Lebanese Church Damage & Viral Soldier Photo Prompt Calls For Pope's Intervention

Authored by Jason Ditz via AntiWar.com

Since invading Lebanon in early March, Israeli officials have tried to frame the war as primarily targeting Lebanon’s Shi'ite population - as a result of attacks by Hezbollah on northern Israel.

From early on, the war was about destroying Shi’ite villages, displacing Shi’ite locals, and at times threatening to annihilate the Lebanese Shi’ite community outright.

And certainly, the Shi’ites have borne the brunt of the destruction in Lebanon, as they were the largest population in the south at the time of the invasion. But the damage spreads well beyond their community, as images from Israeli soldiers often show.

One such photo is making the rounds, showing a smiling Israeli soldier in the village of Qouzah, in the Bint Jbeil District. That village is, or rather was, overwhelmingly Maronite Christians, and the soldier is smiling in front of the badly damaged village church.

The most recent Lebanese census put the number of registered Christian voters in Qouzah at 97.59%, which since it’s a village of only 790 people puts the non-Christians at around 16.

And not even that, anymore. The Israeli invasion in March led to the expulsion of materially the entire village’s population, and while the villagers seek permission to try to return to what’s left of their homes, they face an uncertain future, and it’s unclear when or even if they’ll be allowed back home.

The locals have petitioned to the Catholic church to try to help them get access to return, and to save the damaged church, which is some 120 years old:

Vincent Gélöt, director of the French Catholic association L'Œuvre d'Orient, echoed the appeal, saying, "It is unacceptable to attack religious sanctuaries." Rizk urged Pope Leo XIV and the Lebanese authorities to "preserve this 120-year-old church."

The director of one Christian organization suggested that the extent of the damage is still uncertain, mainly because the IDF isn’t allowing anyone into the village to inspect it.