Israel Captures Beaufort Castle in Deepest Lebanon Incursion in 26 Years

“Who will force Israel to stop its aggression?”

That’s the question Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri posed Sunday, and it’s the one hanging over the Western Slope as we watch the big picture unfold. The answer, for now, is: no one. Not yet.

The Israeli army has captured Beaufort Castle. This isn’t a skirmish. It’s the deepest incursion into Lebanon in 26 years. The military confirmed the takeover of the strategic, mountain-top fortress near the city of Nabatiyeh. It followed days of airstrikes and intense fighting in nearby villages.

Make no mistake. This changes the map.

The castle sits high atop rolling green hills, overlooking the Litani River. It’s been a military asset for centuries. Crusaders built it in the 12th century. Saladin’s army used it. So did the Mamluks, Ottomans, and the French mandate. The Crusaders named it Beaufort, which is Old French for “beautiful.”

Israel calls it strategic. The Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, posted photos on X showing troops walking outside the castle. Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote that they raised an Israeli flag over the site.

Katz said the flag is back on peaks that overlook Galilee towns. He noted this is 26 years after the last withdrawal from the security zone. Israel held the castle in 1982 but pulled out in 2000. Now, it’s back. And it’s holding on.

The timing is brutal. This push happened despite a nominal ceasefire that’s been in place since April 17. Direct talks in Washington start Tuesday. Just days later.

Berri, a key Hezbollah ally, guaranteed the militant group’s “full, comprehensive and immediate commitment to a ceasefire.” But he pointed the finger at the other side. His statement ran on his television station, NBN. He didn’t mince words. Israel is the one breaking the silence with boots on the ground.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot didn’t wait for the talks to begin. He requested an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council. He called the Israeli operations “unacceptable.”

“Nothing can justify the prolongation of Israeli military operations in Lebanon and its increasingly deep occupation of Lebanese territory,” Barrot said on French television channel BFM TV.

The war itself started March 2. Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel two days after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran, Hezbollah’s main backer. Since then, Israel has launched a ground invasion. They’ve captured dozens of Lebanese villages and towns close to the border.

Hezbollah has responded with thousands of missiles and drones. Targets include Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon and northern Israel.

Katz said Israel intends to hold the castle. The goal? Destroy thousands more homes used by Hezbollah and other military infrastructure. The castle is just the anchor. The rest is the surrounding territory.

Locals in the valley might not see the Litani River every day, but they see the markets reacting to the bigger geopolitical shifts. Energy prices. Supply chains. The ripple effects of a war that’s been simmering for decades but is now boiling over.

Berri’s question remains unanswered. Who forces Israel to stop? The UN is meeting. France is watching. But until the diplomatic sessions in Washington yield something more than promises, the flag stays raised.

The short version: Israel took the castle. It’s holding it. The ceasefire is nominal. The fighting continues. And the world is watching to see if the next round of negotiations in Washington actually stops the aggression or just pauses it.