The Israeli military has captured Beaufort Castle, a medieval hilltop fortress in southern Lebanon, amid an expanded offensive against the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced the capture, stating that the Israeli flag is once again flying over the castle. “Our heroic soldiers have captured Beaufort once again and will remain there as part of the security zone in Lebanon,” he said.

Beaufort Castle, known in Arabic as Qalaat al-Shaqif, is a 900-year-old fortress built by Crusaders in the 12th century. Perched 700 meters above sea level overlooking the Litani River, it has historically been a key defensive stronghold.

The castle was previously captured by Israel during its 1982 invasion of Lebanon and occupied until 2000. Its capture provides Israeli troops with a vantage point over large parts of southern Lebanon and northern Israel.

Israeli forces seized the castle after days of fighting and airstrikes in surrounding villages, with clashes against Hezbollah fighters near Nabatieh.

According to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, over 3,412 people have been killed and 10,269 wounded in Israeli attacks since March 2.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered an expansion of the military operation in Lebanon, saying, “Now my instruction is to deepen and expand our grip on the places that were under Hezbollah’s control.”

The Israeli army issued forced displacement orders to residents of seven villages in southern Lebanon as part of the expanding military incursion.

Source: www.aljazeera.com