Cultural experts urge UN to shield war-torn Lebanon's heritage 

Beirut — 

Hundreds of taste professionals, including archeologists and academics, called connected the United Nations to safeguard war-torn Lebanon's practice successful a petition published Sunday up of a important UNESCO meeting.

Several Israeli strikes successful caller weeks connected Baalbek successful the eastbound and Tyre successful the southbound — some strongholds of Iran-backed militant radical Hezbollah — deed adjacent to past Roman ruins designated arsenic UNESCO World Heritage sites.

The petition, signed by 300 salient taste figures, was sent to UNESCO main Audrey Azoulay a time earlier a peculiar league successful Paris to see listing Lebanese taste sites nether "enhanced protection."

It urges UNESCO to support Baalbek and different practice sites by establishing "no-target zones" astir them, deploying planetary observers and enforcing measures from the 1954 Hague Convention connected taste practice successful conflict.

"Lebanon's taste practice astatine ample is being endangered by recurrent assaults connected past cities specified arsenic Baalbek, Tyre and Anjar, each UNESCO satellite practice sites, arsenic good arsenic connected different historical landmarks," says the petition.

It calls connected influential states to propulsion for an extremity to subject enactment that causes demolition of harm to sites, arsenic good arsenic adding protections oregon introducing sanctions.

Change Lebanon, the foundation down the petition, said signatories included depository curators, academics, archaeologists and writers successful Britain, France, Italy and the United States.

Hezbollah and Israel person been astatine warfare since precocious September, erstwhile Israel broadened its absorption from warring Hamas successful the Gaza Strip to securing its bluish border, adjacent arsenic the Gaza warfare continues.

Enhanced extortion presumption gives practice sites "high-level immunity from subject attacks", according to UNESCO.

"Criminal prosecutions and sanctions, conducted by the competent authorities, whitethorn use successful cases wherever individuals bash not respect the enhanced extortion granted to a taste property," it said.

In Baalbek, Israeli strikes connected November 6 deed adjacent the city's Roman temples, according to authorities, destroying a practice location dating backmost to the French mandate and damaged the historical site.

The region's politician said "a rocket fell successful the car park" of a 1,000-year-old temple, the closest onslaught since the commencement of the war.

The ruins big the prestigious Baalbek Festival each year, a landmark lawsuit founded successful 1956 and present a fixture connected the planetary taste scene, featuring performances by euphony legends similar Oum Kalthoum, Charles Aznavour and Ella Fitzgerald.