In recent days, Israeli attacks have come “perilously close” to striking a UN-designated world heritage site in east Lebanon, the UN has warned, putting one of the best-preserved Roman ruins in the world in danger of being destroyed by Israeli bombing.
This week, Israeli forces ordered the entire city of Baalbek, in the Bekaa Valley, to evacuate — the first citywide displacement order amid Israel’s escalating attacks on Lebanon. The sweeping order affected 80,000 residents of the ancient city, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
In subsequent days, Israeli forces have bombed Baalbek, killing 11 people in an air raid on Thursday, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency, and killing 19 people on Wednesday.
These strikes are also threatening to destroy Roman ruins that are some 2,000 years old, like the Temple of Bacchus and Temple of Jupiter.
“In recent days, attacks on sites in Baalbek in the Bekaa valley have come perilously close to the ancient temple complex which is a UNESCO listed world heritage site,” the UN Human Rights Office said in a statement on Friday.
The UN noted that Israeli forces have already destroyed or severely damaged at least 12 religious buildings in Lebanon, including 11 Muslim facilities and a Greek Catholic church. Reports have found that Israeli forces have carried out controlled detonations of several religious sites.
“All willful damage or destruction of buildings dedicated to religion is prohibited,” the UN office said. “[C]ivilian objects, buildings dedicated to religion and other sites of cultural significance are protected from attack under international humanitarian law unless they become military objectives.”
If Israeli forces attack the heritage site, it will be one of the many sites with cultural, religious or historic significance it has damaged or destroyed amid its genocide of Gaza and assault on Lebanon.
UNESCO has found, from preliminary estimates, that Israeli forces have damaged at least 69 cultural and religious sites in Gaza. Other estimates are far higher, with one organization estimating that at least 195 heritage sites have been damaged or destroyed as of January, just two months into Israel’s genocide. The number is likely far higher now.
Since October 2023, Israeli forces have killed about 2,800 people in Lebanon, including 166 children.
Like they’ve done across wide swaths of Gaza, Israeli forces appear to be attempting to entirely raze communities in south Lebanon, rendering them uninhabitable.
According to a The Washington Post analysis, Israeli forces have damaged or destroyed nearly a quarter of all buildings in south Lebanon in the past year of bombardments. Nearly 6,000 buildings have been affected by Israel’s attacks, the publication found in an analysis of satellite data, with almost 80 percent of the damage being done since Israel’s ground invasion in Lebanon began in October.
Help us Prepare for Trump’s Day One
Trump is busy getting ready for Day One of his presidency – but so is Truthout.
Trump has made it no secret that he is planning a demolition-style attack on both specific communities and democracy as a whole, beginning on his first day in office. With over 25 executive orders and directives queued up for January 20, he’s promised to “launch the largest deportation program in American history,” roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, and implement a “drill, drill, drill” approach to ramp up oil and gas extraction.
Organizations like Truthout are also being threatened by legislation like HR 9495, the “nonprofit killer bill” that would allow the Treasury Secretary to declare any nonprofit a “terrorist-supporting organization” and strip its tax-exempt status without due process. Progressive media like Truthout that has courageously focused on reporting on Israel’s genocide in Gaza are in the bill’s crosshairs.
As journalists, we have a responsibility to look at hard realities and communicate them to you. We hope that you, like us, can use this information to prepare for what’s to come.
And if you feel uncertain about what to do in the face of a second Trump administration, we invite you to be an indispensable part of Truthout’s preparations.
In addition to covering the widespread onslaught of draconian policy, we’re shoring up our resources for what might come next for progressive media: bad-faith lawsuits from far-right ghouls, legislation that seeks to strip us of our ability to receive tax-deductible donations, and further throttling of our reach on social media platforms owned by Trump’s sycophants.
We’re preparing right now for Trump’s Day One: building a brave coalition of movement media; reaching out to the activists, academics, and thinkers we trust to shine a light on the inner workings of authoritarianism; and planning to use journalism as a tool to equip movements to protect the people, lands, and principles most vulnerable to Trump’s destruction.
We’re asking all of our readers to start a monthly donation or make a one-time donation – as a commitment to stand with us on day one of Trump’s presidency, and every day after that, as we produce journalism that combats authoritarianism, censorship, injustice, and misinformation. You’re an essential part of our future – please join the movement by making a tax-deductible donation today.
If you have the means to make a substantial gift, please dig deep during this critical time!
With gratitude and resolve,
Maya, Negin, Saima, and Ziggy