Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike on the city of Baalbeck in the Bekaa valley on Sept. 23, 2024, home to the ancient Roman ruins and the six columns that remain standing at the Temple of Jupiter. (Credit: Nidal Solh/AFP)
BEIRUT — As violence intensifies between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon’s cultural heritage sites are once again at danger of being lost. The ancient city of Baalbeck, with its monumental Roman temples — some of the largest and best preserved in the world — and the Roman baths in Sour, among other UNESCO-protected sites, are now in the crosshairs of an escalating conflict, with bombs falling dangerously close.On Sunday, an attack targeted the center of Baalbeck, between 500 and 700 meters away from the temples, according to the city's governor, Bashir Khodr. "Such a strike could have a negative impact on the citadel," he told AFP, warning that the black smoke following the bombings could damage the monument's stones and the force of the explosion could threaten the foundation.Minister of Culture Mohammad Wissam Mortada sent a letter on...
BEIRUT — As violence intensifies between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon’s cultural heritage sites are once again at danger of being lost. The ancient city of Baalbeck, with its monumental Roman temples — some of the largest and best preserved in the world — and the Roman baths in Sour, among other UNESCO-protected sites, are now in the crosshairs of an escalating conflict, with bombs falling dangerously close.On Sunday, an attack targeted the center of Baalbeck, between 500 and 700 meters away from the temples, according to the city's governor, Bashir Khodr. "Such a strike could have a negative impact on the citadel," he told AFP, warning that the black smoke following the bombings could damage the monument's stones and the force of the explosion could threaten the foundation.Minister of Culture Mohammad Wissam Mortada sent a...