Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Israeli media: Spanish Parliament has overwhelmingly voted in favor of legislation banning arms sales to "Israel"
Syrian leadership approved the return of spy Eli Cohen's archive to "Israel": Reuters citing sources
Government Media Office in Gaza: The [Israeli] policy of starvation has led to more than 300 cases of miscarriage among pregnant women during the same 80-day period
Government Media Office in Gaza: The [Israeli] policy of starvation has resulted in the deaths of 326 people due to malnutrition and the lack of food and medicine over the past 80 days
UN says no aid distributed yet in Gaza
EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas asks for a review of EU-"Israel" trade deal
Rubio says Syria could be weeks away from 'full-scale civil war'
Sweden seeks EU sanctions targeting "individual Israeli ministers": Minister to AFP
UK pauses trade deal talks with "Israel", summons ambassador over new Gaza offensive
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: 67 martyrs in Israeli strikes on Gaza since morning.

UNESCO provides 'enhanced protection' for 34 heritage sites in Lebanon

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 19 Nov 2024 10:25
  • 1 Shares
4 Min Read

In recent weeks, Israeli airstrikes near Baalbek in the east and Tyre in the south have targeted areas close to ancient Roman ruins recognized as World Heritage sites.

Listen
  • x
  • Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted Lebanon's eastern city of Baalbeck in the Bekaa valley on September 25, 2024. (AFP)
    Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted Lebanon's eastern city of Baalbeck in the Bekaa valley, on September 25, 2024. (AFP)

UNESCO has granted "provisional enhanced protection" to dozens of heritage sites in Lebanon, providing them with stronger legal safeguards as the brutal Israeli aggression continues.

The 34 cultural properties now benefit from "the highest level of immunity against attack and use for military purposes," according to a statement released by the United Nations cultural body on Monday.

In recent weeks, Israeli airstrikes near Baalbek in the east and Tyre in the south have targeted areas close to ancient Roman ruins, which are recognized as World Heritage sites.

UNESCO stated that this decision "helps send a signal to the entire international community of the urgent need to protect these sites."

It further emphasized that "non-compliance with these clauses would constitute 'serious violations' of the 1954 Hague Convention and... potential grounds for prosecution."

UNESCO's decision came after an appeal on Sunday from hundreds of cultural professionals, including archaeologists and academics, urging the activation of enhanced protection.

Baalbek and Tyre "will receive technical and financial assistance from UNESCO to reinforce their legal protections, improve risk anticipation and management measures, and provide further training for site managers," the organization stated.

Experts urge UN to protect Lebanon's heritage amid Israeli aggression 

Related News

Israeli airstrike kills one person in Arnoun, south Lebanon

One person killed in Israeli attack on a car in Saida, south Lebanon

Ahead of an important UNESCO meeting, hundreds of cultural experts, such as archaeologists and scholars, urged the United Nations to protect Lebanon's cultural heritage, which has been threatened by the ongoing Israeli aggression on Lebanon, in a petition released on Sunday.

Multiple Israeli airstrikes in recent weeks have targeted Baalbek in the east and Tyre in the south, close to ancient Roman ruins, which are recognized as UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Three hundred prominent cultural figures signed the petition before it was sent to UNESCO chief Audrey Azoulay a day before a special session in Paris, which aims to list Lebanese cultural sites under "enhanced protection." 

The petition called on UNESCO to safeguard Baalbek and other cultural sites by creating "no-target zones" around them, deploying international observers, and implementing protections outlined in the 1954 Hague Convention on cultural heritage during armed conflict.

It clearly stated that "Lebanon's cultural heritage at large is being endangered by recurrent assaults on ancient cities such as Baalbek, Tyre and Anjar, all UNESCO world heritage sites, as well as on other historic landmarks." The petition also urged powerful nations to advocate for a halt to attacks that harm cultural sites and to either implement additional protections or impose sanctions to prevent further destruction.

UNESCO says criminal prosecutions in line if protection not respected

According to Change Lebanon, the charity behind the petition, the signatories included museum curators, scholars, archaeologists, and writers from the UK, France, Italy, and the United States.

For its part, UNESCO announced granting enhanced protection status to heritage sites by providing them with "high-level immunity from military attacks," adding that "criminal prosecutions and sanctions, conducted by the competent authorities, may apply in cases where individuals do not respect the enhanced protection granted to a cultural property."

Earlier this month, Israeli raids targeted the city of Baalbek's Roman temples, according to authorities, destroying a heritage house dating back to the French mandate and damaging the historic site. 

The region's governor reported that "a missile fell in the car park" of a 1,000-year-old temple, which was recorded as the closest strike since the start of the war.

After the Israeli aggression, the Special Coordinator for Lebanon at the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCOL) stressed that these ancient Phoenician cities, rich in history, are at risk of being left in ruins, warning that Lebanon's cultural heritage must not become another victim of Israeli aggression on Lebanon.

The ruins are home to the renowned Baalbek Festival, an iconic event established in 1956 that has since become a key fixture on the global cultural calendar. The festival has featured legendary performances by artists such as Oum Kalthoum, Charles Aznavour, and Ella Fitzgerald.

  • Israeli aggression on Lebanon
  • heritage sites
  • Israeli occupation
  • Lebanon
  • World Heritage sites
  • UNESCO

Most Read

Gaza and the logic of necropolitics: Sovereignty measured by killing

Gaza and the logic of necropolitics: Sovereignty measured by killing

  • Politics
  • 15 May 2025
Two F-35 jets arrive at it's new operational base Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015, at Hill Air Force Base, in northern Utah. (AP)

F-35 near-misses over Yemen signal new risks for 'Israel': Forbes

  • Politics
  • 14 May 2025
Abu Obaida

Abu Obeida posts shortly after Israeli reports about his assassination

  • Palestine
  • 15 May 2025
YAF say struck 'Israel's' Ben-Gurion Airport with missiles, drones

YAF say struck 'Israel's' Ben Gurion Airport with missiles, drones

  • MENA
  • 18 May 2025

Coverage

All
Gaza prevails against genocide

Read Next

All
Gulf investments quietly boosted Elon Musk and family fortunes
US & Canada

Gulf investments quietly boosted Elon Musk and family fortunes

A 3D render of China's planned 'drone mothership' Credit: X/@XH_Lee23
US & Canada

China unveils drone mothership capable of swarm attacks

Relatives of Venezuelan migrants deported by the US to a Salvadoran prison protested outside the UN building in Caracas on April 9, 2025 (AP)
US & Canada

At least 50 migrants deported to El Salvador prison entered US legally

A city bus goes by the historic city of Santiago, Spain during a major power outage across Spain and Portugal on April, 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)
Europe

Spain hit by major phone network outage weeks after nation blackout

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS