Before the Washington-Tehran Agreement: Israel Draws New Borders in Southern Lebanon

Military sources in Tel Aviv reported that the Israeli army's control of the Lebanese "Beaufort Castle" carries extremely important strategic implications, revealing Israel's intention to advance north or east in Lebanon from the castle, according to Israeli media.

According to Hebrew search engines, the "Beaufort" area in Lebanon is officially known as "Shaqif Castle," or "Shaqif Arnoun Castle," a historic strategic fortress located in the Nabatieh district in southern Lebanon.

From a comprehensive perspective, the positioning of Israeli forces in the castle constitutes an advanced base for advancing into northern Lebanon or eastward. Reaching the target itself also indicates the collapse of some of Hezbollah's defense systems, whose members have so far chosen to retreat and avoid fighting in most battles, according to the sources.

The Walla website mentioned that Hezbollah's loss of the castle site carries extremely important symbolic implications, in addition to its military importance, and constitutes a strong moral blow to the party.

It said that during the past 24 hours, the 36th Division, with the help of the Air Force and the Military Intelligence Directorate "Aman," managed to penetrate the fortified Lebanese castle area and consolidate Israeli forces in the region, after activating several combat teams from the brigades, to thwart any attempt that could stop Israeli military operations in Lebanon by land and air.

The "Shaqif" military operation gains decisive strategic and tactical importance in the southern Lebanese sector, as the castle, located approximately 710 meters above sea level, dominates the Litani River and represents a major geographical point controlling a vast area.

Control of the castle provides complete visual and electronic superiority over Wadi al-Uyun, Nabatieh, the town of Tibnin in the Bint Jbeil district, and the main axes in southern Lebanon.

According to the Hebrew website, the ability to establish advanced observation points enables monitoring Hezbollah's movements and narrowing the scope of rapid fire using artillery, drones, or the air force.

More importantly, the Israeli military presence in the area effectively cuts off the strategic axes leading from northern Lebanon and the Litani area and the Lebanon Valley southward.

This cut severely hinders the ability of the Hezbollah militia to send reinforcements, ammunition, and supplies to forces trying to reach the Lebanese contact line with Israel, and in the long term constitutes a key element in pushing Hezbollah away from Israeli settlements.

The Israeli army announced today, Sunday, expanding the scope of the ground operation in southern Lebanon.

Army forces, including the Golani Brigade, took control of "Shaqif Castle" before crossing the Litani River northward.

The military operation began days ago led by the Northern Command and the 36th Division, with infantry and armored forces, including the Golani, Givati, and 7th Division brigades, advancing towards the heights of "Shaqif Castle" and the Wadi Saluki area.

According to Israeli sources, the attack aims to establish operational control over strategic points that Hezbollah has turned into active bases.

According to the Israeli army, hundreds of rockets have recently been launched from this mountainous area towards settlement clusters including the Galilee and Metula, in addition to targeting Israeli forces currently operating inside Lebanon.

The Israeli ground invasion operation in Lebanon coincided with intensive military preparations. Before the fighters advanced, Israeli fighter jets bombed Hezbollah targets in the area to weaken the defense lines.

The attack also included artillery shelling and tank fire aimed at hitting Hezbollah's forward positions and clearing the area of explosives.

At the same time, engineering units surveyed and destroyed military sites along the Litani River, to pave movement routes for continuing the attack.

According to other Hebrew reports, the scope of Israeli military operations is currently expanding to include additional areas approaching the city of Nabatieh, which is one of the most important centers of political and military power for Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

Military sources indicate that ground forces are ready to intensify the attack as necessary to completely dismantle the party's infrastructure.

They said the current operation at "Shaqif Castle" represents another phase of the fighting in Lebanon, which aims to create an expanded security zone across the Israeli border and return the residents of the northern settlements.

Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and Northern Command Commander Uri Gordin approved the operation plans earlier this week.

The Israeli army also published, this morning, Sunday, video footage of Golani patrol fighters carrying out operations inside "Shaqif Castle," according to the Walla website.