Israeli officer calls Rmeish mayor, asks him to expel displaced families from village
Residents of the southern border town of Alma al-Shaab, a predominantly Christian village, were evacuating their village Tuesday after Israeli warnings.
The mayor of another Chrisitan village, also in south Lebanon, said he received a direct call from the Israeli army, warning him that displaced people from neighboring Shia-majority villages would put his village, Rmeish, in danger and turn it into a military target.
In the recorded phone call, the Israeli army officer told the mayor of Rmeish that he considers his village's residents as "friends and family."
Israeli tank fire had killed Monday a priest in the Christian border town of Qlayaa, as artillery shelling from a Merkava tank targeted twice a house, on the outskirts of the town.
The first strike wounded the homeowner and his wife. After several neighbors, including Rai, and Red Cross paramedics rushed to the scene, the house was hit a second time, wounding Rai and three others.
The priest later died of his wounds, a medical source told AFP.
Residents of Qlayaa, Rmeish and Alma al-Shaab were determined to remain in their homes despite evacuation warnings issued by the Israeli army to all residents south of the Litani river, about 30 kilometers from the border.
Source: Naharnet
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