The Israeli military said on Sunday that its capture of the Beaufort Ridge in southern Lebanon has dealt a major strategic blow to Hezbollah, announcing the discovery of an extensive underground tunnel network that it says was built with direct Iranian assistance and used to launch hundreds of attacks against northern Israel.

During a media tour of the site last week, Brig. Gen. Yiftah Norkin, commander of the Israeli army's 36th Division, described the late-May capture of Beaufort Castle and the surrounding ridge as a key achievement in securing Israel's northern border.

"The capture of the Beaufort Ridge was critical to the defense of the Galilee Panhandle, Metula and the surrounding communities," Norkin said.

Israel recaptured the hilltop fortress, known in Lebanon as Qalaat al-Shakif, 26 years after withdrawing from the site, as part of its expanded ground offensive against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

Perched about 680 meters above sea level, the medieval Crusader-era fortress overlooks both Israel's Galilee Panhandle and large parts of southern Lebanon, including the Nabatieh region, making it one of the area's most strategically significant positions.

The site also carries symbolic significance, recalling Israel's 18-year military presence in southern Lebanon, which ended with its withdrawal in 2000.

According to the Israeli military, Hezbollah fired more than 400 rockets from the Beaufort Ridge toward northern Israel during the latest round of fighting, primarily targeting the border town of Metula.

The clashes began in early March after Hezbollah launched missiles and drones at Israel in support of Iran during the latest regional escalation. The group also fired anti-tank missiles and deployed first-person-view drones against Israeli troops operating in southern Lebanon from the ridge, the military said.

Israeli officials said operations in the Beaufort area are aimed at dismantling Hezbollah's underground infrastructure and preventing the group from using the strategic high ground to launch future attacks against Israel.

About one kilometer south of the castle, beneath the ridge, Israeli troops uncovered what the military described as one of Hezbollah's largest underground tunnel complexes.

Israeli officers said the tunnels were built with direct Iranian planning, funding and engineering assistance.

During the media tour, journalists were taken inside one of the tunnels, which stretches approximately 1.3 kilometers through the mountain.

An officer from the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit said the facility had two main purposes: enabling direct attacks against Israel and defending Hezbollah positions against an Israeli ground assault on the Beaufort Ridge.

"The moment you exit the tunnel, Metula is directly in front of you," the officer said. "Its second purpose was to defend against an Israeli ground maneuver toward the Beaufort Ridge. As you can see, we defeated them."

Military personnel participating in the tour spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with Israeli military protocol.

Israeli troops said they found what officers described as an "exceptional quantity" of weapons inside the tunnel system, including advanced air defense systems, Iranian-made anti-helicopter mines and other previously unseen Iranian weapons that were taken to Israel for examination.

The underground complex included electricity and water infrastructure, living quarters equipped with showers, toilets and kitchenettes, and what officers described as a fully equipped operating room capable of supporting medical procedures underground.

"This operating room is at the highest level you can imagine," the Yahalom officer said. "It is completely sterile and contains everything needed to perform medical procedures inside the tunnel."

لا حرمة للتاريخ ولا اعتبار للمعالم التراثية.. من عمق #قلعة_الشقيف، جيش الدفاع يكشف حزب الله الإرهابي كيف طوّع الصروح التاريخية لأهدافه العسكرية، محولاً إياها إلى أنفاق ومخازن سلاح، ضاربًا بعرض الحائط إرثًا ثقافيًا.. pic.twitter.com/zU3iZMVKYY

— Lieutenant Colonel Ella Waweya | إيلا واوية (@CaptainElla1) July 12, 2026

According to Israeli officers, Hezbollah operatives were capable of remaining inside the complex for several months.

The military estimated that construction of the tunnel network took between 10 and 15 years, requiring extensive drilling, blasting and excavation while avoiding Israeli surveillance.

Israeli forces said they plan to demolish the facility. Explosives had already been placed throughout the tunnels before the media visit, and journalists were instructed not to smoke inside due to the risk of detonation.

The Israeli military said it has uncovered several similar Hezbollah tunnel systems elsewhere in southern Lebanon, all of which it claims were built with Iranian planning, funding and assistance.

Asked whether fighting had taken place inside the tunnels during the operation, the Yahalom officer said Hezbollah fighters were killed inside the underground complex but did not provide further details.

Although Beaufort Castle is located only about five kilometers (three miles) from the Israeli border, reaching the site required an hour-and-a-half drive by military convoy because of the rugged terrain surrounding the Litani River.

The convoy passed through heavily damaged villages near the border, where rows of buildings had been destroyed during the fighting.

Israeli troops entered southern Lebanon in March after Hezbollah began launching rockets into northern Israel following U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran.

Israeli forces currently maintain positions up to 10 kilometers inside southern Lebanon in what Israeli officials describe as a security zone intended to prevent Hezbollah from firing anti-tank missiles at Israeli border communities and reduce its rocket capabilities.

The military captured Beaufort Castle on May 31 as part of expanded operations against Hezbollah.

While large-scale fighting has eased under a fragile ceasefire, both sides continue to carry out intermittent strikes.

Just north of Beaufort lies the Ali Taher ridge near Nabatiyeh, where Israeli forces and Hezbollah remain locked in a tense standoff.

The Israeli military said it controls the ridge above ground, but Hezbollah continues to operate a major underground facility beneath it that serves as the command center of the group's Badr regional division.

Israeli officers said dozens of Hezbollah operatives are believed to remain inside the underground complex. However, the ceasefire agreement prevents Israeli forces from capturing the tunnels.

Instead, the military said it has periodically targeted Hezbollah members attempting to leave the facility or bring in reinforcements.

Norkin said Israeli troops remain in a defensive posture under the ceasefire but are prepared to resume offensive operations if necessary.

"Hezbollah is rebuilding its forces, trying to remove weapons from the combat zone and improve some of its positions and capabilities," he said.

"We are monitoring this. If we are required to return to fighting, we will be able to strike those forces, and we are prepared for any scenario."