Israel Kills Catholic Priest in Southern Christian Village, Details Emerge
- A Lebanese Maronite Catholic priest has been killed in an Israeli attack on the border village of Qlayaa
- Fr. Pierre al-Rahi died after rushing to help civilians wounded in the first strike, only to be hit in a second
- The incident has drawn attention to the escalating violence in southern Lebanon and its impact on local communities
Israel has killed a Lebanese Maronite Catholic priest on March 9 in an attack on a house in the border village of Qlayaa, according to Catholic officials and media reports.
Fr. Pierre al-Rahi died from wounds sustained during the strike, TRT also reported.
Source: Getty Images
Refusal to evacuate Christian village
Al-Rahi, along with other priests, had earlier refused to comply with what was described as an illegal Israeli military order to evacuate the Christian village of Qlayaa. The village, home to around 8,000 residents, is located in the Marjayoun district just a few kilometres from the Israeli border.
“Father Pierre al-Rahi was from my village, Dibeh, but he was the parish priest of Qlayaa in Marjayoun,” OSV News cited Lebanese Maronite Father Jean Younes as saying.
Israeli bombing in Southern Lebanon
The Israeli military has been carrying out intensive bombing in southern Lebanon, southern Beirut and the Bekaa Valley. Lebanese media reported that an Israeli Merkava tank fired twice at a house in Qlayaa. The first strike wounded the homeowner and his wife.
Al-Rahi and several neighbours rushed to help the wounded after the first strike. The tank then fired again, wounding the priest and several other civilians. Fr. Pierre al-Rahi later died from his injuries. Several Lebanese civilians were also wounded in the attack.
Source: Getty Images
Israeli operation in Lebanon
The Israeli military has intensified its operations in Lebanon, focusing on southern regions, Beirut’s southern suburbs and the Bekaa Valley.
Local sources describe several attacks as part of a broader campaign of aggression, with tanks and air raids targeting homes and infrastructure. The violence has displaced families and heightened fears among communities already living under pressure near the border.
Catholic officials and Lebanese media have condemned killings, highlighting the dangers faced by civilians and clergy who remain in their villages despite evacuation orders. The situation shows the growing humanitarian toll of the Israeli military’s ongoing campaign in Lebanon.
See the X post below:
Israel once attacked US navy ship killing 34 Americans
Legit.ng earlier reported that on June 8, 1967, in the midst of the Six-Day War, Israeli forces launched a devastating assault on a United States Navy signals intelligence ship. The attack, carried out in international waters off the Sinai Peninsula, killed 34 American servicemen and civilian analysts and left 171 others wounded.
According to Britannica, The US Liberty ship was clearly marked, flying the American flag and bearing its hull number, GTR-5, at both bow and stern. Despite this, Israeli fighter jets and torpedo boats struck the vessel with cannons, napalm, and torpedoes, leaving the ship ablaze and heavily damaged.
The USS Liberty began life as the SS Simmons Victory, an armed merchant steamer launched in the final months of World War II.
Source: Legit.ng
