Israeli army shelled a Christian temple in southern Lebanon

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has officially confirmed that damage was caused to a Christian church in the village of Yarun in southern Lebanon during recent military operations. The incident provoked an international outcry and sharp criticism from Catholic organizations, which accused the military of deliberately destroying the Christian monastery. This is reported by Orthodoxia News Agency.

According to IDF Arabic-speaking spokesman Avihai Adrai, the damage was done to a building during an operation to dismantle «terrorist infrastructure» in the Yarun neighborhood. Military officials claim that Hezbollah used the area to launch rockets into Israeli territory. The army spokesperson emphasized that the site initially had no visible identifying marks indicating its religious status, but that once they were discovered, measures were taken to prevent further damage.

An opposing assessment of the events was given by the French Catholic association L’Œuvre d’Orient. The organization said that Israeli forces had «destroyed» the convent of the Sisters of the Rescue, which belongs to the Greek Catholic Church. Representatives of the association called what happened «a systematic destruction of residential houses and religious buildings in southern Lebanon,» which they said was aimed at preventing the return of civilians. The Lebanese national news agency ANI also reported damage to a private school and residential areas in the area.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry denied reports of the complete demolition of the monastery, calling them «fake news» and publishing photos of the building as proof of its preservation. It is worth noting that the incident comes amid a recent disciplinary trial in which two Israeli soldiers were sentenced to prison for desecrating a statue of Jesus Christ in another Lebanese village. Despite the formal truce, which came into force on April 17, tension in the border zone remains high.

Recall, earlier it became known that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) applied disciplinary penalties to soldiers involved in the desecration of a Christian shrine in southern Lebanon. The incident, which provoked a diplomatic scandal and widespread public outcry, led to the arrest of the direct perpetrator and the suspension of a group of soldiers from combat missions.