THERE OF HUMANITY. NBC’S DANIELE HAMAMDJIAN JOINS US MORE IN
SOUTHERN LEBANON, WHETHER MUSLIM
OR CHRISTIAN.
>> VILLAGE AFTER VILLAGE HAS
BEEN DESTROYED BY ISRAELI
AIRSTRIKES AND GROUND OPERATIONS
>> ISRAEL’S WAR AGAINST LEBANESE
MILITIA HEZBOLLAH HAS LEFT MORE
THAN 3000 DEAD AND COUNTING. THE
ISRAELI MILITARY, VOWING TO END
THE GROUP’S ROCKET ATTACKS ON
NORTHERN ISRAEL. BUT THERE ARE
FEARS THE INCESSANT BOMBING WILL
PRODUCE ANOTHER KIND OF
CASUALTY. TAKE A LOOK AT THIS
IMAGE. THE BURNT OUT VEHICLES
ARE A FAMILIAR SIGHT BY NOW.
EXCEPT IN THE BACKGROUND STANDS
THE BAALBEK TEMPLE COMPLEX, ONE
OF THE BEST PRESERVED ROMAN
RUINS IN THE WORLD, AT LEAST FOR
NOW.
>> MY HEART IS BREAKING. MY. MY
SOUL IS ACHING. AND THIS IS THE
WORST PART, IS THAT WE CAN’T DO
ANYTHING BUT JUST WRITE REPORTS
AND BEG COUNTRIES TO LISTEN TO
US.
>> LEBANON IS PACKED WITH WORLD
HERITAGE SITES LIKE THIS ONE
HERE, NORTH OF THE CAPITAL,
BEIRUT, WHICH ARCHEOGISTS SAY
TELLS THE STORY OF HUMANITY.
>> WE ARE SITTING IN A ROMAN
COLONY FROM THE SECOND CENTURY
AND LOOKING AT THE BRONZE AGE
CITY FROM 2500 YEARS OLD, AND
THE CITY WALL, WHICH IS ALSO
3000 YEARS OLD. AND BEHIND US IS
THE CITY.
>> NOW, THE BOMBS HAVEN’T HIT
THIS PLACE HERE.
>> THE ANCIENT PORT CITY OF
BYBLOS, ONE OF SEVERAL UNESCO
HERITAGE SITES THAT DOT THIS
TINY COUNTRY. BUT ISRAELI
AIRSTRIKES HAVE HIT DANGEROUSLY
CLOSE TO OTHERS. THIS VIDEO WAS
TAKEN IN THE SOUTHERN CITY OF
TIRE BY DOCTOR NADA ALAWI. HE
WAS NEAR THE ROMAN RUINS. HE
SPENT HIS ENTIRE CAREER TRYING
TO PRESERVE. AND AS WE SIT DOWN
FOR AN INTERVIEW IN BEIRUT, WAS
THAT ANOTHER STRIKE THAT I JUST
HEARD?
>> YEAH. SO WE’RE ABOUT TO START
AND WE’VE JUST HEARD SOME
EXPLOSIONS IN THE SOUTHERN
SUBURBS OF BEIRUT, IF WE HAVE
ANY.
>> LOOKS LIKE ISRAEL, WHAT WE
CAN DO WITH HIM, WHAT WE CAN DO.
>> THE IDF SAYS IT ONLY TARGETS
HEZBOLLAH, BUT THAT THE GROUP
EMBEDS ITSELF IN CIVILIAN AREAS,
INCLUDING HERITAGE SITES, AND
THE SITE IS OPENING.
>> THERE IS NO BUILDING. THERE
IS NO HEZBOLLAH PRESENCE. I AM
SURE, I AM SURE ARCHEOLOGISTS
AREN’T JUST WORRIED ABOUT DIRECT
HITS ON THE MONUMENTS.
>> THEY SAY BLAST VIBRATIONS
COULD ALSO CAUSE IRREPARABLE
DAMAGE, AS COULD THE USE OF
WHITE PHOSPHORUS MUNITIONS,
WHICH THE IDF DENIES USING.
>> IT’S LIKE A SACRED PLACE FOR
ME.
>> TANYA ZAVAN BELIEVES ANCIENT
MONUMENTS ARE INCREASINGLY
BECOMING CASUALTIES OF WAR,
POINTING TO AFGHANISTAN IN 2001
WHEN THE TALIBAN DESTROYED THE
BAMIYAN BUDDHAS.
>> AND THEN TO SYRIA AND IRAQ,
WHERE ISLAMIC STATE MILITANTS
RAVAGED ANCIENT SITES AND
STATUES.
>> BOTH CHRISTIANS AND MUSLIMS.
>> HERE TREASURE THEIR SHARED
HISTORY.
>> IT’S NOT ONLY OUR HISTORY,
IT’S THE WORLD HISTORY. WE ARE
ONLY THE KEEPERS OF THIS LEGACY.
WE ARE THE KEEPERS OF THE STORY
OF HUMANITY.