Lebanon’s rich cultural heritage has been devastated by Israel’s airstrikes during its ongoing conflict with Hizbollah, leaving experts and cultural preservation groups alarmed at the scale of destruction. According to a report by Financial Times, at least nine heritage sites in Lebanon were completely destroyed, while another 15 were severely damaged during Israeli attacks between September and November 2024.
Cultural preservation organization Biladi has identified several important sites affected, including mosques, houses, markets, and even ancient Roman ruins in cities like Baalbek and Tyre. Archaeological experts also warn of “invisible damage” caused by bomb blasts near these sites. These blasts, while not directly destroying structures, may accelerate the degradation of ancient stones, hastening their collapse in the coming years. In particular, the Roman ruins in Baalbek and Tyre, which are UNESCO World Heritage sites, are at risk of further damage due to the intensity of the nearby strikes.
In the case of Tyre, a UNESCO official reported that an Israeli airstrike destroyed a modern building within the boundaries of the world heritage site, though no visible damage to the ruins themselves has been detected. In Baalbek, while remote sensing has not revealed visible harm to the site, nearby French mandate and Ottoman-era buildings have been heavily impacted.
The situation in Lebanon is part of a broader pattern of cultural heritage destruction in the Middle East, following similar tragedies in Syria and Yemen. Graham Philip, an expert in endangered archaeology, emphasized that while Israel and Hizbollah may not have intentionally targeted cultural sites, the scale of the bombing could still cause long-term harm to Lebanon’s cultural heritage.
Lisa Mol, a professor of geomorphology, also highlighted the risk of invisible damage, citing her experience with archaeological sites affected by conflict in Libya and Yemen. She explained that while such blasts may not immediately appear to damage structures, the pressure from explosions can lead to accelerated erosion, potentially causing catastrophic collapse within years.
The Lebanese cultural community, which has already endured significant losses—such as the damage from the 2020 Beirut port explosion—now faces yet another blow. Nadine Panayot, curator of the Archaeological Museum at the American University of Beirut, took measures to protect artifacts by creating an underground bunker, but the ongoing conflict remains a serious threat to the country’s ancient treasures.
In the face of these widespread losses, UNESCO has declared enhanced protection for 34 sites in Lebanon, but experts agree that enforcing such protections is incredibly difficult, as holding violators accountable remains a significant challenge. Francesco Bandarin, a former UNESCO official, acknowledged that while tools exist to protect cultural heritage during conflict, their effectiveness is limited.
For Sarkis Khoury, the director-general of antiquities at Lebanon’s Ministry of Culture, the destruction of villages in southern Lebanon—many of which are thousands of years old—represents the most painful loss. Khoury described the systematic obliteration of these historical villages as the destruction of Lebanon’s “soul,” a loss that goes beyond physical buildings to erase the deep cultural memory of the country.
