At the hot border between Lebanon and Israel, where the conflict is most felt, there are Christian villages, including Tyr, who, as Father Toufic Bou Merhi says, is already within tank range. Franciscans had to evacuate the population, which after the Israeli attack took refuge in St. Joseph's church there. “People are scared, there are fears that Israeli forces will take over the area,” says the friar.
The parish, led by Toufic's father, is on the front line. 2 years ago there was specified an escalation of conflict that Franciscans were forced to close the monastery in Tyra and evacuate with residents of neighboring villages. The Israeli rocket fell respective decades from the monastery, wounding the children who took refuge in their care.
In the south of Lebanon, the attacks are the most intense, and tanks with the star David entered the country. “They call me from villages closest to the border. People are scared. They have just received an order from Tel Aviv to evacuate from inhabited areas," says Father Toufic. It belongs to the Custody of the Holy Land and is the parish priest of the Lebanese Latin rite in the south of the country. As he says, Israel urged the population to leave the full area south of the Litani River, not just the villages. "There is simply a threat of raids and invasions all over the area," warns Toufic's father, stressing that this is simply a truly vast area.
AB, KAI
