The NGO Icomos Lebanon has put out an urgent call for action after Israeli forces detonated 700 tonnes of explosives near Beaufort Castle—also known as Qalaat Al Shaqif—in southern Lebanon, less than a week after it was inscribed on Unesco's World Heritage List and its List of World Heritage in Danger.
Shortly after midnight on Thursday (30 July), flashes of light lit up the sky as explosions rocked southern Lebanon's Nabatieh governorate, where the castle is located. Lebanon’s National Centre for Geophysics recorded seismic waves equivalent to a 3.8-magnitude earthquake after the incident.
On Friday, a joint statement from Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the country’s defence minister Israel Katz confirmed the attack, saying Israeli forces had used 700 tonnes of explosives to destroy “terror tunnels in the Beaufort area”, which it claims had formed part of underground infrastructure created by Hezbollah as part of a planned invasion of communities in Israel’s Galilee region.
On the same day, the Lebanese ministry of culture issued a statement refuting claims published on social media that the castle had been destroyed. It said the explosions could have caused damage to the castle, but that an assessment of the site was impossible while it remained under Israeli occupation.
Beaufort Castle, which dates back to the 12th-century Crusader era, has long carried significant symbolic and strategic weight within conflicts in the region. The site was captured by Israeli forces in late May, as part of what Israel describes as a military ground offensive against Hezbollah. The site had previously served as an Israeli military base for 18 years, from 1982 to 2000.
A Lebanese official with direct knowledge of the situation, who asked not to be named, tells The Art Newspaper that last week’s explosion took place around 800 metres from the site, and confirmed that Lebanese cultural experts are unable to access the area.
The official says the blast has almost certainly affected the castle as well as the historic and archaeological remains around it. “Given the scale of the explosion, it is highly likely that the structures have sustained damage, especially since explosions of a much smaller magnitude have already caused damage in other areas,” they say. “What is certain is that the explosion has had a huge impact on the cultural and natural landscape, completely altering the surrounding setting,” the source adds.
Beaufort Castle was inscribed on Unesco’s World Heritage List, and simultaneously placed on its in Danger List on 25 July at the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee in Busan, South Korea. It was added to these lists as part of a group of five castles, the others being Qalaat Tibnin (Toron Castle), Qalaat Chakra (Dubieh Castle), Qalaat Deir Kifa (Maron Castle) and Qalaat Chama’ (Chama’ Castle).
Israel, which withdrew from Unesco in 2019 accusing the organisation of bias against it, had a delegation present in Busan as observers and objected to Beaufort Castle’s nomination, according to the Associated Press.
Developed between the medieval period and the 19th century, Mount Amel Castles reflect successive phases of occupation and adaptation by Crusader, Ayyubid, Mamluk, Ottoman and local feudal rulers. The sites were granted Unesco’s enhanced protection in 2024, a designation that prohibits sites from being targeted or used for military purposes.
Lebanon’s president, Joseph Aoun, condemned the attack and “the ongoing Israeli violations and attacks in southern Lebanon, particularly the explosions targeting infrastructure and archaeological landmarks listed on Unesco's World Heritage List.”
He added that “these actions have caused extensive damage and dangerous repercussions affecting most villages in southern Lebanon, while threatening the safety and security of citizens.”
Icomos Lebanon, meanwhile, called in a statement for “an immediate, independent, on-site technical assessment of the structural condition of Beaufort Castle” and for Unesco to request “a formal and detailed accounting from Israel of the nature, scale, and precise location of the detonation… and its assessed or anticipated impact on the structural fabric” of the site.
A Unesco spokesperson tells The Art Newspaper via a statement that they have been “informed of the reported incident that occurred in the vicinity” of the castle. The statement adds, "Unesco is concerned about the potential impact on the site's structural integrity. A technical assessment will be necessary to determine the extent of any potential damage or impact on the site.”
Israel and Lebanon agreed to a ceasefire in April after weeks of fighting between Hezbollah and Israel. The two sides have since been engaged in US-brokered talks but have accused each other of violating the agreement’s terms.
