Israel’s War on Hezbollah Threatens Roman Empire’s Largest Temples Abroad

Israeli airstrikes targeting Lebanon’s eastern city of Baalbek threaten to put at risk some of the largest and best-preserved temples constructed by ancient Rome, the United Nations’ cultural agency told Newsweek.

As the Israel Defense Forces expands its war against the Lebanese Hezbollah movement, Baalbek is among the cities that have been repeatedly struck. Last month, the IDF called for the evacuation of virtually the entire town of 80,000 people and surrounding villages, producing a map that included Baalbek’s massive historical complex within the perimeter of potential Israeli operations that soon commenced.

Baalbek Governor Bachir Khodr called one such strike on Wednesday “the closest raid on Baalbek Citadel since the beginning of the aggression, as a missile fell inside the castle’s parking lot, causing significant damage to the historic Manshiyeh neighborhood” in a statement published to X, formerly Twitter.

The following day, amid reports that an Israeli strike destroyed an Ottoman-era building near Baalbek’s ancient structures, more than 100 Lebanese members of parliament issued an urgent appeal to the U.N. for greater protection of the archaeological sites in Baalbek and other Lebanese cities.

Baalbek’s ancient grounds are best known for hosting the remains of the Temple of Jupiter, whose colossal columns still stand as a testament to what was once the largest temple of its kind outside of the city of Rome itself and the only slightly smaller Temple of Bacchus, one of the most intricate and still-intact sanctuaries of the Roman Empire. Other iconic features are the Temple of Venus and the Baalbek Stones, which include the largest monoliths in the world.

The city, whose legacy dates back thousands of years to the ancient Phoenicians, is recognized as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The U.N. organization is worried as it “is closely following the impact of the conflict in Lebanon on cultural heritage sites, including Baalbek.”

“The Organization is gravely concerned about the threats posed by the conflict to the region’s rich cultural heritage and recalls to all parties their obligation to respect and protect the integrity of these sites, in line with international law,” a UNESCO spokesperson told Newsweek.

“UNESCO considers that the preservation of cultural heritage is of great importance for all peoples of the world and thus needs universal protection,” they added.

Reached for comment regarding the potential threat posed to historical sites in Baalbek, an IDF spokesperson told Newsweek that the Israeli military “does not aim to cause excessive damage to civilian infrastructure and strikes only out of military necessity, with consideration for the safety of its citizens.”

“It is important to note that, as far as the IDF is aware of the existence of sensitive sites, this is taken into account and constitutes an essential part of the planning of strikes, with the aim of minimizing harm to civilian infrastructure as much as possible in accordance with international law,” the IDF spokesperson said.

“Each strike that poses a risk to a sensitive structure is weighed carefully and goes through a rigorous approval process as required.”

Since war first erupted after a large-scale Hamas attack against Israel last October, Israel has been accused by its foes as well as various U.N. agencies of targeting civilian infrastructure in Gaza, including internationally protected sites such as hospitals, shelters and places of worship.

These concerns have increasingly extended to Lebanon, from which Hezbollah has fired rockets and drones against Israel in solidarity with Hamas. The IDF significantly intensified its air campaign against Hezbollah in September, and that same month, began a ground offensive in southern Lebanon with the aim of returning tens of thousands of displaced Israelis to their homes in northern communities.

Casualty counts vary drastically by source, but the Lebanese Health Ministry has reported more than 3,000 people killed across the country since Israel began launching attacks more than a year ago, without differentiating between combatants and non-combatants. Israeli officials have said the IDF has killed more than 2,000 Hezbollah fighters throughout the conflict and that more than 50 Israeli soldiers have been slain in combat with the group, along with dozens of civilians killed in Israel.

Israeli officials have denied that their forces intentionally target civilian locations and have argued that both Hamas and Hezbollah deliberately use such sites to avoid attacks.

“The IDF targets military objectives belonging to the terrorist organization Hezbollah, employing all feasible precautions to minimize harm to civilians and civilian objects,” the IDF spokesperson said. “The IDF does not carry out strikes on civilians [or] any civilian objects.”

“As it has been well documented during the conflict, it should be emphasized that Hezbollah unlawfully embeds its military assets in densely populated civilian areas, and even near cultural heritage sites or underneath them,” the IDF spokesperson said, “systematically exploiting civilian infrastructure for terrorist purposes and using the residents of Lebanon as human shields.”

Newsweek reached out to Hezbollah for comment. The group has publicly rejected allegations that it used civilian infrastructure for military purposes.

As of yet, no damage has been reported at the UNESCO-listed heritage sites in Baalbek, though Israeli strikes appear to be landing within the immediate vicinity. The organization is also reportedly considering granting “enhanced protection” status to the sites.

Meanwhile, UNESCO and Lebanese authorities continue to monitor potential impacts via remote sensing tools and satellite imagery analysis in partnership with other U.N. agencies. UNESCO is also partnered on the ground with local officials, site managers and cultural professionals.

The UNESCO spokesperson noted that the World Heritage Site remains protected by two international treaties, the World Heritage Convention of 1972 and the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, which the spokesperson said “particularly emphasizes that cultural property should not be targeted or used for military purposes, as it is considered civilian infrastructure.”

Lebanon and Israel are parties to both conventions. However, Israel revoked its membership to UNESCO in 2019 over accusations that the organization did not accurately reflect Jewish links to holy sites in the disputed city of Jerusalem. UNESCO has also frequently passed resolutions put forth by member states criticizing Israel’s policies toward religious sites on territory claimed by Palestinians as well.

Baalbek is far from the first World Heritage Site threatened by war.

Neighboring Syria’s historical sites have also been put at risk by the country’s ongoing civil war. These risks became a reality when the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) began to demolish ancient temples and monuments in the city of Palmyra in 2015 before later being driven out by Syrian troops.

Years earlier, the Taliban demolished the Buddhas of Bamiyan in 2001 as it battled the Northern Alliance before facing an intervention that ended two decades later, leaving the group back in control of the country.

The U.S.-led invasion of Iraq that began in 2003 also caused extensive damage to historical sites, particularly the ancient city of Babylon.

Referencing the Taliban’s past acts in Afghanistan, Lebanese Culture Minister Mohammed al-Mortada said in a post on X last week that, in striking Baalbek, “the Israeli threat confirms that this entity is similar to the terrorist movements that have killed people and destroyed Buddha statues.”

The significance of Baalbek and its ancient wonders extends far beyond its reputation as a tourist attraction.

Each year since 1955, with the notable exception of 1975-1997 due to Lebanon’s civil war, the International Baalbek Festival has drawn in talent from across the region and beyond, including performances from Joan Baez, Ella Fitzgerald, Herbie Hancock and Nina Simone, among many others.

“I would say that Baalbek has a very special place in every Lebanese person’s heart, not only because of the archeological heritage but because of all the memories of the past 75 years,” Karim Emile Bitar, a professor of international relations at Saint Joseph University of Beirut, told Newsweek.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has appealed directly to the Lebanese people to reject Hezbollah, which remains the most dominant military force in the country despite suffering major setbacks in the conflict.

“You have an opportunity to save Lebanon before it falls into the abyss of a long war that will lead to destruction and suffering like we see in Gaza,” the Israeli premier said in a video address last month. “It doesn’t have to be that way.”

Hezbollah, meanwhile, has continued to launch daily barrages against Israeli forces on both sides of the border “in support of our steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, in support of their valiant and honorable resistance, and in defense of Lebanon and its people.”

As the war drags on despite cautious hopes for a ceasefire, Bitar warned that the IDF’s campaign in Baalbek threatened only to harden sentiments against Israel.

“There is a feeling that this unhinged Israeli attack on Baalbek is not merely targeting Hezbollah, but it is targeting part of the Lebanese soul, part of the Lebanese culture,” Bitar said. “So paradoxically, these heavy-handed Israeli methods are providing fodder to Hezbollah’s talking points, to Hezbollah’s propaganda.”

“Hezbollah can argue that Israel is not going after its arsenal,” he continued, “that it is inflicting collective punishment and targeting all Lebanese Shiites and beyond the Shiite community, targeting Lebanese heritage and archeological sites that are classified by UNESCO.”

“So, this is not only extremely dangerous,” Bitar added, “but it will also prove counterproductive, even if you think exclusively from an Israeli strategic perspective.”