An Israeli strike on the Christian-majority village of Qlayaa in southern Lebanon killed a priest and wounded at least five people on Monday afternoon.
Israel said it had struck a “Hezbollah cell” in a Christian village in southern Lebanon, without naming the location. Joseph Salame, a representative for Qlayaa, told The National the victim was Father Pierre Rahi.
It is the first time a Christian religious figure has been killed in the current war, as Israeli strikes have mostly targeted Shiite-majority areas. Mr Rahi was a member of St George Church in Qlayaa.
In a message from its Arabic-language spokesman, Avichay Adraee, the Israeli army said it had “neutralised a cell affiliated with Hezbollah entering a site located in a Christian village in southern Lebanon”.
Last week, Qlayaa residents told The National that they decided to stay in their homes, declaring “neutrality” in the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.
“The situation is hard, but I remain in the village, we're with the state, we will stay in our land,” one resident told The National by phone last week. The latest strike hit his sister-in-law's house, injuring her and his sister. “Today they struck my relative's house, but we're fine, thank God,” the resident said.
Mr Salame, the local official, said he would remain in Qlayaa, where many residents are critical of Hezbollah, fearing the war could turn them into targets.
During the Israeli occupation of south Lebanon (1982–2000), the area was under the control of the South Lebanon Army (SLA), which was allied with Israel.
Strikes on Al Qard al Hassan
Israeli strikes continued throughout Monday across Lebanon.
In the morning, Israel’s military warned residents of Lebanon that it would carry out attacks in Beirut’s southern suburbs and against infrastructure belonging to financial services company Al Qard al Hassan, which it accused of being “a central element in financing Hezbollah’s activities”.
It struck several branches across the southern suburbs shortly after.
During the 2024 war, Israel struck Al Qard al Hassan facilities extensively. Human Rights Watch (HRW) condemned those attacks as war crimes, saying an armed group’s use of a bank does not make it “a lawful military target under the laws of war.”
Widely viewed as a financial backbone of Hezbollah, the organisation also provides loans to civilians, mainly within the Shiite community.
HRW accused Israel of a further illegal practice by using white phosphorus munitions on March 3 in the south Lebanese town of Yohmur.
“The Israeli military’s unlawful use of white phosphorus over residential areas is extremely alarming and will have dire consequences for civilians,” said the group's Lebanon researcher Ramzi Kaiss.
Overnight, Israel launched a new ground operation in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. Hezbollah said it was the second in 48 hours and took place in a similar area to Friday night's raid, near the town of Nabi Chit.
The operation began shortly after midnight, with about 15 helicopters detected coming from Syria. Intense ground fighting then took place between Hezbollah and the Israelis, the group said.
Friday night's operation was a search for the remains of Ron Arad, an Israeli Air Force navigator captured in 1986 and allegedly held in Nabi Chit.
Lebanon 'open to direct talks'
In a bid to stop the escalation, Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun said Lebanon was ready to resume negotiations with Israel.
“Israeli attacks on the southern suburbs of Beirut, the south and the Bekaa will not achieve the goals Israel seeks,” he said. “Lebanon has informed major powers and the UN of its full readiness to resume negotiations and discuss the necessary security points required to stop the dangerous Israeli escalation.”
He affirmed that the government’s decision to place all weapons under state authority will be implemented according to the plan prepared by the army leadership “once security conditions allow”.
Israel military campaign since Hezbollah joined the war against Israel and the US in support of Iran has killed almost 400 people, including children, women and rescuers, and displaced half a million.
