{"id":1355,"date":"2026-05-29T16:40:27","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T16:40:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arabnewsmonitor.com\/2026\/05\/29\/war-in-lebanon-cultural-heritage-at-risk\/"},"modified":"2026-05-29T16:40:27","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T16:40:27","slug":"war-in-lebanon-cultural-heritage-at-risk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/?p=1355","title":{"rendered":"War in Lebanon: Cultural heritage at risk"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"t-content t-content--edition\" id=\"main-content\">\n<div class=\"t-content__with-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"t-content__beside-sidebar\" data-article-content>\n<h1 class=\"t-content__title a-page-title\">War in Lebanon: Cultural heritage at risk<\/h1>\n<div class=\"m-master-tag\">\n<div class=\"a-tag-section\">\n                                    Middle East\n                            <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"o-video-player o-video-player--16x9 t-content__main-media\" data-media-video-wbmz552007-f24-en-20260528 data-show-hidden-video-player=\"WBMZ552007-F24-EN-20260528\" data-wrapper-video-player data-autoplay-video-link data-youtube-script>\n<div class=\"o-em-consent \">\n<div class=\"o-em-consent__content\">\n<p class=\"o-em-consent__content__text\">To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement.<\/p>\n<p>        <button class=\"a-master-button a-master-button--dark\" data-action=\"accept\"><br \/>\n            Accept<\/p>\n<p>        <\/button><br \/>\n        <button class=\"a-link\" data-action=\"manage\">Manage my choices<\/button>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"o-em-adblock\" data-adblock-content>\n<div class=\"o-em-adblock__content\">\n<p class=\"o-em-adblock__content__text\">One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site.<\/p>\n<p>            <button class=\"a-master-button a-master-button--dark\" data-action=\"reload\">Try again<\/button>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-hidden-video-player=\"WBMZ552007-F24-EN-20260528\"><\/div>\n<figure class=\"m-item-image m-item-image--16x9 m-item-image--has-caption\">\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/7a3b14fa-5aac-11f1-bab8-005056bf30b7\/w:1024\/p:16x9\/whatsapp-image-2026-05-06-at-18-55-58-2.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/7a3b14fa-5aac-11f1-bab8-005056bf30b7\/w:388\/p:16x9\/whatsapp-image-2026-05-06-at-18-55-58-2.jpg 388w,https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/7a3b14fa-5aac-11f1-bab8-005056bf30b7\/w:720\/p:16x9\/whatsapp-image-2026-05-06-at-18-55-58-2.jpg 720w,https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/7a3b14fa-5aac-11f1-bab8-005056bf30b7\/w:1024\/p:16x9\/whatsapp-image-2026-05-06-at-18-55-58-2.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1076px) 100vw, 1012px\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" alt=\"Image from May 2, 2026, showing the destruction of the school and convent run by the Salvatorian Sisters in the village of Yaroun in southern Lebanon.\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"a-img \"><figcaption class=\"a-figcaption\">\n                <span>Image from May 2, 2026, showing the destruction of the school and convent run by the Salvatorian Sisters in the village of Yaroun in southern Lebanon.<\/span>                <span>\u00a9 Greek catholic archeparchy of Tyre<\/span>            <\/figcaption><div class=\"m-item-image__overlay-wrapper\">\n                <button class=\"m-main-media-btn\" aria-label=\"War in Lebanon: Cultural heritage at risk: Play the video\"><br \/>\n    <span class=\"m-main-media-btn__picto\"><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"a-circle-loader\">\n<\/div>\n<p><\/button>\n                <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<div class=\"t-content__metadata\">\n<div class=\"t-content__dates\">\n<p class=\"m-pub-dates\"><span class=\"m-pub-dates__date\">Issued on: <time datetime=\"2026-05-29T16:14:33+00:00\">29\/05\/2026 &#8211; 18:14<\/time><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"a-share-button\" data-root-share>\n<p>                            <span class=\"a-master-button__label\">Share<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>                                                    <a href=\"\/en\/tv-shows\/observers\/\" class=\"t-content__program m-program\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"m-program__label\">From the show<\/div>\n<p>    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/f6ee0408-0f3c-11ee-add5-005056a90284\/EN-the-observers.svg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s.france24.com\/media\/display\/f6ee0408-0f3c-11ee-add5-005056a90284\/EN-the-observers.svg\" alt=\"The Observers\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"a-img  a-img--svg\"><\/p>\n<p>                    <\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"t-content__reading-time a-reading-time\">\n<p>                        <span class=\"t-content__reading-time__label\">Reading time<\/span><br \/>\n                        2 min<\/div>\n<p class=\"t-content__chapo\">\n                                                Churches, mosques, and archaeological sites: In its widespread demolition campaign in southern Lebanon, the Israeli military is accused of also destroying cultural and religious heritage. The devastation has been documented by the NGO Green Southerners, which denounces the actions as a direct attack on the historic bond between local residents and their land.                    <\/p>\n<div class=\"t-content__body u-clearfix\">\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/GreenSoutherns\/status\/2050293531177103454?s=20\" target=\"_blank\">video<\/a>\u00a0shared online by the Lebanese NGO Green Southerners shows an Israeli excavator demolishing a convent in the village of Yaroun in southern <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/lebanon\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Lebanon<\/a>.\u00a0The video was filmed from a distance because the residents of Yaroun have not been allowed to return.<\/p>\n<p>Since <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/israel\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Israel<\/a> agreed to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/middle-east\/20260417-10-day-lebanon-israel-ceasefire-begins-after-weeks-of-conflict\" target=\"_self\">ceasefire in its war with Hezbollah in Lebanon<\/a> in April, the Israeli army has maintained its positions in what it calls a \u201cforward defence zone&#8221;, and has continued to demolish buildings it says are used by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/hezbollah\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">Hezbollah<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But Lebanese activists say the Israelis have also been destroying religious and historical sites.<\/p>\n<p>The convent destroyed in Yaroun was run by Catholic nuns and contained a school.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Israeli foreign ministry said the convent had not been touched, but the photo they showed was of a medical clinic next door.\u00a0This image shows the clinic untouched and the convent, reduced to rubble.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Shrine destroyed<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>On April 13, an Israeli air strike hit a Shia Muslim shrine known as Shamoun al-Safa, built at the end of the 11th century.\u00a0Already damaged by Israeli troops in 2024, the shrine had been partially restored by residents.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But satellite images taken on April 16 show it totally destroyed.<\/p>\n<p>The NGO Green Southerners has been documenting the damage to historic and religious sites. Hicham Youn\u00e8s, the founder of the organisation, told our team:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"quote\">\n<p>&#8220;UNESCO has put 39 Lebanese sites on its list for enhanced protection, but that hasn&#8217;t changed anything.\u00a0The shrine of Shamoun al\u2011Safa and the citadel of Chamaa were already on the list, but that didn&#8217;t protect them.\u00a0The shrine and the minaret were demolished by excavators.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2><strong>Concern over the fate of a historic well<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The Israeli army says its demolitions target buildings used by Hezbollah as observation posts or for storing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/tag\/weapons\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"gtm-add-suggested-tag\">weapons<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Green Southerners is concerned about the fate of a historic well caught between the detonations in the town of Taybeh:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"quote\">\n<p>&#8220;The well is hundreds of years old. It&#8217;s in a spiral shape, with a staircase going down 15 metres or more.\u00a0It&#8217;s one of the most beautiful cultural and archeological sites in the region.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>We contacted the Israeli army. They denied blowing up the well in Taybeh. They said the army takes \u201cextensive efforts\u201d to avoid damaging sensitive sites, but that the Shamoun al-Safa shrine and the Al-Qantara mosque had been used by Hezbollah. They maintain that the convent in Yaroun suffered only \u201cminor damage&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>Read the full story on our website:<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"a-read-more\"><span class=\"a-read-more__label\">Read more<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/middle-east\/20260520-aim-erase-identity-south-lebanon-cultural-heritage-going-up-smoke\" target=\"_self\" class=\"a-read-more__link\">\u2018The aim is to erase our identity\u2019: How south Lebanon\u2019s cultural heritage is going up in smoke<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"t-content__authors\">\n<div class=\"m-from-author\">\n                    <span class=\"m-from-author__by-label\"><br \/>\n                By:<br \/>\n            <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"m-author m-author--small m-author--has-image\">\n<div class=\"m-author__image\">\n                                                    <\/div>\n<div class=\"m-author__name\">\n                                                    <a 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