Debel, Lebanon
2026 Hezbollah-Israel war
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The residents of Debel, along with those of [[Rmaish]] and [[Ain Ebel]], openly defied widespread Israeli evacuation and displacement orders, leaving these towns among the last remaining populated areas in the province.{{cite news |last1=Homsi |first1=Nada |last2=Macourant Atallah |first2=Nada |title=South Lebanon’s villagers left to fend for themselves on ‘road of death’ |url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/04/02/south-lebanons-villagers-left-to-fend-for-themselves-on-road-of-death/ |access-date=14 April 2026 |publisher=The National News}} |
The residents of Debel, along with those of [[Rmaish]] and [[Ain Ebel]], openly defied widespread Israeli evacuation and displacement orders, leaving these towns among the last remaining populated areas in the province.{{cite news |last1=Homsi |first1=Nada |last2=Macourant Atallah |first2=Nada |title=South Lebanon’s villagers left to fend for themselves on ‘road of death’ |url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/04/02/south-lebanons-villagers-left-to-fend-for-themselves-on-road-of-death/ |access-date=14 April 2026 |publisher=The National News}} |
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On March 28, 2026, Israeli army gunfire targeting a pickup truck on the main road between the Christian villages of Debel and [[Rmaish]] along the southern border killed two Debel residents, Georges Soueid and his son Elie, after requests to authorities for safe passage had reportedly gone unanswered.{{cite news |title=Israel kills by gunfire two residents — father and son — of Dibil, a Christian village in the South |url=https://today.lorientlejour.com/article/1501256/israel-kills-by-gunfire-two-residents-father-and-son-of-debel-a-christian-village-in-the-south.html |access-date=13 April 2026 |publisher=L'Orient Today |date=28 March 2026}} Georges and Elie Soueid's car was struck while attempting to bring back much-needed supplies from [[Rmeish]] via a road residents considered the last safe route out of Debel. Elie initially survived the Israeli attack on him and his father but was bleeding heavily from a femoral artery wound and could not be reached by the Lebanese Red Cross because the road was unsafe. Father Fadi Felfeli later risked his life on the same road to retrieve the coffins of the two men. |
On March 28, 2026, Israeli army gunfire targeting a pickup truck on the main road between the Christian villages of Debel and [[Rmaish]] along the southern border killed two Debel residents, Georges Soueid and his son Elie, after requests to authorities for safe passage had reportedly gone unanswered.{{cite news |title=Israel kills by gunfire two residents — father and son — of Dibil, a Christian village in the South |url=https://today.lorientlejour.com/article/1501256/israel-kills-by-gunfire-two-residents-father-and-son-of-debel-a-christian-village-in-the-south.html |access-date=13 April 2026 |publisher=L'Orient Today |date=28 March 2026}} Georges and Elie Soueid's car was struck while attempting to bring back much-needed supplies from [[Rmeish]] via a road residents considered the last safe route out of Debel. Elie initially survived the Israeli attack on him and his father, but was bleeding heavily from a femoral artery wound and could not be reached by the Lebanese Red Cross because the road was unsafe. Father Fadi Felfeli later risked his life on the same road to retrieve the coffins of the two men. |
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On April 5, 2026, a Vatican-led convoy carrying more than 40 tons of aid to Debel was called off due to what Lebanon’s [[Maronite Church]] described as “security reasons.”{{cite news |title=Lebanese Christians displaced by war mark Easter far from their homes and churches |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/lebanese-christians-displaced-by-war-mark-easter-far-from-their-homes-and-churches#:~:text=Worries%20are%20mounting%20among%20Christians,said%20was%20%22security%20reasons.%22 |access-date=13 April 2026 |publisher=PBS |date=5 April 2026}} |
On April 5, 2026, a Vatican-led convoy carrying more than 40 tons of aid to Debel was called off due to what Lebanon’s [[Maronite Church]] described as “security reasons.”{{cite news |title=Lebanese Christians displaced by war mark Easter far from their homes and churches |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/lebanese-christians-displaced-by-war-mark-easter-far-from-their-homes-and-churches#:~:text=Worries%20are%20mounting%20among%20Christians,said%20was%20%22security%20reasons.%22 |access-date=13 April 2026 |publisher=PBS |date=5 April 2026}} |
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Fierce Israeli strikes against Hezbollah positions around Debel, [[Ain Ebel]], and Rmaish severely restricted movement in the area, with travel between the villages requiring coordination with the Lebanese Armed Forces or the [[United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon]] (UNIFIL), although UN and Lebanese officials were often unable to “deconflict” individual civilian movements without an international mechanism involving the United States, France, and Israel. |
Fierce Israeli strikes against Hezbollah positions around Debel, [[Ain Ebel]], and Rmaish severely restricted movement in the area, with travel between the villages requiring coordination with the Lebanese Armed Forces or the [[United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon]] (UNIFIL), although UN and Lebanese officials were often unable to “deconflict” individual civilian movements without an international mechanism involving the United States, France, and Israel. |
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Widespread outrage has erupted following the circulation of a viral photograph and video showing an Israeli soldier smashing a statue of Jesus Christ with a sledgehammer in the southern Lebanese village of Debel. The incident has drawn condemnation from religious leaders, international figures, and the Israeli government. The incident occurred in Debel shortly after a ceasefire began on 19 April 2026. Videos and photos show a soldier in uniform striking a fallen statue of Jesus Christ at a small residential shrine.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpd575n1znzo |
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==Demographics== |
==Demographics== |
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