In a matter of a few hours, Mariam Rizq and her family survived Israeli strikes and a Hezbollah rocket attack.
Qlayaa, a small Christian-majority village on a hillside near the Israeli-Lebanon border, has become “an island surrounded by violence and weapons", she said. Residents have been caught in the crossfire of a war they did not choose, but that has devastated their lives.
Ms Rizq’s husband first cheated death on Monday. He was near the Israeli strike that killed the village’s priest. Along with dozens of residents, her husband and the priest rushed to help the injured after the initial strike hit a home. About 15 minutes later, the same area was hit a second time. Father Pierre Al Rahi was severely injured and died later in hospital.
A few hours later, a Hezbollah rocket landed in the Rizq family's kitchen. The attack happened in the middle of the night, blowing off part of the roof and destroying half of the house. The couple and their two children were sleeping on the other side of their home, which was untouched. None were hurt.
Like the Rizk family, many residents of Christian villages in southern Lebanon have chosen to stay, despite warnings from the Israeli military and its orders for people to leave large parts of southern Lebanon. The war between Israel and Hezbollah resumed when the Iran-backed group joined the conflict against Israel and the US in support of Tehran.
But Israel’s escalation in Lebanon beyond areas traditionally affiliated with Hezbollah has complicated efforts by Christian villages to stay out of the conflict. The killing of Father Al Rahi sparked shock and anger towards both Hezbollah and Israel.
Residents blame Hezbollah for starting a war they say is not theirs, making their village a target, and exposing residents to the group’s misfire.
“Honestly, it’s a miracle we’re still alive,” Ms Rikz said, holding a pink dustpan and brush as she cleared debris from the rocket attack. Shards of glass and chunks of concrete had fallen from the roof.
“I blame Hezbollah the most,” she added. “We don’t want this war. We never wanted killing, blood or martyrdom. For whom are they even fighting? Meanwhile, no one has done anything for us, for Lebanon, barely a dot on the map.”
Residents also condemn Israel for striking a residential area without warning. “We feel trapped between two sides and are getting hit from both,” she added.
Double-tap strike
Israel said on Monday it struck a “Hezbollah cell” in a Christian village in southern Lebanon, without naming the location. Three residents at the scene of the strike told The National they searched the area and found no fighters.
The Israeli military also published a video on X that it claimed shows an attack against Hezbollah members exploiting a site in “a Christian village in southern Lebanon”. The area shown in the video does not match the location in Qlayaa where the priest was killed and that The National visited. The location in the video and published by the Israeli military could not be verified. Another Christian village was struck last weekend.
Qlayaa Mayor Hanna Daher spoke on Lebanese television, denying claims that Hezbollah cells were in the village. It remains unclear what the target was in Israel's deadly attack on the village.
Three residents who were at the scene told The National that Israel struck the same building twice, about 15 minutes apart, in what appeared to be a double-tap strike. The tactic, widely documented in Gaza, has raised serious concerns about breaches of international humanitarian law, under which medics and rescue workers are protected.
The first strike injured the owners of the property, Clovis Boutros and his wife, Therese. As rescuers and residents went to help them, the site was hit again, witnesses said. Shrapnel from the blast injured several people, including the priest.
Days later, blood still stained the ground where Father Al Rahi was injured. The site, which appeared to be a small outbuilding next to the main house where the owners were staying at the time of the attack, was heavily damaged. Its doors were closed, with an icon of a saint placed at the entrance as a form of protection.
One witness said there was a drone overhead at the time of the attack. “They should have seen us. I don’t know why they struck again after everyone had gathered.”
Defiant residents
Emotion was palpable at the funeral of Father Al Rahi on Wednesday, as mourners carried his white coffin across the village. The grief-stricken crowd, many in tears, threw flowers and rice as the sounds of a bell filled the village, replacing the explosions heard moments earlier.
Despite the shock of losing a man described as a leading figure in the village, Qlayaa residents remained defiant. “We won't listen to any warning or anything”, Stephanie, who came from a neighbouring village to pay tribute to the “kind-hearted” priest. “This is our land. We’re staying."
The priest had refused to abandon his village and encouraged residents to remain in Qlayaa and defend their land peacefully. The message “we won’t leave Qlayaa until we die” was blasted through speakers as a crowd gathered in front of the church and black smoke billowed over the surrounding mountains.
During the funeral, Israeli bombs fell on nearby Shiite-majority villages. In Qlayaa, the priest is the first victim of the war.
Representatives from the Lebanese army, as well as religious figures, including the Vatican’s ambassador to Lebanon, Archbishop Paolo Borgia, and members of different sects, travelled to Qlayaa to give their condolences.
Pope Leo XIV also commemorated the priest in a statement, describing Father Al Rahi as a “true shepherd”. "As soon as he heard that parishioners had been wounded in a bombing, he rushed to help without hesitation,” the pontiff added.
But tensions rose when politician Elias Jarade arrived at the church. The independent MP, whom some accuse of supporting Hezbollah's actions, was forced by angry mourners to leave the funeral.
The village is still reeling from the killing. There are concerns that the presence of strangers could make the area a target. “We will stay in our village, protect it and prevent any strangers from entering,” said resident Tony Abou Jamra. Cautious locals asked The National’s reporter for her ID several times.
In Rmeish, another Christian-majority village, about 240 displaced people from predominantly Muslim villages were expelled the day after the priest was killed. The Israeli military had warned residents they could face attacks if anyone sheltering there were found to be in touch with Hezbollah.
If the target of Israel’s attack on Qlayaa remains unclear, there is no doubt about its result: division and fear within communities in Lebanon.
