Lebanon’s Maronite Patriarch calls to prevent war amid Israeli airstrikes against Hezbollah

Amid the repeated attacks by the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah, and the subsequent retaliatory strikes launched by Israel, the Lebanese Patriarch of the Maronite Catholic Church made a call to prevent the outbreak of war with Israel.

In rare public comments criticizing the conduct of the terror organization Hezbollah, Lebanese Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi, demanded “the removal of any rocket launchpad planted between homes in the towns of the South that might draw a destructive Israeli response.”

“Let everyone respect (UN) Security Council Resolution 1701 and all its articles for the sake of Lebanon’s welfare,” said al-Rahi, the spiritual leader of the nation's largest Christian community during his Sunday Mass sermon, according to the Lebanese news outlet Naharnet.

UN Resolution 1701 was issued at the end of the Israel-Lebanon war in 2006 and stipulates that Hezbollah must keep its forces north of the Litani River, clear of the Israeli border.

The patriarch’s comments came one day after ready-to-use rocket launchers were found hidden in the Christian village of Rmeish in southern Lebanon. Public criticism against Hezbollah terror forces – the strongest, best-armed force in the nation – is a rare occurrence, particularly from the Christian leader.

On Sunday, the IDF again accused Hezbollah of hiding among civilians. Israeli Air Force (IAF) fighter jets carried out strikes against targets in the village of Ramyeh, including military sites and other infrastructure belonging to the terror group.

Hezbollah “operates from the area of ​​the village, which is used as a terror center for the group to observe and carry out terror acts,” the IDF stated, adding that the group exploited the civilian population in the village as “human shields.”

In addition, the IDF struck positions in two other villages close to the Israeli border, one of which was used to fire an anti-tank missile at northern Israel the day before.

Many mayors and community leaders of Israeli towns near the Lebanese border, which have been evacuated since Hezbollah’s daily attacks against Israel began on Oct. 8, have put pressure on the government and army brass in recent weeks to present a plan for the safe return of the residents.

The mayor of Kiryat Shmona, the largest evacuated town in the north, told KAN news that his residents wouldn’t return home until Hezbollah was pushed back from the border.

“Nearly 90% of the city’s residents have evacuated and are scattered throughout the country,” Avichai Stern said, stressing that he would not agree to any plan unless the threat had been removed.

“If necessary, I will block the entrance with my body.”

Israel’s diplomatic efforts in the international arena have focused on emphasizing that UN Resolution 1701 has been systematically disregarded by Hezbollah.

Israel hopes either to pressure the United Nations or an international coalition to enforce a Hezbollah retreat according to Resolution 1701, or to increase international legitimacy in case a military option becomes unavoidable.

However, Hezbollah Deputy leader Naim Qassem claimed that Israel is too weak to force his organization into a retreat.

“We tell them: Israel is not in a position to impose its options,” Qassem said on Sunday, according to the Times of Israel.

Hezbollah has continued its relentless attacks against Israel in recent days, firing rocket barrages and guided anti-tank missiles against Israeli military and civilian targets.

On Saturday alone, the IDF thwarted three separate terror squads firing rockets at Israel and answered the launches with heavy artillery shelling.

Also on Saturday, the Israeli Air Force carried out two waves of attacks on a series of targets in Kfar Kila, a Hezbollah stronghold from which the group has carried out numerous launches against Israel.