Katz on Beaufort: Hezbollah Will Lose Strategic Assets

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.

The defense minister added that the gag order had been imposed to prevent the enemy from receiving operationally useful information while the move was underway.

He framed the capture of the ridge as part of a wider campaign to strip Hezbollah of its military positions and strategic advantages in southern Lebanon.

“This is a clear message to our enemies: whoever threatens Israeli citizens will lose his strategic assets one after another,” Katz said.

He praised Golani and all IDF forces involved in the operation, saying they had written “another chapter of Israeli heroism” at a site where Israeli soldiers had fallen for the country.

Katz stressed that the campaign is not over.

“The war has not yet ended,” he said. “The IDF is strong, and we are all determined to crush Hezbollah’s power and complete the mission: ensuring security for the residents of the north.”