France has requested an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council after Israeli forces seized the medieval Beaufort castle in Lebanon, the French foreign minister said Sunday.
“I have requested an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council because, while we recognize Israel’s right, like that of all countries, to self-defense… nothing can justify the continuation of Israeli military operations in Lebanon and its ever-deeper occupation of Lebanese territory,” Jean-Noel Barrot said on the BFMTV channel.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israeli forces’ capture of Beaufort castle in southern Lebanon marked a “dramatic shift” in Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“Today, we have returned to Beaufort in a different way. We have returned united, determined, and stronger than ever,” Netanyahu said in a video statement.
“The capture of Beaufort is a dramatic stage and a dramatic shift in the policy we are leading. We have broken the barrier of fear. We are taking the initiative, we are operating on all fronts –- in Syria, in Gaza, in Lebanon.”
An Israeli strike near a hospital in Tyre, south Lebanon wounded 13 staffers, the Lebanese Health Ministry said, as Israel pushes forward its offensive deeper into the country. (AFP)
