Ancient monuments in Lebanon, Iran and Gaza bear scars of Israel’s war

Ancient monuments in Lebanon, Iran and Gaza bear scars of Israel’s war

Ancient monuments in Lebanon, Iran and Gaza bear scars of Israel’s war

UNESCO and local authorities report damage to ancient monuments, historic markets and religious sites, while Israel says it does not deliberately target cultural property

By NH Digital
Published: 05 Jul 2026, 2:15 PM IST
Israel’s air attacks have damaged or destroyed revered heritage sites across southern Lebanon.  Wikimedia Commons CC 4.0

Nearly four months of Israeli military operations have damaged or destroyed several heritage sites in southern Lebanon, according to the country’s culture minister, adding to a pattern of destruction documented in Iran and the Gaza Strip over the past two years

Lebanese Culture Minister Ghassan Salame told Reuters on 28 June that authorities were still unable to fully assess the damage because Israeli troops continued to occupy a zone roughly 10 km deep into southern Lebanon, preventing officials from accessing affected areas

Salame said Israel’s air and ground campaign, which Israel says is aimed at Iran-backed Hezbollah, had damaged or destroyed revered heritage sites across southern Lebanon

The most prominent site affected is Tyre, the nearly 5,000-year-old port city in southern Lebanon and a UNESCO World Heritage Site that flourished under the Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans and Byzantines

According to Reuters, the crown of an ancient column at the UNESCO-listed Al-Bass archaeological site was blown off, while protective barriers installed to shield the ruins from air strikes were themselves hurled into the archaeological area

UNESCO has expressed concern over the site’s state of conservation. Salame has requested that the agency place Tyre on the List of World Heritage in Danger, although the request has yet to be approved

Medieval landmarks hit

In Nabatieh, Israeli strikes damaged the city’s Mamluk-era market, a centuries-old commercial quarter dating back to the medieval Mamluk Sultanate

Nearby, Beaufort Castle, a Crusader-era fortress dating back around 900 years, also came under direct fire. Israeli forces later captured the site on 31 May despite the ceasefire. Israel has accused Hezbollah of storing weapons inside the castle, an allegation denied by Lebanese authorities

UNESCO also said it was “deeply alarmed” by reports of damage to the 12th-century Chama Citadel in southern Lebanon and condemned what it described as “unlawful attacks against cultural property”. Lebanese authorities and ICOMOS Lebanon said the fortress suffered severe damage during an Israeli air strike on 13 April

Salame said the destruction extended beyond ancient monuments

“Heritage is not only Roman and Phoenician antiquities,” he told Reuters. “Heritage is also historic buildings, archaeological sites, and buildings with a cultural function.”

The Israeli military told Reuters that it does not seek to cause excessive damage to civilian infrastructure, carries out strikes only when militarily necessary and applies a “rigorous approval process” when operations involve sensitive sites

Damage reported across Iran

Iran has also reported widespread damage to its cultural heritage since Israel and the United States launched a joint military campaign at the end of February

The most significant site affected is Tehran’s Golestan Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that dates back around 400 years. UNESCO confirmed that the palace sustained damage after a strike hit its buffer zone at Arg Square on 1 March

The director of the Golestan Palace World Heritage complex said blast waves shattered windows and damaged intricate mirrorwork inside several halls, although museum objects had been moved into secure storage before the strikes

Iran’s cultural heritage ministry also reported damage to the historic Grand Bazaar of Tehran, although it did not specify the extent of the destruction

The ministry said 149 historical sites across 20 provinces had been damaged during the conflict, with Tehran recording the highest level of destruction

In Isfahan, UNESCO confirmed damage to the 17th-century Chehel Sotoun Palace and the Masjed-e Jame, regarded as Iran’s oldest Friday mosque

Ali Qapu Palace, a six-storey Safavid royal residence overlooking Naqsh-e Jahan Square, also suffered extensive damage. Reuters reported that more than 70 per cent of its windows and doors were shattered and cracks had appeared in its walls

Buildings near the Khorramabad Valley, home to prehistoric caves with evidence of human occupation dating back around 63,000 years, were also affected during the March campaign

In western Iran, the Sasanian-era Falak-ol-Aflak Citadel in Khorramabad and two museums sustained damage after nearby strikes destroyed the provincial cultural ministry building

Iranian Culture Minister Reza Salehi Amiri told Al Jazeera that restoring Golestan Palace alone would require at least two years of specialised work, while warning that some losses could be irreversible

UNESCO documents destruction in Gaza

UNESCO’s preliminary assessment has verified damage to 164 cultural sites across the Gaza Strip as of late March 2026

The damaged sites include 14 religious buildings, 128 structures of historical or artistic interest, nine monuments, eight archaeological sites, three repositories of movable cultural property and two museums

Most of the documented destruction occurred during Israeli military operations between October 2023 and March 2026

Among the sites identified by UNESCO are the Great Omari Mosque, Gaza’s oldest mosque, which was heavily damaged in December 2023, and the Church of Saint Porphyrius, Gaza’s oldest church, which sustained damage after being struck in October 2023

The ancient port of Anthedon and 12 museums, including the Al Qarara Cultural Museum, have also been affected during the conflict

UNESCO has placed the Saint Hilarion Monastery, one of the oldest monastic complexes in the Middle East, on its List of World Heritage in Danger

Israel has consistently maintained that its military operations are directed at militant infrastructure and not at cultural property

Published: undefined

Join our official telegram channel (@nationalherald) and stay updated with the latest headlines

Published: undefined

,

,

,

,