Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that some Christian villages in Lebanon have asked to be annexed to Israel for protection, despite mounting criticism over Israeli military operations that have destroyed or damaged churches and Christian religious sites in Lebanon, reported the Middle East Eye.
In an interview with Fox News aired on July 5, Netanyahu said Israel “takes care of our friends, especially the Christians in the Middle East,” asserting that some Christian communities in Lebanon had sought Israeli annexation because of protection from Hezbollah. He also claimed that Israel extends similar protection to Christians across the region.
However, Netanyahu did not provide evidence to support his assertion that Christian villages had requested annexation or Israeli protection. He also offered no evidence for his claim that Hezbollah had targeted Christian communities. Hezbollah’s principal Christian political ally in Lebanon is the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM).
The remarks came amid growing international criticism of Israel’s military campaign in Lebanon, during which several Christian religious sites have reportedly been damaged or destroyed. In May, the French Christian organisation L’Oeuvred’Orient said Israeli forces demolished a convent belonging to the Salvatorian Sisters, a Greek Catholic religious order, in the southern Lebanese village of Yaroun.
Earlier this year, videos circulating on social media appeared to show Israeli soldiers damaging Christian symbols in southern Lebanon, including a statue of Jesus on the cross and another depicting the Virgin Mary. Israel’s Chief Rabbinate later declined to publicly condemn the destruction of the Jesus statue.
In 2025, the Melkite Greek Catholic St. George Church in the southern Lebanese village of Derdghaya was reportedly destroyed during Israeli military operations.
Netanyahu’s comments also followed controversial remarks by Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who wrote on social media last month that ‘all of Lebanon must burn’ after four Israeli soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon.
The Israeli prime minister, who is the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the conflict in Gaza, has rejected the allegations against him.
During the Fox News interview, Netanyahu expanded his claim beyond Christian communities, saying that Druze, Sunni Muslims and quite a few Shiite Muslims in Lebanon had also sought Israel’s protection. He did not provide evidence to substantiate those assertions.
The conflict between Israel and Lebanon has exacted a heavy human toll. According to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, Israeli military operations launched on March 2 have killed at least 4,304 people and injured 12,203 others.
The ongoing conflict has also raised concerns about the safety of Christian communities across the region, with reports of attacks on churches and clergy in both Lebanon and the occupied Palestinian territories drawing international attention.