Baalbek's ancient ruins at risk by Israeli bombing, archaeologists warn

Roman ruins in Lebanon lie just a short distance from sites that have been hit by Israeli air strikes.

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On Wednesday, a car park just metres away from the Unesco World Heritage site was hit by an Israeli air strike.

The attack, which also destroyed a centuries-old Ottoman building, highlighted what some archaeologists say is the risk of irreparable damage to historical sites across Lebanon from the current war between Israel and Hezbollah.

"Baalbek is the major Roman site in Lebanon. You couldn't replace it if someone bombed it," says Graham Philip, an archaeology professor at Durham University.

"It would be a huge loss. It would be a crime."

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c86qp55q3vyo

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