UNESCO expresses concern for hundreds of heritage sites in Iran, Israel and Lebanon damaged or threatened by war

UNESCO told AFP on Friday that it was concerned about hundreds of historic sites in Iran, Israel and Lebanon that have been damaged or threatened by the ongoing war between the US, Israel and Iran. The UN cultural agency's statement represents one of the broadest multilateral expressions of concern about the conflict's cultural heritage impact. The statement follows a series of confirmed cultural damage incidents: - Golestan Palace (Tehran, UNESCO World Heritage Site): Blast waves from airstrikes on March 1 shattered windows and damaged delicate mirrorwork in several halls, confirmed by palace director Afarin Emami. AP video from March 3 documented shattered glass from mirrored ceilings blanketing floors, broken archways, and blown-out windows across multiple halls. - Multiple museum and archaeological sites across Iran, according to Iranian cultural authorities. - Heritage sites in Lebanon, which has seen sustained Israeli bombardment since hostilities resumed. UNESCO stated it had 'communicated to all parties concerned the geographical coordinates' of protected cultural property — a standard UNESCO protocol requiring warring parties to avoid protected sites. The communique of coordinates does not legally restrain parties but places them on notice that any subsequent strikes on known UNESCO sites would constitute a potential war crime under the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict. The Guardian published a detailed damage survey on March 12 documenting sites across Iran damaged in the first two weeks of war. The destruction of irreplaceable historical and cultural heritage adds a long-term civilizational dimension to the conflict's immediate human toll.