KAIROUAN, Tunisia: A section of the historic walls around the Old City of Kairouan collapsed on Saturday, killing three masons carrying out repairs on the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Tunisian authorities said.
Two workers were also injured in the accident, which saw a 30 meter (100 foot) long section of the six meter (20 foot) high walls near the Gate of the Floggers crash to the ground, the Civil Protection department said.
“A team was carrying out restoration work” on the three kilometer (two mile) long wall that surrounds the Old City, department spokesman Moez Tria told AFP, adding that the accident “could be linked to heavy rains in the area in recent days.”
Founded in 670 AD, Kairouan is one of North Africa’s holiest cities and a leading tourist attraction. It has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988.
Wall collapse kills three in Tunisia UNESCO World Heritage Site
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Wall collapse kills three in Tunisia UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Two workers were also injured in the accident
- “A team was carrying out restoration work” on the three kilometer long wall
Lebanon condemns deadly Israeli strikes on south and east
- Joseph Aoun called the attacks “a blatant act of aggression aimed at thwarting diplomatic efforts”
- A lawmaker from Hezbollah called on Beirut to suspend meetings of a multinational committee tasked with monitoring the truce
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s president on Saturday condemned deadly Israeli attacks on his country carried out a day prior, the latest despite a ceasefire with militant group Hezbollah.
In a statement, Joseph Aoun called the attacks “a blatant act of aggression aimed at thwarting diplomatic efforts” by the United States and other nations to establish stability.
A lawmaker from Hezbollah called on Beirut to suspend meetings of a multinational committee tasked with monitoring the truce.
Washington is one of five members on the committee overseeing the ceasefire implemented in November 2024, with the body scheduled to meet again next week.
Israel has repeatedly bombed Lebanon despite the ceasefire, usually saying it is targeting Hezbollah but occasionally also the group’s Palestinian ally Hamas.
The Friday attacks on southern and eastern Lebanon killed 12 people, according to the health ministry, 10 of them in the east of the country.
Israel’s military said it struck “several terrorists of Hezbollah’s missile array in three different command centers in the Baalbek area.”
Hezbollah said a commander was killed in the raids. Its lawmaker Rami Abu Hamdan said on Saturday the group “will not accept the authorities acting as mere political analysts, dismissing these as Israeli strikes we have grown accustomed to before every meeting of the committee.”
He called on Beirut to “suspend the committee’s meetings until the enemy ceases its attacks.”
Hezbollah, while weakened following war with Israel, remains a strong political force in Lebanon represented in parliament.
Lebanon’s government last year committed to disarming the group, with the army saying last month it had completed the first phase of the plan covering the area near the Israeli border.
Israel, which accuses Hezbollah of rearming since the war, has called the Lebanese army’s progress on disarming the militant group insufficient.
