Lebanese mayor denies Netanyahu’s annexation claim of Christian villages

A Lebanese mayor has dismissed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's claim that some Christian villages in southern Lebanon have asked "to be annexed" by Israel.

"This claim is totally untrue," Hanna al-Amil, mayor of Rmeiche, told Lebanon's state news agency NNA.

"None of the Christian villages have made this request as Netanyahu claimed," he added.

Home to roughly 7,000 Maronite Christians, Rmeiche is the southernmost village in Lebanon, located in the district of Bint Jbeil.

Netanyahu claimed on Sunday that some Christian villages in Lebanon have asked to be annexed by Israel in order to be protected from Hezbollah.

Such a request "is completely out of the question," al-Amil said, adding that 15 Christian villages have already denied these Israeli allegations.

"The Christian villages are the heart of Lebanon, beating with patriotism, attachment to the land and Lebanese identity," the mayor stressed.

Israel has continued almost daily strikes in Lebanon despite an ongoing ceasefire and a US-sponsored framework agreement signed on June 26 between Lebanon and Israel, which provides for a phased Israeli withdrawal from all Lebanese territory, beginning with two unspecified pilot zones.

Since March 2, Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed more than 4,300 people and injured over 12,000 others, according to official figures.

Israeli forces also continue to occupy areas in southern Lebanon, some held for decades and others seized during the 2023-2024 war, while advancing more than 10 kilometers into Lebanese territory during the latest offensive.