(Correction: removed reference to tens of thousands of Israelis being displaced by Hezbollah fire.)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that he had ordered an expansion of ground operations in Lebanon aimed at confronting Hezbollah, despite a ceasefire that was agreed more than six weeks earlier. The military said the latest advance included the seizure of the roughly 900-year-old Beaufort Castle and a strategically important ridge in southern Lebanon.
The conflict between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah has generated some of the largest spillover violence tied to the Iran war. According to Lebanese government tallies, more than 3,370 people have been killed in Lebanon since hostilities intensified. In addition, Israeli actions and evacuation directives have displaced in excess of 1.2 million Lebanese since March 2, when Hezbollah began firing rockets and drones into Israel in support of Iran.
Israel has reported that 24 of its soldiers and four civilians have been killed during the same period. The military also said one Israeli soldier was killed in the latest operation near Beaufort.
Netanyahu said in a statement: "I instructed the (military) to expand its ground manoeuvre in Lebanon." The announcement followed one of the heaviest days of Hezbollah fire toward northern Israel since the April ceasefire, an escalation that prompted school closures and other restrictions.
Military advances and tactical objectives
Israeli forces have pushed beyond areas they already controlled up to the Litani River and are pressing north toward the Zaharani River, roughly 10 km beyond their prior positions. The military described the operation as aimed at "establishing control of the Beaufort Ridge and the Wadi al-Saluki area," and at degrading Hezbollahs militant capabilities and infrastructure on the ridge, which it said had been established under Iranian direction.
Securing Beaufort Castle gives Israeli troops a commanding vantage point over much of southern Lebanon and parts of northern Israel. The military noted this was the first time it had held the site since the May 2000 withdrawal, when Israel removed troops from southern Lebanon after an 18-year presence. Defence Minister Israel Katz said soldiers will retain Beaufort as part of Israels security zone in southern Lebanon and warned that the campaign was ongoing: "The campaign is not over yet," he said. "We are all determined to crush Hezbollahs power." Katz circulated a photo on social media showing the castle flying the Israeli flag alongside the insignia of the military's Golani brigade.
The military reported operations near Nabatieh, a significant Hezbollah stronghold in southern Lebanon, and issued an evacuation warning for residents south of the Zaharani River.
Casualties, strikes and drone threats
Lebanese state news and security sources reported that overnight airstrikes on Saturday struck the southern village of Deir El Zahrani, killing eight people. Throughout Sunday, Lebanese outlets and security sources said the Israeli military carried out more than 40 strikes across southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah has continued to trade fire with Israeli forces since the mid-April ceasefire. The group has increasingly used inexpensive, easy-to-assemble kamikaze drones that present challenges for air defences and that have been blamed for killing several Israeli troops in southern Lebanon.
Diplomacy and regional responses
France, citing the escalation of violence in Lebanon, called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Monday, the French foreign ministry said in a statement. Meanwhile, the U.S. military hosted Israeli and Lebanese defence representatives in Washington in an effort to advance a U.S.-brokered plan to forge peace between the two countries and to disarm Hezbollah; the two sides had agreed on May 15 to extend the ceasefire for 45 days.
Political voices in Israel have pressed for even more robust action. Naftali Bennett, a challenger to Netanyahu in an upcoming election, said he seeks stronger operations in Lebanon, including striking suburbs of Beirut.
Local reactions and messaging
There were no immediate public comments from Lebanese authorities or from Hezbollah regarding the latest Israeli advance. Talal Atrissi, a sociology professor at the Lebanese University and an analyst close to Hezbollah, interpreted the circulated photograph of the Israeli flag over Beaufort Castle as a message to Israeli society that the military was achieving measurable objectives in Lebanon despite the difficulties posed by Hezbollahs drone use.
Israeli officials said the recent operation focused on consolidating control of terrain and degrading militant infrastructure, while Lebanese sources reported significant strikes and the deaths of civilians in southern villages. The unfolding operations and diplomatic moves underline the persistence of confrontation on the ground even as negotiators attempt to contain the fallout.
Summary
Israeli forces, under orders from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have pushed further north in southern Lebanon, seizing Beaufort Castle and parts of a strategic ridge. The escalation follows renewed heavy exchanges of fire since a mid-April ceasefire and continues amid extensive displacement and significant casualties in Lebanon and losses in Israel. Diplomatic efforts involving France and the United States are underway, but fighting and targeted strikes persist.