In 2007, the Israeli film Beaufort was released. Named for the Crusader-era fortress of Beaufort, it chronicles the lives of Israeli soldiers posted in Lebanon at the fort in 2000 as Israel prepares to leave Lebanon.
The film came out after the Second Lebanon War (2006) and channeled some of the malaise about Lebanon at the time. The First Lebanon War (1982) had been seen as a quagmire in the 1990s, and the 2006 war was initially judged to be a failure.
The IDF is now back at Beaufort Castle, but this time there is a sense of conquest. Israel has changed a lot over the past two decades.
The conquest of the Beaufort has taken 966 days. Hezbollah attacked Israel on October 8, 2023. The IDF only responded with limited precision strikes, because Israel was reeling from the October 7 massacre on the Gaza border.
With more than 1,000 burials to take place and Israel still trying to find out how many hundreds of people had been kidnapped to Gaza, there was no way to wage a rapid war in Lebanon.
Even though some advocated for striking Hezbollah based on existing plans, the IDF held off. The border with Lebanon was evacuated, including the city of Kiryat Shmona.
At the time, in late 2023, those of us covering the Lebanon front referred to this as Hezbollah creating a “security zone” inside Israel. This was a reference to the zone Israel once controlled inside Lebanon, including the Beaufort.
Israelis were now being forced to leave their homes. It seemed as if Hezbollah could attack with impunity.
In September 2024, Israel changed the equation and began an incremental offensive with targeted killings of Hezbollah commanders. This resulted in a ceasefire in November 2024.
Israel continued limited strikes against Hezbollah until this past March, when the IDF again launched a major offensive in response to Hezbollah rocket fire. A new ceasefire began in April, but with the Hezbollah drone threat growing, the IDF is now increasing operations.
Forty-four years since Beaufort's capture in Peace for Galilee War
On Sunday, Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote: “44 years after the heroic battle for the Beaufort, and on the memorial day for the fallen of the Peace for Galilee War, including Golani Brigade soldiers who fell in the battle for the Beaufort – IDF fighters, led by the Golani Brigade, returned to the peak of the Beaufort and raised the flag of Israel and the flag of Golani over it once again.”
This is a meaningful and symbolic image for those from Katz’s generation.
“At the direction of Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu and at my direction, the IDF expanded the maneuver in Lebanon, crossed the Litani River, and captured the Beaufort ridge – one of the most important strategic points for defending the settlements of the Galilee and safeguarding the security of our forces,” he wrote. “Today, the veil of secrecy imposed on the operation to prevent information from reaching the enemy has been lifted. This is a clear message to our enemies: Whoever threatens Israeli citizens will lose their strategic assets one after another. I salute the Golani fighters and all IDF fighters who wrote another chapter of Israeli heroism in the place where our heroes fell for the homeland.”
KATZ VOWED that the campaign is not over, and that Israel will crush Hezbollah’s “power.”
Last Thursday, Netanyahu met with the IDF’s 36th Division on the northern border and said: “Our forces have crossed the Litani [River] and advanced to controlling positions. We are operating in Beirut, in the Beqaa [Valley], across the entire width of the front, and are dealing Hezbollah a crushing blow.”
Netanyahu and Katz were briefed by OC Northern Command Maj.-Gen. Rafi Milo and IDF 36th Division Commander Brig.-Gen. Yiftach Norkin.
The 36th Division is based in the North and is an armored division. It played a key role in the opening battles of Gaza in October and November 2023 before being sent north. It has played a key role in operations in Lebanon.
The 36th Division usually includes the Golani infantry brigade, as well as the 7th and 188th armored brigades, backed by the 282nd artillery brigade.
Images from Lebanon posted on social media on Sunday included many comments about the Israeli flag being raised on the Beaufort alongside the flag of the Golani Reconnaissance Unit. Lebanese social-media accounts also posted videos of the flags.
Symbol of victory, of past
This is a symbol of victory for many Israelis. It is a symbol of the past as well.
Israel has captured the fortress in the past. On June 8, 1982, The New York Times reported: “Prime Minister Menachem Begin flew to Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon on Monday to meet with Defense Minister Ariel Sharon shortly after the castle was captured by Israeli forces.”
“Clearly aware of the symbolic character of the site, Mr. Begin chose the 12th-century Crusader castle that overlooks settlements in northeastern Israel to receive Mr. Sharon’s account of the progress of Israel’s invasion of Lebanon,” the report said. “Beaufort Castle had come to be regarded by Israelis in the border region in much the same way the Golan Heights were before the 1967 Middle East war, as a high ground from which enemies observed and threatened their towns and settlements. The castle, situated atop a peak, is three miles [4.8 km.] from the Israeli town of [Metula].”
Israel reached the Beaufort quickly on the first day of fighting. It has now taken 966 days. Much from 1982 reads like reports from today.
“The castle had served as the principal outpost for forward observers and artillery spotters by Palestine Liberation Organization forces,” the Times reported.
“Israel said last year’s arrangement was unsatisfactory because it permitted the Palestinians to double their arsenal and fortify their positions,” the report said. “Officials said Israel would now demand a political arrangement that would prevent the Palestinians from returning to positions from which they could bombard and rocket Israeli towns.”
“Israeli officials said a United Nations force or other international force might police the entire area,” the Times reported. “That could enable the currently ineffective Lebanese Government to assert its authority in at least that area, the officials said. Israel has emphasized that it does not want any Lebanese territory.”