![]() | This article needs to be updated.(October 2024) |
2024 Tyre airstrikes | |||||||
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Part of the Israel–Hezbollah conflict (2023–present) and the 2024 Israeli invasion of Lebanon | |||||||
Tyre in 2006 | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
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Units involved | |||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
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The 2024 Tyre airstrikes refers to the ongoing airstrikes by the Israeli Air Force within the city of Tyre and several villages in the Tyre District in southern Lebanon. The airstrikes also struck near Roman, ancient Phoenician, and Crusader archaeological sites, causing significant concern from UNESCO for the potential damaging or destruction of cultural heritage.
Tyre is a city in Lebanon, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, [2] though in medieval times for some centuries by just a small population. It was one of the earliest Phoenician metropolises and the legendary birthplace of Europa, her brothers Cadmus and Phoenix, as well as Carthage's founder Dido (Elissa). The city has many ancient sites, including the Tyre Hippodrome, and was added as a whole to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1984. [3]
The majority of Tyre's religiously diverse population of about 50,000 evacuated following the onset of Israeli bombardments, leaving about 14,500 residents left by 22 October 2024. [4]
On 23 October 2024, Israel launched a large airstrike in the center of Tyre, resulting in large sections of the city being destroyed. The Lebanese National News Agency and residents of Tyre reported that the airstrike resulted in major earth-shaking explosions that caused massive plumes of black smoke to emanate from the site of the airstrike, located about 500 meters from the city's Roman-period archaeological ruins. At least one strike was reported to have struck within 50 meters of the ruins, and other strikes struck close to a coastal group of ancient Phoenician and Crusader ruins. The UNESCO World Heritage organization expressed concern over possible harm done to the site, with evaluators being unable to conduct a complete damage assessment due to the ongoing conflict. [4] [5] [6]
The airstrike completely destroyed seven buildings, damaged over four hundred apartments, and injured at least two people. The bombardments caused large numbers of the remaining population to evacuate. The Lebanese Civil Defense used loudspeakers to issue urgent evacuation orders, with workers aiding older and disabled residents in evacuation. [4] [6] Several vehicles were photographed entering Sidon after evacuating from Tyre. [5]
A couple of hours prior to the airstrikes, the Israeli Defense Forces issued evacuation warnings for a cluster of buildings in the center of the city, instructing residents to move to the north of the Awali. Israel reported that they had struck multiple "command and control complexes of various Hezbollah units", referring to Tyre as a significant Hezbollah stronghold. [4] The city was reported to be a "ghost town" by 24 October 2024. [7]
Beginning on 25 October 2024, several villages in the west of Tyre District were bombarded by airstrikes and artillery fire, including Alma al-Shaab, Dhaira, Tayr Harfa, Zebqin, Marwahin, and Yarine. [8]
On 24 October 2024, [9] the town of Maarakeh in southern Lebanon witnessed a violent escalation in the confrontations between Hezbollah and Israel. The clashes began with an intensification of Israeli raids, targeting Hezbollah sites and main roads in the area. Hezbollah responded by shelling Israeli areas with missiles and using drones, which led to injuries and losses on both sides. [10] [11] [12] [13]
Tyre is a city in Lebanon, and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It was one of the earliest Phoenician metropolises and the legendary birthplace of Europa, her brothers Cadmus and Phoenix, and Carthage's founder Dido (Elissa). The city has many ancient sites, including the Tyre Hippodrome, and was added as a whole to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1984. The historian Ernest Renan noted that "One can call Tyre a city of ruins, built out of ruins".
An-Naqoura is a municipality in southern Lebanon. Since March 23, 1978, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has been headquartered in An-Naqoura.
Ayta ash-Shaab is a municipality located in southern Lebanon, about 2.22 km northeast of the Israeli border. The majority of its population are Shia Muslims.
The Tyre District is a district in the South Governorate of Lebanon.
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The Iran–Israel conflict during the Syrian civil war refers to the Iranian–Israeli standoff in and around Syria during the Syrian conflict. With increasing Iranian involvement in Syria from 2011 onwards, the conflict shifted from a proxy war into a direct confrontation by early 2018.
Shamaa is a village and municipality in the Tyre District of Lebanon's South Governorate, about 25 kilometres southeast of Tyre and some 99 kilometres south of Beirut.
The ruins of Tyre, are a collection of archaeological sites in the city of Tyre, in Southern Lebanon. Since the 1940s, the Lebanese government has been carrying out extensive excavation campaigns in the area of the Phoenician city in search of the city's antiquities and history. In 1979, the United Nations UNESCO organization included the city of Tyre on the list of World Heritage Sites.
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This timeline of the Israel–Hezbollah conflict covers the period from 1 April 2024, when Israel struck the Iranian consulate in Damascus, to 26 July 2024, one day before the Majdal Shams attack.
This timeline of the Israel–Hezbollah conflict covers the period from 27 July 2024, when a Hezbollah rocket struck a soccer field in Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, killing 12 children, to 16 September 2024, one day before the explosion of Hezbollah pagers and walkie talkies.
On 23 September 2024, Israel began a series of airstrikes in Lebanon as part of the ongoing Israel–Hezbollah conflict with an operation it code-named Northern Arrows. Since then, Israel's attacks have killed over 800 people, injured more than 5,000, and displaced hundreds of thousands of Lebanese civilians. The attacks are the deadliest in Lebanon since the end of the Lebanese Civil War, and began five days after Israel performed a deadly pager and walkie-talkie attack on devices intended for Hezbollah members, and three days after Israel performed an airstrike on an apartment complex in Beirut which killed Redwan Force commander Ibrahim Aqil as well as 54 others.
This timeline of the Israel–Hezbollah conflict covers the period that begins 17 September 2024, when Hezbollah pagers exploded throughout Lebanon and Syria, and ends prior to 27 November 2024, when the 2024 Israel–Lebanon ceasefire agreement was signed. Beginning 23 September, Israel began its airstrikes in Lebanon, on 27 September, they assassinated Hassan Nasrallah, and on 1 October, they invaded Lebanon.
On 1 October 2024, Israel invaded Southern Lebanon, marking the sixth Israeli invasion of Lebanon since 1978. The invasion took place after nearly 12 months of Israel–Hezbollah conflict. On 26 November, Israel and Lebanon signed a ceasefire agreement, mediated by France and the United States. The ceasefire went into effect on 27 November, though some attacks continue.
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"Operation Tyre" was a suicide attack against the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in the city of Tyre during the 1982 Lebanon War. It was carried out by Ahmad Jafar Qasir, a Lebanese Shia Muslim who drove an explosive-laden Peugeot 504 towards the IDF command centre in the city. As many as 102 people were killed in the attack, while another 55 were wounded and 10 missing. Responsibility for the car bombing, which preceded another one in November 1983, was attributed to the Iran-backed Lebanese militant organization Hezbollah.
The 2024 Israeli invasion of Lebanon caused damage to or destroyed various cultural heritage sites, up to the scale of the destruction of entire historic villages.
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