{"success":true,"data":{"id":"3897a2cc-04f0-4e5f-ad0b-5010ec1cde1f","title":"UNESCO adds Lebanese, West Bank sites to endangered list","summary":"Israel has rejected the listing of a Lebanese castle and an occupied West Bank archaeological site. UNESCO added both sites to its World Heritage in Danger list in the context of Israeli activity.","content":"Regions\n\nTopics\n\nCategories\n\nIn focus\n\n# UNESCO adds Lebanese, West Bank sites to endangered list\n\nDW reporters with AFP, AP\n\n4 minutes ago 4 minutes ago\nIsrael has rejected the listing of a Lebanese castle and an occupied West Bank archaeological site. UNESCO added both sites to its World Heritage in Danger list in the context of Israeli activity.\n\nCopy link\n\nLebanon's Culture Minister Ghassan Salame has accused Israel of having destroyed Shamaa Castle and of threatening to demolish Beaufort Castle, seen here Image: Stringer/REUTERS\n\nThe United Nations cultural agency on Friday updated its [list of World Heritage in Danger](https://www.dw.com/en/unesco-puts-hebron-on-its-world-heritage-in-danger-list/a-39601093), with locations including a [Lebanese castle that Israeli forces recently captured](https://www.dw.com/en/middle-east-israel-captures-key-fortress-amid-lebanon-push/live-77353339) as well as an archaeological site in the [occupied West Bank](https://www.dw.com/en/occupied-west-bank/t-38397942), amid [Israeli](https://www.dw.com/en/israel/t-19067044) objections.\n\nThe decision was made during a UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) meeting in South Korea's Busan.\n\nMembers agreed that five castles in [Lebanon's](https://www.dw.com/en/lebanon/t-19131661) Mount Amel, including Beaufort Castle, and the West Bank's Sebastia would both go on the agency's [World Heritage List](https://www.dw.com/en/unesco-world-heritage/t-18559697) and List of World Heritage in Danger.\n\nThe decision came after reviewing the nominations on an emergency basis, citing [ongoing conflicts in the Middle East](https://www.dw.com/en/middle-easts-cultural-treasures-vulnerable-to-conflicts/a-73094168).\n\nIsrael's Foreign Ministry had urged the committee to reject the designation efforts, calling the nominations a \"weaponization of cultural heritage.\"\n\nIsraeli forces occupied Lebanon's Beaufort Castle in May Image: Stringer/REUTERS\n\n## What do we know about the UNESCO-designated sites?\n\nBeaufort Castle is a Crusader fortress also known as Qalaat al-Shakif. Israeli forces captured the fortress in May amid their military operations in southern Lebanon as part of the fight against Iran-backed [Hezbollah](https://www.dw.com/en/hezbollah/t-41508807) militants.\n\nThe mountainous area where Beaufort and the other five Jabal Amel listed castles are located has come under repeated Israeli bombardment during the war.\n\nUNESCO said the fortresses had sustained damage and faced ongoing threats from the conflict \"serious enough to justify resorting to an emergency procedure.\"\n\nLebanese Culture Minister Ghassan Salame told the French AFP news agency that only two of the castles were \"within the Lebanese government's reach\" and accused Israel of having already destroyed Shamaa Castle and of threatening to demolish Beaufort.\n\nSalame described the UNESCO listing as a \"remarkable achievement in the effort to protect these important Lebanese historical landmarks.\"\n\n## Israel seizes strategic castle in Lebanon in deep incursion\n\n02:09\n\nMeanwhile, Sebastia, the other site added on Friday, lies near the West Bank city of Nablus. It is thought to be the ancient Israeli and later Roman city of Samaria, with archaeological remains spanning the Iron Age, Roman, Byzantine and Islamic periods.\n\nIsrael still uses the name Samaria to refer to the northern West Bank.\n\nIsraeli authorities have developed an interest in the site in recent years, in 2025 taking control of around 200 hectares of Palestinian land nearby for what it calls preservation and development purposes.\n\nThe site is important to the Palestinian tourism industry and threatened by the recent Israeli actions, including an Israelis-only road, a fence and entry fees.\n\n\"The integrity of the site is currently threatened by an expropriation project aimed at subdividing the property and creating the 'Samaria' (Shomron) National Park,\" UNESCO said.\n\nSebastia is thought to be the ancient Israeli and later Roman city of Samaria, with archaeological remains spanning the Iron Age, Roman, Byzantine and Islamic periods [FILE: Feb 12, 2026]Image: Zain Jaafar/AFP\n\nSebastia's nomination to the UNESCO list was first submitted by the Palestinian delegation to UNESCO in 2012. It argued the site remains largely undeveloped under Israeli control and requires additional conservation despite attracting tourists.\n\nAdel Naim Daoud Atieh, a member of the Palestinian delegation to UNESCO, said the World Heritage designation rewards the perseverance of Sebastia's residents\"who have protected this extraordinary site through generations, despite occupation, restrictions and repeated attempts to separate them from their own heritage.\"\n\n## How has Israel responded?\n\nIsraeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar slammed UNESCO for the listings, calling that of Samaria in particular an attempt at \"erasing and denying the Jewish connection to this land.\"\n\nA member of the Israeli delegation, attending the Busan meetings as an observer after Israel [withdrew from the organization in 2019,](https://www.dw.com/en/goodbye-unesco-israel-and-us-quit-un-heritage-agency/a-46910385) said it was a \"shame politicization has ruined UNESCO and led to mockery of history.\"\n\nIn a statement on Tuesday, the Israeli Foreign Ministry accused the Palestinian delegation of waging a \"hostile, one-sided campaign\" at UNESCO by falsely portraying Sebastia as an area facing an emergency.\n\nAddressing the listing of the Lebanese Beaufort Castle, the Israeli Foreign Ministry alleged that Hezbollah turned it into a military stronghold by building tunnels beneath the site and launching rockets from the area.\n\nSebastia is an important site for the Palestinian tourism industry that is threatened by the recent Israeli actions, including an Israelis-only road, a fence and entry fees [FILE: Nov 20, 2025]Image: Nasser Nasser/AP Photo/picture alliance\n\nAt Friday's meeting, a Lebanese delegate said the castles have been used \"only for cultural and tourism purposes\" since Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000 and accused Israeli media of circulating images of tourist facilities as military tunnels.\n\nIsrael's withdrawal from UNESCO was owed to what it called [bias against it,](https://www.dw.com/en/us-leaves-unesco-again-over-alleged-anti-israel-agenda/a-73370812) accusing the UN agency of downplaying its historical ties to the Holy Land.\n\n_Edited by: Sean Sinico_\n\n_Don't let the algorithm hide the news. If you rely on our team for trusted reporting, please take a moment to select us as your Preferred Source on Google by [clicking here](https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=dw.com \"External link — clicking here\") and hitting the \"star\" or \"preferred\" button, so you'll always see our verified news first._\n\nSend us your feedback\n\n## Your feedback\n\n## More on Culture from Middle East\n\nCulture 03/13/2026 March 13, 2026\n\nCulture 01/31/2026 January 31, 2026 26:04 min\n\nCulture 12/27/2025 December 27, 2025\n\n## Related topics\n\n# DW's Top Story\n\nPolitics 7 hours ago 7 hours ago\n\nPolitics 07/22/2026 July 22, 2026\n\nPolitics 07/18/2026 July 18, 2026\n\nPage 1 of 1\n\n# More stories from DW\n\n## Africa\n\nPolitics 20 hours ago 20 hours ago","source_name":"Deutsche Welle","source_url":"https://www.dw.com/en/unesco-adds-lebanese-west-bank-sites-to-endangered-list/a-78102475?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf","url":"https://www.dw.com/en/unesco-adds-lebanese-west-bank-sites-to-endangered-list/a-78102475?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf","author":"Unknown Author","author_name":"Unknown Author","published_at":"2026-07-24T14:52:00.000Z","publication_date":"2026-07-24T14:52:00.000Z","image_url":"https://static.dw.com/image/77374815_600.jpg","category":"world","topic":"world","tags":[],"political_bias":null,"bias_score":null,"confidence_score":null,"credibility_score":null,"factual_quality":null,"reading_time":5,"word_count":991,"view_count":0,"breaking":false,"breaking_news":false,"ai_analysis":null,"fact_check_status":"unverified","archive_status":"hot","language":null}}