Lebanon (MNN) — The UN’s top aid official in Lebanon says the beleaguered nation is stabilizing, yet increasingly violent.
A ceasefire provides temporary stability, Heart for Lebanon’s Camille Melki explains, but its conditions are a source of contention.
“On one hand, Lebanon entered a ceasefire with Israel after months of severe fighting between Hezbollah and Israel. There is a level of stability that we enjoy,” Melki says.
“On the other hand, this ceasefire is very harsh and very fragile.”
Recent Israeli airstrikes targeted Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon despite a ceasefire signed by both sides in November. The truce calls for Hezbollah to lay down its arms and for Lebanon’s army to control the borders.
“Hezbollah, though weakened, has not yet been completely disarmed. This is a very sticky point,” Melki says.
“Unless it’s resolved, I believe the tension between Hezbollah and Israel and the fear of renewed violence will continue to be very high.”
Food aid distribution
(Photo courtesy of Heart for Lebanon)
The Lebanese government says the war displaced at least 1.2 million people. Heart for Lebanon is helping the most vulnerable, but resources are running low.
Help Heart for Lebanon continue to be the hands and feet of Jesus.
“Heart for Lebanon is stretched very thin. Since this conflict began, we added more than 1,800 families to our monthly care package distribution,” Melki says.
“We hoped that those 1,800 families, now six months since the ceasefire, would have returned to their places of residency, but that has not happened.”
Heart for Lebanon’s long-term commitment to helping the most vulnerable move from despair to hope gives believers multiple opportunities to share the Good News.
“We’re not like any other humanitarian agency that moves on from one crisis to the next,” Melki says.
“This gives us the credibility and the invitation to share the Gospel boldly, clearly, and without any hesitation.”
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