A Lebanese Maronite priest was killed after Israeli forces reportedly struck a local home for a second time in southern Lebanon, as residents rushed in to help those caught in the initial attack.

Father Pierre al-Rahi died on Monday in the village of Qlayaa, according to Lebanese reports, after an Israeli tank shell hit the residence of a local couple again while rescuers were at the scene.

L’Orient-Le Jour quoted village council head Hanna Daher as saying the second strike narrowly avoided a far greater tragedy.

“We narrowly escaped a massacre, because there were many of us there,” he said, adding that several people were wounded, including Father al-Rahi, who later died from his injuries.

Just a day before his death, the priest had told France 24 he was determined to remain in Qlayaa despite the dangers, saying he would stay to defend his village through peaceful means.

“We are forced to stay despite the danger, when we defend our land, and we do so peacefully,” he said. “None of us carries weapons. All of us carry peace and goodness and love.”

According to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, at least 486 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since Monday last week.