ReutersThe Israeli military has increased the zone in southern Lebanon that it has warned residents to evacuate from, as it further expands its ground operations against Hezbollah.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reiterated its warning to everyone south of the Zahrani river to leave.
“Anyone present near Hezbollah elements, facilities or means of combat endangers their life,” a spokesman said.
The warning came shortly after the army confirmed it had taken Beaufort Castle, a strategic point on a high ridge above the Litani river.
The latest evacuation warning is the second time in recent days that Israel has told residents to leave the entire south of the country below the Zahrani river.
The IDF spokesman said that a “significant number of IDF ground soldiers” were involved in the operation, which was “currently expanding to additional areas”.
It’s another clear indication that Israeli ground forces are moving ever deeper into Lebanese territory beyond their original demarcation line of the Litani river.
Meanwhile on Sunday Lebanon’s Health Ministry said 13 hospital staff had been injured in an airstrike in the vicinity of Hiram hospital in Tyre, which caused significant damage.
France, which has historical ties with Lebanon, has requested a meeting of the United National Security Council to discuss the Israeli military operations.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told French network BFMTV the situation was a “major mistake for Israel”.
“Nothing can justify the prolongation of [Israel’s] military operations in Lebanon and its increasingly deep occupation of Lebanese territory,” he said.
‘We have broken the barrier of fear’
Just over the Litani river line, the IDF has confirmed it has captured one of the key strategic prizes in the area – Beaufort Castle. It was built as a fortress commanding views from high on the cliffs above the Litani river by the Crusaders some 900 years ago, and has been fought over many times since.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the capture as “a dramatic stage and dramatic change in our policy”.
“We have broken the barrier of fear. We are taking the initiative, we are operating on all fronts – in Syria, in Gaza, in Lebanon,” he said.
Defence Minister Israel Katz recalled a battle the Israeli army fought for the fort 44 years ago. He said the Golani Brigade, which took it then, had returned and raised the Israeli flag above it.
So, it’s a highly symbolic as well as strategic victory, as far as Israel is concerned.
For the Lebanese, it’s the latest historic landmark to be seized in recent days, while the city of Nabatieh further north appears to be increasingly a target for the IDF.
Katz said control of the castle and the ridge it stands upon was an important step in protecting Israeli communities on the other side of the border.
Israel says it’s been intensifying its onslaught against Hezbollah in response to the Iranian-backed group’s ramping up of its own explosive drone and missile attacks both on Israeli troops inside Lebanon and communities across the border.
The military confirmed another soldier had been killed, while schools in communities on the Israeli side of the border have been closed on Sunday as a precaution.
On Saturday, Hezbollah fired some 25 projectiles towards that area, prompting calls from opposition Israeli politicians for the government to do more to ensure the safety of residents.
In Lebanon, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam made a televised address in which he accused Israel of a “scorched-earth policy and collective punishment” in the south of the country.
Nevertheless, a fourth round of negotiations between delegations from the Israeli and Lebanese governments is due to be held in Washington this week.
Salam has said this is Lebanon’s only route away from the conflict, but Hezbollah is not involved. And the Lebanese government and army, as ever, can only watch on as bystanders in the latest confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah.
Since that erupted again in early March – after the Iranian-backed group fired rockets into Israel in response to the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – the Lebanese authorities say more than 3,300 people have been killed, while there have been 25 Israeli military deaths.
Additional reporting by Robert Greenall
