ALWAGHT- A Lebanese cultural preservation organization reports that Israeli attacks during the war destroyed at least nine heritage sites and caused severe or partial damage to 15 others.
Experts have confirmed that Lebanon's invaluable heritage sites have sustained irreversible damage due to Israeli airstrikes during the recent war. According to Biladi, a Lebanese cultural preservation organization, at least nine heritage sites were destroyed, while 15 others suffered severe or partial damage between September, when the war escalated, and the ceasefire in November.
In addition to direct destruction, archaeological experts warn that bomb blasts near significant sites, such as the Roman ruins in Baalbek and the Roman complex in Tyre, may have caused "invisible damage." This type of damage can accelerate the deterioration of ancient stone structures and weaken their foundations. These damaged sites now join a growing list of Middle Eastern heritage sites threatened by ongoing conflicts, such as the destruction of Palmyra in Syria by ISIS and the damage to Yemen's Sanaa during the war.
UNESCO’s regional office in Beirut reported that an Israeli airstrike destroyed a modern building within the Tyre World Heritage Site, a coastal city famous for its Roman ruins. While no visible damage has been detected in the Baalbek World Heritage Site, several nearby structures, including French Mandate and Ottoman-era buildings, were struck by airstrikes.
Sarkis Khoury, director-general of antiquities at Lebanon's Ministry of Culture, emphasized the profound losses, particularly the near-total destruction of nearly 40 ancient villages in southern Lebanon. Khoury described these villages as essential to Lebanon's cultural identity, saying that the systematic destruction of their historical memory is the most damaging aspect, as these villages represent "Lebanon’s soul." Even after the ceasefire, the Israeli military has continued to demolish homes in the region.
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