Recent reports from Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) reveal a dire situation in southern Lebanon's Christian villages, where approximately 90% of the population has fled amid escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah. The conflict, triggered by the Israel-Hamas confrontation in Gaza in October, has led to over 100 Lebanese deaths and several hundred injuries, according to the nation's health ministry.
Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Shia militant group in Lebanon, initiated attacks on Israel from the Israeli-Lebanese border, resulting in sporadic artillery fire and airstrikes. The Israel Defense Forces report five Israeli civilian casualties and 80,000 evacuations due to Hezbollah attacks.
ACN obtained data indicating the destruction of 15 homes in the border village of Alma Al-Shaab, emphasizing the challenges faced by displaced Lebanese Christians. While some found temporary safety in Beirut, a shortage of long-term shelter in specific areas compelled others to return to their destroyed homes.
Xavier Stephen Bisits, ACN's head of projects in Lebanon, described the daily bombings and the impact on agricultural fields, affecting farmers' livelihoods. Many affected families were already grappling with poverty due to Lebanon's ongoing financial crisis since 2019, worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Beirut explosion in 2020.
Bisits highlighted the commitment of priests and religious leaders who remain in the conflict-ridden villages to minister to the people. Despite the danger, Maronite Archeparch of Tyre Charbel Abdallah and Greek-Melkite Archbishop of Tyre Georges Iskandar continued their pastoral efforts, witnessing the haunting emptiness in villages and expressing concern about the potential threat to the historic Christian presence in the region.
As the conflict unfolds, the local religious leaders warn that a full-scale war would pose a major threat to the longstanding Christian communities in the area. The situation remains tense, with implications reaching beyond the immediate consequences of the conflict.