On March 11, 2026, Father Pierre El-Rahi, a Maronite Catholic priest in Lebanon’s Qlayaa village near the Israeli border, died from wounds sustained when an Israeli tank struck his parish house.
The attack occurred as the priest rushed to assist villagers injured by the strike. Lebanese media reported he was later taken to a local hospital and succumbed to his injuries.
Father El-Rahi had previously spoken with community members on March 8, 2026, stating: “We are forced to stay despite the danger. When we defend our land, we do so peacefully.” He added that residents carried “only peace, goodness and love.”
On March 4, 2026, the Israeli government issued an urgent warning to southern Lebanon residents, instructing them to evacuate their homes and move north of the Litani River due to Hezbollah’s activities. The message stated: “Hezbollah’s terrorist activities are forcing the Israeli military to act against it with force” and that “any home used by Hezbollah for military purposes may be subject to targeting.”
Four weeks later, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz outlined plans for a security zone in Lebanon up to the Litani River. According to reports, more than 600,000 residents of southern Lebanon would not be permitted to return south until safety was ensured, and all homes near the border would be destroyed.
On March 24, 2026, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced a call for Israel to annex southern Lebanon up to the Litani River, stating: “I say here definitively… in every room and in every discussion, too: the new Israeli border must be the Litani.”
The military operations have intensified near the Lebanese border, targeting infrastructure and homes in the region.
