Two Palestinian fighters recount the battle for Lebanon’s Beaufort Castle
Key takeaways
- That day, the castle was subjected to uninterrupted Israeli artillery and air bombardment”, Taher, 74, who now lives in Amman, Jordan, told AFP.
- “I saw the castle, which had come under heavy fire, blazing under the intensity of the shelling”, he recalled.
- In 1978, Israel invaded Lebanon for the first time in response to the attacks, and in 1982 it carried out a second invasion that eventually reached Beirut.
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Add ARY News on Google AAResize Jericho: When former Palestinian fighter Moin Al-Taher heard the Israeli flag was once again flying over Lebanon’s Beaufort castle, he cast his mind back more than 40 years, recalling its historic walls “blazing” under heavy shelling as his comrades fought to defend it.
Moin Al-Taher and Mohammed al-Qarout were both fighters for the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) in south Lebanon when the last battle for the castle unfolded in June 1982, which ended with Israel taking over the strategic vantage point and killing all the defending fighters.
“It was on June 6. That day, the castle was subjected to uninterrupted Israeli artillery and air bombardment”, Taher, 74, who now lives in Amman, Jordan, told AFP.