Lebanon (MNN) – Tensions are rising in Lebanon as the government takes rare action against Iran. Officials say members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) operating in the country could soon face arrest, deportation, and a ban on military activity. The move targets the IRGC’s long partnership with the Iran-backed militia, Hezbollah.
At the same time, Israeli strikes have hit the southern suburbs of Beirut, and Israel has issued urgent warnings for people to evacuate areas tied to Iranian officials.
Together, the developments signal the building pressure on both Hezbollah and Iran’s Islamist regime.
(Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons | https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beiteddine_-_drapeau_libanais.jpg)
John Cerniglia, President of SAT-7 USA says, “I was in a meeting this morning with colleagues who live in the region. I have a colleague who lives in Beirut, and he turned his phone out the window of where he is in Beirut, and we were watching bombings happen.”
For many in Lebanon and the wider Middle East, conflict is not a new reality.
“As I talk to my colleagues who [were] born in the region and have always lived in the region, it’s been their entire lifetimes,” Cerniglia says. “When SAT-7 started 30 years ago, the Lebanese were fighting the Syrians in Lebanon, in Beirut. So I’ve got colleagues who’ve worked at SAT-7 for 30 years, and they will tell you war is all they’ve ever known.”
Yet just because it is familiar doesn’t mean it isn’t overwhelming.
Cerniglia says, “I think, in times of serious conflict like this or uncertainty or fear, some people could be tempted to think the unthinkable about their own lives. So just [pray] that God protect people and give them hope – Jesus is the hope of the world.”
(Photo courtesy of SAT-7)
Through satellite television and digital media, SAT-7 continues broadcasting the Gospel across the Middle East and North Africa, including into areas affected by conflict. The ministry regularly shares testimonies of people encountering Christ even amid war.
Learn more at sat7usa.org.
“The first thing I’d encourage everybody to do is go to our website and read and learn,” Cerniglia says. “There’s a lot of content there from Iran and around the region – first-hand stories and testimonies from Christians who are experiencing what’s going on there in the region.”
He adds, “The second thing to do, after learning a little bit, is join our prayer team. You can sign up, it doesn’t cost anything, [and] we’ll send you periodic prayer reports and requests for you to be praying for our brothers and sisters.”
As tensions rise in Lebanon, please pray ultimately for the spread of the Gospel. Ask God to bring hope and salvation to the Lebanese people – and even to fighters and extremists – that many would encounter Jesus and find true peace in Him.
Header photo: Beirut, Lebanon (Photo courtesy of Sara Calado/Unsplash)
