BEIRUT: Christian leaders in southern Lebanon have firmly rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim that some border villages sought annexation by Israel, dismissing the remarks as an attempt to pressure the Lebanese authorities into disarming Hezbollah. Communities from about 13 Christian-majority border villages insisted their futures lie solely with the Lebanese state, while warning that years of conflict have left their communities trapped between Israeli military operations and Hezbollah’s armed presence.

The prime minister tells Fox News that some villages in southern Lebanon sought Israeli protection from Hezbollah, saying Israel defends Christians there and elsewhere

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that some Christian villages in southern Lebanon had asked to be annexed by Israel, in order to be