the approximately 900-year-old Beaufort Castle is a key development. Situated about 14.5 kilometers from the Israeli border, the castle, built by Crusaders in the 11th century, offers a commanding view over the Litani River. It has been a strategic point of interest and occupied by Israel in previous conflicts.

Israel last occupied the castle in 1982 during its occupation of southern Lebanon, holding it for 18 years. UNESCO reported that the structure sustained "significant damage" during that occupation. The current operation signifies a renewed strategic focus on this historically significant and militarily advantageous location.

DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Dagens Nyheter in Swedish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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