\u201cThis is an underground network consisting of several levels excavated deep into the rocky ground. The entire network was built with full funding and planning by the Iranian terror regime over more than a decade,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Inside a major Hezbollah tunnel system near Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon, in footage published by the IDF on June 7, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)<\/p>\n
According to an illustration published by the IDF, the tunnel system is located under the same ridge upon which the castle sits, about a kilometer (0.6 miles) south of the Crusader-built fortress, which Israel captured at the end of May, after having withdrawn from the site in 2000 amid a pullout from southern Lebanon as a whole.<\/p>\n
Defrin said the underground site served as a \u201csignificant command-and-control center, where hundreds of Hezbollah operatives were stationed.\u201d<\/p>\n
The operatives managed the fighting from the site, including during the current war, but fled when the IDF launched its operation, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe planned the operation for a long time and waited for the appropriate operational opportunity to carry it out. The complex was struck<\/a> from the air several times<\/a>, and now, through a ground operation, we are working to destroy it,\u201d Defrin said.<\/p>\n The military said the tunnel featured water and electricity infrastructure, anti-tank and anti-aircraft capabilities, and numerous rooms, including several living quarters, showers, restrooms, an operating room, and kitchens.<\/p>\n \t Hezbollah also stored weapons at the site, with the IDF reporting that it found a room with anti-tank missiles, a launcher, and other military equipment.<\/p>\n According to the IDF, Hezbollah launched over 400 rockets from the area at northern Israel during the current fighting, as well as drones, shoulder-launched missiles, and anti-tank missiles at troops.<\/p>\n The IDF said that the underground site was constructed \u201cin an area where the Lebanese army operates.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs part of efforts to enforce the agreement between Israel and Lebanon, a request was submitted to the Lebanese army to address the site, but Hezbollah clearly prevented it from doing so,\u201d the military added.<\/p>\n The IDF revealed the existence of the tunnels just as the fighting in Lebanon significantly escalated, with a Hezbollah attack on northern Israel drawing an Israeli response in Beirut\u2019s southern suburbs. A few hours later, on Sunday evening, Iran attacked northern Israel, marking its first direct attack on the Jewish state since an April 8 ceasefire agreement.<\/p>\n \t The IDF has uncovered similar Hezbollah tunnels<\/a> in the past, including two in April that it said were constructed by the terror group with \u201cdirect guidance\u201d from Iran.<\/p>\n Those tunnels were built over a decade, reaching depths of some 25 meters, and were \u201cfunded by the Iranian terror regime and as part of Hezbollah\u2019s plan to conquer the Galilee,\u201d according to the military.<\/p>\n The IDF believed the underground sites were intended by Hezbollah for use as a staging ground, where hundreds of terror operatives would arrive when called, gather equipment, and ready themselves to attack Israeli towns. Hezbollah\u2019s invasion plans<\/a> never materialized.<\/p>\n The latest round of fighting in Lebanon began on March 2, when Hezbollah attacked Israel in response to US-Israeli strikes against the Islamic Republic of Iran, the terror group\u2019s sponsor.<\/p>\n Since then, 30 IDF soldiers and one Defense Ministry civilian contractor have been killed there amid fighting against Hezbollah. Two civilians were also killed by the terror group\u2019s rockets, and an Israeli civilian was mistakenly killed in the north by Israeli artillery shelling.<\/p>\n In Lebanon, the Israeli military has said that it has killed over 2,500 Hezbollah operatives, including hundreds of members of the terror group\u2019s elite Radwan Force, since early March.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tInside a major tunnel system near the Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon, in footage published by the IDF on June 7, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ae199d4a-894b-4f3b-ad4b-c91479af2e24-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tInside a major tunnel system near the Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon, in footage published by the IDF on June 7, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)<\/p>\n
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