The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has issued a warning about potential threats to the ancient city of Baalbek in Lebanon, a UNESCO World Heritage site, following recent Israeli military threats against the area.
UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric highlighted the importance of protecting cultural sites from conflicts in his daily press briefing on Wednesday, noting that cultural heritage often faces irreversible destruction during armed conflicts. Dujarric emphasized, “UNESCO heritage sites require protection,” adding that the loss of such heritage is an irreplaceable blow to humanity.
UNESCO expressed deep concern about the potential targeting of Baalbek, a 3,000-year-old historical landmark. An Israeli army spokesperson recently issued threats on social media of a large-scale attack on Baalbek and surrounding villages in the Beqaa region.
Previous Israeli airstrikes on October 28 led to at least 60 civilian martyrs, according to local sources, heightening UNESCO’s fears of severe damage to Baalbek’s ancient heritage.
