In a development that reveals a sensitive aspect of the scene in southern Lebanon, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported secret meetings that brought together Israeli army officials with Christian figures from southern villages, following a series of incidents that sparked widespread controversy after religious symbols and civilian property were targeted.
According to a report by journalist Itai Blumenthal, published by the Israeli Broadcasting Authority, these meetings were held over the weekend in the town of Double, where senior officials in the Israeli army met with local Christian parties, in an attempt to contain the repercussions of what happened.
These meetings come after documents spread on social media showing Israeli soldiers carrying out acts of sabotage in Christian villages, including destroying a statue of Jesus Christ using a hammer, sabotaging solar panels, in addition to causing damage to civilian homes “randomly and without operational necessity.”
During the meeting, Israeli officials expressed their regret for these incidents, stressing in their message to the residents of Dibal that “the Israeli army does not at all want to target Christian villages, on the contrary, and that its operations are focused exclusively against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.”
It is noteworthy that these meetings took place in an atmosphere of complete secrecy, with the identity of the participants kept secret, in order to avoid exposing the people to any repercussions or putting them in direct confrontation with Hezbollah, an indication of the sensitivity of this type of communication.
In parallel, the Israeli army acknowledged its responsibility for these “unusual events,” indicating that they were not supposed to occur even in wartime conditions, which reflects an attempt to contain the crisis sparked by these events.
