Last week, Israel and Lebanon agreed to a 45-day extension of a ceasefire following two days of U.S.-hosted talks described by Washington as "very productive." The negotiations carry major consequences for Lebanon, a country caught between Israeli pressure, Hezbollah's weapons, and the risk of deeper internal instability.
But while diplomats discuss security arrangements, military withdrawals, and the future of the border, the damage left in southern Lebanon from the latest war triggered by Hezbollah also includes a religious wound: the desecration of Christian symbols and the destruction of places of worship.
Desecration of Christian symbols
In several southern villages, the war has not only left homes destroyed and families displaced but has also affected churches, crosses, and statues of the Virgin Mary — sacred signs that mark the Christian presence in villages where questions of return, protection, and dignity are supposed to be inseparable from the diplomatic discussions.
Recently, two incidents in southern Lebanon brought renewed attention to the desecration of Christian symbols during the war. In one case, an image circulated showing an Israeli soldier placing a cigarette in the mouth of a statue of the Virgin Mary. Before that, another widely reported image showed a soldier damaging a statue of Christ on the cross in Debl.
These incidents were not isolated, however.
During an earlier phase of the war in 2024, a video reportedly showed Israeli soldiers inside a church in Deir Mimas, turning the sacred space into a scene of mockery. In the footage, soldiers appeared to stage a mock wedding between two servicemen, with others laughing, singing, filming, and moving through the church as though it were a place of entertainment rather than worship.
Israel has said the soldiers involved in the desecration incidents were punished and that such behavior is incompatible with the army's values. After the image of the Virgin Mary statue circulated, the Israeli military said one soldier had been sentenced to 21 days in military prison and another to 14 days, adding that it viewed the incident with "great severity."
In the earlier Debl case, two soldiers were reportedly removed from combat duty and sentenced to 30 days in military detention after an image showed a soldier damaging a statue of Christ on the cross.
The destruction of Christian places of worship
The incidents involving individual soldiers are only one part of a wider picture. Christian places of worship and religious institutions in southern Lebanon have also been targeted and destroyed during the war.
In Yaroun, a Catholic convent and former school belonging to the Salvatorian Sisters were destroyed by the Israeli army earlier this month. Israel denied that the monastery had been demolished, but Yaroun's mayor, Adib Ajaka, rejected the Israeli account.
The same village had already seen its church affected earlier in the war, as early as 2024. The Israeli army had also destroyed a statue of St. George.
Around the same period, in October 2024, other Christian villages in southern Lebanon were likewise hit. In Derdghaya, a church of the Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Tyre was struck by an Israeli missile. A priest's house and three-story building housing parish offices were also destroyed by another missile.
The human toll in Christian villages
Beyond the desecration of symbols and the destruction of churches, Christian villages in southern Lebanon have also mourned civilian deaths during this latest war.
On March 8, Christian farmer Sami Youssef al-Ghafri, from Alma al-Shaab, was killed in shelling. The following day, Father Pierre al-Rahi was killed in an Israeli strike on Qlayaa, prompting an outpouring of tributes online, with many portraying him as a symbol of Christian steadfastness for refusing to leave his parishioners. That same day, Lebanese Red Cross paramedic Youssef Assaf died of wounds sustained during a rescue mission after an Israeli strike in the Tyre district.
On March 12, three young men from Ain Ebel — Chadi Ammar, Elie Attallah, and Georges Khreich — were killed in an Israeli drone strike while trying to repair an internet connection.
Later, on March 28, Georges Soueid and his son Elie were killed by Israeli gunfire while traveling in a pickup truck on the road between Debl and Rmeish.
Some Christian villages in southern Lebanon were heavily damaged or emptied during the war. A few, such as Rmeish near the Israeli border, are mostly untouched. In the few where residents managed to stay, daily life remains extremely difficult: Aid is limited, infrastructure is fragile, and even basic services have been disrupted.
Local accounts point to damaged solar panels, targeted roads, and municipal equipment, including vehicles used for waste collection, destroyed or rendered unusable, making it harder for remaining families to sustain life in their villages.
Aid convoys as a lifeline
Aid convoys have been crucial for the remaining residents of southern Lebanon's Christian villages. Local Church sources have repeatedly pointed to the role of the apostolic nuncio, who became a key figure in coordinating and encouraging aid efforts to reach isolated communities.
Organizations such as Caritas Lebanon, the Lebanese Red Cross, and L'Œuvre d'Orient have also played an essential role in helping residents receive basic assistance and remain in their villages despite the hardship. This weekend, the local nongovernmental organization Nawraj also reached several of the affected communities, bringing additional support to families still living under difficult conditions.
As U.S.-hosted negotiations between Lebanon and Israel continue, the protection of Christian places of worship, sacred symbols, and livelihoods should be part of the equation, according to the local Christian community.
This story was first published by ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, and has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
