Israel is once again being condemned after its forces destroyed a convent in southern Lebanon, in what it said was a deliberate attack on a place of worship.
The French organisation L’Oeuvre d’Orient said Israeli troops demolished a convent belonging to the Salvatorian Sisters, a Greek Catholic religious order, in the village of Yaroun.
‘L’Oeuvre d’Orient strongly condemns this deliberate act of destruction against a place of worship, as well as the systematic demolition of homes in southern Lebanon aimed at preventing the return of civilian populations,’ the group said in a statement on Friday.
The charity said the attack forms part of a wider pattern of attacks on Christian heritage, noting that ‘Christian sanctuaries were also destroyed during the war in 2024, such as the Melkite churches in the villages of Yaroun and Derdghaya, both classified as part of Lebanon’s heritage’.
Images circulating in April showed an Israeli soldier using a jackhammer to desecrate a statue of Jesus on a cross in southern Lebanon, fuelling anger among Christian communities around the world.
Reports of violence against Christians have intensified across the region.
In occupied East Jerusalem, a nun was violently assaulted earlier this week near the Cenacle on Mount Zion. The 48-year-old woman received medical treatment after sustaining facial injuries.
Restrictions have also extended to religious practices. Last month, Israeli police blocked the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and other clergy from holding Palm Sunday Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre before partially restoring access following international pressure.
A recent report by the Rossing Centre for Education and Dialogue documented a sharp rise in attacks on Christians, describing a ‘continued and expanding pattern of intimidation and aggression’.
It recorded 155 incidents in 2025, including 61 physical assaults, 52 attacks on church property, 28 cases of harassment and 14 instances of vandalised signage. The report said the figures represent only the ‘tip of the iceberg’.
Israel’s military said following the latest attack on Saturday that its forces damaged a ‘religious building’ in Yaroun during operations targeting what it described as infrastructure in the area.
Israel has continued its attacks on Lebanon despite a ceasefire announced on April 17 to halt more than six weeks of its war on Lebanon.
Lebanon’s National News Agency reported on Saturday that at least 2,659 people have been killed and 8,183 wounded between March 2 and May 2 by Israeli forces.