Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rahi emphasized in his Sunday Mass sermon that "what affects the south affects all of Lebanon, and the death of citizens should not become routine news. The people of Nabatiyeh are our relatives, and their blood is no less valuable than any other Lebanese. Protecting the south cannot merely rely on slogans."
He called for establishing a coordination mechanism to ensure safe movement for border village residents and deliver aid to them, securing their presence on their land.
Patriarch al-Rahi stressed that "negotiations should follow a specific path to safeguard sovereignty and prevent repeated escalations. They should serve as a means to achieve a clear solution that ends instability."
He argued that "arming the state exclusively is not about dominance; rather, it is the state's right to be responsible for its citizens, as sovereignty cannot be maintained with multiple authorities."