Armed Engagement Middle East – from 28 February 2026


Starting February 28, 2026, a series of armed exchanges and reported military activity events affected multiple locations across the Middle East region, including areas in Iran and neighboring states. According to open-source monitoring platforms and geolocation verification networks, several urban and peri-urban zones experienced kinetic events capable of generating localised blast waves, ground vibration, and secondary structural impacts. The affected region hosts a high density of archaeological sites, historic urban fabrics, religious monuments, and UNESCO-listed properties, many of which are located in or near major metropolitan areas and key historical corridors. Preliminary spatial analysis indicates that a number of recorded heritage sites fall within proximity of reported military activity events, suggesting potential exposure. At this stage, several heritage sites have already been reported as damaged. Satellite-based analyses and spatial cross-referencing with heritage inventories are ongoing in order to evaluate potential impacts on cultural heritage assets. The underlying event dataset used in this assessment is updated on a daily basis, and exposure indicators may evolve as new verified locations are added.

MULTI-LOCATION

ARMED ENGAGEMENT

CONFLICT LEVEL HIGH

Heritage Sites within the AOI

This map displays the locations of recorded military activity events derived from open-source geolocation verification platforms, together with the distribution of cultural heritage sites across the Area of Interest (AOI). Heritage site data are compiled from multiple sources, including UNESCO World Heritage listings, national and regional heritage inventories.

IndicatorValue
Total potentially exposed heritage sites 5902
Classified / protected sites exposedTBD
UNESCO World Heritage sites exposed312
Estimated high-risk heritage sites (HWAI index)109
Heritage site density within AOI1,3/1000 km²

Heritage Sites

Unesco Heritage SItes

Historical Sites

Military Activity Event

Heritage Sites Potentially Exposed

This map visualizes the spatial relationship between heritage sites and confirmed impact zones, using concentric buffer analysis to classify exposure levels based on proximity to recorded strike events.

IndicatorValue
Sites within ≤ 15 km1519
Sites within ≤ 10 km1228
Sites within ≤ 5 km958
Sites within ≤ 2 km516
Sites within ≤ 0,5 km109

Heritage Exposure by Intensity Gradient

Low

Moderate

High

Very High

Extreme

Airstrike / Impact / Damage

Imagery Footprint Supporting Post-Event
Heritage Monitoring

This map displays the footprint of available satellite imagery (Maxar, Planet, Sentinel) over the Area of Interest (AOI), filtered by spatial resolution (GSD ≤ 0.5 m) to ensure suitability for detailed damage assessment.

Categorized by Date

Categorized by Resolution

Categorized by Price

Before – After Event Satellite Images