Israel plants flag on medieval castle, pushes Lebanon ground operation Israel plants flag on medieval castle, pushes Lebanon ground operation
Israel's flag flew over the medieval fortress on Beaufort in Lebanon on Friday as it warned Lebanese civilians to evacuate a large area of the south of the country ahead of stepped up ground operations.
Shelling was audible and smoke rose from the surrounding area as the invading army's banner was seen by AFP above the castle, which Israeli forces famously used as a base during their previous two-decade long occupation.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said troops had captured the historic strongpoint, which commands sweeping views of south Lebanon, as they expanded their ground operations, which Lebanon's prime minister has condemned as a "scorched earth" policy.
"Forty-four years after the heroic Battle of Beaufort, and on this day commemorating the soldiers who fell in the First Lebanon War, our troops have returned to the summit of Beaufort and once again raised the Israeli flag there," Katz said, in a social media post.
