Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today, Sunday, considered his forces' control over the historic Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon to be a 'decisive turning point' in the course of ongoing military operations against Hezbollah. Netanyahu affirmed in a video statement that Tel Aviv is currently working on all open fronts in Lebanon, Gaza, and Syria to ensure its security.
Netanyahu stressed in his statements that the return to Beaufort Castle carries symbolic and military connotations different from previous times, describing the Israeli forces as more determined and stronger. He added that the current operations aim to break what he called the 'barrier of fear' within the framework of a comprehensive confrontation with armed organizations in the region.
For his part, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant affirmed that the army will not withdraw from the strategic castle site in the foreseeable future, indicating the occupation's intention to transform it into a pillar within a new 'security zone'. Gallant explained that control over this high ground gives Israeli forces a necessary field advantage to secure the northern borders.
Earlier on Sunday, the Israeli army spokesman announced the completion of control over Beaufort Castle and the Wadi al-Salouqi area. This advance came as part of a wide-ranging military operation launched days ago, aimed, according to Israeli claims, at destroying Hezbollah's infrastructure and expanding the front lines of defense.
Beaufort Castle represents a highly important strategic stronghold in Lebanese geography, overlooking vast areas of the south and Galilee. It is worth noting that Israeli forces had withdrawn from this castle in 2000, after years of occupation within what was known as the occupied border strip.
On the humanitarian and field level in Lebanon, the Lebanese Ministry of Health reported a massacre targeting medical teams in the city of Tyre. An Israeli airstrike on the vicinity of Hiram Hospital resulted in injuries to 13 health facility workers, in addition to extensive material damage to the building and medical equipment.
The towns of Deir al-Zahrani, al-Sharqiyah, Zibdin, and Nabatieh witnessed a series of violent raids that resulted in martyrs and wounded among civilians. Warplanes directly targeted residential neighborhoods and civilian buildings, leading to a new wave of displacement and widespread destruction of private and public property.
In response, Hezbollah launched a series of intensive military operations, firing rocket barrages and swarms of kamikaze drones towards northern Israel. The targets focused on sensitive military sites in the vicinity of the cities of Acre and Haifa, in addition to gatherings of occupation soldiers along the border line.
Media sources quoted security assessments within Israel indicating that Hezbollah is moving to expand its range of fire to include deeper and more vital targets. These assessments come amid the continued Israeli ground incursion, which portends a transition of the confrontation to a more violent and widespread phase in the coming days.
Despite the announced field progress, there is a state of doubt within Israeli military circles about the effectiveness of these operations in stopping aerial threats. Reports indicated that control over geographical locations has not yet succeeded in significantly reducing Hezbollah's ability to launch rockets and drones towards Israeli depth.
Today we returned to Beaufort Castle in a different way, we returned united, determined, and stronger than ever.
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Netanyahu describes control of Beaufort Castle as a 'decisive turning point' amid deadly raids in southern Lebanon