Lebanon (MNN) — Israel and Lebanon’s demands and accusations have intensified as their 2024 ceasefire remains not fully implemented.
“One of the most important points of ending the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel is for Hezbollah to turn its arms to the Lebanese army,” says Camille Melki with Heart for Lebanon.
Yet this has not happened. The Lebanese government has pledged to disarm the militant group by the end of the year, but Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has publicly restated that they will not lay down their arms.
“The agreement says the entire nation of Lebanon should be free of Hezbollah arms — in fact, free of any militant arms, and the Lebanese army should be the only one carrying weapons,” says Melki. “Whereas Hezbollah’s argument is [that] only in a part of southern Lebanon [do] they need to be disarmed.’ That works against the agreement.”
H.E. General Joseph Aoun, President of the Republic of Lebanon, right, and Dubravka Šuica, center, during a meeting in Baabda, Lebanon February 2025. (Photo and caption by © European Union, 2025, CC BY 4.0. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
Meanwhile, Israel continues near-daily airstrikes in Lebanon against Hezbollah targets, which Hezbollah and Lebanese authorities call another violation of the ceasefire agreement. Israel considers it self-defense against Hezbollah activities.
Israel isn’t the only one with misgivings about Lebanon’s ability to disarm Hezbollah in the next month and a half.
“All indications point to the lack of possibility to meet that deadline,” says Melki, “and that scares all of us in Lebanon.”
They see that if Lebanon’s army doesn’t succeed, Israel’s targeted airstrikes could become something more.
“Here we have to differentiate: Israel’s conflict is with Hezbollah, not with the nation of Lebanon. But we can all be drawn into the major conflict and major war,” Melki says. “That would affect at least all the citizens of southern Lebanon, regardless of their faith background, ethnic background, and political affiliation — pro- or against Hezbollah.”
As a gospel-centered humanitarian agency, Heart for Lebanon has a front-row seat to what Lebanese citizens and the refugee population are going through. Melki says they recently had 46 baptisms, indicating that people are searching for the truth.
“They’re seeking answers for their pain and suffering. They’re wondering what else can be done in order to prevent another disaster. And whom to trust? They have lost trust in the earthly leaders and their spiritual leaders. Muslim Sunni, Muslim Shia, Alawites, Kurds, people of all faiths who are now seeking the truth,” says Melki.
“There is no truth but in Christ, and our job is to point them to Jesus our Savior.”
Please pray for God’s mercy and for true peace in Christ to come to Lebanon. Learn more about Heart for Lebanon’s ministry here.
Header photo courtesy of Beirut, Lebanon courtesy of Jo Kassis/Pexels.
