{"id":231610,"date":"2026-08-01T13:44:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T13:44:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/231610\/"},"modified":"2026-08-01T13:44:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T13:44:12","slug":"unesco-lists-tyre-beaufort-castle-sebastia-as-world-heritage-sites-in-danger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/231610\/","title":{"rendered":"UNESCO lists Tyre, Beaufort Castle, Sebastia as World Heritage sites in danger"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lebanon\u2019s Mount Amel Castles, the ancient Phoenician city of Tyre, and the historic site of Sebastia in Area C of the West Bank, were designated as World Heritage Sites in Danger by UNESCO\u2019s<\/a> World Heritage Committee during its 48th session in Busan, South Korea over the weekend.<\/p>\n

The annual meeting is intended to evaluate new nominations to the list of World Heritage sites, a status meant to recognize places of “outstanding universal value” to humanity, and review the status of sites already on the list while making changes accordingly.<\/p>\n

According to UNESCO\u2019s charter, the List of World Heritage Sites in Danger includes only sites who form part of their country\u2019s cultural and natural heritage and are under threat by \u201cserious and specific dangers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Such dangers could be large-scale development projects, abandonment, armed conflict, or natural disasters. The complete list of criteria can be viewed on UNESCO\u2019s official website.<\/p>\n

Currently, there are 58 World Heritage sites that have been designated \u201cin danger,\u201d including the Old City of Jerusalem, whose designation was proposed by Jordan and has been on the list since 1982 due to urban pressure and supposed excavation risks.<\/p>\n

\"AA general view of Jerusalem’s Old City shows the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest site, in the foreground as the Dome of the Rock, located on the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, is seen in the background. (credit: REUTERS\/AMMAR AWAD)Mount Amel Castles, Tyre<\/p>\n

Since the outbreak of the current war in 2023, heritage organizations in Lebanon have decried Israel\u2019s actions in the region, warning of increased danger to historic cultural sites – a call that has increasingly grown since the IDF succeeded in recapturing Beaufort Castle on June 1.<\/p>\n

In May, UNESCO said it was concerned about the state of conservation of Tyre, adding that the site was under the body’s enhanced protection status.<\/p>\n

It added that it was “deeply alarmed” by reports of damage to a citadel in the southern town of Chama and fighting by Beaufort Castle, while condemning what it described as “unlawful attacks against cultural property.”<\/p>\n

In June, Lebanese Culture Minister Ghassan Salame told Reuters that Israel’s recent operations targeting Hezbollah has damaged or destroyed revered heritage sites across southern Lebanon<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“Heritage is not only Roman and Phoenician antiquities,\u201d he added. \u201cHeritage is also historic buildings, archaeological sites, and buildings with a cultural function.”<\/p>\n

Barriers set up in Tyre to shield ancient ruins from Israeli strikes or flying debris were blown into the middle of the site they were meant to protect.<\/p>\n

\"AA piece of metal lies at of Al\u2011Bass Roman ruins, a UNESCO World Heritage site hit by an Israeli airstrike in Tyre, southern Lebanon, June 25, 2026. (credit: REUTERS\/Zohra Bensemra TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)<\/p>\n

The ancient city, believed to have been founded during the 28th century BCE, during the Bronze Age, before becoming a prominent Phoenician city-state in the Iron Age.<\/p>\n

Later, after falling under Babylonian rule, the city was besieged by Alexander the Great and eventually conquered in 332 CE.<\/p>\n

Tyre was designated a World Heritage site in 1984. The ancient city\u2019s second designation, that of a World Heritage Site in Danger, was announced on July 22.<\/p>\n

The five Mount Amel Castles, which include Beaufort Castle, were added to Lebanon\u2019s tentative list in September 2025. Their designations as World Heritage Sites and World Heritage Sites in Danger was announced on July 24.<\/p>\n

The castles, located in the Jabal Amel region in southern Lebanon, include Beaufort Castle<\/a> (Qal’at al-Shaqif),\u00a0 Toron Castle (Qal’at Tibnin), Dubieh Castle (Qal’at Chakra), Maron Castle (Qal’at Deir Kifa), and Chama\u2019 Castle Qal’at Chama\u2019).\u00a0<\/p>\n

All five are from between the medieval period and the 19th century, and have been under the control of the Crusaders, the Ayyubid dynasty, the Mamluks, Ottomans, and other local feudal rulers.<\/p>\n

In more modern history, Beaufort Castle, was held in 1976 by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) until the First Lebanon War in 1982.<\/p>\n

During the war, the site was captured by the IDF’s Golani Reconnaissance Unit and held until May 2000, when former prime minister Ehud Barak ordered Israeli forces to withdraw from the region.<\/p>\n

\"IDFIDF soldiers operating in Lebanon’s Beaufort Ridge, shared by the military on May 31, 2026. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON UNIT)<\/p>\n

However, UNESCO\u2019s designation of the sites was not passed without backlash.<\/p>\n

Following the announcement, the Foreign Ministry slammed the allegations that the Mount Amel Castles were endangered due to being \u201cpresently under direct Israeli military occupation\u201d as baseless.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is the terrorist organization Hezbollah who is endangering Lebanon’s historical sites, including the Beaufort,\u201d the ministry said in a Friday X\/Twitter post, adding that for over a decade, Hezbollah had \u201ctransformed the 12th Century Crusader Castle into a terrorist stronghold.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOne should ask why during Hezbollah’s occupation no proposal was advanced to recognize it as a site in danger.\u201d
\u201cAn organization that excuses the weaponization of world heritage has abandoned its mission,\u201d it added in a separate post last week.<\/p>\n

It noted the extensive terror tunnel network discovered by the IDF beneath the historic site since June, including weapons caches and multiple rooms designed for long-term use and terror activity.<\/p>\n

These rooms include living quarters, plumbing, electrical infrastructure, and extensive anti-tank and aerial defense arrays \u201cintended to target IDF troops and Israeli civilians,\u201d the IDF stated upon discovery of the tunnel.<\/p>\n

While Lebanon\u2019s South Korean Embassy declined to comment on Foreign Ministry\u2019s words, The Associated Press reported on Saturday, it added that a Lebanese delegate at Friday\u2019s meeting argued against Israel\u2019s claims.<\/p>\n

According to AP, the delegate claimed that, since Israel\u2019s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000, the five Mount Amel Castles had been used \u201conly for cultural and tourism purposes,\u201d and accused Israeli media of distorting such infrastructure and portraying it as much more sinister.<\/p>\n

Sebastia<\/p>\n

Once ancient Samaria, the capital of the biblical Kingdom of Israel, the archaeological site of Sebastia has been on the Palestinian Authority\u2019s UNESCO Tentative List since 2012.<\/p>\n

On Friday, UNESCO announced that it had been designated a World Heritage Site and a World Heritage Site in Danger, following increased lobbying from the PA.<\/p>\n

Sebastia<\/a>, located in Area C of the West Bank, lies next to a residential village in Area B whose economy relies heavily on tourism from the site and its surrounding olive groves.<\/p>\n

\"ViewView of the ancient archeological site of Sebastia, near the West Bank city of Nablus, May 12, 2025. (credit: NASSER ISHTAYEH\/FLASH90)<\/p>\n

Ahead of UNESCO\u2019s vote, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa\u2019ar accused the PA of fabricating a narrative in order to \u201cerase and deny the Jewish connection to this land,\u201d during an event at the City of David.<\/p>\n

\u201cSebastia is a place of immense importance in the history of the Jewish people and the ancient Kingdom of Israel. Like the City of David, it bears witness to the Kings of Israel,\u201d he said, \u201cIt holds the evidence of our people\u2019s deep historical roots in this land.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut there is one thing about history: If you dig deep enough, the truth is revealed. No political resolution can erase that. No vote in an international organization can change what lies beneath our feet.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the Palestinian Authority\u2019s Culture Ministry praised the motion to recognize Sebastia as a Palestinian heritage site as a \u201chistoric decision\u201d reflecting the \u201ccivilizational, historical, and heritage status of Palestine and its people.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Foreign Ministry sharply condemned the move as a \u201csurrender to politicization and a distortion of history.\u201d<\/p>\n

It added that the World Heritage Committee, \u201cwhich approved the proposals submitted by the Palestinian Authority and Lebanon without a vote,\u201d served as a platform to advance \u201cone-sided Palestinian political initiatives against Israel, in a disgraceful attempt to erase the clear Jewish connection to the Land of Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n

Danielle Greyman-Kennard and Reuters contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Lebanon\u2019s Mount Amel Castles, the ancient Phoenician city of Tyre, and the historic site of Sebastia in Area…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":139113,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[32],"tags":[13498,44322,2570,100,423,93,29153,400,6905,63138],"class_list":["post-231610","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-lebanon","tag-archaeological-site","tag-beaufort-castle","tag-heritage","tag-hezbollah","tag-idf","tag-lebanon","tag-old-city-jerusalem","tag-unesco","tag-west-bank","tag-world-heritage-committee"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@iran\/117020555428634442","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231610","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=231610"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231610\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/139113"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=231610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=231610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=231610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}