Lebanon (MNN) — Israel and Lebanon prepare for new and intensified fighting following Saturday’s rocket strike on a soccer field in the Golan Heights.
The attack killed 12 children and teens, one of the highest civilian casualties since Israel-Hezbollah fighting began in October. Although Israel and the U.S. blame Hezbollah for the strike, the terror group denies responsibility.
“Everybody knows they did it,” Heart for Lebanon’s Tom Atema says. “There’s evidence all over the place. But they don’t want to admit it because that raises the stakes even higher.”
Prompted by the Gaza war, fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has been the highest since the two went to war in 2006. The people of southern Lebanon suffer daily.
Approximately “98- to 100,000 families have been internally displaced; 58 Lebanese schools or educational centers are now closed; most churches are closed,” Atema says.
“Who [else will] minister to these people? You can’t walk away from them.”
(Photo courtesy of Heart for Lebanon)
Heart for Lebanon introduces Lebanese families to the hope of Christ through aid packages and summer camps for kids. The “Summer of Hope” outreach provides youth with a much-needed escape from daily fear and tension.
“Almost every day, [there are] multiple drones overhead; Israeli jets fly low to break the sound barrier, and the rockets go back and forth” in southern Lebanon, Atema says.
“Can you imagine being a 9, 10, or 11-year-old boy or girl, and [hearing] multiple times a day, the jets [breaking] the sound barrier and [scaring] you to death? That’s trauma that’s going to not only last today [but] this might last a whole lifetime for these kids.”
Learn how you can support Heart for Lebanon’s efforts here. Most importantly, pray. Ask the Lord to give believers continued courage to carry on Gospel work.
“We’re going to keep doing what we’ve done since 2006. We try to do it as wisely as possible; we have our sources to tell us what areas are bad and not to go into today, but overall, we continue to do ministry. Pray for God’s wisdom, clarity, and protection,” Atema requests.
“When you hear that rockets are going off in southern Lebanon, that should be a reminder for Christians to pray because Bible studies are happening; kids are being reached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Header image depicts Hezbollah flag. (Photo courtesy Paul Keller via Flickr)
