BEIRUT/JERUSALEM -  The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Sunday that its troops had captured a strategic castle in southern Lebanon.

In a statement, the IDF said Israeli ground forces had entered the Beaufort Ridge and Wadi Saluki area in southern Lebanon.

Israel's state-owned Kan TV News and Channel 12 News reported that the Israeli army had seized the ridge, including the strategic castle at its summit, in what they described as Israel's deepest incursion into Lebanon in 26 years. The broadcasters released a photograph showing an Israeli flag atop the ancient fortress.

According to the IDF, the offensive is aimed at dismantling Hezbollah's military infrastructure and eliminating militants to remove what it described as direct threats to communities in the Galilee Panhandle and the northern Israeli border town of Metula.

The military said the operation, involving substantial ground forces, is part of ongoing efforts to strengthen its operational control in southern Lebanon.

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It claimed that Hezbollah had used the ridge to coordinate attacks against Israel and said Israeli forces were targeting launch infrastructure in the area.

Before the ground incursion, the Israeli air force launched extensive strikes on Hezbollah targets, backed by artillery and tank fire.

Israeli troops subsequently moved to secure key positions, destroy military infrastructure in the Litani River area, and conduct engineering work in support of the mission.

In a separate statement, the IDF said an Israeli soldier was killed Saturday night when an explosive drone launched by Hezbollah struck Israeli forces operating west of the Beaufort area in southern Lebanon.

Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes and drone attacks across southern Lebanon late Friday and into Saturday killed at least 15 people and wounded several others, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry.

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It said the casualties involved paramedics and a Syrian national.

The Lebanese Army said on social media platform X that two soldiers were seriously wounded when an Israeli drone struck their vehicle on a main road in the village of Ebba in the Nabatieh district. The soldiers were taken to hospital for treatment.

Lebanon's Public Health Emergency Operations Center said Saturday that the death toll in the country from the conflict since March 2 has risen to 3,371, with 10,129 injured.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Saturday the country is facing a critical phase amid a sharp escalation in Israeli strikes, calling for stronger political and diplomatic efforts to reach a new ceasefire.

Salam accused Israel of carrying out widespread destruction and collective punishment, saying strikes have expanded beyond specific targets to hit towns, villages and civilian infrastructure.

Separately, Hezbollah on Saturday fired rockets toward the northern Israeli cities of Safed and Nahariya, with no reported casualties, the Israel Defense Forces said, adding that the launches came shortly after it warned of expected rocket fire from Lebanon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that Israeli forces had expanded operations north of the Litani River, beyond a designated security zone in southern Lebanon where troops have remained since a ceasefire took effect in mid-April.

Israeli media assessments said the rise in Hezbollah attacks was linked to the expanded Israeli military activity in Lebanon. Some reports also suggested both sides were increasing operations ahead of possible US-Iran talks that could include efforts to halt hostilities in Lebanon.

Israel shuts down schools in north

Also on Saturday, the IDF announced in a statement stricter restrictions in large areas of northern Israel amid an escalation in Hezbollah projectile launches from Lebanon.

The new guidelines from the IDF's Home Front Command include the closure of all schools, for at least two days, in the confrontation line area along the border with Lebanon, including the cities of Nahariya and Kiryat Shmona.