PARIS, November 18. /TASS/. UNESCO granted provisional enhanced protection to 34 cultural properties in Lebanon amid ongoing hostilities.
The decision was made at a session of the UNESCO Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, which was held at the request of the Lebanese authorities.
"It resulted in the provisional inclusion of 34 Lebanese cultural properties on the International List of Cultural Property under Enhanced Protection, including the World Heritage sites of Baalbek and Tyre, near to which strikes have recently been recorded," the organization said in a statement.
These cultural properties - including temples, museums and archeological sites - now benefit from the highest level of immunity against attack.
"Non-compliance with these clauses would constitute serious violations of the 1954 Hague Convention and would constitute potential grounds for prosecution," the statement said.
UNESCO plans to provide technical and financial assistance to the sites to reinforce their legal protection and avert threats. The organization has offered its support in inventorying museum collections, and moving works that can be moved to safe locations elsewhere in Lebanon. It is also carrying out satellite monitoring of the sites.
In early November, members of the Lebanese parliament signed an appeal to UNESCO to protect the ancient monuments of Baalbek, Saida and Tyre from destruction. The appeal noted the threat to the citadel of Baalbek, home to the famous ancient temple compound. The outskirts of the city, located in the Bekaa Valley near the Syrian border, have been under intense attack over the past two weeks. Israel said the airstrikes target Hezbollah sites there.