New Delhi, July 25 -- the ancient city of Sebastia in the occupied West Bank and five castles in the Mount Amel region of southern Lebanon, including Beaufort Castle. The listings, enacted under procedures reserved for sites threatened by active conflict, were adopted over Israel's explicit objection.

Sebastia, located near Nablus in the northern West Bank, carries centuries of archaeological layering, from Hellenistic and Roman occupation through Byzantine and Crusader periods. The Palestinian delegate to the committee said residents had continued to protect the site despite Israeli occupation and restrictions on access. Israel's foreign ministry said the listing sought to erase what it called the "Jewish connection to this land," a fra...