Middle East (MNN) — Lebanon’s Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah breaks his month-long silence on the Hamas-Israel war. Hezbollah has demonstrated support for Hamas since the terrorists’ attack in Israel on October 7.
Hassan Nasrallah (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons | Khamenei.ir)
Yet, after acknowledging the war’s expansion in a Friday speech, Nasrallah stopped short of adding Lebanon to the fray. Nasrallah is a leading voice in the military alliance established by Iran to counter the United States and Israel.
Meanwhile, analysts fear rising tensions in the West Bank could open a third front in the ever-expanding war.
Partners in the Middle East tell A3’s Joe Handley, “They worry that a larger regional war might break out. We pray that God would bring peace to Israel and the ensuing Middle Eastern region.”
Alongside Israel and the Gaza Strip, countries in the region impacted by the war include Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Turkiye. A3 began partnering with church planters and pastors in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region a year ago.
The ministry feels the war’s impact at a personal level. Handley says, “We have colleagues not just on the ground but in the thick of it. In one case, the husband who was involved in church planting in one of these areas took a trip out of the country. [His] family is trapped inside the Gaza Strip.
“As Christ followers, we’re all supportive of protecting Israel and…also the heart heritage of our faith. That said, there are believers in every single one of these countries and they are impacted, so praying for their peace is paramount.”
(Photo courtesy of Jeremy Jap/Unsplash)
A3 supports their partners’ efforts in tangible and spiritual ways. “Our main goal is equipping and empowering leaders in the midst of persecution,” says Handley.
“Pray for the safety of these folks on the ground because the Church wants to be the hands and feet of Christ in the midst of the crisis. They know that the Gospel goes hand-in-hand with acts of kindness, so they’re on the front lines serving.”
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Header photo depicts the Hezbollah flag flying behind a tank. (Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
