Christian Farmer Narrowly Cheats Death as Hezbollah Treats Him Like a Human Shield
SOUTH LEBANON - Hamas is not the only terror group that uses human shields. Hezbollah is using similar tactics in its attacks on northern Israel.
Evidence shows weapons have been hidden in densely populated areas, hoping Israel would hit those locations. In this exclusive report, CBN News reveals how the terrorist group uses Christian farms in southern Lebanon to target Israel.
Joseph, a Christian farmer from south Lebanon, tells us, "Three kilometers from here you can see my village there, you can see my olive orchards, my pine trees, and my pecan trees. They get shelled every day since the beginning of the war."
Joseph and 12 of his workers recently came very close to losing their lives.
"I saw death," he recalls.
We're concealing Joseph's identity because he lives among Hezbollah supporters. His farm sits near the south Lebanon border, close to the Israeli town of Metula.
Since the Hamas massacre on October 7th, his village and adjacent farm have come under constant Israeli shelling. On March 13th, they were on the farm when mortars struck.
"Two minutes after reaching the farm they hit us with a 120 millimeter mortar. I got hit by shrapnel on my arm and when the second mortar was coming I told the guys to hit the ground and stay flat. It landed 30 meters away from us," Joseph recalls.
Here is why Israel often targets his and other nearby farms.
CBN News has obtained exclusive pictures and videos showing how Hezbollah here in the southern part of Lebanon is using farms owned by Christians in order to launch their missile attacks against Israel.
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Joseph took the images a few days after that strike, revealing multiple Hezbollah missile systems in the middle of his olive grove.
"They keep using our land as a launching pad. They assemble their missiles here then fire them into Israel," he says.
The Christian farmer has been losing money since daily border fights erupted five months ago.
"We don't want our land to be a staging ground for war between these two parties. We take no part in this. What's happening in Gaza is not our war," he says.
Joseph says he has repeatedly asked the Lebanese army to intervene, hoping to stop Hezbollah fighters from using his farm. But to no avail.
South Lebanon is under Hezbollah control and Joseph says Lebanese authorities have little sway over the terrorist group.
"We've become accustomed to these strikes happening to us because we live close to the Israeli border. Sadly, we have no say in peace or war, we Christians always pay the price," he says.
Since the war began in Gaza, Hezbollah has fired more than 3,000 rockets at Israeli civilian and military targets, forcing the evacuation of more than 150,000 civilians on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border.
"The more the war goes on, the more I lose money," Joseph says.
Israel and the Lebanese government came to an agreement recently that would allow Christian farmers to work on their properties during certain times of the week.
Joseph says he's not taking any chances.
"After cheating death once, I don't dare to go to my farm again," he says.
EXCLUSIVE: CBN News' George Thomas Reports from #Hezbollah Stronghold in #Lebanon, 150 #Jihadist Operatives Killed https://t.co/i8M06tqR6S
— Jerusalem Dateline (@JlemDateline) March 22, 2024
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