A Lebanese Christian leader is expressing alarm at the warfare that’s broken out in his homeland during his visit to the United States. Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir, patriarch of Lebanon’s Maronite Catholic Church, is urging both Hezbollah and Israel to stop the violence. At a Maronite church in suburban Boston, Sfeir said Hezbollah must be disarmed, but he admitted that will not be easy given the group’s ties to Syria and Iran. The cardinal also called on Israel to stop what he views as disproportionate retaliation. The Lebanese patriarch added that resolving the Palestinian problem is crucial to calming the region’s conflicts.

- AP