Islam Times – “Israeli” occupation forces carried out a massive underground explosion beneath the UNESCO-listed Shaqif Fortress [Beaufort Castle] in the Arnoun area of southern Lebanon overnight Thursday into Friday, using an estimated 700 tons of explosives, according to a joint statement issued by the “Israeli” prime minister’s office and the Ministry of War.The explosion was heard across large parts of southern Lebanon, with residents reporting the blast as far away as Saida and Iqlim Al-Kharroub in the Chouf region of Mount Lebanon. In Nabatieh, locals said dust blanketed parts of the city following the powerful detonation in Arnoun.
Shaqif Fortress is one of southern Lebanon’s most prominent archaeological landmarks and dates back nearly 900 years to the Crusader era. The site has been repeatedly targeted by “Israel,” first during the 1982 Battle of Beaufort when it was heavily bombarded and occupied, and later throughout the occupation of southern Lebanon between 1982 and 2000, when “Israeli” forces used the fortress as a military position before carrying out extensive demolition prior to their withdrawal.
According to the “Israeli” statement, the operation was authorized by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and War Minister Israel Katz and was intended to destroy what “Israel” claimed was a Hezbollah tunnel network beneath the fortress. “Israel” further alleged that the strike was carried out in response to what it described as a Hezbollah violation of the ceasefire agreement.
The alleged violation refers to an incident that reportedly took place two days earlier. Hebrew-language media outlets, including Yedioth Ahronoth and Channel 12, reported that an “Israeli” military engineering vehicle was struck overnight Tuesday into Wednesday in southern Lebanon. Other “Israeli” media cited a military assessment claiming Hezbollah had targeted the vehicle with a booby-trapped drone while it was operating near Ali Taher hill.
Hezbollah has not issued any statement claiming responsibility for the reported operation.
A Press TV correspondent in southern Lebanon challenged the “Israeli” account, reporting that occupation forces had been preparing the tunnel network for demolition over several weeks before the incident cited by “Israel” as justification. The correspondent also said sections of the tunnel system predate Hezbollah’s presence in the area by decades, and in some cases by centuries.
Lebanon’s Directorate General of Antiquities, operating under the Ministry of Culture, previously rejected “Israeli” claims that the Beaufort site contained Hezbollah military infrastructure. In a statement issued in June, the directorate described maps and video footage released by “Israel” as fabricated and unrelated to the archaeological site.
The ministry noted that the fortress has been under its administration since the withdrawal of the “Israeli” occupation in 2000 and has enjoyed enhanced protection since November 2024 under the 1954 Hague Convention and its Second Protocol governing the protection of cultural property during armed conflict.
Lebanese Culture Minister Ghassan Salame also welcomed UNESCO’s decision to place Beaufort Castle and four other fortresses in the Jabal Amel region on its List of World Heritage in Danger. He accused “Israeli” occupation forces of already destroying Chamaa Castle and warned that Shaqif Fortress remained at risk of demolition.
Lebanese geologists have also expressed concern over the potential seismic consequences of such large-scale demolitions. Dr. Tony Nemer of the American University of Beirut has warned that powerful explosions near the point where the Levant Fault divides into the Yammouneh and Roum fault systems could alter geological stress and potentially trigger human-induced seismic activity.
He first raised these concerns following a large-scale “Israeli” demolition operation in Odaisseh in 2024 that reportedly involved 400 tons of explosives and was strong enough to prompt earthquake alerts from “Israel’s” Geological Institute across 284 locations in northern occupied Palestine and the occupied West Bank. Friday’s demolition beneath Shaqif Fortress reportedly involved significantly more explosive material than that earlier operation.