Israel Reshapes Lebanon’s Beaufort Area in Largest Blast Since Ceasefire

Israel launched a major operation in southern Lebanon at dawn Friday, employing about 700 tons of explosives to demolish a tunnel network attributed to Hezbollah near Beaufort Castle. This significant demolition, one of the largest since the conflict began, sent tremors across southern Lebanon and was audible in distant areas. The blasts dramatically reshaped the landscape south of the castle, covering hills and farmland with rubble.

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Israel works to completely destroy the infrastructure in any area it controls because it does not want to withdraw and leave behind facilities or positions that could be restored or used again. This is a policy it is clearly pursuing.

Military experts interpret the operation as a strategic move by Israel to destroy infrastructure in areas it controls, potentially in preparation for a withdrawal. Hassan Jouni, a military expert, told Asharq Al-Awsat that Israel aims to prevent any restored or reusable facilities from being left behind. He described the explosion as "extremely large," indicating the presence of substantial military infrastructure in the strategically important Beaufort Castle area.

The operation followed closely after Beaufort Castle was added to the UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger just a week prior. While the castle itself reportedly sustained no direct damage, Lebanon's Culture Ministry noted that assessing surrounding damage was impossible due to the ongoing Israeli occupation. The Geophysics Center recorded ground waves equivalent to a magnitude 3.8 earthquake, highlighting the sheer scale of the detonations.

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According to the available information, the Israeli army had been making engineering preparations for this operation for several weeks, but chose to carry it out now. The timing was not random. It suited its operational calculations.

Jouni suggested that Israel had spent weeks on engineering preparations for this operation, choosing the current timing for operational reasons, possibly linked to a recent drone attack on an engineering vehicle. He also posited that the blast might have been intended to inflict environmental damage and create significant psychological and morale impacts on the opposing side due to the immense volume of explosives used.

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The blast had clear psychological repercussions and geological effects because of the volume of explosives used.