UN calls for cultural sites protection following Israeli strikes on Lebanon’s ancient city of Baalbek
The United Nations has called for protecting cultural sites following Israeli airstrikes on the Lebanese city of Baalbek, which is known for its historical sites and tourist attractions.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, UN secretary general’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric made the call, hours after strikes by Israeli warplanes rocked the eastern Lebanese city of Baalbek and its outskirts.
“Clearly, we do not want to see any harm, to people and also to the cultural heritage. I think one of the things we’ve seen in conflicts in recent years is the destruction of cultural heritage that can never be replaced,” he said.
The strikes in two towns in Baalbek region killed at least 19 people, according to a statement by the Lebanese Health Ministry. However, other reports raised the death toll to at least 30 people.
This has been Israel’s biggest assault on the region since attacks escalated in September.
Baalbek, a significant urban center in the Bekaa Valley, is renowned for being home to some of the best preserved Roman temples. Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984, it has a population of over 100,000 residents.
Previous Israeli airstrikes in Duris, a village located almost in the vicinity of Baalbek, have damaged ancient sites. The village is home to a 13th-century Muslim shrine and a necropolis dating back to the late Roman Imperial period.
Since October last year, Israel has killed over 2,700 people in Lebanon. Most of them have lost their lives in the past month amid the intensified airstrikes and a ground offensive.
Hezbollah has been responding to the aggression with retaliatory operations, targeting the occupied territories.
The Lebanese resistance movement has vowed to keep up its operations against Israel as long as the regime continues its campaign of genocide in the besieged Gaza Strip, which has so far killed more than 43,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
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