Kataeb Party leader Samy Gemayel said he had repeatedly warned Lebanon’s army leadership about the dangers of the military’s absence from parts of southern Lebanon, after an Israeli strike wounded a local priest following the reported entry of Hezbollah gunmen into a village home.

In a post on X, Gemayel said he had contacted the Lebanese Army commander three times over the past four days, warning of the risks created by the lack of army deployment on the ground in the Qlayaa–Marjayoun area as well as in the villages of Rmeish, Debel and Ain Ebel.

Gemayel said the warnings were based on communications with Kataeb officials in the region and with local mayors, who had expressed fears that armed fighters could enter the towns to hide and, therefore, expose them to Israeli strikes.

“There were clear concerns that armed elements might enter these towns, drag these peaceful villages into the conflict and expose them to shelling,” he wrote.

According to Gemayel, the scenario he had warned about subsequently unfolded when Hezbollah gunmen entered a house in one of these villages, prompting an Israeli strike on the building.

He said the location was struck again when the parish priest, Father Pierre al-Rahi, arrived at the site accompanied by Saeed Saeed, head of the Kataeb district of Marjayoun–Hasbaya.

The second strike seriously wounded the priest, Gemayel said.

Following the incident, the Kataeb leader called for an immediate meeting of Lebanon’s Higher Defense Council to address the situation.

“In light of this dangerous reality, the Higher Defense Council must convene immediately and take the appropriate decisions,” he said, adding that the council should issue clear orders to the Lebanese Army and provide clear guidance to citizens across the country.

“Leaving people to their fate without protection or clear direction is shameful and unacceptable,” he said.