Salameh: Lebanon employing legal, diplomatic efforts to protect cultural heritage from Israeli attacks

Lebanon is using every available legal and diplomatic avenue to protect its cultural heritage from the impact of Israeli attacks, Culture Minister Ghassan Salameh said during a parliamentary meeting on safeguarding the country’s historical sites.Speaking before the Parliamentary Committee for the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Plan, Salameh said protecting Lebanon’s collective memory is one of the Ministry of Culture’s top priorities, adding that the country’s archaeological sites in southern Lebanon have been a central concern since the escalation began on March 2.”We have used every legal and diplomatic tool available to protect the archaeological sites in southern Lebanon,” Salameh said. “Neither the Ministry of Culture nor UNESCO has an army to defend these sites, but the measures we took have made a real difference. Had these sites been directly targeted despite our diplomatic efforts, the damage would have been far greater.”Salameh announced that Lebanon successfully secured UNESCO approval to expand the number of sites under its Enhanced Protection mechanism from 39 to 79, following an emergency committee meeting that unanimously approved the request.He also revealed that Lebanon has formally requested UNESCO to place the ancient city of Tyre on the List of World Heritage in Danger because of the risks posed by the ongoing conflict. In addition, the government has asked UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee to inscribe five historic castles in Jabal Amel-Chamaa, Beaufort (Arnoun al-Shaqif), Chaqra, Tebnine and Deir Kifa, on the World Heritage List. The committee is expected to consider the request during its meeting in South Korea on July 17.Salameh said the ministry has also submitted a detailed report documenting damage to heritage sites to Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi, who incorporated a dedicated section on cultural heritage into Lebanon’s report to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.”If there is any institution, organization, treaty or international legal mechanism that can help us secure our rights, we will not hesitate to use it,” he said.The minister noted that several heritage sites have sustained direct and indirect damage. At the shrine of Chamaa, three domes have collapsed while a fourth remains at risk. He also cited concerns over the Beaufort Castle after the Israeli military claimed tunnels existed nearby, prompting a diplomatic campaign to clarify that the alleged tunnels are located more than 700 meters from the fortress.Salameh added that archaeological sites in Tyre and Baalbek suffered structural impacts from nearby explosions, including the collapse of sections of ancient columns. He stressed that the full extent of the damage will require specialized technical assessments.The Ministry of Culture and the Directorate General of Antiquities, working alongside around 30 site guards in Tyre, have spent recent months documenting damage through field inspections, satellite imagery and residents’ testimonies in preparation for future restoration efforts.Concluding his remarks, Salameh said Lebanon’s concept of cultural heritage extends beyond major archaeological sites to include historic homes, traditional markets, public libraries and cultural institutions. He pointed to the destruction of public libraries in Bint Jbeil and Taybeh and announced a three-year UNESCO-backed initiative to modernize Lebanon’s public libraries into multifunctional cultural centers equipped with at least 10,000 books and five computers each.