Antik Tire pays a heavy price for being on the front lines of a modern war – The Irish Times

When the ancient city of Tire was viewed, a sharp burning smell hung in the air.

The oncoming roads were noticeably empty except for the Lebanese army checkpoint and a few Unifil vehicles: South Korean peacekeepers smiled and gave journalists a thumbs-up. Most of the roads were filled with rubble. An emergency vehicle sped past us, sirens flashing. There had been a new air attack within the past hour, and another was expected soon.

Tire, known as Ekşi in Arabic, is approximately 25 km from the Israeli border. The city was once a tourist destination and its beach was considered one of the most beautiful and clean on the Mediterranean coast.

It’s close to empty now. early october Israeli forces He warned that they would operate in the opposing sea area. Hezbollah“From now until further notice, everyone should avoid being in the sea or on the beach,” he said, as this “will pose a danger to your life.” Last weekend, this threat was realized when two fishermen were killed in the sand by an Israeli drone.

Tire is believed to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Recognized as UNESCO World heritage area According to Unesco, it was once “the most important maritime and land trade center in the Eastern Mediterranean.” It still contains Roman ruins, the ruins of a Venetian cathedral and the walls of a former Crusader castle.

Israel launches intense air operation Lebanon More obviously, this has led to huge concerns about historic sites as well as massive civilian deaths. UNESCO at the end of October “enhanced protection” was givenNoting that Israeli airstrikes hit near world heritage sites in Tire and the eastern city of Baalbek, assistance was provided to 34 cultural properties in Lebanon, including technical and financial assistance.

Beirut Urban Lab, a research initiative, says that in less than a month from Oct. 17, 10 percent of Tire’s built environment, consisting of about 1,100 buildings, was exposed. Israel’s eviction threats. A Sunday Times analysis published in early November said more than 500 more airstrikes took place outside evacuation zones in the wider Tire area.

When The Irish Times visited the city’s roads last week, gutted vehicles and collapsed buildings dotted the city’s roads; At least one of them was still smoking. It was not possible to see much after an official from the Hezbollah militant group, which required permission to move around the city, said that the city had become very dangerous. More airstrikes were unexpectedly expected, he said – underlining the difficulties international journalists face trying to cover the full consequences of war.

Despite the danger, some citizens shopped. In two vegetable and fruit shops, products such as oranges, turnips and eggplants were placed in bowls and baskets. But the city, a shell of its former self, has seen mass exodus since Israel intensified its attacks on Hezbollah, displacing more than 1.2 million people. A third of Lebanon’s displaced people came from the wider Tire region, according to a Sunday Times analysis.

The mayor of Tire, Hassan Dbouk, was unable to meet in person because he was attending the funeral of “his friends, the martyred victims.” More than 7,000 people still live in the city, he said via WhatsApp messages. “We believe this is our home, our past and our future. Our roots. “We are very attached to our land.”

Attacks in both directions continued even as news of a potential ceasefire agreement rose. While an Israeli airstrike targeted Tire’s main water plant last week, Lebanese state media reported that two local officials were killed: residents were encouraged to ration water until repairs were completed. A Unicef ​​report published last month said that Israeli attacks in Lebanon damaged at least 28 water facilities and cut off access to clean water for more than 360,000 people. International lawyers and organizations say Israel’s attacks on civilian infrastructure could constitute war crimes.

Dbouk said most of those killed in Tire were civilians, and that number included one-tenth of all medics in the region. Lebanon’s health ministry says 222 healthcare workers were among the more than 3,768 people killed by Israel since October 2023. According to the humanitarian organisation’s Lebanon crisis analytics team, 519 people have been killed in Lebanon’s southern province, including Tire, since October 1 this year. Mercy Corps organization. Lebanon’s health ministry said 12 people were killed in two locations in Tire on Monday alone.

Dbouk said that “a few hundred “fighters” have now stopped the Israeli advance south of Tire, despite (Israel’s) air force and advanced western technology and weapons. Even if they pushed further, the Israelis would not be able to maintain their presence in Tire in the long term,” Dbouk said. He was sure: “They are destroying the city, but they certainly cannot occupy the city.”

He said Israel paid a high price when it occupied Tire in the 1980s, and then “they eventually escaped.” (This) same thing will happen again (this time) with a higher price.” A journalist living in Tire said that one day they saw a burning Israeli tank in the distance, showing how close the Israeli occupation was.

The ceasefire agreement is expected to require Israel to withdraw its troops from southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah will need to move its heavy weapons north of the Litani river. It will raise questions about how much of southern Lebanon remains habitable, what can be rebuilt and who will pay for it. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Sunday in question The Israeli army “destroyed all 37 villages”. Videos posted on social media show Israeli forces carrying out controlled explosions, damaging or destroying at least nine religious sites and flying an Israeli flag over at least one town.

In the back of a hotel next to Tire beach last week, Lebanese TV journalists held their positions ready to broadcast live despite fears that Israel might target them (many knew the three journalists). He was killed 70 kilometers away at Hasbaya last month). They had a view across the coast and could see the smoke rising after air strikes or after Hezbollah fired rockets in the other direction. At one point, they noted what they described as white phosphorus, distinctive because of the streaks it created in the sky.

White phosphorus is a chemical substance. stick It comes into contact with skin and ignites when exposed to oxygen. It can cause breathing problems or deep burns, or even death. A mother from south Lebanon told The Irish Times that her daughter had difficulty breathing after accidentally playing with a toy following the Israeli attack.

A. June report Human Rights Watch described Israel’s use of white phosphorus in southern Lebanon as “widespread” and said: “Since October 2023, it has been reported in at least 17 municipalities in southern Lebanon, including five municipalities where airburst munitions have been used illegally in crowded residential areas.” He said that he confirmed that “including . International lawyers say the use of white phosphorus is generally prohibited in civilian areas.

One of the journalists working in Tire was Hussein Ezzeddin, a 44-year-old from the region who works for the Iranian news channel al-Alam TV.

He said civilians stayed in southern Lebanon because “they had this mindset: ‘This is our land, we will not leave it no matter what. And some of these people have no place to stay, so if they leave their homes they will be homeless on the streets. “They choose to die with dignity at home.”

His words were punctured by two sonic booms, one of the methods used by Israel. He uses it to intimidate the Lebanese people. It originates from Israeli jets flying fast at low altitudes and makes an explosion-like sound.