Israel Destroys 2,000-Year-Old Mausoleum of Saint Peter, Apostle of Christ, While Bombing Civilians in Lebanon

Israeli forces have destroyed the Maqam Shamoun Al Safa (Shrine of Shimon), a historic religious site in the village of Shama in southern Lebanon during ground operations.

The shrine, which houses a mausoleum traditionally believed by some local Christians to be the burial place of Simon Peter (also known as Saint Peter), one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ and a foundational figure in early Christianity, sustained significant destruction.

Lebanese sources, including media outlets like Al-Akhbar and Arabi21, reported that Israeli troops entered the village, used the site—which is integrated into the walls of a historic medieval castle/citadel—during fighting, and then rigged it with explosives before withdrawing, detonating the charges and reducing much of the structure to rubble.

Videos and images reveal extensive damage to the shrine and signs that the crypt or grave had been disturbed or looted. 

Local residents and heritage advocates described the destruction as a deliberate act following the Israeli army’s occupation of the strategic village, which overlooks the city of Tyre.

Reports also emerged of an Israeli researcher being killed near the site during what some described as an unauthorized archaeological examination of the crypt.

Christian leaders and communities, both in Lebanon and internationally, have expressed sorrow over the loss of a site tied to apostolic history.

Shia religious figures have similarly decried the damage to a shared place of worship and reflection.

Lebanese Culture Minister and heritage experts have highlighted the incident as emblematic of risks to “human heritage” in the war zone.