BEIRUT (AP) 鈥� Israeli troops have captured a strategic mountain topped with a Crusader-built castle in southern Lebanon in their into the country in more than a quarter century, the military said Sunday.
The capture of Beaufort castle near the city of Nabatiyeh came after days of intense fighting and airstrikes in nearby villages where Israeli troops fought Hezbollah members in the rugged area.
It marks a major gain for Israel in the latest Israel-Hezbollah war, which began in early March. Israel and Lebanon have been at war since Israel was created in 1948 hold in Washington.
The Israeli push came despite a that has been in place since April 17.
The Israeli army鈥檚 Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee posted a photograph on X showing Israeli troops walking outside the castle. Israeli troops previously captured the castle in 1982 and held it until they withdrew from Lebanon in 2000.
The Israeli military said in a statement that it launched an operation a few days ago in the Beaufort Ridge and the Suluki valley further south with the aim of dismantling Hezbollah infrastructure and removing “direct threats to Israeli civilians.鈥�
The statement said the army is ready 鈥渢o expand the operation if needed.鈥�
In recent days, Israel has expanded the scope of its operations in Lebanon, warning all residents in the country鈥檚 southern region to leave and sending troops across the Litani River, which previously served as a de facto boundary.
Israeli troops have been advancing for days in villages close to Beaufort castle after crossing the Litani River, which the Israeli military previously used as a de facto boundary. They are now about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the city of Nabatiyeh, a major center in southern Lebanon, and have called on all its residents to leave, as well as the residents of the coastal city of Tyre, the country鈥檚 fourth largest city, and its surroundings.
There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah or the Lebanese government on the Israeli push.
Hezbollah overnight claimed two attacks targeting Israeli troops and a Merkava tank in the southwestern town of Bayada near the border. In recent days, the group has said it has clashed with Israeli troops in several towns just north of the river near Nabatiyeh and the strategic castle.
Hezbollah in recent weeks has frustrated Israel with attacks on troops and northern towns using hard-to-detect .
The latest Israel-Hezbollah war began on March 2, when Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel two days after the U.S. and Israel attacked its main backer, Iran.
Israel has since launched a ground invasion, capturing dozens of Lebanese villages and towns close to the border.
It has left 3,350 people dead in Lebanon and over displaced.
According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu鈥檚 office, at least 24 Israeli soldiers and a defense contractor have been killed in or near southern Lebanon and two civilians have been killed in northern Israel, the vast majority by drones.
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