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.
