Israeli Raids Kill About 87 in Beirut, Apostolic Nuncio Paul Borgia Says

Archbishop Paul Borgia, the Apostolic Nuncio in Lebanon, told Vatican media that Beirut was “witnessing unprecedented attacks” and said he had been with Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rahi for more than ten hours in the southern and eastern regions of the country.

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Borgia described the strikes as synchronized, saying “They say that about ten synchronized airstrikes were launched in ten minutes,” and he said the Red Cross had counted “about 87 dead and 722 wounded,” with the numbers expected to be updated.

Al Jazeera

He said mortar shelling sounds accompanied them due to clashes between Hezbollah and Israel, and he described Beirut as paralyzed with “choking traffic” and sirens and ambulances as Israeli raids continued at the same intensity.

Borgia added that Israeli raids were expected to continue for 48 hours, and he said the state of the conflict “does nothing but increase tensions, as well as sow death and destruction.”

In occupied Jerusalem, the Higher Presidential Committee for Monitoring Church Affairs in Palestine condemned American ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee after he said he “saw no obstacle to Israel taking control of the entire Middle East.”

The committee said such statements “constitute a threat to regional and international peace and security,” and it warned against using religious discourse to justify geographical domination or the denial of Palestinian rights.

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Le Grand Continent reported that a joint statement signed by the foreign ministries of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, the Palestinian territories, and multiple regional organizations expressed “firm condemnation and their deep concern” over the ambassador’s remarks.

The outlet also transcribed Huckabee’s line that “it would be good if they took everything,” describing it as the sentence that provoked “the anger and unanimous condemnation of the Arab countries.”

Vatican News quoted Archbishop Paul Borgia saying that a ceasefire would “reopen the door to diplomacy,” while he also said Lebanese authorities had repeatedly called for direct negotiations with Israel to reach a solution to the ongoing war.

He said the path remains the one indicated by Pope Leo XIV during the Angelus prayer on March 15, “the path of dialogue that can support the authorities of the country in implementing lasting solutions,” and he warned that war brings “many displaced people” and painful situations that are hard to face.

Meanwhile, FPS Foreign Affairs described a seminar in Tel Aviv Embassy on June 3, 2025, called From Trauma to Healing and Reconciliation, where about 150 people attended and Israeli and Palestinian healthcare workers testified about daily collaboration “in the interest of all patients.”

The same source said the event was supported by the World Health Organization local office and co-organized with Rozana, while it framed the conflict as “almost daily bombardments” and argued that durable peace requires healing people’s trauma before empathy can return.