Christians in Lebanon's tense border area prepare to celebrate a subdued Christmas

Christians in the border villages of south Lebanon are preparing for a subdued Christmas under the shadow of the ongoing war in Gaza and its spillover in Lebanon

AIN EBEL, Lebanon -- Christians in the border villages of south Lebanon prepared for a subdued Christmas under the shadow of the ongoing war in Gaza and its spillover in Lebanon.

While in Beirut restaurants were packed and hundreds flocked to Christmas markets in the days leading up to the holiday, in the border towns houses were empty and businesses shuttered. The residents have fled to stay with relatives or in rented apartments in Beirut or other areas farther from the conflict.

Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Israeli forces have engaged in near-daily clashes on the border that have killed around 150 people on the Lebanese side - most of them fighters with Hezbollah and allied groups, but also at least 17 civilians, according to a tally by The Associated Press.

Some 72,437 people in Lebanon are displaced, according to the International Organization for Migration.

In the majority-Christian village of Ain Ebel, U.N. peacekeepers handed out toys at a private school on Saturday to some 250 children whose families have remained there and in the nearby villages of Rmeish and Debel.