Katz: Troops will remain at strategic Beaufort Castle as part of IDF’s south Lebanon security zone

Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

The Israeli and Golani Brigade flags are seen over the Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon, as seen from the Marjayoun area of southern Lebanon on May 31, 2026 (AFP)
The Israeli and Golani Brigade flags are seen over the Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon, as seen from the Marjayoun area of southern Lebanon on May 31, 2026 (AFP)

Defense Minister Israel Katz says troops will remain stationed at the strategic Beaufort Castle as part of the military’s new security zone in southern Lebanon.

“Twenty-six years after the withdrawal from the security zone in Lebanon, the Israeli flag is once again flying over the peaks overlooking the Galilee communities,” Katz says at a memorial ceremony for fallen soldiers of the 1982 First Lebanon War.

“Twenty-six years after the withdrawal, our heroic soldiers have captured Beaufort once again, and will remain there as part of the security zone in Lebanon,” he says.

Katz says that “the capture of Beaufort and the expansion of the [ground] maneuver constitute a clear message to our enemies: Whoever threatens the citizens of Israel will lose their strategic assets one after another.”

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