Israel's Military Campaign in Southern Lebanon Threatens Millennia-Old Heritage Sites

Lebanon's territory has been shaped by thousands of years of history, but many of its most precious archaeological and cultural sites now lie in the path of Israel's expanding military campaign.

Despite a called ceasefire, on Saturday local time, Israeli forces captured Beaufort Castle, a 900-year-old fortress perched on a rocky hill near Nabatieh, one of southern Lebanon's largest cities.

The seizure followed days of intense fighting and marked one of the deepest Israeli military incursions into Lebanon in 26 years. Israeli soldiers crossed the Litani River and advanced toward the Zahrani River.

Lebanon's World Heritage

Lebanon currently boasts six UNESCO World Heritage sites, recognized for their outstanding cultural or natural importance to humanity and granted international protection.

Lebanese Culture Minister Ghassan Salame warned that Israeli strikes on the south are placing these sites, including those in the ancient city of Tyre, in "grave danger."

Tyre, about 83 km south of Beirut, preserves remnants of one of the most important cities of the ancient Phoenician world, including vast Roman-era ruins and one of the Roman Empire's largest hippodromes.

Israeli evacuation orders and shelling have driven tens of thousands from Tyre, with an estimated 200,000 people displaced from the city and surrounding areas. Across Lebanon, the war has uprooted more than one million people.

Dating back to the third millennium BC, Tyre once flourished as a leading maritime power in the Mediterranean. Through the ages, the city gradually declined after the Crusades.

"Bombings are falling very close to the ruins of Tyre," Minister Salame said, adding that the medieval Beaufort Castle overlooking Nabatieh "has been hit directly."

UNESCO Special Protection

Lebanon has at least 39 cultural sites that have been granted temporary special protection status. Some of these lie in the south, within areas affected by ongoing Israeli military activities.

This status provides the highest level of legal protection for cultural heritage under international law. Any violation may constitute a serious breach of the 1954 Hague Convention and its 1999 Second Protocol, potentially leading to criminal liability.

In a March 1 press release, Lazare Eloundou Assomo, UNESCO's assistant director-general for culture, stressed the protection of cultural heritage as a foundation of human identity.

"When heritage is destroyed anywhere, ethical norms are weakened, social cohesion erodes, and trust and resilience are threatened," he stated.

Notable protected sites include:

Beaufort Castle: Also known in Arabic as Qalaat al-Shaqif, this 12th-century Crusader fortress sits 700 meters above southern Lebanon, overlooking the Litani River. Its strategic location made it one of the region's most important strongholds. Control has passed through many hands, including the Palestinians before Israel seized it during the 1982 invasion and occupied it until withdrawing from southern Lebanon in 2000.

Temple of Eshmun: A 3.6-hectare sanctuary near Sidon on the Awali River banks, dedicated to the Phoenician healing god Eshmun.

Historic Center of Saida (Sidon): About 40 km south of Beirut, Sidon grew into one of Phoenicia's leading ports. The historic center includes a fortress, a fishing harbor, and sea and land castles.

Chhim Archaeological Site: The Chouf region preserves ruins of a Roman and Byzantine village, including houses, a temple to the sun god Helios, and a Byzantine basilica.

Chehabi Citadel: Overlooking Hasbaiyya in southern Lebanon, originally a Crusader fortress, later the seat of power for the Chehab family.

Qabr Hiram (Tomb of Hiram): Near Tyre, a monumental stone tomb believed to be that of Hiram, the Phoenician king of Tyre.

Qana Cave: On hills between Salfit and Qalqilya, archaeological remains from the Neolithic and Early Bronze ages. Christian tradition holds that Jesus and his disciples prayed here around the time of the wedding at Cana.

Shawakeer Archaeological Ruins: South of Tyre, evidence of human activity from the Lower Paleolithic period.