(20 Apr 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Rmeish, southern Lebanon – 20 April 2025
1. Various of Rmeish residents gathering in the courtyard of the church, greeting each other for Easter and taking sweets
2. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Pierre Habib, resident of Rmeish:
++PART COVERED++
"It is the Feast of the Resurrection and this year it takes on a different direction and meaning, which is insistence on resilience and on remaining in this village. There are even many people from Rmeish who are in Beirut or even abroad, who made the trip to Rmeish this year and insisted on coming because today, you see Rmeish packed with people and movement. And that is a reaffirmation and insistence on our deep attachment to our land."
3. Rmeish residents gathering in the courtyard of the church, taking sweets
4. Exterior of church
5. Various of worshippers and clergy during Easter Mass inside church
6. Members of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL attending Easter Mass
7. Various of worshippers inside church
8. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Alvera Karam Al-Ameel, resident of Rmeish:
++PART COVERED++
"Many were deprived of coming to the village because of the war. Everyone was longing, wondering if it’s really possible that we could return and find our village still there, and find our loved ones in it. People came back full of longing, hardly believing that we’re still alive and able to celebrate the holiday again because we went through extremely, extremely difficult circumstances."
9. Various of children and young girls playing game of Hatch-the-Egg with colored eggs
STORYLINE:
The border village of Rmeish in southern Lebanon marked Easter Sunday with a traditional celebration that brought together residents and visitors, despite tensions at the border.
This year, Christians in Lebanon are observing Holy Week and celebrating Easter after a November ceasefire halted more than a year of the latest Israel-Hezbollah fighting, providing the country with some respite though not a complete end to hostilities.
In the courtyard of the local church in Rmeish, residents shared sweets and exchanged Easter greetings.
"You see Rmeish packed with people and movement. And that is a reaffirmation and insistence on our deep attachment to our land," said Pierre Habib, a resident of Rmeish.
Since the ceasefire in November, Israel has carried out almost daily airstrikes that have killed scores of civilians and members of the militant Lebanese Hezbollah group.
Israel has said that its strikes in Lebanon are in response to ceasefire violations by Hezbollah and to prevent the group from rearming.
Hezbollah started launching attacks on Israel a day after the Israel-Hamas war erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, with the Palestinian militants’ attack on southern Israel.
Rmeish resident Alvera Karam Al-Ameel said some people visiting the village were "full of longing" because they had been unable to visit it during the fighting.
"Many were deprived of coming to the village because of the war. Everyone was longing, wondering if it’s really possible that we could return and find our village still there, and find our loved ones in it," Al-Ameel said.
The Easter Mass in Rmeish was attended by people of all ages as well as members of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL who work in the area.
Children and young girls participated in traditional Easter games, including Hatch-the-Egg game which is played with coloured eggs.
===========================================================
Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/
You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/21fbc34d7ee44bb1852332c843a2937e
Author: AP Archive
Go to Source
News post in April 25, 2025, 6:05 pm.
Visit Our Sponsor’s:
News Post In – News
