Defense Minister Israel Katz said Sunday that the IDF’s capture of the Beaufort Ridge in southern Lebanon was a strategic message to Hezbollah and to Israel’s enemies, warning that any force threatening Israeli civilians would lose key assets.
Katz spoke after the removal of the gag order on the expansion of the IDF ground maneuver in southern Lebanon, including the crossing of the Litani River, the capture of the Beaufort Ridge and the renewed raising of Israeli and Golani Brigade flags on the historic peak.
The timing carried heavy symbolism. The move was revealed on the state memorial day for the fallen of the First Lebanon War, including Golani soldiers killed in the 1982 battle for the Beaufort.
“Forty-four years after the heroic battle for the Beaufort, and on the memorial day for the fallen of the Peace for Galilee War, including the Golani soldiers who fell in the battle for the Beaufort, IDF soldiers, led by the Golani Brigade, returned to the Beaufort summit and raised the Israeli flag and the Golani flag there again,” Katz said.
Katz said the maneuver was carried out under the direction of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and himself, as part of a broader operation to deepen IDF activity inside Lebanon.
“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 Galilee communities and protecting our forces,” he said.
