Battle of Beaufort Castle -

Battle

Beaufort, or Qalaat al-Shaqif in Arabic, is a Crusader fortress in the Nabatiyeh governorate, about one kilometer from the town of Arnoun. The castle's strategic location, which affords a view of much of southern Lebanon and northern Israel, has caused it to be a focus for recent conflicts. The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) held the castle from 1976 onwards, during the Lebanese Civil War and consequentially it was attacked dozens of times by Israeli forces in the space of five years. On June 6, 1982, at the start of the Israeli invasion, the PLO position on Beaufort Castle was heavily shelled by Israel before it was captured by Israeli forces two days later. The fighting caused damage to the castle, and in the aftermath the Israeli army adapted the site for their own use by building bunkers. In 2000 the Israeli army left Beaufort as it withdrew from southern Lebanon