The Lebanese Army on Tuesday withdrew from four border villages, two of them Christian-majority towns whose residents have refused to follow instructions from Israel to evacuate the area while the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) battle the Iran-backed terrorists of Hezbollah.
The three villages that lost Lebanese Army coverage were Rmeish, Ain Ibl, and Braasheet in the Bint Jbeil district, plus Beit Yahoun in Nabatieh. Rmeish and Ain Ibl are Christian towns. “The army has indeed withdrawn from Rmeish, and we would have preferred it to stay, but we, as residents of the town, will remain despite the risks. We understand the army’s reasons for leaving, but our decision is to stay,” said Hanna al-Amil, head of the Rmeish municipal council. The army was apparently stung by criticism over its withdrawal plan, because on Wednesday it announced that some Lebanese troops would remain in the border villages.
“Following the escalation of Israeli aggression against Lebanon, particularly in areas facing enemy incursions around border localities, which result in encircling, isolating, and cutting off supply lines to deployed units, the army carried out a redeployment and repositioning operation that included a number of these units,” the Lebanese Army said. By “enemy,” the army meant Israel, not Hezbollah. Hezbollah is the malevolent actor that dragged Lebanon into the war by launching unprovoked attacks on Israeli civilians with weapons it was not supposed to have. Having effectively admitted that it cannot control Iran’s heavily armed terrorist proxy, the Lebanese government is increasingly turning its ire against Israel for invading Southern Lebanon and attempting to create a buffer zone.
The Lebanese Army statement stated that Israeli attacks are “indiscriminately targeting both military personnel and civilians in various regions,” and lashed out at “some media outlets and social media platforms” for questioning how Lebanese officials are responding to the crisis. (Ed note: The Bint Jbeil district is less than 3 miles from the Israeli border.) (Read More)
