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AMMAN — The haunting sight of smoke columns rising behind the Temple of Jupiter in Baalbek has sparked serious concerns among heritage experts. As Lebanon faces yet another humanitarian disaster, its already neglected cultural heritage is now facing new threat: Israeli air strike.  

“Israel has attacked targets in Lebanon near to the ancient ruins,” the governor of Baalbek-Hermel, Bachir Khodr wrote on X platform. An Israeli air strike struck close to the ancient citadel of Baalbek, landing about 500 to 700 metres from the site, according to Lebanese officials. Khodr warned that even indirect impacts, such as blast pressure and black smoke, could damage the archaeological stones.

Since Israeli began its air strikes against Lebanon on September 23, more than 1 million people across Lebanon have been displaced, according to the UNHCR. “Beyond the tragic loss of life and displacement of families, communities are facing severe destabilisation,” UNHCR said in an emergency update. 

The Lebanese News Agency reported that the Israeli raids on Baalbek-Hermel governorate killed 282 people over the span of two weeks, wounded almost 800 others, and fell dangerously close to the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Best preserved temple

“The site was inspected, the temples are fine and have not suffered direct damage,” Khodr told the Lebanese media. “Security has been tightened on Baalbek for fear or any theft, looting or misuse of the site. The site is under the supervision and protection of the Lebanese security authorities… so that no one thinks that it is possible to enter or hide inside.”

Baalbek, an ancient Phoenician city inhabited since 9,000 BC, located in the Bekaa Valley at the foot of the Anti-Lebanon Mountain, is home to one of the most significant religious complexes of the ancient world, recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Built over two centuries, these monumental structures reflect a fusion of Roman Imperial architecture and earlier vestiges of Phoenician traditions.

The monumental ensemble of Baalbek is considered, according to UNESCO, as one of the most impressive testimonies of Roman architecture, containing some of the largest Roman temples ever built and among the best preserved. 

Baalbek’s inclusion as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984 highlights its outstanding architectural, historical, and cultural importance. Baalbek’s significance lies not only in its architectural grandeur but also in its testament to the cultural exchanges that shaped the ancient world, making it a symbol of shared human heritage.

“This is not the first aggression against Lebanon, nor is it the first violation of an archaeological site or heritage building. Currently, there are no statistics on the situation in the south, we are trying to document events by communicating with locals and analysing images on social media that illustrate the damage to historical buildings,” Nelly Aboud, a Lebanese archaeologist and museum educator and director of Museolab, an NGO that promotes cultural heritage through experiential learning, said. 

In remarks to The Jordan Times, she added, “It is difficult to determine what is happening on the ground at the moment as these areas are highly inaccessible. No significant damage has been reported so far but we cannot predict whether a bombing or explosion will occur soon and what the consequences might be. We are being bombed by those who have no respect for treaties, agreements or human rights, are indifferent to classified archaeological sites and have no regard for human life.” 

UN protection 

Lebanese Caretaker Culture Minister Mohammad Mortada was quoted in Lebanese media outlets as calling for an international action, saying, “UNESCO is responsible for looking over these sites, and we [have asked] to inform the UN and its Security Council to demand Israel to respect international laws and not harm our heritage."

He said he had sent a letter to UNESCO, explaining the danger of Israeli attacks on Lebanon, asking UNESCO to take necessary measures and file complaints with the competent authorities. 

In November 2023, Mortada ordered the removal of one of the temple’s Blue Shields, an emblem designating cultural property to be protected in times of armed conflict, which raised concern for Lebanon’s most renowned archaeological site, especially since October 7 and the daily fire exchanged between Hizbollah and the Israeli forces.

The Blue Shield is a protective emblem specified in the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, to be used to indicate protected cultural property in armed conflict. “The atrocities in Gaza have proven that such a shield protects nothing,” Mortada said. 

War on cultural heritage

Abboud highlighted that Saida and Sour, cities that are both holding precious heritage sites, are currently under bombardment and do not receive adequate media coverage. “Sour has been hit by heavy air strikes, but no inspections of the sites are being carried out and no urgent action is being taken to document the damage. There is no quick response plan and huge negligence from the state, with an overall lack of oversight regarding the preservation and protection of both classified and unclassified sites. There is a lack of contingency plans on the part of both the government and the cultural organisations. Negligence is the main problem.”

ICOMOS has issued a statement following the threats to Lebanon’s cultural heritage. The statement says that, in addition to Baalbek World Heritage site, other heritage sites have been endangered by airstrikes, bombings, and shelling, such as Anjar, Byblos, Wadi Qadisha, Rachid Karami International Fair in Tripoli and the Forest of the Cedars of God. On October 13, the Ottoman mosque in the town of “Kfar Tebnit” was reportedly destroyed according to the ICOMOS statement, as well as the historic souks of Nabatiye.

ICOMOS called on all parties to do "all in their power" to protect cultural heritage and to respect their obligations under international law, in particular the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict. 

GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories — A single Israeli air strike on a residential block left nearly 100 dead Tuesday, Gaza's civil defence agency said, as Israel faced criticism after its parliament voted to ban the key UN aid agency working in the Palestinian territory.

Palestinian rescuers and family members were scouring through the rubble of the demolished five-storey block in Beit Lahia in the north of Gaza, near the Jabalia area where an Israeli operation is underway to root out remaining pockets of Hamas fighters.

A charred body with long hair hung out of an upper storey window and corpses wrapped in blankets were lined up in the street below, as stunned relatives sought to identify the dead.

"The number of martyrs in the massacre of the Abu Nasr family home in Beit Lahia has risen to 93 martyrs, and about 40 are still missing under the rubble," Gaza civil defence agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP.

The Israeli military said it was "looking into the reports" of the strike in Beit Lahia, having earlier reported that its ground and air forces had killed 40 Hamas fighters and lost four of its own soldiers in combat.

 'Women and children'

"The explosion happened at night and I first thought it was shelling, but when I went out after sunrise I saw people pulling bodies, limbs and the wounded from under the rubble," said Rabie Al Shandagly, 30, who had taken refuge in a nearby school in Beit Lahia.

"Most of the victims are women and children, and people are trying to save the injured, but there are no hospitals or proper medical care," he told AFP.

The Israeli military has been conducted a sweeping air and ground assault in northern Gaza since October 6 -- particularly Jabalia, Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun -- in what it describes as an operation to prevent Hamas from regrouping.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been forced to flee the area, many of them not for the first time, after more than 12 months of fierce combat in the densely populated territory unleashed after Hamas militants launched a bloody cross-border assault into Israel on October 7 last year.

Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 43,020 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to figures from the territory's health ministry which the United Nations considers reliable, triggering warnings of a humanitarian catastrophe.

International concerns soared further on Tuesday after the Israeli parliament voted overwhelmingly to ban the main United Nations aid agency working with Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. Lawmakers also passed a measure prohibiting Israeli officials from working with UNRWA and its employees.

Israel strictly controls all humanitarian aid shipments to Gaza, and UNRWA has provided essential aid, schooling and healthcare across the Palestinian territories and in the diaspora for more than seven decades.

'Devastating consequences'

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres sent a letter Tuesday to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu protesting a new law that could effectively cripple the UN agency responsible for aiding Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), his spokesman said.

Guterres outlined in his letter "the issues of international law that have been raised by this law," Stephane Dujarric said, adding that it would have a "devastating impact on the humanitarian situation of Palestinians in the occupied territory" if implemented.

Several of Israel's Western allies voiced disquiet at the ban, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer saying Britain was "gravely concerned" and the French foreign ministry saying Paris "very strongly regrets" the law which it said could have a catastrophic effect on civilians.

Germany, which has been a staunch defender of Israel's security, warned it would "effectively make UNRWA's work in Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem impossible... jeopardising vital humanitarian aid for millions of people".

Guterres said the Israeli law could have "devastating consequences" if implemented and "would likely prevent UNRWA from continuing its essential work".

The foreign ministry of Jordan, which also hosts UNRWA offices, condemned the ban as a "continuation of Israel's frantic efforts to assassinate the UN agency politically".

Netanyahu said on social media that Israel was "ready" to continue providing aid to Gaza "in a way that does not threaten Israel's security".

The ban comes as fighting rages in Gaza and Lebanon, where a second full-scale front opened last month.

Earlier Monday, Netanyahu's office said Mossad intelligence chief David Barnea had met US and Qatari mediators in Doha, where they agreed they should talk to Hamas about a deal to free Israelis seized in the October 7, 2023 attack by Palestinian militants.

The statement came two days after Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi proposed a two-day truce and limited hostage-prisoner exchange that he said could lead to a permanent ceasefire.

But Netanyahu later said he had not received the Egyptian proposal.

Asked about the possibility of a Gaza ceasefire, US President Joe Biden said: "We need a ceasefire. We should end this war. It should end, it should end, it should end."

Hizbollah names new leader

In Lebanon, Israeli tanks rolled into the outskirts of the village of Khiam, their deepest incursion yet in the ground operation they launched against Hizbollah last month, state media reported.

Hezbollah meanwhile announced it has chosen deputy head Naim Qassem to succeed Hassan Nasrallah as leader after his death in an Israeli strike on south Beirut last month.

"Hizbollah's [governing] Shura Council agreed to elect... Sheikh Naim Qassem as secretary general of Hezbollah," the Iran-backed group said in a statement, more than a month after Nasrallah's killing.

Hashem Safieddine, the head of Hezbollah's executive council, was initially tipped to succeed Nasrallah.

But he too was killed in an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs shortly after Nasrallah's assassination.

According to an AFP tally based on official figures, at least 1,700 people have been killed in Lebanon since September 23, when the fighting escalated as Israel launched an air and ground offensive against Hezbollah, which had been carrying out rocket attacks in support of Hamas.

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Israeli forces launched deadly strikes on Lebanon and Gaza on Monday, pressing their offensive against militants after Egypt's president proposed a two-day truce in the Israeli war against Gaza.

There was no comment from either Israel or Hamas on the plan unveiled Sunday by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, but Israeli media said spy chief David Barnea was in Qatar for renewed talks on a hostage release deal.

Iran, which supports Hamas but has largely avoided a direct confrontation with arch-foe Israel, warned it would "respond firmly and effectively" to Israeli strikes on military sites over the weekend.

The war has drawn in Tehran-backed allies of Hamas, including Hizbollah in Lebanon, where strikes hit the southern port of Tyre on Monday.

The Lebanese health ministry said at least seven people were killed when Israel struck the city centre. An AFP journalist saw an entire apartment block collapsed into smouldering rubble.

The ministry said at least 17 more people were wounded as rescue workers were racing to pull more survivors from the pancaked building.

Hours later, the Israeli army issued a new warning to residents, telling them to leave ahead of another attack on Hizbollah targets there. Lebanon's National News Agency subsequently reported "a series of strikes" of the city.

Hezbollah said its fighters had attacked Israeli forces along the border with rockets and artillery.

Last month, Israel escalated its air strikes on Hizbollah bastions across Lebanon and launched ground operations, following a year of low-intensity exchanges and cross-border Hezbollah attacks that the Lebanese group says were in support of Hamas.

At least 1,634 people have been killed in Lebanon since September 23, according to an AFP tally based on official figures, though the real number is likely to be higher due to gaps in the data.

 'Spent everything' just to eat 

In Gaza, where Israel's year-long military campaign has killed Hamas's senior leadership while killing tens of thousands of people and triggering a humanitarian crisis, rescuers reported fresh strikes on Monday.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said three people were killed in a drone attack on Gaza City, while the civil defence agency and an AFP correspondent reported more air strikes and shelling in other areas of the territory's north and centre.

The Israeli military said it had hit north Gaza's Jabalia -- the focus of an ongoing sweeping assault since early October -- and "eliminated dozens of terrorists in ground and aerial activity".

An Israeli military official, briefing reporters on condition of anonymity, said that the goal of the operation was to clear the Jabalia refugee camp of militants, which "will take us at least [several] weeks" to achieve.

He said there was "heavy fighting" in areas where Hamas militants were present.

The official said Israel was not forcing residents to leave, claiming that "the safer zone in the Gaza Strip is in the south, but it's up to them" to decide whether to go.

Many Palestinians have been displaced several times during the war, as the Israeli military's focus shifts from one area to another.

"I fled at the start of the war with my family of nine," said 40-year-old Waleed Abu Shawish, who was forced to flee Gaza City to Khan Yunis in the south.

"I spent everything I had just to provide food and clean drinking water."

Ahmad Abu Aita, a 25-year-old man displaced from the north of Gaza to a camp in the centre of the territory, said the approaching winter was making already dire conditions even worse.

"Two weeks ago, it rained at night, and we were soaked in rainwater," he said.

New truce bid 

As Israel pushed ahead with its military operations in Gaza and Lebanon, a top Iranian general said it would face "bitter consequences" after Saturday's attack on military sites.

Revolutionary Guards chief Hossein Salami, quoted by Tasnim news agency, said the Israeli air raid had failed, calling it a sign of "miscalculation and helplessness".

The UN Security Council will meet later on Monday at Iran's request, with Tehran urging the world to condemn Saturday's strikes which authorities said killed four soldiers and caused some damage.

Iranian media said a civilian guard was also killed in the first direct action on Iranian soil that Israel has publicly confirmed.

In a bid to stop the war, Egypt's Sisi proposed a two-day pause in Gaza and a limited hostage and prisoner exchange, aimed at eventually securing an elusive "complete ceasefire" between Hamas and Israel.

The proposal includes exchanging four Israeli hostages held in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, and would be followed by more negotiations within 10 days, Sisi said.

Out of 251 hostages seized by Palestinian militants during the October 7 attack, 97 are still held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead. More than 100 were released during a one-week truce last November.

Families of hostages have called on the Israeli government to broker an agreement in the wake of the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar earlier this month.

At least 43,020 Palestinians, a majority of them civilians, have been killed in the Israeli offensive on Gaza, according to figures from the territory's health ministry, which the UN considers reliable.

BEIRUT — Lebanon said on Monday it had submitted a complaint to the United Nations Security Council over an Israeli strike last week that killed three journalists in the country's south.

The strike early Friday hit a complex in the Druze-majority town of Hasbaya in south Lebanon where more than a dozen journalists from Lebanese and Arab media outlets were sleeping.

The Israeli army said on Friday that the strike was "under review", maintaining it had targeted Hizbollah  fighters.

Lebanon submitted "a complaint to the Security Council regarding the latest Israeli attacks that targeted journalists and media facilities in Hasbaya in south Lebanon, and the Ouzai area" in Beirut's southern suburbs, a statement from the foreign ministry said on social media platform X.

"The repeated Israeli targeting of media crews is a war crime" and Israel must be "held to account and punished", the statement added.

Cameraman Ghassan Najjar and broadcast engineer Mohammad Reda from pro-Iran, Beirut-based broadcaster Al Mayadeen, and video journalist Wissam Qassem from Hizbollah's Al Manar television, were killed in the strike on the complex in Hasbaya, relatively far from the Israel-Hizbollah  war's main flashpoints.

Prime Minister Najib Mikati said the attack was deliberate and both he and Information Minister Ziad Makary labelled it a war crime.

Days earlier, Al Mayadeen said an Israeli strike hit an office the broadcaster had vacated near Ouzai in south Beirut.

Israel launched an intense air campaign in Lebanon last month and later launched ground incursions following a year of cross-border clashes with the Iran-backed Hizbollah  group over the Gaza war.

In October last year, Reuters Journalist Issam Abdallah was killed by Israeli shellfire while he was covering southern Lebanon, and six other journalists were wounded, including AFP's Dylan Collins and Christina Assi, who had to have her right leg amputated.

Last November, Israeli bombardment killed Al Mayadeen correspondent Farah Omar and cameraman Rabih Maamari, the channel said.

Lebanese  rights groups said five more journalists and photographers working for local media had been killed in Israeli strikes on the country's south and Beirut's southern suburbs.

UNITED NATIONS, UNITED STATES — UN chief Antonio Guterres said Sunday he was "shocked by harrowing levels of death, injury and destruction" in north Gaza, where Israeli forces are carrying out attacks they say aim to prevent Hamas regrouping.

"The plight of Palestinian civilians trapped in North Gaza is unbearable," Guterres's spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

"The Secretary-General is shocked by the harrowing levels of death, injury and destruction in the north, with civilians trapped under rubble, the sick and wounded going without life-saving health care, and families lacking food and shelter."

The spokesman said that according to Gaza's health ministry, hundreds of people have been killed in recent weeks and more than 60,000 others were forced to flee.

"Repeated efforts to deliver humanitarian supplies essential to survive, food, medicine and shelter, \continue to be denied by the Israeli authorities, with few exceptions, putting countless lives in peril," Dujarric said.

"In the name of humanity, the Secretary-General reiterates his calls for an immediate ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, and accountability for crimes under international law."

CAIRO — Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El Sisi announced Sunday a proposal for a two-day truce in Israeli war on Gaza that would include a hostage release and could pave the way for a "complete ceasefire".

Sisi, whose government has been involved in mediation efforts to end the Gaza war, proposed a "two-day ceasefire" during which "four hostages would be exchanged for some prisoners in Israeli jails", followed by more negotiations within 10 days aiming to secure "a complete ceasefire and the entry of aid" into the Gaza Strip, the president told a news conference in Cairo alongside his visiting Algerian counterpart.

UN chief Antonio Guterres said Sunday he was "shocked by harrowing levels of death, injury and destruction" in north Gaza, where Israeli forces are carrying out attacks they say aim to prevent Hamas regrouping.

"The plight of Palestinian civilians trapped in North Gaza is unbearable," Guterres's spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

"The Secretary-General is shocked by the harrowing levels of death, injury and destruction in the north, with civilians trapped under rubble, the sick and wounded going without life-saving health care, and families lacking food and shelter."

The spokesman said that according to Gaza's health ministry, hundreds of people have been killed in recent weeks and more than 60,000 others were forced to flee.

"Repeated efforts to deliver humanitarian supplies essential to survive -- food, medicine and shelter -- continue to be denied by the Israeli authorities, with few exceptions, putting countless lives in peril," Dujarric said.

"In the name of humanity, the Secretary-General reiterates his calls for an immediate ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, and accountability for crimes under international law."