 In the 9th century BC , the Assyrian king <unk> II conquered the Lebanon mountain range and its coastal cities . The new <unk> <unk> tribute from Sidon , along with every other Phoenician city . These payments stimulated Sidon 's search for new means of <unk> and furthered Phoenician emigration and expansion , which peaked in the 8th century BC . When Assyrian king <unk> II died in 705 BC , the Sidonian king <unk> joined with the Egyptians and Judah in an unsuccessful rebellion against Assyrian rule , but was forced to flee to <unk> ( modern <unk> in Cyprus ) with the arrival of the Assyrian army headed by Sennacherib , <unk> II 's son and successor . Sennacherib instated <unk> on the throne of Sidon and <unk> the annual tribute . When Abdi @-@ <unk> ascended to Sidon 's throne in 680 BC , he also rebelled against the Assyrians . In response , the Assyrian king Esarhaddon laid siege to the city . Abdi @-@ <unk> was captured and beheaded in <unk> BC after a three @-@ year siege , while his city was destroyed and renamed <unk> @-@ <unk> @-@ <unk> @-@ <unk> ( the harbor of Esarhaddon ) . Sidon was stripped of its territory , which was awarded to Baal I , the king of rival Tyre and loyal vassal to Esarhaddon . Baal I and Esarhaddon signed a treaty in <unk> in which Eshmun 's name features as one of the deities invoked as <unk> of the covenant . 
