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<\/a>\n\t\tIDF troops are seen at Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon, July 7, 2026. (Emanuel Fabian\/Times of Israel)<\/p>\n
Hezbollah launched over 400 rockets from the Beaufort Ridge toward northern Israel during the current round of fighting, mainly at the border community of Metula, the military says.<\/p>\n
The fighting began in early March, when the Lebanese terror group began firing missiles and drones at Israel in support of its patron, Iran.<\/p>\n
It also dispatched first-person view drones and fired anti-tank missiles at troops operating in southern Lebanon from the area.<\/p>\n
About a kilometer (0.6 miles) south of the Crusader-built fortress, beneath the ridge, the military uncovered several major Hezbollah tunnels, which it said were constructed with direct Iranian assistance.<\/p>\n
\t During Tuesday\u2019s tour, reporters were taken into one of the tunnels, which stretches 1.3 kilometers (0.8 miles) from the cliff face into the mountain.<\/p>\n \u201cThe tunnels were intended for two purposes: first, to fire directly toward Israel. The moment you exit the tunnel, you can see Metula right in front of you,\u201d said an officer in the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd its second purpose is to defend against an IDF ground maneuver to the Beaufort Ridge, in which, as you can see, we defeated them (Hezbollah),\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \t Soldiers and officers were made available to comment on condition of anonymity, in line with military protocol.<\/p>\n Troops said they found \u201can exceptional quantity\u201d of arms inside the Beaufort Ridge tunnels, including \u201cunique and highly valuable\u201d weapons, such as anti-aircraft systems.<\/p>\n The Yahalom officer said troops found Iranian weapons \u201cthat we had not previously gotten our hands on,\u201d which were taken for examination in Israel.<\/p>\n \t The tunnel featured water and electricity infrastructure, and numerous rooms, including several living quarters complete with showers, toilets, kitchenettes, and what officers said was a fully equipped operating room for medical procedures.<\/p>\n \u201cThis operating room is at the highest level you can imagine, completely sterile, with machines and equipment \u2014 everything needed to perform a procedure right here inside this tunnel,\u201d the Yahalom officer said.<\/p>\n According to officers, Hezbollah operatives could spend many months at a time in the tunnel.<\/p>\n \t The Yahalom officer said the tunnel likely took 10 to 15 years to construct and set up.<\/p>\n \u201cBuilding such an underground system in the rocky terrain here in southern Lebanon is an undertaking that requires major investment and a great deal of time,\u201d he said. \u201cThe process here involves drilling, blasting along the route, and then removing the excavated earth \u2014 all of this without being exposed to Israeli eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n The army said it plans to demolish the facility.<\/p>\n \t During the tour, explosives placed by the Yahalom troops could already be seen in many of the rooms and passages. Reporters were warned not to light cigarettes inside the tunnel.<\/p>\n The IDF has uncovered several<\/a> similar Hezbollah<\/a> tunnels in southern<\/a> Lebanon and says they were all built with direct Iranian assistance, planning, and funding.<\/p>\n \t Asked whether there had been fighting inside the underground facility when it was captured by the army, the officer said that \u201cthere were terrorists who were killed in the tunnel.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite the castle being only about five kilometers (three miles) from the Israeli border, it took a convoy of army Humvees an hour and a half to reach the site, detouring around the sheer slope overlooking the Litani River to the fortress\u2019s east and instead approaching the ridge from the less rugged western side.<\/p>\n On the way there, the convoy passed row after row of razed buildings in southern Lebanese villages near the Israeli border.<\/p>\n \t Israeli troops pushed into southern Lebanon in March after Hezbollah began firing rockets at Israel in support of Tehran days after the US and Israel started attacking Iran.<\/p>\n Soldiers are positioned up to 10 kilometers inside southern Lebanon in what Israeli officials have termed a \u201csecurity zone\u201d aimed at preventing Hezbollah from launching anti-tank guided missiles directly at Israeli border communities and reducing the terror group\u2019s ability to launch rockets at the country.<\/p>\n On May 31, the IDF captured Beaufort Castle \u2014 located inside the buffer zone \u2014 as part of expanded ground operations against Hezbollah.<\/p>\n \t Fighting has tapered off for the last few months under a shaky ceasefire, though both sides continue to launch occasional attacks.<\/p>\n Just a few kilometers north of Beaufort Castle stands the Ali Taher ridge, on the outskirts of Nabatieh, where Israeli troops and Hezbollah operatives are in a tense holding pattern.<\/p>\n The Israeli military currently controls the ridge above ground, but beneath the hill, Hezbollah has another \u201cstrategic\u201d underground facility. According to the IDF, that underground site is the \u201cnerve center\u201d of Hezbollah\u2019s Badr regional division.<\/p>\n<\/a>
\n\t\tIDF troops are seen at the entrance to a Hezbollah tunnel near the Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon, July 7, 2026. (Emanuel Fabian\/Times of Israel)<\/p>\n<\/a>
\n\t\tAn IDF soldier is seen in a Hezbollah tunnel near the Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon, July 7, 2026. (Emanuel Fabian\/Times of Israel)<\/p>\n<\/a>
\n\t\tInside a Hezbollah tunnel near the Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon, July 7, 2026. (Emanuel Fabian\/Times of Israel)<\/p>\n<\/a>
\n\t\tAn IDF soldier is seen in a Hezbollah tunnel near the Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon, July 7, 2026. (Emanuel Fabian\/Times of Israel)<\/p>\n<\/a>
\n\t\tExplosives are seen laid in a Hezbollah tunnel near the Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon, July 7, 2026. (Emanuel Fabian\/Times of Israel)<\/p>\n<\/a>
\n\t\tIDF troops are seen at Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon, July 7, 2026. (Emanuel Fabian\/Times of Israel)<\/p>\n<\/a>
\n\t\tAn IDF Humvee drives in southern Lebanon, July 7, 2026. (Emanuel Fabian\/Times of Israel)<\/p>\n<\/a>
\n\t\tAn IDF Humvee crosses the Litani River in southern Lebanon, July 7, 2026. (Emanuel Fabian\/Times of Israel)<\/p>\n