Lebanon (MNN) — On February 5, one question led to the abrupt end of a meeting between the US and Lebanon in Washington, D.C.
It was only one of several meetings that Lebanon’s Chief of Defense General Rodolphe Haykal attended, but it was probably the shortest — five minutes, according to US Senator Lindsey Graham.
Senator Graham says he asked Gen. Haykal whether the militant group Hezbollah is “a terrorist organization.” Gen. Haykal replied, “No, not in the context of Lebanon.” This stands in stark contrast with over two decades of US policy toward Hezbollah. The meeting ended after that point.
Rep. Gregory Meeks (center) held a productive meeting with Gen. Rodolphe Haykal (left) to discuss progress disarming Hezbollah and other non-state militias as well as improving control over Lebanon’s borders. (Photo courtesy of House Foreign Affairs Committee Dems via Wikimedia Commons)
Nuna* with Triumphant Mercy Lebanon says the general’s statement has sparked contention in Lebanon. “Some people, of course, from [the] Hezbollah area are praising this general for his stance. But all the others are just saying that he is bringing the ruin of Lebanon because of that.”
The issue comes down to disarmament and funding. Last summer, Lebanon’s government pledged to disarm Hezbollah by the end of 2025. The US swiftly authorized $230 million to support Lebanese security forces in this goal. But now, US support may be in question.
After a season of hope for change in Lebanon, the continued uncertainty is crippling many, says Nuna.
“We don’t know if they’re going to take parts of Lebanon and annex it to Syria or annex it to Israel. We don’t know if the US is with us or against us. We’re not sure of the stand of the United Nations. What is the stand of the economic world bank? It’s all intermingled.”
She points to the biblical phrase “deferred hope” in Proverbs 13:12. “It brings sickness to the heart,” she says. “Our job as a ministry is to keep bringing God there. God is sitting on the throne, God has a solution, and God has a plan, and we are not left alone.”
Pray for hope in Christ to guard people in Lebanon against fear. Pray for God’s purposes to be accomplished in this nation.
“I pray that this will happen with no more bloodshed, with no more delays, with no more wars and tensions and hardship,” says Nuna. “It is so hard for people to live — living every day not knowing what’s going to come, living every day knowing that there’s something that is happening behind closed doors [in the governments].”
*Pseudonym
Header photo courtesy of Triumphant Mercy Lebanon.
