Israel invades more territory in southern Lebanon and occupies the strategic Beaufort Castle
The UN Security Council calls an emergency meeting in the face of the military escalation
BarcelonaIsrael took control this Sunday of the historic Beaufort Castle, located in southern Lebanon, just north of the Litani River, and considered a particularly strategic site of great military value, as it is 710 meters above sea level and offers a panoramic view of large areas of southern Lebanon and northern Israel. This makes it an observation and surveillance post. In fact, the fortress, built by the Crusaders in the 12th century, has been key in all of Israel's wars in Lebanon since 1982. Israel already occupied it during the invasion of Lebanon that year, and remained there until 2000, when it withdrew from the country.
For this reason, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quick to say on Sunday that the occupation of Beaufort Castle represents a “crucial milestone” and assured that it will serve to “consolidate and extend” Israeli control “over sites that were under Hezbollah’s domain”. To make it clear that the fortress is now under their control, Israel has hoisted a flag there.
For their part, Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that Israeli forces will remain indefinitely in the castle. And in the same vein as Netanyahu, he justified that the sole objective is “to destroy Hezbollah’s power” and guarantee the security of communities in northern Israel.
In mid-April, Israel established a separation line in southern Lebanon, theoretically located about ten kilometers from the border with Israel. An area that came under its military control, violating the territorial sovereignty of the neighboring country. For days now, however, Israeli forces have continued to advance north into Lebanese territory, and on Friday, Netanyahu himself announced that they had crossed the Litani River, located about 30 kilometers from the border. And not only that: Israel has ordered the forced displacement of the 200,000 inhabitants living in the Lebanese city of Tyre and has demanded that they cross the Zahrani River, located about 40 kilometers from the border, which raises fears that it intends to invade even more territory.
Condemnation from some countries
Faced with this situation, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, requested an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council this Sunday, which has already been confirmed. The UN will convene an emergency session this Monday. On the other hand, negotiations are planned in Washington for both Tuesday and Wednesday to prevent the conflict from escalating further.
"Nothing justifies the major military escalation in southern Lebanon. France will maintain its support for the Lebanese authorities in their efforts to restore the state's sovereignty and the country's territorial integrity," declared the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, in a message on the social network X. Likewise, both Egypt and Jordan have condemned the new Israeli military escalation and have described it as a "flagrant violation of Lebanese sovereignty".
Clashes between Israel and the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah continue on an almost daily basis, despite the theoretically ongoing ceasefire since April 17. Since Friday, Hezbollah's attacks in northern Israel have also increased, causing air raid sirens to sound continuously in this area of the country, even during the night.
Since the start of hostilities between the two countries on March 2, a total of 3,412 people have died in Lebanon, and 10,269 more have been injured. Likewise, 25 Israeli soldiers have lost their lives. Netanyahu assures that all people killed in Lebanese territory were "Hezbollah terrorists".