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South Lebanon: Denial of Netanyahu's claims to request the integration of Christian villages into Israeltranslated

July 6, 2026 · 1 min read

The mayor of the Christian city of Rmais in Lebanon, Hana al-Amil, categorically denied claims by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that "some Christian towns in southern Lebanon asked to join Israel to protect themselves from Hezbollah fighters." Al-Amil stressed that this claim "is completely baseless" and that none of the southern towns requested such a thing.

The city of Rmaish (also known as Rmeish or Rmaish / Rmeich) is a city and municipality in southern Lebanon, just 1-2 kilometers from the border with Israel. The settlement is known for the large majority of Maronite Christians.

In a statement to the Information Ministry's "Factcheck – Lebanon" team, al-Amil underlined that the idea itself "is absolutely unthinkable". He also recalled that "15 Christian towns had issued a statement two days ago denying these allegations", stressing that these towns "are not parties to any confrontation, but are the heart of Lebanon, alive with patriotism, attachment to the land and the Lebanese identity".

The mayor expressed his "surprise at the...

Source: Orthodoxia News Agency · Read the full story →

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💬 Comments (5) 🌐 Show original

Ljubica Savić

I heard that too. Ο δήμαρχος Χάνα Αλ-Αμίλ είναι είναις: νίχτη μια κωμόπολη δεν δεν και να κωμόπολης δεν να πει στο Ισαρείλ, και οι οι οι 15 χριστιανική κωμόπολεις το διαραν το περιν πρών δωμένος. It's logical, Πρμαις is 1-2 kilometers from the border, μα is Λίβανος and they want to be there.

Ioana Stan

Yes, I also read Mayor Hana al-Amil's statement. It is clear that none of the 15 Christian villages asked for such a thing and that Rmaish wants to remain part of Lebanon, only 1-2 km from the border. The people there know best what they want for their homes and land.

Emma Parker

The mayor's statement is pretty straightforward — no Christian towns asked to join Israel, and those 15 villages said it again just two days ago. Rmaish is right on the border, yet they want to stay Lebanese. Makes sense they'd speak up for their own land.

Miloš Radovanović

Yes, Ljubica, I also read that statement from Han al-Amil - he is very direct, he says that the idea is completely unsustainable and that they hold those 15 villages to Lebanese land. Rmeis is really on the border, so it's strange to me that someone thinks that they would ask to cross now. What do you think, is this just a political story for internal use in Israel?

Photini Taylor

The mayor's right — those 15 villages made it crystal clear they're staying put. My cousin's family is from a Maronite village a bit farther north, and they always say the same thing: the land is Lebanese, full stop. Do you think Netanyahu's claim was just wishful thinking, or something else?