Israel and Lebanon Coordinate Aid Convoy to Christian Villages in Combat Zone

A convoy of 15 trucks carrying food and medical supplies has entered a Christian village in South Lebanon following close coordination between the Israeli army and the Lebanese government, The New York Sun can disclose. Both the IDF and the mayor of Ain Ebel, a Christian village located a few kilometers from the Israeli border, confirmed that aid reached the 1,100 residents on Tuesday. Ain Ebel is one of three Christian villages in the area where many residents have refused to leave their homes despite the IDF asking them to evacuate due to ongoing battles between Israeli soldiers and Hezbollah in the area. The three Christian villages receiving aid are surrounded by Shi’ite villages, many of which the IDF said are used by Hezbollah to operate from and store weapons. The mayor of Ain Ebel, Ayoub Khoreich, told the Sun that the civilians who chose to stay “are not statistics — they are families choosing to stay despite real danger, in the absence of sufficient protection.”Mr. Khoreich said that while the residents are grateful for the aid, the “current supplies — while helpful — are only a temporary solution and may last around two months. They do not address the structural shortages, especially fresh food and essential items for children.”He added: “Humanitarian aid alone is not enough if insecurity continues.” Mr. Kreish added that he estimates around 5,000 residents have stayed in the nearby Christian village of Rmeish and some 1,700 in the village of Debel.Speaking on condition of anonymity, an Israeli military official told the Sun that the convoy was led by the World Food Program, which had four vehicles escorting the aid trucks to Ain Ebel from Beirut. “They coordinated their route with the IDF via UNIFIL. When they enter south Lebanon they go through check points. The main point is that they are entering active combat zones so in order to prevent any accidents we have to coordinate with them all the way,” the official added. The official disclosed that another aid convoy, led by a Vatican envoy, was also supposed to enter one of the villages on Tuesday: “But unfortunately they decided to turn around before they reached the destination point.”“A convoy led by the International Red Cross is expected to reach the villages on Friday. We will coordinate with them as well,” the official added. “But we will continue to coordinate more aid to them. If they need to go to hospitals we will also make sure to coordinate with them for safety reasons,” the official said. For the villages in Ain Ebel, the situation has gone “beyond hardship,” Mr. Khoreich said: “it is becoming unsustainable.” “Civilians are exposed daily to fear and insecurity. There is no hospital, limited access to water, and a complete lack of fresh vegetables and fruits. Families are displaced, children are studying under fire, and the most vulnerable are left without proper care,” he added. The mayor warned that the situation could lead to a “full humanitarian collapse” without urgent intervention.”A Hezbollah-Israeli BattlegroundIsrael and Hezbollah fought a 13-month long war from October 2023 until November 2024 when a ceasefire was reached. The war left southern Lebanon virtually empty of civilians as IDF soldiers went from house to house, looking for Hezbollah fighters, tunnels, weapons and missiles. Despite the ceasefire clearly stipulating that Hezbollah had to be disarmed completely and removed from southern Lebanon, the terror group refused to lay down its weapons. The IDF therefore insisted on its continued presence at five different points along the Lebanese-Israeli border, despite the ceasefire also calling for their withdrawal from Lebanon. While the Lebanese army was tasked with disarming Hezbollah, the Israeli army pounded the terror group on a daily basis across Lebanon during the ceasefire, killing hundreds of its members. In January, the Lebanese army announced that southern Lebanon had been cleared of Hezbollah. A claim Israel refused and which later proved to be false when Hezbollah entered the war between Iran, the US and Israel, on March 2, sending rockets at northern Israel in solidarity with Tehran. Since then the IDF has invaded large parts of southern Lebanon, with the Israeli government promising to create a security zone in the entire area south of the Litani river until Hezbollah no longer poses a threat to residents in northern Israel. The IDF said it killed more than 1,000 Hezbollah members during the war, in addition to Iranian generals and members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad. For Mr. Khoreich there is only one solution when it comes to bringing back peace and stability to the residents of his village and the rest of southern Lebanon. “The residents are demanding an immediate cessation of hostilities. This must include; The withdrawal of all armed actors, including Israeli forces and Hezbollah, a full demilitarization of the area, and guarantees for civilian protection,” he said. He added: “Anything short of this will only prolong instability and suffering.” As for the Lebanese army, which was stationed near Ain Ebel up until the end of last month, the mayor said they must come back. “The return of the Lebanese Armed Forces is not optional — it is essential. Residents are calling for a strong, empowered deployment, in coordination with UNIFIL,” he said. He added: “There must be clear authority to enforce security, remove illegal weapons, and prevent further escalation. Without this, civilians remain exposed.”

Israel and Lebanon Coordinate Aid Convoy to Christian Villages in Combat Zone

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