BEIRUT: Lebanese authorities said that the country’s archaeological heritage is increasingly at risk as military operations expand throughout the border region, a week after Israeli forces announced they had taken control of Beaufort Castle, one of southern Lebanon’s most prominent historical landmarks.
The warning came after Israel’s reported seizure of the UNESCO-listed fortress, known locally as Qalaat Al-Shaqif, and amid what Lebanese officials describe as growing threats to dozens of archaeological sites caught in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
In a statement issued on Monday, the directorate dismissed a media campaign by Israeli outlets, which have circulated video clips and maps claiming the Beaufort Castle site harbors Hezbollah military infrastructure.
The ministry stressed that responsibility for Beaufort Castle has rested entirely with the Directorate General of Antiquities since Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon in 2000.
As for the allegations of tunnels or military installations beneath the fortress, it said a closer look at the maps and footage now in circulation makes clear that they lie far from the castle and its immediate vicinity, with no link to the heritage site whatsoever.
