JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed on Sunday that some Christian villages in southern Lebanon had asked to be annexed by Israel in exchange for protection from Hezbollah.
“Christian villages in Lebanon, some of them have actually asked to be annexed to Israel, because we protect them against the Hezbollah, Hezbollah fanatics who want to kill them, and we do the same things with Christians everywhere,” Netanyahu said during an interview on Fox News’s The Sunday Briefing.
The Israeli premier did not identify the villages he said had made such a request.
However, Christian villages in the Marjeyoun region of southern Lebanon rejected reports on Friday suggesting they had sought annexation, stating that they had “no power nor the legal right” to make decisions of that nature.
The villages reaffirmed their commitment to remaining on their land, expressing “loyalty to their national identity” and their “attachment to their Lebanese flag”.
Since the start of the conflict, several Christian communities in southern Lebanon have been affected by Israeli shelling, airstrikes, displacement and damage to infrastructure.
Despite Israeli evacuation orders, many residents have remained in their villages to safeguard their homes, churches and farmland, although some communities were partially or completely evacuated.
During the conflict, the Israeli military also contacted mayors and local officials in several Christian-majority villages, warning them not to allow “strangers” into their areas, referring to Hezbollah fighters.
Separately, Netanyahu said during a state ceremony on Sunday that Israeli troops would remain deployed in southern Lebanon “as long as necessary in order to protect the residents of the north and all the citizens of Israel.”
Israeli military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir also visited troops near Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon, pledging that the army would “continue to operate decisively to remove threats from Lebanese territory.”
Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters have continued to exchange attacks despite a US-brokered agreement between Israel and Lebanon aimed at moving towards a lasting ceasefire.
In the Fox News interview, Netanyahu also addressed reports of disagreements with US President Donald Trump over the agreement that ended the war with Iran.
“Let me say that we have an excellent relationship, which is defined, as I said, between allies,” Netanyahu said.
“Ninety-nine percent of the time, we see eye-to-eye, but as any, in any family, in any close friendship, there are sometimes differences of opinion, and we discuss them openly,” he added.
“I can tell you, in a free spirit, and usually we resolve them too.”
His remarks came a day after Trump told Axios that Netanyahu “knows who the boss is”.
In recent weeks, Trump has publicly criticised the Israeli prime minister during negotiations over the Iran agreement, accusing him of ingratitude and even calling him “crazy” over Israel’s military escalation in Lebanon. Trump also told Axios that Netanyahu was expected to visit Washington in the coming days.
