Israel, Hezbollah engaging in ‘propaganda’
Marc Owen Jones, an associate professor of media analytics at Northwestern University Qatar, says Israel and Hezbollah are both engaging in “propaganda” and providing “false information” to the media as a war tactic.
“Hezbollah will not want to reveal the extent or the impact of Israel’s attacks on Lebanon, because this would be demoralising,” Jones told Al Jazeera, adding that Israel has been engaging in a similar strategy to “exaggerate their successes”.
“But if you’re seen to be a dishonest broker, then people won’t necessarily think you are a legitimate actor,” he said. “It’s really deceiving the people at large and the population by not giving them the full facts, the full picture that they are entitled to.”
Israeli attack kills Lebanese soldier, injures three
The Lebanese Army has said one of its posts in al-Mari, in the Hasbaiyya district, was hit in an Israeli attack that killed a soldier. The army said on X that three others were wounded, one of them critically.
Cultural experts urge UN to shield Lebanon’s heritage
Hundreds of cultural professionals, including archaeologists and academics, have called on the United Nations to safeguard war-torn Lebanon’s heritage in a petition published ahead of a crucial meeting of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Several Israeli strikes in recent weeks on Baalbek in the east and Tyre in the south hit close to ancient Roman ruins designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The petition, signed by 300 prominent cultural figures, was sent to UNESCO chief Audrey Azoulay a day before a special session in Paris to consider listing Lebanese cultural sites under “enhanced protection”.
It urges UNESCO to protect Baalbek and other heritage sites by establishing “no-target zones” around them, deploying international observers and enforcing measures from the 1954 Hague Convention on cultural heritage in conflict.
In Baalbek, Israeli strikes on November 6 hit near the city’s Roman temples, according to authorities, destroying a heritage house dating back to the French mandate and damaging the historic site.
The ruins host the prestigious Baalbek Festival each year, a landmark event founded in 1956 and now a fixture on the international cultural scene, featuring performances by music legends who have included Oum Kalthoum, Charles Aznavour and Ella Fitzgerald.
Death toll in Israeli strike on Lebanese army post rises to 2
Earlier, we reported an Israeli attack on a Lebanese army post in al-Mari, Hasbaiyya area, which killed one soldier and wounded three, one critically. We are now getting information that another soldier succumbed to his wounds, raising the death toll to two.
“The Israeli enemy directly targeted an army centre [causing] the death of one of the soldiers and the wounding of three others, one of whom is in critical condition,” the army said in a statement.
A separate statement shortly afterwards said “a second soldier” died.
