Hezbollah Says Israeli Army Failed to Seize Al-Shaqif Castle After Drone and Rocket Attacks

Hezbollah said its Islamic Resistance Operations Room reported that the “Israeli” army failed to achieve its objective at the historic Al-Shaqif [Beaufort] Castle despite “an intensive military campaign” and a “heavily publicized photo operation.”

The ABNA English account says “Over the course of more than five days” the “Israeli” enemy launched “intense airstrikes and heavy artillery attacks” against Yohmor Al-Shaqif and surrounding villages to seize the area and occupy the castle.

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It adds that at sunset on Saturday, May 30, 2026, an “Israeli” infantry unit infiltrated the eastern side of Al-Shaqif [Beaufort] Castle under a dense smoke screen, reached the castle, and took photographs that the enemy circulated on Sunday morning while claiming it had captured the site.

The same ABNA English statement says that “Since dawn yesterday [Sunday] and up to the moment of issuing this statement,” the enemy faced “considerable difficulty” in establishing a stable presence around the castle.

In parallel, Al Jazeera Mubasher broadcast footage of Hezbollah’s dive-drone targeting operation in Al-Bayadah, south Lebanon, which the group said achieved a direct hit in response to Israeli military movements in the border area.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that “Any attack on Beirut will have serious consequences and will lead to the full resumption of the war,” while saying Iran and its armed forces remain on alert.

Araghchi also said, “If Israeli aggression against Beirut continues, our armed forces are fully prepared to resume the war and target objectives inside Israel,” and he added that “Hezbollah is an integral part of Lebanon’s political structure.”

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In a separate diplomatic framing, the Islam Times account says a Chinese envoy described the reported advance as the deepest “Israeli” incursion into Lebanon in more than two decades and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities.

That same Islam Times report quotes British Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper calling for “Israel” and Hezbollah to respect the failed ceasefire in Lebanon amid continued “Israeli” violations and Hezbollah's retaliation.

The L'Orient-Le Jour live coverage also reports that a fourth round of direct talks between Lebanon and Israel in Washington is due to continue later today, after an initial meeting on Tuesday, while Trump said he wanted to “separate” Lebanon talks from Iran talks.

The L'Orient-Le Jour report says strikes on Lebanon have killed at least 773 people since March 2, and it adds that Israel says it has carried out 1,100 strikes in Lebanon and eliminated 15 senior Hezbollah commanders.

It further states that Israeli authorities continue to pressure Beirut to disarm Hezbollah and are considering strikes on civilian infrastructure, while Axios officials say Israel is preparing a broad ground invasion aiming to seize all territory south of the Litani River and dismantle Hezbollah's military infrastructure.

The same coverage quotes a senior Israeli official saying, “We are going to do what we did in Gaza,” and it says an operation of such scale could lead to a prolonged Israeli occupation of the south of the country.

In the ABNA English account, Hezbollah says its fighters continue to engage enemy forces in a battle of attrition around Al-Shaqif [Beaufort] Castle, with the statement adding that “the footage that will be released in the coming period will demonstrate the reality of the situation on the ground.”

Al Jazeera’s report of Hezbollah’s Al-Bayadah operation also places the attacks in a continuing pattern of claimed responses to Israeli movements, while the group’s statements in the same item say it expanded operations with rocket volleys and shelling across multiple locations including Nahariya and Safed.