Aoun and Rajji offer condolences to the family of Father Pierre Raï

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Foreign Minister Joe Rajji offered their condolences Sunday at Mar Doumit Church in Burj Hammoud to the family of Father Pierre Raï, who was killed Monday in the Christian village of Qlaya (Marjayoun) in south Lebanon, in an Israeli airstrike.

President Aoun reiterated to the priest’s family and the residents of the village his deep sorrow at the loss of the pastor, who “embodied the resilience and determination of the people of the South to remain in their villages and towns.”

For his part, the foreign minister wrote on his X account that he had “reiterated to the family of the deceased, as well as the villagers, [his] support and [his] commitment to mobilize all available diplomatic means to support their resilience and attachment to their land.” “I also commended their continued choice to rely on the state and its institutions as a means of defense, their rejection of the logic of war, and their determination to live in peace – a choice that I appreciate and am proud of,” added the minister, who is close to the Lebanese Forces (LF).

Father Pierre Raï was killed while helping the wounded after an initial Israeli strike. The Israeli army issued a statement that day claiming the attack targeted Hezbollah fighters. Pope Leo XIV paid tribute to him on Wednesday, noting that “Father Pierre was a true shepherd, who always remained by his people’s side with the love and sacrifice of Jesus, the Good Shepherd.”

On Thursday, three young men from the Christian town of Ain Ibl (Bint Jbeil) were also killed in an Israeli drone attack.

Since the start of the war in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah on March 2, at least 826 people have been killed and 2,009 wounded.