Israel Destroys Hezbollah Tunnels Near Lebanon's Beaufort Castle

The Israel Defense Forces used approximately 700 tons of explosives on July 31, 2026, to destroy a massive Hezbollah tunnel network beneath the Beaufort Ridge in southern Lebanon. The detonations, which triggered seismic waves equivalent to a 3.8-magnitude earthquake, occurred near the UNESCO-listed Beaufort Castle. Israeli officials described the network as a central command center for Hezbollah's Bader Unit, funded by Iran over two decades and designed to facilitate an invasion of Israel's Galilee region.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz justified the operation as a response to a "blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement" involving an explosive drone attack on an Israeli military vehicle. The IDF stated it remains committed to the ceasefire but will remove threats to its soldiers. In contrast, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the blasts as a "highly dangerous escalation" and a "direct threat" to the U.S.-brokered framework agreement signed on June 26. Speaker Nabih Berri further warned that such actions place humanity in "inevitable peril."

The Office of the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon expressed deep concern over the scale of the detonations, citing a devastating impact on civilian infrastructure and cultural heritage. The incident occurred immediately before scheduled trilateral talks in Rome to discuss the framework agreement, which involves the deployment of the Lebanese army to the south in exchange for an Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories.