The village of Yaroun, before and after demolitions by the Israeli army. Photos provided to L'OLJ by a resident of the village.
BEIRUT — Two weeks after Israeli troops destroyed a statue of Jesus Christ in Dibil, in southern Lebanon, they destroyed a convent in Yaroun (Bint Jbeil district) on Friday, sparking a new wave of international outrage.
"Let American Christians speak up!!! America can't stay silent and must stop funding Israel to commit such atrocities!!!" wrote former U.S. lawmaker and far-right figure Marjorie Taylor Greene on Saturday, sharing a post showing the extent of the destruction.
"The Israeli army razed the convent and the Sisters of the Holy Savior school in Yaroun, Lebanon, yesterday. By what right? What does this have to do with disarming Hezbollah? Israel, wake up — your leaders have lost their way," said European Parliament member Nathalie Loiseau.
According to information obtained on Friday by our correspondent in southern Lebanon from Father Charbel Naddaf, priest of the Yaroun parish, Israeli did carried out the demolition of the convent and its associated school on Friday. He denounced "a flagrant violation of international law."
Naddaf believes that Israel's goal is to "empty the area of its inhabitants and prevent their return," something the Israeli army manages to accomplish "in the absence of any deterrent."
"They destroy houses and places of worship, and no one stops them," he said, calling on Lebanese authorities and the international community to intervene.
'Violation of all human values'
During the previous Israeli ground offensive in southern Lebanon, launched during the autumn 2024 war, Israeli soldiers filmed themselves destroying a monastery in Deir Mimas (Marjayoun), as well as a statue of Saint George in Yaroun.
Israeli attacks have repeatedly damaged and destroyed mosques and churches, including the same monastery in Yaroun.
In response to yet another such incident, the Metropolitan of Zahle and the Bekaa of the Melkite Greek Catholics, Ibrahim Mikail Ibrahim, condemned in a statement the "crime of destruction," saying that "what happened is not a mere passing aggression, but a blatant and unacceptable violation of all human values and international law, as well as a direct attack on the educational and spiritual mission of the Church."
Ibrahim stated that "the destruction of this religious and educational place constitutes an aggravated crime against humanity and the land, and respects neither the sanctity of holy places nor that of scientific institutions," emphasizing that targeting a monastery and a school is tantamount to attacking "childhood, knowledge, and the hope for a better future."
The "buffer zone" that Israel wants to establish in southern Lebanon stretches as far as eight to 10 kilometers from the Blue Line and encompasses dozens of villages, most of which are occupied and where all homes and other civilian buildings are systematically destroyed. In addition to this invasion, the Israeli army continues to bomb, despite the existing truce, villages and towns in the South.
