‘They never saw us’: how IDF tanks slipped past Hezbollah to take Beaufort
Brig. Gen. Yiftach Norkin recounts how the 36th Division spent weeks carving a hidden route through dense terrain, moving tanks and D9 bulldozers unseen toward the Litani before Golani and Egoz raids cleared flanking threats ahead of the assault on the strategic fortress
Forty-four years after climbing Beaufort during the First Lebanon War, the author returns to the fortress, its majestic cliffs and panoramic view of the Litani, Saluki, and Nabatieh. Now, as a visitor, they cross the same terrain during a fragile ceasefire, constantly aware of their surroundings. Beaufort is a significant part of the author's biography, embodying both the constant threat and the resilience of Israel's security forces.
In June 1982, the author, along with two fellow reservists, Sgt. First Class Yehoshua Zada and Sgt. First Class Yitzhak Gos, embarked on a journey to Beaufort, aiming to capture the picturesque stronghold. Tragically, just four months later, during the November 11, 1982 bombing of the government building in Tyre, Zada and Gos, along with 74 other soldiers, lost their lives.
Despite the passage of time, the memories of those who perished remain vivid, haunting the author's thoughts even as they stand once more on the hallowed grounds of Beaufort.
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