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Shafaq News- Beirut<\/p>\n
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
\nNetanyahu claimed on Sunday that Christian villages along Lebanon’s southern
\nborder had sought annexation to Israel, a claim swiftly rejected by the
\ncommunities, which reaffirmed their commitment to the Lebanese state and its
\nlegitimate institutions.<\/p>\n
In an interview with Fox News,
\nNetanyahu maintained that some Christian villages had requested Israel’s
\nprotection from Hezbollah, “which wants to kill them,” adding that
\nTel Aviv cares “about our friends, especially Christians in the Middle
\nEast.”<\/p>\n
The villages, many of which have
\nrepeatedly come under Israeli attacks since hostilities resumed on March 2,
\nlater issued a joint statement dismissing the remarks as “fabricated”
\nand “completely baseless.”<\/p>\n
Lebanon and Israel signed a Earlier today, Lebanese President Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara While welcoming the framework, “War has never resolved Despite the framework, Israeli \ud83d\udccc \u0627\u0644\u0646\u0628\u0637\u064a\u0629 \u0627\u0644\u0641\u0648\u0642\u0627 pic.twitter.com\/uPBebElxO7<\/a><\/p>\n
\nUS-mediated agreement<\/a> in Washington on June 26. While several Lebanese
\nofficials welcomed the accord as a step toward restoring state authority,
\nHezbollah rejected<\/a> it, insisting on an unconditional Israeli withdrawal and
\nrefusing to surrender its weapons.<\/p>\n
\nJoseph Aoun, who hails from the southern village of Al-Aaishiyah, defended<\/a> the
\nframework, noting that he remains open to any alternative capable of sparing
\nLebanon another war.<\/p>\n
\nBoutros al-Rahi, head of the Maronite Church, also addressed the proposal in an
\ninterview with Al Mayadeen, citing that it includes provisions on sovereignty,
\nIsraeli withdrawal, the collection of weapons, peace, and the return of
\nLebanese prisoners.<\/p>\n
\nal-Rahi clarified that this did not amount to endorsing it, remarking that
\nsupporting a proposal and implementing it are “two different
\nmatters.”<\/p>\n
\nanything; it has only brought destruction, devastation, and death,” he
\nadded, advocating “peaceful, diplomatic, and political means to reach a
\nsolution.”<\/p>\n
\nmilitary operations continued across southern Lebanon. Local media reported
\nartillery shelling on the Ali al-Taher Heights in Nabatiyeh district, while
\nIsraeli aircraft struck the al-Hariq neighborhood between Kfartebnit and
\nNabatieh al-Fawqa.<\/p>\n