Haykal offers condolences over priest in Qlayaa, residents expel Jradeh

Army chief General Rodolphe Haykal visited the southern town of Qlayaa by helicopter on Wednesday to offer condolences over the death of the town's priest by Israeli fire.

Residents of the town later expelled Change MP Elias Jradeh after he arrived to offer condolences. Jradeh, who has a leftist past, is known for supporting resistance against Israel but he is not affiliated with Hezbollah.

"The people of Qlayaa are our loved ones, but their reaction was expected due to the absence of authorities and their failure to defend the people of the south," Jradeh said after the incident.

The priest, Father Pierre al-Rai, died of wounds sustained from Israeli tank fire, according to state media and a medical source.

The border village had not previously been caught up in the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.

The National News Agency (NNA) reported that a house in the Christian town was "hit twice in succession by artillery shelling from a hostile Merkava tank" on Monday.

The first strike wounded the homeowner and his wife, according to NNA. 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.

It was not clear why Israeli forces targeted the house, which is located on the outskirts of the town.

The mayor of Qlayaa, Hanna Daher, called on the Lebanese Army and state to "prevent any armed manifestations inside the town or in its vicinity, and to pursue anyone who carries weapons outside the framework of legitimate institutions".

The people of Qlayaa "refuse to allow their town to be turned into an arena for any armed activity that might endanger civilians," he said, in comments carried on the NNA.

On Friday, Rai had taken part in a gathering organized by locals in the neighboring town of Marjayoun, where they said they 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.

In a speech, Rai had said: "When we defend our land, we defend it peacefully, and we carry only the weapons of peace, goodness, love and prayer."

"We are compelled to remain in danger because these are our homes and we will not leave them."

Residents of Christian towns along or near the border are trying to stay out of the confrontation between Hezbollah and Israel.