Beaufort
Beaufort is a strategic high-ground location in southern Lebanon, featuring a 900-year-old Crusader fortress and a dominant ridge overlooking the Galilee Panhandle. Historically a site of intense combat, it has recently become the center of IDF operations to dismantle a massive, Iranian-funded Hezbollah tunnel network.
Beaufort (Qala'at ash-Shaqif) represents one of the most significant topographic and symbolic landmarks in the conflict between Israel and terror organizations in southern Lebanon. Situated approximately 700 meters above sea level and only six kilometers from the Israeli town of Metula, the ridge provides a direct line of sight into northern Israel and across the Litani River. The site is anchored by a Crusader-era fortress that has served as a military stronghold for centuries. In June 2026, the Beaufort area returned to the forefront of Israeli security operations. The IDF's 36th Division, led by the Golani Brigade alongside elite Maglan and Yahalom units, recaptured the fortress and established operational control over the surrounding ridge. This maneuver marked the deepest Israeli ground incursion into Lebanon in over a quarter-century. The strategic necessity of the operation was underscored by the subsequent discovery of a vast underground "tunnel city" carved into the rock beneath the ridge. According to IDF intelligence, this network was planned and fully funded by Iran over more than a decade. The infrastructure includes living quarters, medical facilities, and weapons storage designed to sustain hundreds of Hezbollah operatives. The military revealed that the complex served as a primary launch site for approximately 400 missiles and drones targeting Israeli civilians and security forces in recent months. For the Golani Brigade, the return to Beaufort carries profound historical weight, as the site was a focal point of the 1982 First Lebanon War and remained under Israeli control until the withdrawal in 2000. In June 2026, the brigade underscored this continuity by holding a command-change ceremony at the fortress, where Colonel Ayub Kiyof assumed command from Colonel Adi Ganon.