Smoke rises near Beaufort Castle — captured by Israeli army soldiers — as seen from Marjayoun, southern Lebanon, on June 3, 2026. (Photo: Stringer/Reuters)
SOUTH LEBANON — The mayor of Arnoun, a village in the Nabatieh district situated below the medieval Beaufort Castle, told our correspondent in southern that he was concerned about accusations made the previous day by the Israeli army regarding the existence of a « Hezbollah tunnel » beneath the fortress.
For Fawaz Qatibi, these accusations could constitute a « prelude to serious action » by Israel, namely the bombing or demolition of the site. The Israelis have on several occasions carried out demolitions of entire neighborhoods in southern Lebanon under the false pretext of the presence of tunnels. According to the mayor, the photos published by the Israeli army « were not taken in the Arnoun area. »
In the wake of this, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for two new drone attacks against Israeli soldiers in the vicinity of Beaufort Castle, specifically targeting a « telecommunications vehicle » near the fortress and another used for « ammunition transport » on the outskirts of Yohmor al-Shaqif, another village close to the fort.
Hezbollah also said it had fired a volley of rockets at 5.20 am this morning at Israeli soldiers and vehicles near Beit Yahoun, in the district of Bint Jbeil. This may have been the firing that caused projectiles to fall on the neighboring village of Ain Ibl.
