May 31 (UPI) — Israeli troops advanced deep into southern Lebanon on Sunday, capturing the medieval fortress of Beaufort and other areas north of the Litani River, drawing praise from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Video showed the national flag of Israeli and that of the Golani Brigade, one of the Israel Defense Forces’ top infantry units, flying above the castle on a strategic ridge as Iran-backed Hezbollah militants rained rocket and drone fire onto northern Israel.

It was the first time Israeli troops have advanced so far north of the Litani since May 2000, when they left Beaufort 18 years after capturing it during the First Lebanon War in 1982.

Referencing that withdrawal 26 years ago, Netanyahu said, “Today, we returned to Beaufort differently. We returned united, determined, and stronger than ever.”

The Israeli leader called it “a dramatic stage and a dramatic change in the policy we are leading. We have broken the barrier of fear. We are taking the initiative, we are operating on all fronts — in Syria, in Gaza, in Lebanon; we have established security zones beyond our borders to protect our communities.”

He warned that the IDF will “expand the incursion in Lebanon” and have been instructed to “deepen and expand our hold on places that were under Hezbollah’s control” despite an ongoing cease-fire deal between Israel and Lebanon.

Israel asserted Hezbollah used Beaufort Ridge and Wadi al-Saluki areas to carry out “military and combat activities” while under Iranian direction.

The incursion past the Litani came as the IDF Home Front Command on Sunday ordered schools to be closed as towns and cities near the Lebanese border came under relentless fire over the weekend.

Hezbollah claimed it struck Israeli targets as far south as Acre and Haifa with missiles and drones on Sunday, including a group of Israeli soldiers gathered at a helicopter landing pad in the Shlomi settlement.

The Israeli move to capture Beaufort Ridge, meanwhile, set off alarm bells in European capitals.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said his country has requested an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council concerning Israeli military operations in Lebanon.

“Nothing can justify the prolongation of (Israel’s) military operations in Lebanon and its increasingly deep occupation of Lebanese territory,” he told French broadcaster BFMTV, adding, “this is a major mistake for Israel.”