TEL AVIV, May 31. /TASS/. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to expand its ground maneuver zone in Lebanon and deepen its control over areas previously controlled by the Shiite organization Hezbollah.

"I instructed the IDF to expand its maneuvers in Lebanon. Our forces crossed the Litani River and captured the Beaufort Ridge. Now my directive is to deepen and expand our hold on areas that had been under Hezbollah’s control," according to Netanyahu’s statement released by his office.

"The capture of Beaufort is a dramatic stage and a dramatic shift in the policy we are leading," he said. "We have broken through the barrier of fear. We are taking the initiative. We are operating on all fronts - in Syria, Gaza, and Lebanon. We have established security zones beyond our borders in order to protect our communities," the premier noted.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced earlier on Sunday that the Israeli army had established control of a key strategic height north of the Litani River in Lebanon, home to the Crusader fortress of Beaufort.

Beaufort Castle is 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.