Lebanon (MNN) -- The United Nations Security Council is condemning two targeted public attacks in northeast Beirut Tuesday.
Bombs tore apart two minibuses, killing at least three people and wounding 23 others. It was a rare attack on civilians, coming just ahead of the second anniversary of the slaying of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
The subtler meaning is dark. It was Hariri's assassination that changed Lebanon's political landscape. His death triggered events that ended nearly three decades of Syrian control. But those behind the bombings tapped into a more stark message. The attacks fed into an already traumatized national psyche, dredging up memories of the 15-year civil war.
A similar bus attack in 1975 set those events into motion in earnest. SAT-7 Lebanon Country Director, Naji Daoud, says the situation has taken a dramatic turn for the worst. "The different parties are back to threatening each other. They're back to taking sides against the other party or accusing each other, et cetera, et cetera. So, unfortunately, yesterday's (Monday's) bombings did take us a lot of steps backwards."
Morale is plummeting against a shattered hope. "For the past two weeks, the political tension in Lebanon has been calming down and we were expecting some progress in this area." While staff in Lebanon have not been directly affected by the blasts, the shock of the violence raises stress and uncertainty.
Lebanon's future peace hangs precariously in the balance. Daoud says this makes their staff even more determined to encourage their viewers. "Even in our live programs, we're still proclaiming the message of Christ. It's really a more effective when it's coming from a disturbed place like Lebanon. We're telling the Christians in the Middle East, that in spite of our situation in Lebanon, we Christians still have a voice. We want the Christians in the Middle East to 'hang in there'. We want to support them." Please pray for those ministering in this region and pray for the SAT-7 staff.
