ISTANBUL: Turkish police confiscated thousands of historical artifacts in a giant operation against smugglers in Istanbul, the private Dogan news agency reported on Thursday.
Police detained 13 suspects and seized 26,456 artifacts, Dogan said.
The agency did not provide details on the artifacts or the suspects.
Turkey has been fighting for the return of stolen pieces at home and abroad.
The issue is crucial to a country that is home to about 3,000 ancient cities from 42 civilizations, and whose tourism industry relies on its rich historical heritage to attract millions of foreigners each year.
In September, Turkey recovered the Roman sarcophagus of Hercules from Switzerland after it had been smuggled from the ancient city of Perge in the southern Antalya province half a century ago.
The sarcophagus, which portrays the 12 labors of Hercules is now showcased in the Antalya museum.
The relic was returned to Turkey following an order by a Swiss public prosecutor in 2015.
It was displayed at Geneva University as part of an agreement between Turkey and Switzerland, and then delivered to Turkey under the sponsorship of the national flag-carrier Turkish Airlines.
Over 26,000 historical artifacts seized in Istanbul
Over 26,000 historical artifacts seized in Istanbul
Israel strikes Islamist group’s HQ in Sidon, south Lebanon: state media
- “The Israeli enemy carried out an air raid a short while ago, targeting a headquarters of the Jamaa Islamiya,” state media said
- The strike almost entirely destroyed a seven-story building
BEIRUT: Israel struck a headquarters belonging to the Islamist group Jamaa Islamiya, an ally of Hamas and Hezbollah, in the southern Lebanese city of Sidon on Tuesday, state media reported.
“The Israeli enemy carried out an air raid a short while ago, targeting a headquarters of the Jamaa Islamiya” in the coastal city, state media said.
Sidon was largely spared of major Israeli attacks during the last war between Israel and Hezbollah, which a November 2024 ceasefire sought to end.
The strike almost entirely destroyed a seven-story building, according to an AFP photographer, and ambulances rushed to the scene.
It caused a powerful blast in a densely populated area, as seen on local media.
The Israeli military then issued an evacuation warning for another building in Sidon, saying it will hit “Hezbollah military infrastructure... in light of its prohibited attempts to rebuild its activities in the area.”
The Jamaa Islamiya had previously been the target of Israeli strikes in Lebanon after claiming responsibility for rocket launches toward Israel during the war between Israel and Hezbollah that began in October 2023.
Last month, it accused Israel of seizing one of its officials from a town near the border.
The Israeli military said that it “apprehended a senior terrorist” in the group who was then “transferred for further questioning in Israeli territory.”
