•As nuclear talks stall over Trump’s proposal
•Israeli troops capture strategic castle in Lebanon
By Nkiruka Nnorom with agency report
Iran’s top negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, has said Teheran would not accept any agreement ending its conflict with the US unless there was certainty that the Iranian people’s rights were secured, Reuters reported, citing state media.
This is even as Israeli troops yesterday captured Beaufort castle, a mountain topped with a Crusader-built castle in southern Lebanon in their deepest incursion into the country in 26 years with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu describing the move as a dramatic shift in Lebanon offensive.
“This came after US president, Donald Trump, said he had secured guarantees from Iran that it would not develop nuclear weapons, as reports emerged he had sent a tougher peace proposal back to Tehran. Trump has repeatedly said his priorities for any deal include stopping Iran from any nuclear weapon development and re-opening the blockaded strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, Israeli troops yesterday captured Beaufort castle, a mountain topped with a Crusader-built castle in southern Lebanon in their deepest incursion into the country in 26 years with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu describing the move as a dramatic shift in Lebanon offensive.
“Today, we have returned to Beaufort in a different way. We have returned united, determined, and stronger than ever.“
“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,” Netanyahu said in a video statement.
This is even as France has requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council over the capture of the medieval castle.
“I have requested an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council because, while we recognise Israel’s right, like that of all countries, to self-defence… nothing can justify the continuation of Israeli military operations in Lebanon and its ever-deeper occupation of Lebanese territory,” Jean-Noel Barrot, France Foreign Minister, said on the BFMTV channel.
The capture of Beaufort castle near the city of Nabatiyeh came after days of intense fighting and airstrikes in nearby villages where Israeli troops fought Hezbollah members in the rugged area.
The Israeli army’s Arabic spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, posted a photograph on X showing Israeli troops walking outside the castle, and Defense Minister, Israel Katz, wrote that they had raised an Israeli flag over the castle. Israeli troops previously captured the castle in 1982 and held it until they withdrew from Lebanon in 2000.
Forty-four years after the heroic Battle of Beaufort, and on this day commemorating the soldiers who fell in the First Lebanon War (1982), our troops have returned to the summit of Beaufort and once again raised the Israeli flag there,” Katz said on his Telegram channel.
The Israeli push came despite a nominal ceasefire that has been in place since April and just days before the next round of talks are set to be held at the US State Department on June 2 and 3.“
