Israeli strikes on Wednesday devastated Lebanon’s Tyre, an ancient coastal city that boasts a UNESCO world heritage site, leaving parts of its center in ruins.
The raid, one of the worst since the start of the Israel-Hezbollah war last month, struck “the heart of Tyre,” said Rana, a resident, who asked that only his first name be used over security concerns.
“The whole city shook,” Rana said after people fled to the beach in the morning following Israeli military warnings to evacuate much of the center of Tyre.
Thick black plumes of smoke were seen rising from several areas, including parts of the evacuation zone just 500 meters (yards) from the city’s ancient ruins.
“The attacks caused massive destruction and serious damage to homes, infrastructure, buildings, shops and cars,” the official national news agency said.
AFP footage shows the entire area buried under debris.
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Adrai described Tire as an “important” Hezbollah stronghold, although the Iran-backed group’s ally Amal was considered to have greater influence there.
Bilal Kashmir of Tyre’s disaster management unit said seven buildings were completely leveled in the attacks and more than 400 apartments around them were damaged.
Four roads were completely blocked by debris and at least two people were injured after most residents fled, he told AFP.
fresh escape
Before Hezbollah and Israel began firing across the border last year, at least 50,000 people lived in Tyre, a vibrant city for both Christians and Muslims.
The city was emptied of most of its population when heavy Israeli bombardment began last month.
Kashmir said only 14,500 were left there on Tuesday.
But the city saw a fresh exodus on Wednesday as people began fleeing shortly after the Israeli military issued an evacuation warning for four neighborhoods at 8:00 a.m. (0500 GMT).
Emergency teams drove around the city, urging people over megaphones to evacuate, said a video journalist cooperating with AFP.
An AFP photographer in the city of Sidon, further north, saw dozens of cars packed with families carrying mattresses, suitcases and clothes on the coastal highway.
“Some families, who had not previously left Tire city, began to leave their homes to stay away from areas that the Israeli enemy threatened to target,” the NNA said.
Civil protection teams helped evacuate elderly people and those with limited mobility to “safe areas”, the NNA said.
ancient city
Risala Scouts, a rescue group affiliated with Hezbollah affiliate Amal, deployed ambulances to targeted areas to transport injured civilians to nearby hospitals.
“We are working with municipalities to provide alternative housing,” said Rabih Issa, an official with the organization.
Tire is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It is home to important archaeological sites, mainly from the Roman period.
Kashmir, of Tyre’s disaster management unit, said damage assessments had not yet been done for the heritage sites.
However, “damage is possible,” he said, explaining that one attack occurred less than 50 meters from one of the city’s ruins.
UNESCO said it was “closely monitoring the impact of the ongoing conflict on the World Heritage site of Tyre” using remote sensing tools and satellite imagery.
Israel launched an intensive air campaign in Lebanon on September 23, after almost a year of cross-border exchanges with Hezbollah over the Gaza war.
Since then, at least 1,552 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanon, according to an AFP tally of health ministry figures, although the actual number is likely higher due to data gaps.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
