Twenty-six years after its withdrawal from Lebanon, the Israeli army returned to its position in the Beaufort Castle area, transforming the peak overlooking the Hula Plain, the Nabatieh region, and the towns of the Upper Galilee into a strategic military point within its deployment in what it describes as the “security belt” in southern Lebanon.
According to a report by journalist Carmela Menashe, the Israeli army is working to consolidate its positions in the vicinity of the citadel, in parallel with the establishment of a new network of roads and axes in the Litani area, with the aim of facilitating the rapid movement of large forces in the event of a decision to carry out a new incursion deep into Lebanese territory.
The report indicated that the scene extending from the border fence between Metulla and Misgav Aam all the way to the Shaqif Heights reflects the extent of the destruction that occurred to a number of villages in southern Lebanon during the battles, especially Kafr Kila, Markba, Al-Adisa, Taibe, and Rab Thilaine, large parts of which were turned into rubble.
Beaufort Castle, a Crusader castle rising more than 700 meters above sea level, is located in a location that allows it to overlook the Khiam Plain and the Nabatieh region, in addition to the towns of Metulla, Kfar Giladi, Tel Hai, Margaliot, Kfar Yuval, and Misgav Am, which has made it, over the decades, one of the most prominent strategic points in southern Lebanon.
According to the Israeli narrative, after the July 2006 war, Hezbollah changed its combat doctrine, and moved from focusing on defense inside Lebanon to also preparing for the possibility of an incursion into the Galilee, while, with Iranian support, over the course of about two decades, it established an extensive network of underground facilities in the vicinity of the citadel, with the aim of confronting any Israeli ground advance and allowing fighting for long periods from inside the tunnels.
During the ground operations, Israel said that the forces of the 36th Division and the “Yahloum” Engineering Unit uncovered a large network that included tunnels, weapons depots, command rooms, communications centers, and operational structures, noting that some of them were destroyed, while other tunnels were still being examined and being prepared for detonation.
Among the most prominent things that the Israeli army announced was its discovery under the Shaqif Heights, a tunnel exceeding one kilometer in length and containing dozens of rooms, some of which were used to store anti-armor missiles and weapons, while other rooms were converted into clinics and operating rooms equipped with advanced medical equipment.
For the first time this week, the Israeli army allowed the media to enter the citadel area, where forces from the 12th Battalion of the Golani Brigade are currently stationed, along with the 75th Armored Battalion.
The report described controlling the heights as one of the most prominent operations of the 36th Division, after battles in Rab Thaleen, Taybah, Deir Sarayan, and Qantara, which Israel said led to the collapse of Hezbollah’s first line of defense.
According to the Israeli military narrative, crossing the Litani River was one of the decisive stations in the operation, after it was preceded by weeks of preparation and deception operations, with the aim of making Hezbollah believe that the main military effort would be concentrated in another sector, before the forces suddenly crossed the river, took control of major axes and continued their advance north.
The Israeli army claimed that about 690 Hezbollah members, including leaders, were killed during the battles, in addition to targeting basic military facilities built over years with Iranian support.
The commander of the 36th Division, Brigadier General Yiftah Norkin, said during a tour of the region: “We are here on the Beaufort Heights after completing control over the south of the Nabatiyeh Plateau. Beaufort is a crucial area for the defense of the Galilee and Metulla, and the battle was planned to surprise Hezbollah through diversionary operations, and after crossing the Litani, the forces were able to control the region.”
He added: “We are now in the defense phase, and we are prepared for every scenario and every development, and we will not compromise on protecting the people of the north.”
For his part, an officer with the rank of major who leads a force from the “Yahloum” unit said that what was found was “part of an underground strategic Iranian project, extending for more than a kilometre,” explaining that its aim was to enable the launching of anti-armor missiles towards Metulla, and to defend the Beaufort Heights against any incursion by the Israeli army.
He added that Hezbollah members were present inside some of the tunnels, and that Israeli forces killed them, while others fled as the forces entered the area, he said.
The Israeli army confirms that the events of October 7 radically changed its defense concept on the northern border, and that its current goal is to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding any military structure near the border, while maintaining permanent readiness for any development.
Twenty-six years after its withdrawal from Beaufort Castle, the Israeli army returns to the site that once symbolized the end of its occupation of southern Lebanon, but this time within a new field reality that establishes an open military presence north of the border, and once again places the region at the heart of the struggle over the future of the south.
