Lebanese Culture Minister Ghassan Salame appealed on Monday to spare historical and archaeological sites from destruction, after Agence France-Presse reporters reported damage to the world heritage site in the southern Lebanese city of Tire following Israeli bombing.
Tyre, one of the oldest cities on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, is located about 20 kilometers from the border with Israel. Its UNESCO-protected archaeological remains are located in two main locations within the city.
The Israeli army has been intensively bombing the Tire area since the beginning of the latest escalation of the conflict with Hezbollah.
New strikes were carried out on Sunday, following an evacuation warning that also included the archaeological zone known as the city site, where Roman ruins are located.
– I appeal to avoid targeting archaeological sites in the country… especially the ruins in Tyre, which are part of the world heritage of humanity – said Salame.
AFP reporters on the ground on Monday noted dust and debris near ancient pillars from the previous bombing, as well as twisted metal and broken tree branches near stone artifacts. Concrete and metal debris were also scattered on the stone steps.
Ali Badawi, director of the Regional Office for Archaeological Sites in southern Lebanon, said Sunday’s strikes had the “worst impact” on the ancient parts of Tire since the start of the war.
He stated that the administrative office of the locality was also damaged, and that the debris from the surrounding impacts further spread the damage to the columns, capitals, pillar bases and mosaics.
– This is a civilian site, a world heritage site, it is not a military target and there are no military activities – said Badawi.
He added that a preliminary assessment of the damage was underway, and that another archaeological zone in Tyre, known as al-Bass, had already been damaged during the conflict.
Minister Salame stated that the authorities will assess the extent of the damage only after a ceasefire is established and when experts can safely access the site.
He accused Israel of not respecting the Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in Armed Conflict, as well as the “blue shields” that the UNESCO-affiliated organization set up as symbolic protection after the conflict escalated.
Israel and Lebanon were embroiled in a wider regional conflict after Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel on March 2, prompting an Israeli military response with intense strikes and a ground invasion that reportedly killed more than 3,600 people.
So far, the parties have not respected the truce announced in April.
UNESCO has previously granted more than 70 sites in Lebanon, including Tyre, “temporary enhanced protection” status, the highest level of legal protection for cultural property in conflict zones.
(Vijesti.ba)
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