In fierce conflicts in recent years, cities which are drivers of economic growth supporting large populations, have been reduced to rubble, be it Aleppo in Syria, or Gaza in Palestine. Infrastructure which took years to build was turned into rubble, millions of people were displaced, and thousands died in the madness of war. Take a look at cities that were devastated beyond recognition during conflicts in recent years.
Aleppo: The once economic hub of Syria was turned into rubble in the 5 years of civil war. The battle for Aleppo devastated the city, the pre-war population of Aleppo was estimated at around 30,78,000 in 2010, It fell to less than a million by 2015 at the peak of the fighting. 30,000 civilians lost their lives, World Bank estimated the damage to the city was around $8 billion.
Raqqa: Raqqa was occupied by Syrian opposition forces in 2013 and was embroiled in a destructive civil war before being seized by ISIS in January 2014, at which time the city was declared the capital of the terrorist group's so-called "caliphate." Raqqa was turned into a ghost town, it was finally liberated in 2017 from ISIS. US, British and French Coalition forces carried out tens of thousands of air strikes and US forces admitted to firing 30,000 artillery rounds during the offensive on Raqqa. An estimated 11,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed, including hospitals, mosques, schools, and water facilities.
Homs: Syria’s third largest city with a pre-war population of more than 1 million, was devastated beyond recognition during more than five years of civil strife. A 2019 damage assessment by the United Nations Institute for Research and Training (UNITAR) found 13,778 buildings were damaged: 3,082 were destroyed, 5,570 were severely damaged and 4,946 were partially damaged.
Ukraine cities destroyed in Russian invasion: Six cities in Ukraine had been destroyed due to the invasion of Russian troops. All of them are in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. Mariupol, Volnovakha, Rubizhne, Popasna, Lyman and Sievierodonetsk were destroyed.
Mariupol: Is a city that has been under fire since the very first days of the war. One of the most horrific moments of the war was the bloody bombing of the Mariupol Drama Theater, where people were hiding from the shelling. According to various sources, between 300 and 600 civilians, including children, were killed.
Bakhmut: Bakhmut was one of the oldest and most picturesque cities in Ukraine's Donbas region, underpinned economically by industries unusual for the region. There is nothing. They destroyed everything. There are no buildings. It is a pity, it is a tragedy, but for today, Bakhmut is only in our hearts. There is nothing in this place," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in May 2023 while speaking alongside U.S. President Joe Biden.
Chasiv Var: Months of Russian artillery strikes have devastated the strategically important city of Chasiv Var in eastern Ukraine, forcing its 12,000 residents to flee.
Marinka, a city in Donetsk: In 2023, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine took to Twitter to share the images. The visuals, taken by a drone, show how Marinka, a city in Donetsk, that housed around 10,000 people, has been reduced to ruins. The remains of the houses are now surrounded by debris as a result of repeated attacks.
Yemen’s Old City of Sana Destroyed by Civil War: According to UNESCO comprehensive assessment of the damage to the old buildings of Sana’a, which was conducted in 2021, showed that about 10,000 buildings were damaged in a civil war between pro-government Yemeni forces and the Houthi rebels since the Houthi rebels overran much of the country militarily and seized all northern provinces in 2014. The Old City has been classified as "in danger" since 2015, shortly after Saudi Arabia spearheaded a military intervention to prevent the complete collapse of Yemen's beleaguered government.
Beirut was Plummed by Israel's relentless bombardment in 2024: Beirut’s southern suburbs were reduced to rubble by Israeli strikes, during its campaign against Hezbollah.
15 Months of devastation of Gaza by Israel: The United Nations has estimated that reconstruction in the territory would take up to 15 years and cost as much as $50 billion. The destruction has left the Gaza Strip littered with an estimated 42 million tonnes of debris
Gaza: As of December 1, 2024, nearly 69 percent of the buildings in Gaza had been destroyed or damaged, according to satellite imagery analysed by the UN's Satellite Centre (UNOSAT). That amounts to 170,812 buildings. Before the war, Gaza City in the territory's north was home to some 600,000 people. Almost three-quarters of its buildings (74.2 per cent) have been damaged or destroyed. In the past 15 months, at least 46,707 people in Gaza have been killed, which includes about 18,000 children.
Rafah City Half Destroyed: In Rafah, Gaza's southernmost city along the border with Egypt, the Israeli army launched a ground offensive in early May 2024. By the end of that month, nearly 48.7 per cent of the buildings in Rafah had been hit.
Grozny City ( First Chechen War): During the First Chechen War, Grozny was the site of an intense battle lasting from December 1994 to February 1995 and ultimately ending with the capture of the city by the Russian military. Intense fighting and carpet bombing carried out by the Russian Air Force destroyed much of the city. In December 1999, Vladimir Putin began a second war with massive strikes on Grozny from heavy artillery and multiple rocket launchers further destroying the city.
