The Gulistan Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Tehran, the capital of Iran, was damaged by an airstrike. UNESCO issued a statement expressing concern about the situation.
"UNESCO continues to closely monitor the situation in the field of cultural heritage protection in the country and the region as a whole. In this regard, the Organization has provided all interested parties with the geographical coordinates of sites included in the World Heritage List, as well as objects of national significance, in order to prevent any possible damage", the statement on March 2 said.
On March 10, UNESCO once again expressed deep concern about the issues of education, culture, mass media, and environmental protection against the backdrop of the escalating situation in the Middle East and beyond.
"Since the beginning of hostilities on February 28, there have been reports of damage and damage to a number of cultural sites, including the Gulistan Palace (Iran), the White City in Tel Aviv (Israel), and the ancient city of Tir (Lebanon), which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Educational infrastructure, education workers and students, as well as the media and scientific institutions are increasingly at risk due to the deteriorating security situation in some parts of the region...
UNESCO calls for maximum restraint and the adoption of all necessary measures to protect education, culture, the media, science, and the environment, which are the social foundations of society.
UNESCO has provided and will continue to provide all interested parties with geographical coordinates, national preliminary lists of World Heritage sites, as well as sites under enhanced protection, in order to take all possible precautions to prevent damage", the statement said.
The organization reminded all parties of their obligations to comply with international law, in particular, the Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict of 1954, as well as the Universal Convention for the Protection of Cultural and Natural Heritage of 1972.