'Lebanon's soul': The Israeli destruction of Lebanese heritage sites
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According to a Lebanese cultural preservation organization, at least nine heritage sites were destroyed, while 15 others sustained severe or partial damage from Israeli attacks during the war.
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The Roman ruins of Baalbek, one of the best preserved in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage site, were seen in the Bekaa Valley in Baalbek, Lebanon, on April 1, 2021 (AP)
Experts have confirmed that Lebanon's priceless heritage sites have suffered irreversible damage due to the Israeli airstrikes during its war on Lebanon, the Financial Times reported.
According to Biladi, a Lebanese cultural preservation organization, at least nine heritage sites were destroyed, while 15 others sustained severe or partial damage from Israeli attacks between September when the war intensified, 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 expansive Roman complex in Tyre, may have caused "invisible damage" that could accelerate the deterioration of ancient stone structures and weaken their foundations.
The big picture
Lebanon's cultural treasures now join a growing list of Middle Eastern heritage sites threatened by wars in recent years, including the deliberate destruction of temples in Palmyra, Syria by ISIS, and the damage to Yemen’s old city of Sanaa during the war.
Among the heritage sites assessed by Biladi as destroyed or damaged are three mosques, a religious shrine, three historically significant houses, a market, and a Roman wall.
UNESCO's regional office in Beirut reported that an Israeli airstrike destroyed a "modern building" within the boundaries of the Tyre World Heritage Site, a coastal city in southern Lebanon renowned for its Roman ruins and historic streets. While remote sensing has not identified visible damage within the World Heritage Site in Baalbek, several nearby structures, including French Mandate and Ottoman-era buildings, were struck.
Lisa Mol, a professor of geomorphology and heritage in conflict at the University of the West of England, Bristol, highlighted the risk of "invisible damage". She said, as quoted by FT, that blast pressure could accelerate the erosion of stone, even if the damage is not immediately visible. Drawing from her experience working on war-affected archaeological sites in Libya and Yemen, Mol noted, "We do see more structural collapse" within a decade of near hits.
Lebanon's heritage sites devastated in ongoing conflict, warns official
After World War II, the responsibility to respect cultural heritage was formally incorporated into the rules of war, following the destruction of cities such as Dresden, Coventry, and Hiroshima. The UN’s cultural heritage agency, UNESCO, has the authority to designate sites for enhanced protection, as it did with 34 properties in Lebanon during the recent Israeli war. However, holding violators accountable remains a significant challenge. Francesco Bandarin, a former senior UNESCO official, acknowledged this difficulty, stating, “You do have tools, but these tools are weak and limited.”
For Sarkis Khoury, director-general of antiquities at Lebanon's Ministry of Culture, the most devastating losses have been the near-total destruction of nearly 40 villages in southern Lebanon by the Israeli military, many of which have histories spanning thousands of years.
Even after the ceasefire, the Israeli military has continued to demolish homes in the region. "The complete and systematic destruction of the historical memory of these villages is the most damaging thing," Khoury told FT.
"When you see a village with the olive [trees] and the ancient ruins, that’s Lebanon’s soul. That’s what’s being destroyed."
