In April this year, Pascal Sleiman, a coordinator for the Lebanese Forces (LF) party—Lebanon’s largest Christian party—was abducted near Byblos, north of Beirut, and later found dead in Syria. Hezbollah promptly launched a disinformation campaign, attempting to shift blame for the killing onto criminal elements. Less than a year prior, Elias Hasrouni, a member of the LF central council and former party coordinator, was also killed. Hasrouni was murdered in Ain Ebel, one of four Christian villages in the Bint Jbeil province, an area surrounded by Shiite Muslim villages where Hezbollah holds significant influence.
Approximately 30% of Lebanon’s population is Christian, with Maronite Christians forming the largest group. The Maronites belong to the Catholic Church and are in full communion with the Pope. The Maronite Church is one of the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches, each distinguished by unique liturgical rites, traditions, and canon law, yet all recognize the Pope’s authority as the head of the Roman Catholic Church.
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