Bombardments in Lebanon Threaten Civilian Safety, Destroy UNESCO Cultural Heritage Sites
A Lebanese family resides in a small camp on the streets of Beirut following a series of airstrikes that destroyed significant amounts of civilian infrastructure. Credit: UNICEF/Fouad Choufany
By Oritro Karim
UNITED NATIONS, Nov 14 2024 (IPS)
As winter approaches, the ongoing airstrikes and bombardments on Lebanon has threatened the lives and livelihoods of civilians across the country and neighboring regions, which has resulted in skyrocketing death tolls and levels of displacement. Since hostilities escalated in September, Lebanon has seen the destruction of a significant amount of critical infrastructure, including historical sites that are integral to Lebanese history.
Over the course of the conflict between Israel and Lebanon, airstrikes from the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have not spared civilians. Repeated airstrikes in the capital city of Beirut have caused widespread fear among civilians that Hezbollah officials are hiding among them, opening them up to further attacks.
A civilian watch group in Beirut examines neighborhood demographics to ensure that no Hezbollah members are among them. “The circumstances require our patrols to be more attuned than ever. There is a big fear of Hezbollah members coming and hiding in some apartments, in some houses and we’re trying to be available at any time [residents] ask us to check any suspicious activity,” says Nadim Gemayel, a member of the Lebanese parliament and founder of the neighborhood watch program.
According to the latest report conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO), the first seven days of November saw over 214 civilian deaths from Israeli attacks. In the same reporting period, the IDF had attacked 3 healthcare facilities, leading to 2 deaths and 7 injuries among healthcare workers.
On November 11, the IDF conducted a raid on Saksakiyeh in the Sidon district of southern Lebanon which killed a total of 54 people. On the same day, another Israeli missile hit a residential building in Ain Yaaqoub, a town located in the far north of Lebanon. According to a November 13 post shared to X (formerly Twitter) by the Lebanese Health Ministry, the total death toll in Lebanon since last year has reached approximately 3,365 civilians.
High levels of displacement only put more pressure on humanitarian efforts, in what has become a crisis. According to a report conducted by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), roughly 473,000 people residing in Lebanon have fled to Syria since the escalation of hostilities in September. It is added that approximately 500 to 600 refugees on average cross Lebanon’s borders daily.
Evacuation orders are frequent throughout all districts of Lebanon. When asked about new forced displacement orders and bombardments, then-Israeli defense minister Israel Katz told reporters, “We will make no ceasefires, we will not take our foot off the pedal, and we will not allow any arrangement that does not include the achievement of our war objectives. We will continue to strike Hezbollah everywhere.”
According to a study conducted by AMEL Association International, a Lebanese non-profit organization that aims to support vulnerable communities in Lebanon, over 1.2 million Lebanese civilians are displaced, with 193,000 residing in overcrowded displacement shelters. These shelters are situated on mountainous land and lack heating infrastructures, making living conditions particularly harsh during this period.
“We have entered the winter and are stripped of necessities to protect ourselves from the cold and storms. The first rain that hit Lebanon a few days ago is one of the calamities that awaits us, including stronger storms and heavy snow,” says Saeda Abdallah, a resident of a shelter in eastern Lebanon.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has condemned the IDF’s attacks on Lebanese heritage sites. The ancient city of Tyre was just one of the many culturally and historically important sites that was targeted by IDF bombardment. Tyre, which UNESCO recognized as a World Heritage Site in 1984, is known as one of the earliest Phoenician metropolises in the world, and is home to the Tyre Hippodrome, an ancient arena that hosted chariot races.
“The Tyre bombing is something that has really moved all the people, because Tyre is a concept, a symbol, a World Heritage Site,” said Helene Sader, a professor at the American University of Beirut, in an interview for New Line Magazine.
Beginning on October 23, Israeli missiles ravaged Tyre and destroyed significant civilian infrastructures. Historians and UNESCO personnel fear that delicate historical sites may have sustained significant levels of foundational damage.
“We know almost nothing from an archaeological point of view from these areas, and the bombings could have destroyed precious evidence in the form of ancient sites,” said Francisco Nunez, a professor of Mediterranean archaeology at the University of Warsaw.
The ancient town of Mhaibib has been demolished from Israeli bombardment. Situated on the border of northern Lebanon, Mhaibib is known for housing the shrine to Benjamin, an Islamic prophet. This site is considered to be extremely sacred and culturally significant. The statue and shrine has sustained considerable damage from Israeli airstrikes and as of late October, it is unknown if the shrine still stands.
Graham Philip, a professor of archaeology at Durham University, opines that cultural heritage sites in Lebanon are of great importance to Lebanon’s cultural identity and history, almost akin to “the soul of a population”. “Imagine how people would feel in Britain if the Tower of London or Stonehenge were destroyed. It’s part of their identity,” he said.
IPS UN Bureau Report