PARIS, May 31. /TASS/. France has requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council amid Israel’s continuing operation in Lebanon, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said.

"I have requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council," he told the BFMTV television channel. "Nothing can justify the continuation of [Israel’] military operation in Lebanon and its expanding occupation of the Lebanese territory."

According to the top French diplomat, Israel is making a gross mistake by continuing combat operations in Lebanon.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said earlier that the Israeli army has established control of a key strategic height north of the Litani River in Lebanon, home to the Crusader fortress of Beaufort, located at an altitude of 300 meters, 100 kilometers south of Beirut. The Crusaders captured the site in 1139 and built a fortress there, which subsequently changed hands many times. By the early 20th century, the castle was in ruins, but the commanding heights retained their strategic military significance. In the 1970s, Palestine Liberation Organization units established a presence there, shelling Israeli territory. They were driven out by Israeli forces in 1982. Israel controlled Beaufort until 2000 and used the area as a military base. After the Israeli army withdrew from Lebanon in 2000, Beaufort became a stronghold for Hezbollah militias.