Lebanon: Israeli strike hits UNESCO-protected site in Tire

The Lebanese Minister of Culture called on Monday June 8 to spare the ruins of Tyre, listed as a UNESCO world heritage site, where AFP correspondents noted damage the day after Israeli strikes. “I appeal to avoid targeting the archaeological sites of the country (..) in particular the ruins of Tire which are in the common heritage of humanity”Ghassan Salamé told AFP.

Sunday’s strikes caused “the greatest damage to the site since the start of the war”Ali Badaoui, director of archaeological sites in southern Lebanon, told AFP. Located about twenty km from the border with Israel, Tyre, one of the oldest cities in the Mediterranean world, is listed as a UNESCO world heritage site with two protected sites.

“Damaged” artifacts

This town has been the target of a campaign of Israeli strikes since the start of the war with Hezbollah on March 2. The Israeli army issued a new evacuation order on Sunday June 7 for an area which includes one of the two sites, including Roman remains, before carrying out strikes.

AFP correspondents were able to see part of the area near the ancient columns covered with debris, fragments of twisted metal, broken tree branches. Concrete and metal rubble litters a stone staircase leading inside the site. “The extent of debris and damage to the site is significant”according to Ali Badaoui.

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The strikes fell on neighboring buildings and one hit an administrative office on the site, the official reported. “Some archaeological artifacts were damaged when rubble hit them, as debris fell over a large area”aiming “columns, capitals, column bases, mosaics”he lists.

Ghassan Salamé stressed that the authorities would assess the damage “as soon as a ceasefire takes place or we can have access to the ruins without endangering the lives of our archaeologists”.

70 sites under reinforced protection

He stressed that Israel “do not respect” the Hague Convention which requires the preservation of cultural property in the event of armed conflict, nor the “Blue Shields”, a symbolic emblem set up by a committee linked to UNESCO to protect the site of Tyre.

Since a previous war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2023-2024, Unesco has placed more than 70 heritage sites in Lebanon, including Tyre, under “temporary reinforced protection”. The site of Tire “is a civilian site, a world heritage site, it is absolutely not a military site, and there is no military activity on site”assured Ali Badaoui. Tyre’s other protected site, Al-Bass, has also been damaged since the war began on March 2, he added.