PARIS, France — Tyre, an ancient Phoenician city in southern Lebanon hit by Israeli strikes in recent months, was added on Wednesday to the UNESCO list of world heritage sites in danger.

“The site has been directly hit and has sustained damage. Furthermore, its state of conservation is a cause for growing concern, particularly given the possibility of further impacts,” the organization said.

“Optimal conditions are no longer in place to ensure the conservation and protection of the property’s outstanding universal value,” said the UN body, adding that it was the Lebanese government that requested its inclusion on the list.

Tyre, 83 kilometers (50 miles) south of Beirut but barely 20 kilometers from the Israeli border, was placed on the UNESCO heritage list in 1984 and contains mainly Roman-era archaeological remains.

The coastal city was caught up in recent months in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, and most of its inhabitants fled after the IDF issued evacuation orders covering districts, including some archaeological areas.

Hezbollah drew Lebanon into a fresh conflict with Israel in early March when it fired rockets across the border to avenge the US-Israeli killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

Israel responded with heavy strikes and a ground invasion, killing more than 4,300 people, according to Lebanon’s health authorities, which do not differentiate between combatants and civilians. The IDF has said that it has killed over 2,500 Hezbollah operatives, including hundreds of members of the terror group’s elite Radwan Force,........

© The Times of Israel