New footage released by the IDF reveals the first tank crossing the Litani River in southern Lebanon as part of the operation that led to the capture of the Beaufort Ridge.
The footage, published Sunday morning, shows the moment the first tank crossed the Litani River in southern Lebanon.
The operation took place as part of the expansion of the ground maneuver by Israeli security forces beyond the Yellow Line. The river crossing was carried out in preparation for the combined operation to seize the Beaufort Ridge.
Earlier, IDF soldiers, led by troops from the Golani Brigade, returned to the summit of Beaufort and once again raised the Israeli flag and the Golani Brigade flag there. The event took place 44 years after the historic Battle of Beaufort and on the memorial day for those who fell in the 1982 Lebanon War, including brigade soldiers who were killed in the battle.
The operation began several days ago, involving numerous ground forces, including the Golani Brigade, the 7th Brigade, the Givati Brigade, the Fire Brigade, and the Multidimensional Unit, operating under the command of the 36th Division and guided by intelligence from the IDF Intelligence Directorate.
According to the IDF, the operation is focused on gaining control of the Beaufort Ridge and the Saluki Valley area, while deepening the campaign against the Hezbollah terrorist organization and destroying significant terrorist infrastructure established on the ridge under Iranian direction. These positions were allegedly used by Hezbollah operatives to conduct combat operations and carry out numerous terrorist attacks.
In addition, Israeli forces are targeting launch infrastructure in the area from which hundreds of rockets were reportedly fired at Israeli civilians and IDF troops operating in southern Lebanon.
The IDF emphasized that before ground forces entered the area, the Israeli Air Force carried out extensive strikes against Hezbollah infrastructure as part of a broad fire support campaign that also included artillery and tank fire.
The military added that forces completed a series of significant strikes against strategic high-ground positions, searched for and neutralized military infrastructure in the Litani region, and carried out essential engineering work to create the conditions necessary for the offensive operation.