From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, June 9, 2026
Christian leaders in Tyre call for quick international action after IDF evacuation warning
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Christian religious leaders from Lebanon’s southern port city of Tyre call on the international community and Lebanese officials to act quickly to prevent Israel from attacking the Christian district of the city, following Israeli airstrikes in the city.
The IDF has issued an evacuation warning for the port city, including the Christian quarter, which has not been struck so far.
The statement by the Christian leaders was from George Iskandar, the metropolitan archbishop of Tyre for the Melkite Greek Catholic Church; Elias Kfoury, the Greek Orthodox metropolitan of Tyre, Sidon and Dependencies; and Charbel Abdullah, the archeparch of the Maronite Catholic Archeparchy of Tyre.
The warning from the IDF prompted hundreds of people to flee the Christian district along the Mediterranean coast, while members of Lebanon’s Civil Defense evacuated older people to safer areas, the state-run National News Agency said.
An Israeli airstrike today in another neighborhood in Tyre killed eight people and wounded 32 others, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. There was no immediate comment from the Israel Defense Forces.
The three Christian leaders call on the international community and Lebanese leaders to “take immediate and serious action to spare the old quarter of Tyre from destruction and human tragedies.”
Considered one of the oldest metropolises of the world, Tyre has several archaeological sites, some of them submerged. The city was officially declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.
“The old city is not merely a residential area,” the clergy say in their statement. “It is the historical and human heart of Tyre, home to thousands of civilians, including families, children, and the elderly.”
They say that the old quarter also holds a rich cultural, religious and civilizational heritage dating back centuries.
“Any targeting or destruction of this neighborhood would constitute a humanitarian and national catastrophe with irreversible consequences,” they warn.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.