An Israeli airstrike has destroyed an Ottoman-era building just a stone’s throw from the Unesco-listed temples of Baalbek in eastern Lebanon, the closest Israel has come yet to striking one of Lebanon’s most treasured archaeological sites, ** reports.

Heaps of grey masonry and twisted metal lay next to a burnt-out bus just a few dozen metres from the World Heritage Site, a day after the attack which was part of a wave of strikes that killed 40 people in and around the city.

Governor Bachir Khodr told Reuters the destroyed building in the historic Manshiyeh neighbourhood just outside the ancient temple site was valuable in itself, dating to the Ottoman era.

“It’s a very artisanal neighbourhood, typically full of tourists. There was no one in that building,” he said.

No damage was immediately visible to the temple complex, but it was too early to be conclusive, he said.

“The castle guards visually confirmed there was no damage but we need experts — engineers and archaeologists — to come look. No one has been able to do so yet because of the strikes,” Khodr said.