As is so often the case, the Christians are caught in the crossfire of this Jewish-Muslim conflict. While Hezbollah are fighting the Israelis because of the atrocities in Gaza — the scope of which is ignored by the author of the article, below (over 44,000 dead Gazans) — Hezbollah are, to the Lebanese Christians, an unwelcome element in Lebanese politics and military affairs, and for good reasons.
(Solène Tadié/National Catholic Register) — The Christian Maronite village of Al-Qaouzah, located in southern Lebanon a few hundred meters from the Israeli border, is lying in ruins. This emblematic site, home to generations of Christians, nestled at an altitude of some 750 meters (about 2,460 feet), has been the scene of clashes between the Israeli army and Hezbollah fighters since October 2023, leading to its total demolition on Nov. 25.
This border conflict stemmed from the massacre perpetrated by Hamas terrorists against 1,200 Israeli civilians on Oct. 7, 2023. As the highest village in the region, this strategic battleground simultaneously offers views stretching as far as Mount Carmel and the Israeli city of Haifa, as well as out to sea.
“Panic-stricken Christians quickly evacuated the town after the Israeli-Palestinian conflict resumed in 2023, and I remained there alone, celebrating Mass every day in the hope of their return, until the dangerousness of the situation forced me to leave last month myself,” Father Toni Hannéh told the Register in a Dec. 3 telephone interview.
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