IDF Captures Historic Beaufort Castle After Crossing Litani River

“Whoever threatens the citizens of Israel will lose their strategic assets one after another,” Katz said.

By United with Israel Staff

Israeli forces have captured the historic Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon after crossing the Litani River and expanding ground operations deeper into Hezbollah-controlled territory, marking a significant escalation in Israel’s campaign against the terror group.

The IDF said troops advanced into the Beaufort Castle and Wadi al-Saluki areas, long regarded as key Hezbollah strongholds from which terrorists directed attacks and launched hundreds of rockets at northern Israeli communities. The maneuver followed extensive Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire targeting Hezbollah positions and Iranian-backed infrastructure throughout southern Lebanon.

According to the military, the operation is intended to remove threats to residents of northern Israel, particularly in the Galilee and Metula regions, while expanding Israeli operational control in southern Lebanon. The IDF has signaled that the offensive could broaden further as efforts continue to dismantle Hezbollah’s military infrastructure.

Defense Minister Israel Katz described the capture of Beaufort as a clear message to Israel’s enemies.

“Forty-four years after the battle for Beaufort, Golani fighters have returned to the summit of Beaufort and once again raised the Israeli flag and the Golani flag,” Katz said. He added that the IDF had crossed the Litani River, expanded its maneuver and captured the strategic fortress, warning that “whoever threatens the citizens of Israel will lose their strategic assets one after another.”

Katz also said Israeli forces would remain at Beaufort as part of Israel’s security zone in Lebanon.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the operation as a turning point, saying, “We returned to Beaufort stronger than ever.”

Recalling the fierce battle fought there during the 1982 Lebanon War, Netanyahu said the site had once symbolized both heroism and division, but that Israel had now returned “united, determined, stronger than ever.”

The prime minister said he had instructed the military to deepen and expand its hold on areas previously controlled by Hezbollah, describing the capture of Beaufort as “a dramatic stage and a dramatic change in the policy we are leading.”

Netanyahu also pointed to the scale of Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah, saying approximately 8,000 Hezbollah operatives had been eliminated since the start of the war, including 3,000 since the launch of Operation Roaring Lion and 700 in the past month alone.

“The forces crossed the Litani. They seized dominant terrain. They captured the Beaufort ridge,” Netanyahu said. “Now my directive is to deepen and expand our hold in places that were under Hezbollah control.”

The capture of Beaufort carries both strategic and symbolic significance. Perched atop a towering cliff overlooking the Litani River and large swaths of southern Lebanon, the fortress has been contested for centuries and served as a key military position during the 1982 Lebanon War. Its commanding view of northern Israel and southern Lebanon has long made it one of the most strategically important sites in the region.