Editing Baalbek (section)

==== 2006 Lebanon War ====
During the 2006 Lebanon war, many Israeli bombs fell inside the historic Roman town, and some fell as close as 300 meters from the temple of Baalbek.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Archaeology |first=Current World |date=2006-09-03 |title=Lebanon |url=https://www.world-archaeology.com/world/asia/lebanon/lebannon/ |access-date=2024-11-04 |website=World Archaeology |language=en-US}}</ref> After the war, UNESCO stated that the cracks in the Roman temples had widened.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-10-31 |title=UNESCO: Lebanon's Ancient Ruins Damaged by War |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/a-13-2006-09-18-voa39/325829.html |access-date=2024-11-04 |website=Voice of America |language=en}}</ref> The damage was thought to be due to shockwaves created by the bombs.<ref name=":1"/>

More than 250 houses and buildings were destroyed by Israel during the war.<ref name=":6" /> Reporters investigating the aftermath found these to be civilian houses and didn't find any evidence of military use.<ref name=":6" />

On the evening of 1 August 2006,{{sfnp|HRW|2007|p=124}} hundreds of [[Israeli Defense Forces|Israeli Defense Forces (IDF)]] soldiers raided Baalbek and the Dar al-Hikma<ref name="timetimetime">{{cite magazine |last=Butters |first=Andrew Lee |url=http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1222201,00.html?cnn=yes |title=Behind the Battle for Baalbek |date=2 August 2006 |magazine=Time |access-date=8 September 2015 |archive-date=24 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024023615/http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1222201,00.html?cnn=yes }}</ref> or Hikmeh Hospital<ref name="mxm">{{cite web |author=Nahla |title=Minute by Minute:: August 2 |website=Lebanon Updates |date=2 August 2006 |url=http://lebanonupdates.blogspot.com/2006/08/minute-by-minute-august-2.html |access-date=2 August 2006 |archive-date=3 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201103181906/http://lebanonupdates.blogspot.com/2006/08/minute-by-minute-august-2.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> in Jamaliyeh{{sfnp|HRW|2007|p=124}} to its north ("[[Operation Sharp and Smooth]]"). Their mission was to rescue two captured soldiers, [[Ehud Goldwasser]] and [[Eldad Regev]], who were abducted by Hezbollah on 12 July 2006. They were transported by helicopter{{sfnp|HRW|2007|p=124}} and supported by [[Apache helicopter]]s and [[UAV|unmanned drones]],<ref name="timetimetime" />{{sfnp|HRW|2007|p=124}} The [[Israeli Defense Forces|IDF]] was acting on information that Goldwasser and Regev were at the hospital. [[Al Jazeera Arabic|al-Jazeera]] and other sources claimed the IDF was attempting to capture senior Hezbollah officials, particularly Sheikh [[Mohammad Yazbek]].<ref name="mxm" /> The hospital had been empty for four days, the most unwell patients having been transferred and the rest sent home.<ref name="timetimetime" /> No Israelis were killed;{{sfnp|HRW|2007|p=124}} Five civilians were abducted and interrogated by the Israelis, presumably because one shared his name with [[Hassan Nasrallah]], the secretary general of Hezbollah;{{sfnp|HRW|2007|p=127}} they were released on August 21.{{sfnp|HRW|2007|p=127–128}}

On August 7, Israel killed 9 civilians in an attack on [[Brital]], just south of Baalbek, and by the subsequent attack on the car leaving the scene for the hospital.{{sfnp|HRW|2007|p=137}} A [[Human Rights Watch]] investigation showed that none of those killed were combatants, it is likely none were members of Hezbollah, and none of the survivors had any knowledge of any military presence at place of the attack.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=2007-09-05 |title=Why They Died |url=https://www.hrw.org/report/2007/09/05/why-they-died/civilian-casualties-lebanon-during-2006-war |journal=Human Rights Watch |language=en}}</ref>

On 14 August just before the ceasefire took effect, two Lebanese police and five Lebanese soldiers were killed by a drone strike while driving their van around the still-damaged road through Jamaliyeh.{{sfnp|HRW|2007|p=164–165}}