The Media Line: IDF Raises Israeli Flag Over Beaufort Castle After Capturing Hezbollah Stronghold   

IDF Raises Israeli Flag Over Beaufort Castle After Capturing Hezbollah Stronghold   

By The Media Line Staff   

Israeli troops have raised Israeli and Golani Brigade flags over Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon after capturing the strategic hilltop position during recent operations aimed at dismantling Hezbollah infrastructure in the area, according to the Israel Defense Forces.   

The operation brought Israeli forces to one of the most prominent positions in southern Lebanon. The military said troops advanced beyond the Litani River near Metula and reached the fortress, which commands views of both northern Israel and the Nabatieh region.   

According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the area surrounding Beaufort and Wadi Saluki has served as a major Hezbollah operational zone. The military said the armed group established significant infrastructure there with Iranian assistance and used the area to coordinate attacks and launch hundreds of rockets at Israel and Israeli forces operating in southern Lebanon.   

The military said forces remain active near Nabatieh and are prepared to broaden operations.    

“The IDF is operating near Nabatieh, a significant Hezbollah stronghold in southern Lebanon, and is prepared to expand the offensive as required,” the military said, “to destroy [Hezbollah] infrastructure and eliminate terrorists, as part of strengthening operational control in southern Lebanon and removing the direct threat to the Galilee Panhandle and Metula,” as well as to “expand the forward defense line.”   

Defense Minister Israel Katz said the return to Beaufort carried symbolic significance because of the site’s history in Israel’s military campaigns in Lebanon.   

“Forty-four years after the heroic Battle of the Beaufort, and on the memorial day for the Peace for the Galilee War, including the Golani soldiers who fell in the Battle of the Beaufort, IDF soldiers, led by the Golani Brigade, returned to the summit of Beaufort and once again raised the Israeli flag and the Golani flag there,” Katz said.   

The Crusader-built fortress was first captured by Israeli forces during the opening stages of the First Lebanon War in 1982. During that battle, Golani Brigade soldiers fought members of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) at the site. Dozens of PLO fighters were killed, while six Israeli soldiers lost their lives. Israeli forces remained at the position until the withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000.