Municipal Officials Tour Tyre's Christian Quarter Following Israeli Allegations

Seeking to calm public concerns and dispute Israeli accusations, Tyre's mayor Engineer Hassan Dabouq led a delegation through the city's Christian quarter on Tuesday. Accompanying him were municipal council members Walid Al-Taweel and Allen Baradei, Father Marius Khairallah, and Colonel Muhammad Hazer, head of Lebanese Army Intelligence in Tyre.

The group visited the old neighborhoods to assess conditions and speak with residents, whose anxieties had intensified following recent Israeli statements about the district. Officials participating in the visit rejected claims made by Israeli authorities regarding armed militant activity in the Christian section of Tyre.

A modest exodus of residents began following the Israeli warnings, though the movement remained relatively contained. Lebanese military forces have established positions throughout the region with the stated purpose of providing security and stability to residents.

The tour reflects broader tensions surrounding escalating Israeli statements directed at Tyre, particularly concerns that military action could extend into civilian residential zones. Residents have grown increasingly apprehensive about potential strikes in populated areas of the city.

Israeli military spokesperson Ella Wawiyeh posted on the X platform claiming that dozens of armed militants were operating within Tyre's Christian neighborhood, directing her message both to residents and to party members. She asserted that the Israeli military had issued evacuation orders for other Tyre areas last week based on what she characterized as violations of ceasefire terms and militant activity, though she noted the Christian neighborhood was not included in that initial warning.

Wawiyeh further stated that Israeli forces had recently documented significant militant presence in the Christian quarter, suggesting this represented a pattern rather than an isolated incident. In communications directed at the Christian community, she urged residents to demand the removal of armed operatives from their neighborhoods. She simultaneously warned militants that their safety could not be guaranteed and indicated that the Israeli military would issue evacuation instructions for the Christian neighborhood while taking unspecified action if militant presence and operations continued in the area.