BEIRUT — Christian-majority villages along Lebanon’s southern border have rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim that they requested annexation by Israel. Israel, reaffirming their commitment to the Lebanese state and dismissing the remarks as “fabricated and completely detached from reality.”
Mayors, clergy and community leaders from villages stretching across Lebanon’s border region told the Anadolu news agency they remain committed to their Lebanese identity, describing Netanyahu’s remarks as an attempt to sow division at a time when residents are struggling with continuing Israeli attacks and a worsening humanitarian crisis.
The response came after Netanyahu claimed in a televised interview on Sunday that some Christian villages in southern Lebanon had asked to be annexed by Israel for protection from Hezbollah.
“Christian villages in Lebanon, some of them have actually asked to be annexed to Israel, because we protect them against Hezbollah, Hezbollah fanatics who want to kill them, and we do the same things with Christians everywhere,” Netanyahu told Fox News.
In a joint statement, municipalities representing Christian border villages said the claims were entirely false and did not reflect the views of residents, who continue to regard the Lebanese state as the sole legitimate authority.
“Residents of the border villages remain committed to the Lebanese state and its legitimacy, and have never deviated from this position despite the difficult conditions imposed by Israel’s assault,” the statement said.
The municipalities added that residents “are proud of their national belonging, hold firmly to Lebanon as their homeland, and reject any attempt to distort their position or exploit their suffering for agendas that have nothing to do with them.”
The municipalities reaffirmed their loyalty to the Lebanese state, saying residents had endured years of conflict without abandoning their national identity.
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri praised the unified response, saying the position of Christian communities reflected their attachment to their land and warning against what he described as Israeli efforts to create internal divisions.
For local leaders, Netanyahu’s comments struck at the heart of communities that have remained on their land despite repeated displacement, bombardment and occupation.
“Whatever he says, we’ve never asked anyone for protection,” said Joseph Attieh, mayor of the Christian border village of Debel. “We have the Lebanese state and we will stay Lebanese.”
Al-Qlayaa Mayor Hanna Daher said the villages rely solely on the Lebanese army for protection and rejected any suggestion that residents sought another sovereign authority.
“The Lebanese flag cannot be replaced by any other flag,” he told Anadolu.
Father Antonios Eid Farah of St. George Parish echoed that sentiment, saying Christians in the south have no desire for separation.
“Our identity is Lebanese,” he said. “We are people of southern Lebanon who want to live peacefully in our homeland.”
Father Gregorios Salloum, priest of the Greek Orthodox parish in Ebel el-Saqi, said Christian communities remain committed to Lebanon “as a state and army” and would not accept decisions imposed from abroad.
Fouad Abu Nader, president of the Noursat network, argued that Netanyahu’s remarks formed part of a broader psychological campaign aimed at weakening Lebanon’s internal cohesion.
“Christians believe their future is in Lebanon and nowhere else,” he said, adding that the municipalities’ joint statement had undermined attempts to divide border communities.
The Christian leaders’ united position unfolds against the backdrop of a deteriorating humanitarian situation across southern Lebanon.
Residents say continuing Israeli bombardment, military occupation and road closures have left many villages largely isolated. Farmers cannot reach their land, livestock have died after being cut off from food and water, and agricultural livelihoods have been devastated.
Daher described conditions in the border villages as “tragic,” saying families have spent years living under constant insecurity while losing access to olive groves, vegetable fields and other sources of income.
He appealed to Lebanese authorities and the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to secure safe passage along the Nabatieh-Khardali road, a critical route connecting the area with the rest of the country.
Abu Nader warned that continued displacement poses a broader national challenge.
“If the Christian villages directly along the border are emptied of their residents, there is a real danger to the Lebanese identity of the land,” he said.
Farah said humanitarian assistance must go beyond emergency food aid to include support for schools and economic recovery, arguing that communities cannot remain on their land without viable living conditions.
Meanwhile, Israel continues to carry out attacks against what it says are Hezbollah targets or “suspects” posing a threat to its troops.
An Israeli air strike near Nabatieh on Monday killed a schoolteacher, her mother, their migrant domestic worker and a Syrian worker.
The three women had taken the Syrian worker to inspect their home in Nabatieh Al Fawqa, where no Israeli forces are present, when a sound bomb was set off nearby, prompting them to flee, Civil Defence member Saad Faran said.
“Then they [the Israeli army] chased them down and struck them in Nabatieh, in the middle of the town, basically,” he said.
He warned people not to come to check on homes on the outskirts of Nabatieh, where they are in the immediate line of fire.
Israeli army chief Gen Eyal Zamir visited forces stationed near Beaufort Castle, a few kilometres from Nabatieh, on Sunday as Netanyahu reiterated that Israeli troops would stay in south Lebanon for “as long as necessary”.
The Lebanese army – underfunded, underequipped and rendered impotent by circumstances beyond its control – is unable to defend itself or the civilians who have chosen to stay in their home villages. It withdrew from positions near the southern communities in April.
Israel occupied an area covering about 7 percent of southern Lebanon and began razing many border villages in what it described as a “security zone” to protect communities in northern Israel. The demolitions continue almost daily.
Although largely left alone, some Christian villages have faced Israeli attacks and forced displacement orders – with the village of Alma Al Chaab completely depopulated.
According to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, Israel’s assault since March 2 has killed 4,304 people, injured 12,203 others and displaced more than 1 million.
Israeli forces continue to occupy parts of southern Lebanon despite a US-sponsored framework agreement signed on June 26 providing for a gradual Israeli withdrawal beginning with two pilot areas.
Source: Saudi Gazette