BEAUFORT CASTLE — Israeli forces captured Beaufort Castle from Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. The site had been used by Hezbollah to carry out numerous strikes against Israel and housed an extensive underground tunnel complex constructed by the group.

Hezbollah built a tunnel system beneath the ridge of Beaufort Castle, cutting the passages directly into rock. These tunnels contained operating rooms and weapons, according to findings reported after Israeli forces took control of the area. Journalists later visited the castle alongside the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to document the captured infrastructure.

Beaufort Castle is situated in Lebanon’s Nabatiya Governorate, a few kilometers from the Israeli border and north of the Litani River. On July 12, 2026, two IDF company commanders were present at the site, underscoring its continued tactical importance. A battalion boundary separating Spanish and Indonesian United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) units was located south of the castle, reflecting the international peacekeeping presence in the region.

Hezbollah began attacking Israel on October 8, 2023, the day after the Hamas-led massacre in Israel. The group used the Beaufort Castle area as a launch point for numerous subsequent strikes. Israel’s capture of the castle marks a reversal of control from the period between 1982 and 2000, when the site served as an IDF post after being seized during Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon—a campaign in which Beaufort Castle was a key initial objective. Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon in 2000, ending its 18-year occupation of the area.

UNIFIL, established in 1978, maintains a multinational presence in southern Lebanon. An August 2024 deployment m UNIFIL units from Tanzania, Italy, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Korea, Ghana, Malaysia, Ireland, Poland, and Spain stationed across the region. Specific posts were located north of Kafr Kela, west of Kafr Kela, and near Taybeh as of 2024.

Why It Matters

Beaufort Castle’s recapture represents a significant shift in control over a historically strategic high ground near the Israel-Lebanon border. Hezbollah’s use of the site for attacks and its embedded military infrastructure illustrate how the group has leveraged terrain previously occupied by Israeli forces. The presence of UNIFIL units nearby highlights the complex security environment in southern Lebanon, where international peacekeepers operate in proximity to active conflict zones.