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
Lebanese Ministry of Health: Final toll from airstrike on car in Zebdine, Nabatieh District: Two martyrs, four injured
Egyptian media: Indirect talks between Hamas and Israelis begin in Sharm el-Sheikh.
AFP: France's new PM Sebastein Lecornu resigns just hours after unveiling cabinet.
Trump: Technical teams will meet again on Monday in Egypt to discuss and clarify the final details, and the first phase is scheduled to be completed this week
US President Donald Trump: Talks with Hamas have been very successful and are moving at a rapid pace
Local sources in Aleppo: Violent clashes erupt between the SDF and factions affiliated with the transitional authority on the Deir Hafer and Tishrin Dam fronts in the eastern Aleppo countryside
Israeli media: Interceptor missiles fired in an attempt to shoot down the drone
IOF Spokesperson: Sirens sounded amid suspected "enemy aircraft" infiltrating the Eilat area
Israeli media: "Israel" won the battle but lost the war strategically and politically
Israeli media: Ben Gurion Airport's airspace closed to air traffic following missile launch from Yemen

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

'Israel' unleashes massive strikes on South Lebanon, ignites fires

2 martyred, 1 injured in Israeli drone strike on car in 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

Hamas fighters stand in formation ahead of a ceremony to hand over Israeli captives to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, Gaza Strip, Feb. 22, 2025. (AP)

Hamas reviews Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan as PIJ rejects

  • Palestine
  • 30 Sep 2025
Iraq at a crossroads: A new war front?

Iraq at a crossroads: A new war front?

  • West Asia
  • 30 Sep 2025
A Hamas fighter in combat fatigues stands before the ceremony for the handover of Israeli captives to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, February 22, 2025 (AP)

Hamas responds to Trump plan, backs Gaza withdrawal, exchange

  • Politics
  • 3 Oct 2025
Tucker Carlson speaks at a memorial for Charlie Kirk, Sunday, September 21, 2025, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona (AP)

Tucker Carlson: Israeli officers gave orders on Iran inside Pentagon

  • Politics
  • 2 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
French far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon, listens to France Unbowed party parliament member Mathilde Panot during a demonstration after a Gaza-bound aid flotilla was illegally raided by the IOF, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025 in Paris (AP)
Politics

French MPs on hunger strike after their detainment in 'Israel'

Gaza residents fear trap as Trump’s plan offers little relief
Politics

Flying promises and bombs: Gazans hopeful, yet deeply distrustful

Two years of destruction: Gaza endures war, famine, and displacement
Politics

UNRWA details Gaza's two years under war, famine, and displacement

In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, visits a military hardware exhibition in Pyongyang, Notrh Korea Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025 (AP)
Politics

DPRK's Kim unveils new advanced weapons at 'Defiance Development 2025'

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