Displaced people sheltering in Rmeish, a Christian-majority town in southern Lebanon, were escorted out by the Lebanese army on Tuesday after Israel warned local authorities that individuals linked to Hezbollah could be targeted.
“We did not have shelters in Rmeish,” Mayor Hanna al-Amil told the daily An Nahar. “We hosted the displaced in our homes. But we were forced to evacuate the town because the situation is no longer in our hands.”
Local authorities said they requested the evacuation to prevent the town from becoming a target of Israeli strikes, amid concerns that Hezbollah operatives may be operating from within civilian areas.
The evacuation comes as tensions escalate in the region following an Israeli airstrike on the nearby Christian-majority village of Qlayaa, which killed a priest and wounded at least five people on Monday afternoon. The strike marked the first time a Christian figure has been killed since the start of the current conflict, which has largely affected Shiite-majority areas.
While Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea denounced the presence of Hezbollah fighters in Christian villages, the party’s spokesperson Charles Jabbour warned that Israeli strikes are likely to occur wherever Hezbollah operatives are detected.
“Israel is targeting Hezbollah, not the Christians, Sunnis, or Druze,” Jabbour said, arguing that the presence of Hezbollah fighters inside villages exposes residents to retaliation. He called on the Lebanese Armed Forces to deploy in southern villages to prevent Hezbollah operatives from using them as launch sites for rockets against Israel.
“Hezbollah is the one displacing people. They are responsible for their suffering,” he added in comments to This is Beirut.
Jabbour warned that if residents of Christian villages are forced to leave, Hezbollah could gain greater freedom of movement in those areas, potentially leading to further destruction and displacement.
In a statement posted by its Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee, the Israeli army said it had “neutralized a cell affiliated with Hezbollah entering a site located in a Christian village in southern Lebanon.”
The Israeli military also released drone footage it says shows armed militants entering a building inside Qlayaa before the strike.
Across Lebanon, municipalities are reportedly increasing security measures and checking the identities of displaced residents to ensure that no Hezbollah affiliates are among them, amid growing fears that civilian areas could become targets.
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