Legal Framework

Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions — Article 53

Protects cultural and spiritual heritage from hostile acts, military use, and reprisals. Covers historic monuments, works of art, and places of worship that form part of peoples' cultural heritage.

Related incidents

1 incident

Destruction of Iranian UNESCO World Heritage Sites in US-Israeli Airstrikes

US and Israeli strikes have damaged UNESCO World Heritage Sites and over 100 cultural heritage sites across Iran, including Golestan Palace, Isfahan's Naqsh-e Jahan Square complex, the 8th-century …

  • UNESCO documented at least four historic sites damaged by shockwaves from a March 10 strike alone. Iran's Ministry of Cultural Heritage …
  • Golestan Palace in Tehran, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, suffered shattered glass from mirrored ceilings, broken archways, blown-out …