Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that the IDF’s capture of Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon marks a “dramatic shift” in Israel’s policy against Hezbollah, as troops continue to establish control over strategic terrain north of the Litani River.
“Tonight, our heroic soldiers captured the Beaufort post,” Netanyahu said in a statement. “They proudly raised the flag of the State of Israel and the flag of the Golani Brigade.”
The IDF said earlier Sunday that its forces had taken control of Beaufort Castle as part of a broader operation on the Beaufort ridge and in the Saluki stream area. The military said forces from the Golani Brigade, the 7th Brigade, the Givati Brigade, the Fire Brigade and the Multidimensional Unit crossed the Litani River several days earlier to remove what it described as a direct threat to the Galilee Panhandle and Metula.
The Beaufort area, north of the Litani, is considered by the IDF a key Hezbollah zone because of its commanding position over large parts of southern Lebanon and the border with Israel. The military said the operation was preceded by preparatory fire and operational groundwork led by Northern Command, and was aimed at seizing the ridge, destroying Hezbollah infrastructure and pushing the threat farther from northern communities.
Netanyahu linked the capture to the symbolic weight of the fortress in Israeli memory.
“I remind you that 44 years ago, this place was a symbol of a heroic battle by our soldiers, but also a symbol of deep division among us,” he said, referring to the 1982 battle for Beaufort at the start of the First Lebanon War. “Today we returned to Beaufort differently. We returned united, determined and stronger than ever.”
According to Netanyahu, Israeli troops along the northern border told him the public was not fully aware of the scale of the army’s achievements.
“Since the beginning of the War of Redemption (the war following the October 7 massacre), we have eliminated 8,000 Hezbollah terrorists,” he said. “Since Operation Roaring Lion, 3,000. In the past month alone, 700. That is more than everything we eliminated during the Second Lebanon War.”
Netanyahu said he had instructed the IDF to deepen the maneuver in Lebanon.
“Our forces crossed the Litani, seized commanding areas and captured the Beaufort ridge,” he said. “Now my directive is to deepen and expand our hold in places that were under Hezbollah’s control. The capture of Beaufort is a dramatic stage and a dramatic change in the policy we are leading.”
“We broke the barrier of fear,” he added. “We are initiating. We are operating on all fronts.”
Netanyahu said Israel had created security zones beyond its borders in Syria, Gaza and Lebanon to protect Israeli communities.
“On Friday, I spoke with the brigade commanders,” he said. “They are courageous commanders inside the territory, leading our heroic soldiers. They told me, ‘Prime Minister, we are carrying out the mission. We are charging forward and Hezbollah is fleeing for its life.’ I told them: I am with you. The entire people of Israel is with you.”
The prime minister said the campaign would take more time but pledged that Israel would restore security to the north.
“It will take more time, but we will return security to the residents of the north exactly as we did for the residents of the south,” he said. “It will take time, but we will complete the mission.”