Lebanon (MNN) — Yesterday, a second cyber-attack exploded Hezbollah walkie-talkies and solar equipment, injuring over 300 people and killing nine. This was on the heels of mass explosions Tuesday across Lebanon targeting pagers used by Hezbollah terrorists. Nearly 3,000 were wounded in that attack, and 12 were killed.
Image of war-weary flag of Lebanon generated by R. B. Klama using NightCafe.
A senior U.S. official confirmed Israel was behind the pager explosions. Israel has not claimed the target on walkie-talkies and solar equipment.
Nuna with Triumphant Mercy Lebanon says, “Most of the people in the hospital or those who have been wounded are from Hezbollah. I would say ‘most’ because the pagers could have been sitting on a desk somewhere and somebody got hit. But usually, it’s the Hezbollah people who have the pagers in their pockets or in their hands or whatever, and then they are the ones that were wounded in the first place.”
Hezbollah already claimed yesterday to have attacked Israeli artillery positions with rockets in retaliation.
“Israel is moving all their troops to the north, meaning the war has moved from Gaza to the south of Lebanon. So it’s the whole situation that people are watching now, which is a preliminary of a full-on war,” says Nuna.
“We’re definitely having all this news coming…about Israel and the war and Hezbollah and trying to rally everybody around Hezbollah to fight Israel — which Lebanon doesn’t want.”
Familiar Rumblings of War
The rumblings of war are all too familiar. More Lebanese civilians are fleeing the southern border with Israel, and TM Lebanon is getting relief to refugees.
“They’re already displaced once and twice and sometimes more…because of the government moving them from one place to another or stopping them,” says Nuna. “So now it’s another fear of being displaced again. Where can you hide when there’s a full-on war – especially if you live in areas where Hezbollah is present, so that’s a dangerous area?”
Unfortunately, for other civilians who want to flee their homes, movement is controlled by the government. It can be very difficult to get permission to move to a new home or even relocate to refugee camps. “They have to actually get an approval so that the government can follow them and know where they’re at,” says Nuna.
(Photo courtesy of TM Lebanon)
TM Lebanon met with other local NGOs on Wednesday morning to coordinate relief efforts for displaced civilians. Nuna says TM Lebanon has a unique role as a Gospel-based ministry.
“What we can add to this is the spiritual aspect. So, as much as possible, bring Jesus in the story. He’s in control…. He’s the one sitting on the throne. He knows everything from the beginning, and he knows the ones who are called for salvation. He is the one who’s the Prince of Peace. So we have to just keep encouraging people not to be disheartened.”
Call to Prayer
After the first attack on Tuesday, TM Lebanon called for local Christians to pray at 9 pm local time. In addition to praying for their nation and for peace, Nuna says, “We prayed for those who are now in the hospital that they will receive a vision of Christ and that they will know how to turn their eyes to Christ.”
These prayers echo the heart of Jesus in Matthew 5:44: “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…”.
Nuna explains, “Hezbollah is from Lebanon, but they are enemies of the country…in the sense that they are controlling the government, and they are trying to control everyone and have everybody submit to their own thing — just having a government inside the government. So they’re not really the friend.
“Still, these are people, and the first response was to pray for them.”
Pray for both Lebanese citizens and Hezbollah fighters to ultimately turn and follow Jesus.
Learn more about TM Lebanon’s Gospel ministry here.
Header photo depicts Hezbollah fighters training in southern Lebanon, May 2023. (Photo courtesy of Tasnim News Agency/Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=138677143)
