Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel told Fox News that “Christian villages in Lebanon, some of them have actually asked to be annexed to Israel, because we protect them against the Hezbollah.”
Hanna al-Amil, mayor of the Christian village of Rmaish, responded that “15 Christian towns had issued a statement two days ago denying these allegations.” France 24 reported that most Christian villages in southern Lebanon “have remained inhabited despite Israeli evacuation orders, with residents choosing to stay to protect their homes, churches and farmland.”
The prime minister made his remarks four months after the beginning of the Lebanon war, during which Israel has occupied part of southern Lebanon.