ASIA/LEBANON - Israeli "evacuation notice", but Christians in southern Lebanon remain in their villages

Rmeish (Agenzia Fides) – “What is happening here is clear. The Israeli army’s operation on Lebanese territory is already underway. And in the villages where Christians live, at least in those with whom we are in contact, we have decided not to leave our homes, because if we leave our villages, we may never return,” said Father Toni Elias, a Maronite priest from the village of Rmeish, who briefly described how the Christian communities in southern Lebanon have been experiencing the time since the start of Israel’s new military operation in the Land of the Cedars.

Rmeish is located less than two kilometers from the border with Israel. And as early as October 2024, the village teetered between life and the impending doom that surrounded it when the Jewish state’s army last invaded southern Lebanon.

The stated goal of the new Israeli intervention is now to "clear" the area of the remnants of Hezbollah positions, after the Iranian-backed Shiite militia fired rockets into Israeli territory in connection with the renewed unrest triggered by the US-Israeli attack on Iran. In recent days, Israeli airstrikes have hit not only southern Lebanon but also the predominantly Shiite neighborhoods of Beirut and the Bekaa Valley.

The evacuation notice issued by the Arabic-speaking spokesman for the Israeli army, Avichay Adraee, reached Christian villages in southern Lebanon on Monday night. The bells of some churches began ringing during the night to warn the surrounding villages.

“In Rmeish and the neighboring villages of Debel and Ain Ebel,” Father Toni Elias told Fides, “we all stayed in our homes, as did the people in Alma el Shaab and the villages further west. The Druze also stayed in their homes.”

The decision to stay and not follow the evacuation order is paradoxically based on the realization of their own defenselessness: “We have no weapons, we have no missiles, we are no danger to anyone,” Father Toni added. “We are staying here and asking God for his protection. We are grateful to our Bishop Charbel Abdallah, the Apostolic Nuncio Paolo Borgia, and General Diodato Abagnara (head of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, ed.), with whom we are in constant contact and who have assured us of their support.”

Amid the renewed flight of tens of thousands of families, triggered by the resumption of military operations, there are also eloquent examples of solidarity among the population in Rmeish, among the various religious communities. "Here," reports Father Toni Elias to Fides, "we currently have 1,350 Christian families, in addition to another 100 Christian and Shiite families from other villages, as well as 250 Syrian families whom we are currently hosting and who had previously found refuge in a nearby Shiite village. May the Lord grant peace to the whole world," concludes Father Toni Elias. (GV) (Agenzia Fides, 5/3/2026)

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