Lebanese Minister of Culture: No Tunnels Exist Inside Al-Shaqif Castle in the South

Lebanese Minister of Culture Ghassan Salame affirmed that there are no tunnels inside the Shiqf Castle in the south, basing his statement on the opinion of archaeologists at the General Directorate of Antiquities. This came in a statement to journalists on Thursday during a tour with UNESCO Director-General Dr. Khalid al-Anani in the southern city of Sidon (Tyre) to inspect the al-Bass archaeological site, marking the end of the latter’s visit to Lebanon.

Salame said, “There are no tunnels inside the castle. As for the tunnels that were destroyed or detonated in the vicinity of Shiqf Castle, one is located 700 meters away and the other 1,100 meters away.”

Last month, the Israeli occupation claimed it had detonated tunnels used for military purposes in the area of the castle in southern Lebanon.

Salame added, “We rely on satellite imagery to assess the extent of damage to Shiqf Castle. From the outside, we see no damage. We will not enter the castle while Israelis are inside it; therefore, we cannot study the vibrations that may have occurred inside the castle due to the explosions.”

He continued, “We are waiting either for the Israelis to leave or for a neutral party to visit the castle and inform us about what happened inside. We have requested this from UNESCO during the Director-General’s visit to Beirut, asking for their assistance in sending a neutral delegation to the castle to report on the internal situation.”

He pointed out that Sidon has been on the World Heritage List for over 40 years and was placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger, “particularly after the strikes that led to the collapse of some capitals and caused some damage. We wanted the UNESCO Director-General to see that our request to place it in a state of danger was justified, as the damage came too close to the site.”

Regarding al-Anani’s invitation to visit Beirut, Salame said, “It was necessary following the support received by the Ministry of Culture from UNESCO leadership in recent months, especially in doubling the number of sites under enhanced protection on Lebanese territory, from the south to Baalbek in the east and Akkar in the north, and after obtaining approval to include the castles of Jabal Amel on the World Heritage List, so that he could see the sites firsthand and speak with Lebanese officials about heritage and its centrality in Lebanon.”

Salame praised al-Anani’s efforts and the assistance provided by the organization to Sidon, amounting to $100,000 to help initiate restoration efforts, in addition to “other periodic assistance provided by UNESCO concerning Lebanon’s archaeological heritage.”