Israel plants flag on mediaeval Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon
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An Israeli flag flying over Beaufort Castle, as seen from Marjayoun, southern Lebanon, on May 31.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Israel expanded ground operations in Lebanon, capturing Beaufort Castle and issuing evacuation orders.
- The truce between Israel and Hezbollah, which began on April 17, remains unobserved, leading to daily violations and heavy casualties on both sides.
- US-brokered security talks occurred, with more planned, but Hezbollah vehemently opposes direct negotiations to halt the ongoing fighting.
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JERUSALEM – Israel’s flag flew over Beaufort Castle, the mediaeval fortress in Lebanon, on May 31, as the Israeli military warned Lebanese civilians to evacuate a large area of the south of the country ahead of stepped-up ground operations.
Shelling was audible, and smoke rose from the surrounding area as the invading army’s banner was seen above the castle, which Israeli forces famously used as a base during their previous two-decade occupation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on May 31 that Israeli forces’ capture of the castle marked a “dramatic shift” in Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“Today, we have returned to Beaufort in a different way. We have returned united, determined and stronger than ever,” he said in a video statement.
“The capture of Beaufort is a dramatic stage and a dramatic shift in the policy we are leading. We have broken the barrier of fear. We are taking the initiative; we are operating on all fronts, in Syria, in Gaza, in Lebanon,” he added.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said troops captured Beaufort Castle, which commands sweeping views of southern Lebanon, as they expanded their ground operations, which Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has condemned as a “scorched-earth” policy.
“Forty-four years after the heroic Battle of Beaufort, and on this day commemorating the soldiers who fell in the First Lebanon War (1982), our troops have returned to the summit of Beaufort and once again raised the Israeli flag there,” Katz said in a social media post.
“Under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and my direction, the IDF expanded the operations in Lebanon, crossed the Litani River, and captured the Beaufort Ridge – one of the most important strategic points for defending the communities of the Galilee and safeguarding the security of our forces,” he said, referring to the Israel Defense Forces.
Speaking at a military ceremony later on May 31, Katz said Israel’s Lebanon campaign has achieved “the elimination of thousands of terrorists and the seizure of hundreds of square kilometres”, warning that “whoever harms Israeli civilians will lose their territory from which they operate”.
The push to Beaufort came as the Israeli military issued a sweeping evacuation order to areas south of the Zahrani River, north of the Litani and around 40km from the border, warning that it was targeting the Iran-backed Hezbollah armed group.
“Anyone present near Hezbollah elements, facilities, or combat means endangers their life. Any building used by Hezbollah for military purposes may become subject to targeting!” Colonel Avichay Adraee, Israel’s military spokesman, said in a social media post.
‘Collective punishment’
“A significant number of IDF ground soldiers commenced offensive operations aimed at expanding the forward defence line. The operation is currently expanding to additional areas,” the Israeli military said.
Salam accused Israel on May 30 of pursuing a “scorched-earth policy and collective punishment” in the south, urging a halt to the fighting and warning that it was “destroying towns and villages, and forcing their inhabitants into exile”.
Military delegations from both countries held security talks in Washington on May 29, with more US-brokered negotiations planned next week.
Salam said the outcome of the negotiations was “not guaranteed”, but called them “the least costly path for our country and our people”.
A truce to halt the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah officially began on April 17, but has never been observed. Both Israel and Hezbollah accuse each other daily of violating the ceasefire and justify their attacks by the other’s alleged breaches.
A US statement issued after Israel-Lebanon talks on May 29 made no mention of the truce, but said the “productive military-to-military discussions” would inform next week’s political meeting.
Hezbollah vehemently opposes the direct talks.
On May 30, it said it launched multiple attacks targeting northern Israel and clashed with Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon.
‘Drone death’
Hezbollah said it was confronting Israeli forces around the outskirts of the towns of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, Yohmor al-Shaqif and Dibbine, adding that the troops “had not yet succeeded in taking control of the towns”.
The Israeli military said more than 25 projectiles were launched from Lebanon towards Israel on May 30, while air alert sirens sounded in the northern cities of Karmiel and Safed for the first time since the ceasefire, according to the army’s Home Front Command.
Public broadcaster Kan aired footage shared on social media showing rockets falling into the sea off Israel’s Nahariya, near the border, sending beachgoers fleeing.
The Israeli army also said on May 31 that one of its soldiers was killed a day prior by a Hezbollah explosive drone, bringing to 25 the number of Israeli military deaths in Lebanon since early March.
The Lebanese Health Ministry says Israeli attacks have killed more than 3,371 people since March 2. AFP
