The United Nations Security Council is set to convene an emergency meeting on Monday to address the escalating conflict in Lebanon, following the Israeli military's seizure of the historic Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon, according to diplomatic sources speaking to AFP.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to intensify operations in Lebanon, characterizing Sunday's takeover of the medieval fortress as a "dramatic shift" in the campaign against Hezbollah. The truce between Israel and Hezbollah, which began on April 17, has not been observed, with both sides accusing each other of daily violations and using alleged breaches to justify continued attacks.
Diplomatic sources told AFP that the UN Security Council meeting was requested by France. French President Emmanuel Macron stated that "nothing justifies the major escalation under way in south Lebanon" and called for an end to the fighting.
Lebanon became embroiled in the broader Middle East conflict on March 2, when Hezbollah launched rockets toward Israel in retaliation for the US-Israeli killing of Iran's supreme leader.
Recent Casualties and Attacks
Over the weekend, Israel struck targets in Lebanon, with eight people killed in a strike on Deir Zahrani in southern Lebanon on Sunday, including three women, according to the Lebanese health ministry. Hezbollah reported targeting Israeli forces near the fortress and other military positions and infrastructure in Shlomi and Nahariya in northern Israel, while air raid sirens sounded in the Acre area.
US Diplomatic Efforts
A senior US official told AFP on Sunday that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about ongoing diplomatic negotiations. The official stated, "To advance those talks, the United States proposed a clear sequence: Hezbollah must stop all attacks on Israel. In return, Israel would refrain from escalation in Beirut." Military delegations from Lebanon and Israel held security talks in Washington on Friday, with more US-brokered negotiations planned for the following week.
Netanyahu's Statement
In a video statement released after the military captured Beaufort, Netanyahu declared, "We have returned united, determined and stronger than ever. 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 shift in the policy we are leading." Israeli forces had previously used Beaufort Castle, also known as Qalaat al-Chakif, as a base during their two-decade occupation of southern Lebanon that ended in 2000.
Impact on Civilians
Shelling was audible and smoke rose from the surrounding area as AFP saw the Israeli flag flying above the castle. In a shelter for displaced people in Sidon, southern Lebanon's largest city, Zeinab Fakih from Nabatieh told AFP, "We are afraid. It is impossible for us to return to our home, because the city is in great destruction," adding that the arrival of Israeli forces at the castle was "tragic."
The push to Beaufort coincided with the Israeli military issuing a sweeping evacuation order for areas south of the Zahrani River, north of the Litani, and approximately 40 kilometers from the border. An Israeli strike near a hospital in Tyre wounded 13 staff members, according to the Lebanese health ministry. A few thousand people remain in Tyre's small old city, which was spared from evacuation warnings, with some sleeping in their cars. In Sidon, an AFP photographer observed civil defense teams from the Tyre region arriving after Israel's military called for their evacuation. Ali Safieddine, civil defense head in Tyre city, said they have "temporarily relocated to Sidon."
Military Casualties
The Israeli army reported that a Hezbollah explosive drone killed one of its soldiers on Saturday, bringing the total number of Israeli military deaths in Lebanon since early March to 25. The army added that "since the start of the ceasefire, 900 Hezbollah terrorists have been eliminated." Lebanon's health ministry says Israeli attacks have killed more than 3,412 people since early March.
