Lebanese Christians rebuke Israel over annexation assertion

Shafaq News- Beirut

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed on Sunday that Christian villages along Lebanon's southern border had sought annexation to Israel, a claim swiftly rejected by the communities, which reaffirmed their commitment to the Lebanese state and its legitimate institutions.

In an interview with Fox News, Netanyahu maintained that some Christian villages had requested Israel's protection from Hezbollah, "which wants to kill them," adding that Tel Aviv cares "about our friends, especially Christians in the Middle East."

The villages, many of which have repeatedly come under Israeli attacks since hostilities resumed on March 2, later issued a joint statement dismissing the remarks as "fabricated" and "completely baseless."

Lebanon and Israel signed a US-mediated agreement in Washington on June 26. While several Lebanese officials welcomed the accord as a step toward restoring state authority, Hezbollah rejected it, insisting on an unconditional Israeli withdrawal and refusing to surrender its weapons.

Earlier today, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who hails from the southern village of Al-Aaishiyah, defended the framework, noting that he remains open to any alternative capable of sparing Lebanon another war.

Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, head of the Maronite Church, also addressed the proposal in an interview with Al Mayadeen, citing that it includes provisions on sovereignty, Israeli withdrawal, the collection of weapons, peace, and the return of Lebanese prisoners.

While welcoming the framework, al-Rahi clarified that this did not amount to endorsing it, remarking that supporting a proposal and implementing it are "two different matters."

"War has never resolved anything; it has only brought destruction, devastation, and death," he added, advocating "peaceful, diplomatic, and political means to reach a solution."

Despite the framework, Israeli military operations continued across southern Lebanon. Local media reported artillery shelling on the Ali al-Taher Heights in Nabatiyeh district, while Israeli aircraft struck the al-Hariq neighborhood between Kfartebnit and Nabatieh al-Fawqa.

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In the Tyre district, an Israeli drone dropped a stun grenade on the town of Mansouri. A controlled explosion also took place in the town of Al-Tiri in the Bint Jbeil district, while artillery shelling targeted the outskirts of Qantara in Marjayoun district.

Lebanon's Health Ministry reported that the cumulative toll from the conflict between March 2 and July 5 had reached 4,304 deaths and 12,203 injuries, including women and children.

Read more: Israel's war fell on Christians and Shiites in Southern Lebanon with no distinction