WATCH: Christians in Lebanon Celebrate Arrival of Lebanese Army

Christians in southern Lebanon welcomed the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) on Wednesday as part of a ceasefire in which Hezbollah agreed to withdraw from the area, and Israel insisted Lebanon had to use its military to keep it out.

The ceasefire took effect Wednesday morning, after a conflict that Hezbollah started in October 2023, but in which Israel emerged with the upper hand, after destroying Hezbollah’s leadership and much of its presence at the border.

LBC International reported that the villagers seen above were from the town of Qlayaa in the Marjayoun District, and that they welcomed the Lebanese army’s Rangers Regiment with a traditional gesture of throwing rice in celebration.

Though Christians were not untouched by the conflict, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had a general policy of avoiding targets in Christian villages, though it asked many to evacuate their villages for the duration of the war. Some Christian villages refused to evacuate; some also resisted Hezbollah efforts to use their territory to launch attacks on Israel.

Lebanon is a diverse country with a history of sectarian conflict. It is divided between Sunni and Shia Muslims; Christians of various different sects; Druze Arabs; and other minorities.

Israel has historically sided with Lebanon’s Christians, though the Christian communities have not always supported Israel’s policies in the region. Many have also lived in the shadow of Hezbollah domination, as the Iran-backed terror group has — until recently — exerted significant control over the country.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.