Lebanese-born pro-Israel activist joins diplomatic corps training program A Lebanese-born Christian became the first to join the Israeli Foreign Ministry's cadet training program, joining 36 participants preparing for a diplomatic career. Yonatan Alhouri left Lebanon with his family in 2001, aged nine. His family included members of the South Lebanon Army (SLA), a Christian-led militia that fought alongside Israeli forces against Hezbollah during Israel's occupation of southern Lebanon between 1985 and 2000. Alhouri, a prominent pro-Israel supporter in recent years, described his acceptance into the diplomatic program as an extension of his family's longstanding relationship with Israel. "For me, this was the most natural step in my life story, a direct continuation of the alliance my parents signed with Israel in the 1970s and 1980s with the establishment of the SDF in southern Lebanon," he wrote in X. The 36 cadets, chosen from nearly 2,000 applicants, began their six-month training course on Sunday. The program prepares the participants for civil service positions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem and in Israeli diplomatic missions abroad. In his post on social media, al-Khori called Israel his home, and declared that "his destiny and Israel's destiny are one."

Lebanese-born pro-Israel activist joins diplomatic corps training program A Lebanese-born Christian became the first to join the Israeli Foreign Ministry's cadet training program, joining 36 participants preparing for a diplomatic career. Yonatan Alhouri left Lebanon with his family in 2001, aged nine. His family included members of the South Lebanon Army (SLA), a Christian-led militia that fought alongside Israeli forces against Hezbollah during Israel's occupation of southern Lebanon between 1985 and 2000. Alhouri, a prominent pro-Israel supporter in recent years, described his acceptance into the diplomatic program as an extension of his family's longstanding relationship with Israel. "For me, this was the most natural step in my life story, a direct continuation of the alliance my parents signed with Israel in the 1970s and 1980s with the establishment of the SDF in southern Lebanon," he wrote in X. The 36 cadets, chosen from nearly 2,000 applicants, began their six-month training course on Sunday. The program prepares the participants for civil service positions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem and in Israeli diplomatic missions abroad. In his post on social media, al-Khori called Israel his home, and declared that "his destiny and Israel's destiny are one."