Lebanese Christian Communities Reject Netanyahu’s Alleged Calls for Israeli Annexation

Beirut, Lebanon – Christian villages across Lebanon issued a statement Monday denying claims by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that they had asked for annexation by Israel.

“Some Christian communities in Lebanon have indeed sought protection from Israel against Hezbollah’s threats,” Netanyahu told the Fox News program The Sunday Briefing the day before the villages spoke out. “Israel safeguards these groups and provides the same protection to Christians everywhere.”

Israel presently occupies roughly six percent of Lebanese territory, despite asserting in the recent Lebanon‑Israel framework agreement that it has no territorial ambitions within the country.

Lebanese analysts and residents of southern Lebanon sharply criticized Netanyahu’s assertions, some of whom used vivid language in their rebuke.

“Netanyahu’s statements reveal cynicism and a tendency toward falsehood,” said Karimсіз Emile Bitar, professor of international relations at Saint Joseph University in Beirut, to Al Jazeera. “Multiple Lebanese MPs and officials corresponded with every mayor in southern towns. These claims are entirely fabricated.”

Officials in fifteen southern municipalities, many with Christian populations, released a joint statement condemning what they described as an attempt by Netanyahu to foment sedition and division among Lebanese communities.

Division over Hezbollah but Rejection of Israel

Netanyahu’s remarks come following a widely criticized, U.S.-brokered agreement between Lebanon and Israel aimed at ending hostilities.

The conflict escalated on March 2 when Hezbollah fired six rockets at Israeli targets for the first time in over a year, prompting Israel to intensify attacks across the country, including on Beirut and in southern Lebanon.

In recent months, Israel has faced international condemnation for indiscriminate strikes on Lebanese targets, including incidents involving Christians. Notably, an Israeli soldier sparked global uproar by demolishing a Jesus statue in southern Lebanon in April, and a priest was killed by Israeli tank fire in March. An official from a Christian party also lost his life in early April in an eastern suburb of Beirut.

A resident of Jdeidet Marjayoun, a southern town, described Netanyahu’s statement as “propaganda” and “false.” The individual requested anonymity due to professional constraints preventing media interaction.

Lebanon’s political system is divided along sectarian lines, with a Maronite Christian president, a Sunni Muslim prime minister, and a Shia speaker of parliament. The parliament operates under a sectarian quota, and ministerial appointments consider sectarian affiliation.

Some analysts suggest Netanyahu and the Israeli government aim to amplify tensions within Lebanon’s sectarian framework to create internal conflict. During the latest surge of Israeli attacks, more than 1.2 million people were displaced from their homes, primarily secondd‑generally Shia Muslims who sought refuge in areas of differing sectarian composition, heightening fears that communal tensions could erupt into violence.

“It appears to be a deliberate attempt to sow civil strife in Lebanon, pitting communities against one another to portray Israel as a protector of certain minorities and exploit Lebanese southern residents’ existential anxieties,” Bitar said. “It’s a decade‑old divide‑and‑conquer strategy, part of an Israeli agenda.”

Although escalated tensions have not yet culminated in violence, Lebanon remains deeply divided over Hezbollah’s role and its arsenal of weapons and resistance. Despite these divisions, the general Lebanese population continues to view Israel negatively.

A June 2026 poll conducted by Lebanese American University professor Jad Melki surveyed 1,000 respondents. Fifty‑four percent endorsed diplomacy as the sole path to liberation, while thirty‑five percent supported armed resistance. Thirty‑four percent favored a peace agreement with Israel, whereas eighty‑seven percent regarded Israel as an enemy of Lebanon.

Divide and Conquer

Lebanese officials also issued strong rebukes of Netanyahu.

Melhem Khalaf, a Greek Orthodox MP from Beirut, held a press conference Monday stating that Netanyahu “does not have the right to speak on behalf of Christians.”

Hanna al‑Amil, head of the Christian municipality Rmeish on the southern border, told local newspaper L’Orient‑Le Jour, “No village in the South has made such a request.”

The strategy of attempting to divide and conquer minorities in the region is not new, analysts noted. Israel has claimed similar intentions in Syria, particularly in the Southern region where sectarian violence shook the Druze community last year. Israel then targeted Damascus in what it said was an effort to defend the Druze.

“The fact that most Lebanese living in those southern villages were shocked and issued statements firmly denying these allegations is significant, but it should not be dismissed, as it aligns with a broader Israeli strategy,” Bitar said.

“All Lebanese must remain united and determined to counter any Israeli attempts to sow civil strife in Lebanon,” he added.

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