Convoy of aid sent to Christian border villages at apostolic nuncio’s initiative

BEIRUT — A convoy carrying dozens of tons of humanitarian aid was delivered to Christian villages in the border area in southern Lebanon at the initiative of Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Paolo Borgia.

This convoy, the second organized after an initial one on Friday, stopped in the villages of Debel, Rmeish and Ain Ebel, according to our journalists Caroline Hayek and Lucille Wassermann, who accompanied it.

This aid includes fuel and food, mainly to enable residents of the three villages to remain in their homes, especially the 2,500 inhabitants still present in Debel, in the Marjayoun district.

On site, upon the convoy’s arrival, Geryes, a resident, declared that he would leave "only when the bulldozers chase us out."

"We are at home here," he added. Another resident addressed the apostolic nuncio during a ceremony at Saint George Church, urging him to ensure that the Internal Security Forces, who are still present in the village, remain. During the convoy’s stop in Debel, at least five rocket launches toward Israel could be heard from nearby villages.

In Ain Ebel, students from the Collège des Saints-Cœurs chanted slogans as the Vatican delegation passed by: "We want to stay here in our home, forever and always."

In several Christian border villages, residents refuse to leave their homes despite drone strikes or gunfire that have caused deaths since the latest escalation, including a septuagenarian in Alma al-Shaab (Sour), the parish priest of Qlayaa, Father Pierre al-Rai, and three men killed on the roof of a house in Ain Ebel.

The residents of Alma al-Shaab, who had been holding out on their land, were forced to leave their village after direct threats were made against them.

Archbishop Paolo Borgia, for his part, made a solidarity tour of Christian villages in southern Lebanon on March 13.