Tyre, Lebanon, a city listed as an UNESCO World Heritage Site, was pounded by Israeli jets on Oct. 23, sending up large clouds of black smoke, according to the Middle East Eye. Four buildings were reportedly destroyed and two more suffered damage. The bombing began about two and a half hours after Lebanese Civil Defense on loudspeakers warned people to evacuate, however, the city of 100,000 residents now has only 15,000 civilians, who can either not leave or are unwilling to. There were no immediate reports of casualties in Tyre, but three were killed in nearby Maarakeh.
In the last year of fighting, Lebanon’s death toll is 2,574 and 12,000 people wounded. About 1.2 million Lebanese are displaced. On the Israeli side, some 60 Israelis have been killed and 60,000 are displaced.
Although Tyre had been spared during much of the current fighting, strikes in and around the city have intensified recently. Tyre, a provincial capital, has been continuously inhabited for 2,500 years. It has long been popular with tourists for its pristine beaches, Roman ruins, and its ancient harbor.
