Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a ceremony at which the foundation stone was laid for a heritage center, in Atarot, in occupied East Jerusalem, on July 5, 2026. (Credit: Ilia Yefimovich/AFP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the American channel Fox News on Sunday that some Christian villages in southern Lebanon had "asked to be annexed" by Israel, seeking, according to him, protection from Hezbollah.
"Among the Christian villages in Lebanon, some have even asked to be annexed to Israel, because we protect them from the fanatics of Hezbollah who want to kill them. And we do the same thing with Christians everywhere," Netanyahu said on the program "The Sunday Briefing." Israel occupies about 620 square kilometers of southern Lebanon along the border. He did not name the villages.
Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war on March 2, when Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel in support of Iran, which was targeted by an American-Israeli offensive. Israel responded with intense bombings, which have killed more than 4,300 people, and invaded dozens of villages.
Since the beginning of the war, Israeli bombings have caused hundreds of thousands of people to be displaced. But in most Christian villages in the South, residents have stayed despite Israeli evacuation orders. The Israeli army had warned several predominantly Christian villages not to allow displaced people from other localities to enter or remain, for their own safety.
In a speech given during a ceremony on Sunday, Netanyahu repeated that the army would maintain its presence "as long as necessary in order to protect the residents of the north and all the citizens of Israel."
On Fox News, he also spoke about his disagreements with Donald Trump regarding the memorandum of understanding signed on April 17 between Washington and Tehran, aimed at a lasting settlement of the regional conflict, and including Lebanon.
"We have an excellent relationship, which is defined, as I said, between allies," Netanyahu said. "99% of the time, we are on the same wavelength, but as in any family, any close friendship, there are sometimes differences of opinion, and we discuss them openly" and "we usually resolve them as well."
The day before, the American site Axios quoted Donald Trump as saying that Netanyahu knew "who is the boss." Donald Trump has recently criticized Netanyahu several times, when the war led by Israel against Hezbollah threatened talks with Iran. The two men are due to meet soon in Washington.
Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, who leads the Israeli army, for his part swore on Sunday, during a visit to his troops in Lebanon, that it "will continue to act decisively against threats coming from Lebanese territory, and is ready to quickly move to offensive operations if the truce is violated."
