This report conveys the concerns of residents in southern Lebanese border towns and villages, including Khiam, Bint Jbeil, Froun, Houla, Markaba and Adaisseh, where residents say their homes, properties and infrastructure are being subjected to widespread destruction by Israeli forces.
The mayors of Khiam and the Southern Suburbs Municipalities Union, along with MP Ali Fayad, addressed a strongly worded message to the Lebanese government and state authorities.
They called on the government to take a clear position on what they say is happening on the ground. They demanded that the authorities either acknowledge what they know about the situation or publicly and unequivocally deny it.
The speakers also questioned the contents of official documents and memoranda issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They asked whether these documents give Israeli forces freedom of movement and allow homes to be destroyed without giving residents the right to defend their land and dignity.
The speakers called on the authorities to clarify these circumstances to the Lebanese public.
They also stressed, on behalf of residents of southern Lebanon and the border villages, their categorical rejection of any attempt to compromise their dignity, land or freedom, or to reach arrangements with Israel at their expense.
