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Why Steven Spielberg's 'Disclosure Day' feels like the most exciting sci-fi release of the year

Science

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Why Steven Spielberg's 'Disclosure Day' feels like the most exciting sci-fi release of the year

(Image credit: 20th Century Fox & Universal Pictures) Steven Spielberg's latest sci-fi movie, Disclosure Day, has finally hit cinemas worldwide. It's been eight years since the iconic director released a movie in this genre, re-entering his UFO era with a twisted alien thriller. To mark his momentous return to sci-fi cinema, we've taken time to gaze across his entire sci-fi slate, ranking them from worst to best.We use the term 'worst' lightly, though. Spielberg is a movie legend after all. To date, he's directed over 30 films during his illustrious career, crafting spectacular titles with a deep understanding of what it takes to truly tell a story. Frankly, if you don't recognize the nine movies listed here, well, where the devil have you been?So, hold onto your butts and please enjoy our ranking of Steven Spielberg's sci-fi movies, worst to best.Honorable mention: FirelightA short film called Firelight is arguably his inaugural entry into sci-fi cinema, with only a few minutes ever having been publicly released. While we can't place it in the rankings, it must be mentioned as Spielberg was only a teenager at the time, demonstrating his early genius and determination to bring his ideas to life.9. The Lost World: Jurassic Park (Image credit: Universal Pictures)Release date: May 23, 1997 | Cast: Jeff Goldblum, Julianne Moore, Vince Vaughn | Rotten Tomatoes score: 57% critics, 52% audienceSpielberg was riding a real high from the first critically-acclaimed Jurassic Park, so of course there had to be a sequel. Unfortunately, those were some mighty big dinosaur-shaped boots to fill, and The Lost World didn't quite live up to the overwhelming success of its predecessor. Somewhat understandable given how iconic the first movie was. That being said, it's still one of the best Jurassic Park movies ever made. Just not the best.With Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) leading the sequel, he leads a team to a second island where dinosaurs roam freely, though a threat jeopardizes their peace. Trying to carve out its own path in the wake of Jurassic Park was a tall order.It leans more into the horror genre this time around, which gives it a fresh feeling, but The Lost World doesn't quite have the same glimmer and spectacle of the first movie's cast (although Goldblum was certainly a standout character).8. Disclosure Day (Image credit: Universal Pictures)Release date: June 12, 2026 | Cast: Emily Blunt, Josh O'Connor, Colin Firth | Rotten Tomatoes score: 79% critics, 70% audienceAfter an 8-year hiatus away from the genre, Spielberg finally returned to sci-fi with 2026's Disclosure Day. Was it worth the wait? Eh.Disclosure Day centers on a conspiracy to cover up the existence of aliens, and it gets a lot of things right. The cast plays their roles to perfection, the dialogue is snappy and witty, and it hits all the right marks aesthetically, but something about it just feels… off.The central story — following an unlikely duo (Blunt & Connor) on a journey to uncover and reveal the truth to the world — asks you to think, but often falls apart when you do, as you start to notice the string of McGuffins, contrivances, and vapid action scenes stringing it together.It's an entertaining watch, but nothing more, which is a real shame from a filmmaker of Spielberg's caliber.7. War of the Worlds (Image credit: Paramount Pictures)Release date: June 29, 2005 | Cast: Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Tim Robbins | Rotten Tomatoes score: 76% critics, 42% audienceH.G. Wells' novel The War of the Worlds practically begged for a movie director with abundant talent to tackle it. Fortunately, Spielberg stepped up to the plate, transforming the short novel into a big-screen masterpiece.War of the Worlds follows Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise), a divorced crane operator, who must protect his children from an alien invasion – not your usual setup for a weekend of parental custody! It's epic in proportion and relentless in action, with the narrative underscore of Morgan Freeman

25 years on, Kadalundi recounts memories of rail tragedy

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25 years on, Kadalundi recounts memories of rail tragedy

Mahabubnagar District Collector Khushboo Gupta along wioth Health staff participates in door-to-door visits to administer Pulse Polio drops on Monday (June 29, 2026) The Pulse Polio vaccination campaign continued in Telangana on Monday (June 29, 2026) with the State Health department staff conducting door-to-door to administer the vaccine to children below five years who did not receive the drops on Sunday (June 28, 2026). The number of children below five years in the State are estimated to be 40,97,749. On the first day of the campaign, 38,95,550 (95.1%) children were vaccinated, said Sangeetha Satyanarayana, Commissioner of Health and Family Welfare. A total of 22, 979 Pulse Polio booths were set up across the State to administer the vaccine on Sunday, as part of the National Immunisation Day programme.The staff would visit houses to vaccinate the remaining children on Tuesday too, as per a communication from the Health Minister’s office. The Commissioner urged parents to get the pulse polio drops administered to their children. District administrations were engaged in the vaccination programme on Monday. Mahabubnagar District Collector Khushboo Gupta issued directions to administer the polio drops to children between zero to five years of age by conducting house-to-house surveys.“The Pulse Polio Campaign continues across Telangana with dedicated health teams conducting door-to-door visits to ensure that every child below five years receives the life-saving Polio Drops,” as per a post from the Health Minister’s official handle on X.The Pulse Polio Campaign continues across Telangana with dedicated health teams conducting door-to-door visits to ensure that every child below five years receives the life-saving Polio Drops.On Day 1, the State achieved 95.1% coverage, with 3,895,550 children immunized. The… pic.twitter.com/nKi1Josyyf— Office of Minister for Health, Telangana (@TelanganaHealth) June 29, 2026 Published - June 29, 2026 01:52 pm IST

Pregnant woman’s death, High Court intervention and a government promise: Gujarat tribal village waits for a road nearly 2 years later

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Pregnant woman’s death, High Court intervention and a government promise: Gujarat tribal village waits for a road nearly 2 years later

In a 155-page judgment that came seven decades after litigation, the Gujarat High Court Monday dismissed three appeals filed by the self-proclaimed Mahant of the Narsinhji temple in Dhaman, Navsari, holding that the son of the late Mahant had produced “not a whisper of evidence” to prove his claim that the deity’s temple and its properties were private.The court also called out his four-decade legal campaign as a deliberate weaponisation of the judicial process driven by “mortal greed and insatiable desire to take away the deity’s property”.Justice J C Doshi, pronouncing judgment in the 1979 case, held that Lord Narsinhji is a “public deity”, the temple at Dhaman is a “public trust”, and confirmed the appointment of five trustees from Dhaman village to manage it. Dispute over divine assets The case dates back to June 7, 1952, when devotees of Lord Narsinhji filed an application before the Deputy Charity Commissioner, Baroda (now Vadodara), claiming that the idol was a public deity and all attached properties were public trust properties. Late Mahant Dayaram Guru Govinddas contested this, claiming the idol was a private deity brought by his family to Dhaman, that the temple was his personal property, and that the surrounding lands were private possessions acquired through the Guru-Chela succession tradition. Both the Deputy Charity Commissioner in 1954 and the Charity Commissioner, Bombay, in 1955 ruled against the Mahant. A Division Bench of the Gujarat High Court in 1971 settled conclusively that Lord Narsinhji is a public deity and the temple a public one, remanding only the question of specific properties to the District Court for fresh adjudication. The District Court ultimately held most properties to be trust properties, a finding that the Mahant’s son Vijay Dayaramdas challenged by filing first appeals in 1979. Senior Counsel Mehul Shah, appearing for Dayaramdas, argued that the District Court had committed a foundational error by granting relief on Schedule A properties despite no relief having been prayed for by the devotees in respect of those properties.Story continues below this ad He further argued that the burden of proof lay squarely on the devotee plaintiffs to establish that the properties had a religious character, which they had failed to discharge. He submitted that the District Court “was in a haste to decide the suit, in desultory and slipshod manner, decided the issue, ignoring all the relevant evidence, including the revenue” and that the Guru-Chela succession tradition did not automatically render properties as public trust assets. Turning ‘mechanism for justice into a weapon of attrition’ The High Court rejected the contentions and said, “(The petitioner) is not appointed Mahant, but he is self-proclaimed Mahant” who “cannot step in the shoes of Mahant Dayaram and claim to be even a Pujari of the Lord Narsinhji Temple.” His succession claim under the Hindu Succession Act was rejected holding that the Guru-Chela tradition is not personal inheritance. On the central question of the private versus public nature of the properties, the court found that the Mahant’s claim was far “less than the proof” and devastatingly noted, “No evidence or even a whisper of it has been produced on the record to show that any of the Mahant ever has done any business and had an independent source of income to purchase the land.” The court further observed that the Mahant himself had produced a list of properties, in which he accepted that several lands were of a religious nature dedicated to Lord Narsinhji. Lands granted by the erstwhile State of Baroda as Barkhali tenure, explicitly to maintain the temple, had been converted and sold by the Mahant as if they were personal assets. The court held that this conduct “clearly gives the idea that all these are the dedication to the temple and not to the Mahant.”Story continues below this ad The court held, “All the three appeals are arid of merits, rather it is an end result of

After a decade, Brexit’s cost to Britain is not only economic

World

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After a decade, Brexit’s cost to Britain is not only economic

Home prices are falling in Denver and other areas around the nation. Scott Olson/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Scott Olson/Getty Images A few weeks ago, we asked our readers for ideas and questions for future Planet Money newsletters and podcasts. We got a bunch of great submissions, including an intriguing one from Karl Baumgartner. Baumgartner is a 29-year-old internal medicine resident in Denver, where home prices and rents have been falling. Depending on which data you look at, the Denver metro area is experiencing one of the steepest — if not the steepest — housing price declines in the nation. Home prices have fallen more than 2% year over year, according to the S&P Cotality Case-Shiller Home Price Index, and even more if you adjust for inflation. Rents have fallen even more dramatically. "As a renter myself, I am ecstatic about the falling prices," Baumgartner writes. In fact, he just moved "to a bigger apartment with nicer amenities that I previously couldn't afford, but now can because rent has fallen." One of his friends, meanwhile, recently renegotiated her lease for about $500 less per month by showing her landlord that comparable apartments in her area were now going for much less. "With almost all of my friends being in a similar position at the beginning of our careers with plenty of debt, we are all very excited about the decrease," Baumgartner says. So, yeah, falling rents are obviously a win for Denver renters. But Baumgartner is wondering about the broader economic picture. "We know that negative inflation is bad for the economy in general, and we try to shoot for 2% annual inflation in general. What about negative inflation in the housing market specifically? Are there any downsides to falling prices, or is this just a sign of the market working as it should, with supply finally catching up to demand?" It's a great question because economics doesn't seem to provide a simple answer on whether falling housing prices are good or bad for the economy. Obviously, falling home prices and rents have downsides for homeowners and landlords. But what about the broader economy? Sometimes falling housing costs could be a sign that the economy is healthy and the free market is working as economists might hope. Higher prices encourage builders to construct more housing. More supply comes online. Supply comes closer to or may even surpass demand, and housing prices go down. It's the basic logic behind the YIMBY movement — a pro-housing development effort whose name stands for "Yes In My Backyard" — which argues that housing restrictions have prevented this healthy market process from delivering plentiful and more affordable housing. Other times falling prices are a symptom of — and sometimes a big contributor to — a community's economic distress. So how can we tell the difference? When falling home prices are bad Let's start with a clear bad scenario of falling home prices: Detroit. After years of deindustrialization and socioeconomic problems, Detroit saw a massive drop in population. Between 1990 and 2010 alone, Detroit lost nearly a third of its residents. Home prices fell by more than 80% during the housing bust of the 2000s. This wasn't affordability created by abundance. It was affordability created by economic collapse. Detroit neighborhoods emptied out and fell into disrepair. At one point, in 2007, houses in Detroit were cheaper than cars. For over a decade, the city has had an official program to demolish abandoned homes and buildings. For many Detroit families, generational wealth evaporated. TO GO WITH AFP STORY by Joe Szczesny, US-city-Detroit-auto-debt Curtains flap outside the broken window of an abandoned home December 31, 2014 in Detroit, Michigan. After the largest municipal bankruptcy in US history, Detroit hopes outsiders will see the city's potential not the history of racial conflict, financial crises and citizen flight that has cut its population in half since 1960.

AAP MLA Vasava, 8 others get 7 years in jail for assaulting forest officials, extortion

Politics

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AAP MLA Vasava, 8 others get 7 years in jail for assaulting forest officials, extortion

Image used for representational purpose only. | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto A sessions court in Rajpipla on Tuesday (June 23, 2026) sentenced Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Chaitar Vasava and eight others, including his wife, to seven years' imprisonment in a November 2023 case involving assault of forest officials and extortion.Additional Sessions Judge A.V. Hirpara convicted Vasava, his wife Shakuntala Vasava and others in connection with the incident that had occurred on the night of October 30, 2023.According to the prosecution, forest officials removed crops grown illegally on government land in the area, leading to a dispute. They were called to Vasava's residence in Dediapada town, and during the heated discussion, Chaitar Vasava and others threatened the officials. Vasava also fired a round in the air.The tribal leader who represents Dediapada (ST) Assembly constituency and the co-accused were booked in November 2023 under Indian Police Code (IPC) sections related to rioting, extortion and attack on government officials as well as under the provisions of the Arms Act. Published - June 23, 2026 03:48 pm IST

World

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Ten years on, world remembers Muhammad Ali ‘the Greatest’

Site search'We fear for our lives' - deadline looms for migrants to leave South AfricaJust nowNomsa Maseko,BBC Africa, DurbanandMarco OriuntoThuthuka Zondi / BBCEsnat Joseph said a gang of men came to her home in Durban to threaten the family - forcing her to flee with her tripletsSouth Africa has become a hostile place for undocumented migrants, as a deadline set by protesters for them to leave the country approaches."I am very scared and traumatised," Esnat Joseph, a 36-year-old Malawian woman, told the BBC as she tried to comfort her crying one-year-old triplets.She fled her home in an informal settlement in the port city of Durban, in KwaZulu-Natal province, seeking refuge in an open field where up to 7,000 foreigners - mainly Malawians - began gathering with their belongings two weeks ago."The people came to my house and told me: 'You must leave. We don't want you people to stay here any longer, so you have to go to your country.' There were 10 and they were carrying weapons," she said, describing how the group of South African men were holding machetes and whips."They cut my husband on his head and his neck. They were holding his neck like they wanted to kill him. Because of God he still survived, but he's in the hospital."Many others at the field, where aid groups have been giving out blankets and food, report such door-to-door intimidation.It follows a series of mainly peaceful protests this year led by the anti-migrant group March and March, opposition party ActionSA and others which have set 30 June as the deadline for undocumented migrants to leave.Sticks in hand, the marchers have been chanting "Mabahambe" - a Zulu phrase meaning "They must go".As the countdown continues, President Cyril Ramaphosa warned South Africans on Tuesday that the "scapegoating of vulnerable people" was not the solution to country's complex economic challenges.The protests so far have been mainly peaceful, but their message is unequivocalJoseph came to South Africa three years ago and was working as a domestic servant before having her children.Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria and Zimbabwe have also been organising repatriations by air or bus over the last few weeks - with about 3,500 foreigners volunteering to leave so far.The South African authorities said the more than 500 Nigerians recently repatriated had been in the country illegally.Arriving in Lagos last week after nearly nine years in South Africa, Benjamin, a returnee who only gave his first name, told the BBC: "South Africans don't like foreigners, especially Nigerians. South Africa is not a place to be - it's a place you can lose your life at any time."Protest organisers deny their actions are xenophobic. They say they are sick of other Africans abusing the system and, as March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma put it, "playing the victim card"."If you come into South Africa with a passport that allows you to stay for 30 days. When it's 50 days, when it's two years, when it's five years, you know you're breaking the law," she told the BBC at one protest in Durban."We can't have South Africa being turned into a refugee site for all failed African states… every country prioritises its citizens and we want the South African government to do the same."Latest figures show South Africa is home to more than three million foreigners, about 5% of the population - most from neighbouring countries in southern Africa.But the statistics do not record the many more migrants believed to be in the country without papers - a bone of contention for the protesters.Their anger is rooted in growing hardship as the country grapples with growing youth unemployment and economic inequality.South Africa has one of the highest rates of unemployment in the world at 32.7%, according to Statistics South Africa, which recorded 350,000 job losses in the first quarter of 2026 - the majority of whom are young people.However, the continent's most-developed economy remains a magnet for citizens of poorer countries w

'Will continue to move forward relentlessly': PM Modi marks 12 years in office

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'Will continue to move forward relentlessly': PM Modi marks 12 years in office

2 min readMumbaiJun 16, 2026 10:55 AM IST Haunted 3D Echoes of the Past is doing better than heavily promoted films like Bharat Bhagya Vidhata and Main Vaapas Aaunga.Kangana Ranaut-starrer Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata, Manoj Bajpayee-starrer Governor and Imtiaz Ali’s Main Vaapas Aaunga all released in theatres this past weekend, but surprisingly, the film that has raced past all of these is Vikram Bhatt’s Haunted 2. On Monday (day 4), Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata saw a major 63.9 percent drop in its box office collection. According to a report in Sacnilk, Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata collected Rs 65 lakh across 1866 shows on Monday, taking its net India total to Rs 4.90 crores.Imtiaz Ali’s film Main Vaapas Aaunga made more money on its fourth day, Rs 1.25 crore, as compared to its opening day, when it earned Rs 1.15 crore. The film’s nett collection currently stands at Rs 6.75 crore, which is the lowest total for any Imtiaz Ali film so far. Manoj Bajpayee’s Governor earned Rs 50 lakh on its fourth day, and its current box office collection currently stands at Rs 3.95 crore. Haunted 2, starring Mimoh Chakraborty, has surpassed all the aforementioned films. On its fourth day, the film earned Rs 2.20 crore, and it current box office stands at Rs 11.55 crore. Haunted 2 had 4,573 shows on its fourth day with the filmr egistering an overall occupancy of 13.94 percent. The film had the mximum number of shows in Delhi-NCR where it played around 400 shows. Mumbai and Kolkata region both had over 100 shows each. The film released amid miminal promotions. Also Read: Kangana Ranaut says she has ‘nothing against’ Diljit Dosanjh years after their public feud It is yet to be seen if Haunted will be able to sustain the momentum it has gathered against the seemingly more popular films. The film is a part of the Haunted franchise, which started in 2011, with the same leading actor. Mimoh was last seen in the 2025 Netflix show Khakee The Bengal Chapter. In the movies, his last project was the 2023 film Jogira Sara Ra Ra. He is the son of veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty.

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12 years of cultural renaissance, spiritual reawakening, heritage revival and the making of a developed...

12 years of cultural renaissance, spiritual reawakening, heritage revival and the making of a developed... Moneycontrol.com

Technology

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Saving Siri: After two years of stumbles, is Apple’s AI moment here? By Reuters

Saving Siri: After two years of stumbles, is Apple’s AI moment here? By Reuters Investing.com Apple WWDC26 Live Updates: Apple Intelligence, macOS 27, and More TechRepublic What to Expect From Apple’s AI, Siri and iOS 27 Launch at WWDC Bloomberg.com Apple's WWDC: Tim Cook's AI legacy at stake in his final developer conference as CEO CNBC The new AI Siri will require a waitlist to try, new report claims - GSMArena.com news GSMArena.com

UAPA Accused Gets Bail After Nearly 5 Years In Custody

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UAPA Accused Gets Bail After Nearly 5 Years In Custody

5 min readSuratJun 5, 2026 08:17 AM IST Gangster Kundan Kumar alias Kundan Bhagat. (File Photo)The Patna NIA court on Tuesday directed the jail authorities in Bihar to hand over the custody of gangster Kundan Kumar alias Kundan Bhagat to Gujarat police for interrogation in connection with the April 26 heist of Rs 50 lakh from a State Bank of India branch in Surat city, a top officer said on Thursday. The Gujarat police will get custody of Kundan Bhagat, 29, who has been lodged in Patna central jail, in a day or two, Surat Deputy Superintendent of Police (Zone 1) Alok Kumar said, adding that all security arrangements are being taken to bring Kundan Bhagat to Gujarat.“Out of Rs 50 lakh looted from the bank, we have recovered Rs 19,000 from the arrested accused. Once we take custody of Bhagat, we expect to get details of the others involved in the robbery. Bhagat’s custody is very important to us. We are thankful to the Surat and Patna courts on the issue,” Alok Kumar said. “Our police team, with high-ranking officials, has been in Patna for the last two months. We had spoken with the Patna Superintendent of Police and discussed the security measures to be followed while bringing the dreaded criminal to Surat. We have also sent more personnel to Bihar as we don’t want to take any chances,” the SP added. A Bihar resident, Kundan Kumar, 29, arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in November 2025 in an illegal weapons and smuggling case, has been lodged in Beur Jail in Patna since November 18 last year. According to the NIA, he was indulged in illegal procurement and smuggling of prohibited bore weapons from Nagaland which were being supplied to Naxalites and criminals in Bihar. The case originated with the seizure of an AK-47 rifle along with a lens by Bihar Police. Kundan was the sixth accused to be chargesheeted in the case. On April 15, the NIA submitted a supplementary chargesheet against Kundan Bhagat, a resident of Muzaffarpur, in the case with the Patna NIA court under various sections of the IPC, Arms Act and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). A gang of armed robbers looted Rs 52 lakh in cash from the SBI branch in Surat’s Varachha after threatening the staff and customers at gunpoint in the afternoon of April 27. The Surat police arrested two alleged accused — Shubham Thakur (24) and Vikramjit Singh Rajput (30) – on May 7 from Gonda in Uttar Pradesh for their alleged role in the heist. The probe quickly zeroed in on the alleged mastermind: Kundan Bhagat.Story continues below this ad A mastermind of high value robberies, Bhagat reportedly chose the Varachha branch because of its record of clearing a large number of gold loans, police said. According to police, Bhagat had hired criminals from different states to carry out the robbery. Their original plan was to steal gold and diamonds from the bank vault, but that didn’t work and the gang ended up looting Rs 52 lakh from the bank, police said. Surat police arrested another accused, Miteshkumar alias Maheshkumar Lakhendra Rai, from Bihar’s Motihari district on May 30. He was remanded to Surat police custody for seven days. How police get a favourable order from NIA court After the name of Kundan Kumar cropped up during the interrogation of the two accused arrested in the case, Surat police had begun work to get his custody from Bihar jail. Surat DySP Alok Kumar said, “We first filed an application with the Surat First Class Judicial Magistrate Court to get custody of Kundan Bhagat. We explained the importance of getting custody of Bhagat. Later, Surat judge coordinated with the Patna NIA court judge. The Bihar NIA court had suggested questioning Bhagat through video conferencing. We replied that Bhagat is the main conspirator in the Surat bank heist and he had hired criminals from different parts of India, giving them code names. These gang members were also given intense weapon-firing training, and they were also told not to disclose code names or or

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'No Plumber In 5 Years': India Heading For A Blue-Collar Blackout, Warns Expert

'No Plumber In 5 Years': India Heading For A Blue-Collar Blackout, Warns Expert NDTV

Deepest incursion in 26 Years: Israeli forces capture strategic Beaufort Castle in Southern Lebanon

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Deepest incursion in 26 Years: Israeli forces capture strategic Beaufort Castle in Southern Lebanon

Israeli forces Sunday claimed to have captured the 900-year-old Beaufort Castle (Qalaat al-Shaqif) and its strategic ridge in southern Lebanon after expanding its operations across the Litani River, Reuters and the Associated Press reported.The capture marks their deepest incursion into Lebanon in over a quarter century, the military said in its statement. Located near the city of Nabatiyeh, the castle was last captured by Israel in 1982. Its military held it until they withdrew from Lebanon in 2000.The latest move comes after days of intense attacks, including airstrikes, in nearby villages, marking a significant gain for Israel in the latest war with Hezbollah. Israeli military’s statement In a statement, the Israeli military said that it launched an operation a few days ago in the Beaufort Ridge and the Suluki valley further south, aiming to dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure and remove “direct threats to Israeli civilians”. The statement added that the army is ready “to expand the operation if needed.” The military’s advancement into the Beaufort Castle has granted Israeli troops an overlook point over much of ‌southern Lebanon and northern Israel, from where Hezbollah had launched multiple attacks towards Israeli residential areas, Reuters noted. Hezbollah “carried out numerous attacks,” from the Ridge, the military stated, as quoted by the news agency.Story continues below this ad It added that Israeli ⁠troops were operating against launch infrastructure in the area, from which “hundreds of projectiles were launched toward Israeli civilians and ‌IDF soldiers.” Israeli ministers hail capture Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz Sunday hailed it as a “strategic” victory for “the defence of the Galilee communities and maintaining the security of our forces.” He said they had raised an Israeli flag over the Crusader-built castle. Over a post on Telegram, Katz said that fighting is underway while promising to continue efforts to weaken Hezbollah and secure Israel’s northern border. Moreover, the Israeli army’s Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee also shared a photograph on X, which showed Israeli troops walking outside the castle.Story continues below this ad Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, meanwhile, praised the capture as a restoration of old “sins”. Over a post on X. Smotrich wrote: “We promised the heroic residents of the north lasting security, and we are acting with determination to achieve this.” “The return to Beaufort is an expression of correcting old national sins and distorted perceptions.” The Hezbollah or the Lebanese government has yet commented on the development. Israel-Hezbollah war update Israeli troops have been advancing for days in villages close to the Beaufort castle after it crossed the Litani River, the AP report noted.Story continues below this ad The Litani river has acted as a de facto boundary for the Israeli military previously. The military officials are now about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the city of Nabatiyeh, a major center in southern Lebanon, according to the news report. They have called on all the residents of Nabatiyeh and the coastal city of Tyre, and its surroundings, to vacate. The war between Israel and Hezbollah began on March 2, when the latter fired rockets into northern parts of Israel. It followed the joint military campaign by the United States and Israel against its supporter, Iran. Israel has since launched a ground operation, capturing many Lebanese villages and towns close to the border. The incursion has left 3,350 people dead in Lebanon and over 1 million people displaced, the AP report highlighted.