Lebanese authorities have decried Israeli attacks near UNESCO-protected historic sites and landmarks in the country's south as Tel Aviv continues to violate the US-brokered truce, killing at least 28 people and wounding 42 others in new bombardment.
Culture Minister Ghassan Salame "made numerous contacts with his counterparts worldwide and relevant international organisations to draw their attention to the huge damage to archaeological sites and heritage districts" in south Lebanon, the state-run National News Agency said on Thursday.
He highlighted the ancient city of Tyre and Beaufort castle in the Nabatieh district, emphasising that "a large number of these sites enjoy enhanced protection from UNESCO, making it necessary to protect them from any Israeli air or artillery attack".
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on X that "nothing can justify the ongoing attacks on the Tyre and Nabatieh regions and the destruction of their historical landmarks".
Israel has issued repeated ultimatums for residents of the southern coastal city of Tyre in recent days and carried out heavy attacks.
Early on Thursday, Israel's military warned it would attack a building in Tyre which it showed on an accompanying map as located very close to the city's archaeological area.
Around two hours after the warning, AFP news agency’s footage showed a fireball followed by smoke as a strike hit the district.
The south Lebanon municipality of Arnoun, where the historic Beaufort castle is located, said in a statement on Facebook that it "condemns in the strongest terms the attack that targeted" the site, blaming Israeli bombardment and urging authorities to protect it "from further damage".
On Wednesday, an AFP correspondent saw smoke rising near Beaufort castle after what appeared to be artillery fire.
Israeli military used the castle, also known as Qalaat al-Chakif, as a base during their previous two-decade occupation of southern Lebanon which ended in 2000.
In November 2024, during a previous war between Israel and Hezbollah, UNESCO granted 34 heritage sites in Lebanon including Tyre and Beaufort Castle "provisional enhanced protection".
"Non-compliance with these clauses would constitute 'serious violations' of the 1954 Hague Convention and... potential grounds for prosecution," it said at the time.
This April, UNESCO added another 39 Lebanese sites to the list.
Israel widening aggression
Meanwhile, Israel pounded south Lebanon with deadly attacks and widened its occupation with the first attack near Beirut in weeks where authorities said a woman and two children were killed by Israel.
The Israeli attack near the capital came after heavy strikes on south Lebanon that authorities said had killed at least 28 people, including three children, and wounded 42 others.
The escalation comes as Lebanon and Israel prepare for talks between military delegations at the Pentagon on Friday, and for US-brokered talks early next week — the fourth round since the latest Israel-Hezbollah conflict erupted.
Israel continues to unilaterally violate the US-brokered ceasefire with no Washington pressure to end the truce violation.
A Lebanese military source said an apartment in the Choueifat area south of Beirut was hit, in the second such raid since the truce in the war came into effect on April 17, after war broke out in early March.
Lebanon's health ministry said the Israeli attack killed three people "including a woman and her baby daughter, and a child of Syrian nationality" and wounded 15 other people, including three children and five women.
AFPTV footage showed smoke rising from the area on the edge of Beirut's southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold.
An AFP correspondent said the first two floors of a residential building were damaged, and saw residents packing cars and fleeing.
