Whatever Hezbollah’s response, Israel and Lebanon still took a significant step this week, with their first direct diplomatic talks in decades. Fadi Sharaiha with the MENA Leadership Center says the US-hosted talks on Tuesday were good news for the Lebanese people.

“Hezbollah is kidnapping the country, and Iran is kidnapping Hezbollah, which means that Iran is in control of what’s happening in Lebanon,” says Sharaiha. “So what the US is trying to do also is to take away this card from Iran and give it back to the government of Lebanon.” 

This temporary ceasefire could bring much-needed relief. Since March 2, nearly 2,200 people in Lebanon have been killed by Israeli strikes targeting Hezbollah. Before moving past those numbers, remember that each person had a name and a family they left behind.

Refugee child in Lebanon. (Photo courtesy of Ahmad Bader/Unsplash)

“Those are parents, children, brothers, sisters, wives, husbands, daughters,” Sharaiha says. “We need to remind ourselves that people who are dying are created in God’s image.”

Many victims were simply at the wrong place at the wrong time, unknowingly near someone from Hezbollah. 

“One story is like, one delivery boy was part of Hezbollah. He was delivering something, and he was having a meal or something in one of the apartments of the building. Then, Israel bombed the whole building, and they [other people] were collateral damage,” says Sharaiha. 

He urges Christians not to accept news about war and bombings as normal, but instead to respond through prayer.

“We are called as a Church for peace. ‘Blessed are the peacemakers.’ We should be also calling for justice,” he says. “We know that we are here to glorify God, to enjoy God, and also to reach out to people who are lost for the kingdom of God.

“God is sitting on the throne, and God’s hand is on the hearts of the kings and the presidents and the prime ministers. So please pray that the Lord will move their hearts for peace.”

As Israel and Lebanon continue diplomatic talks, remember that for Christians, the deeper battle is spiritual and is fought through prayer.

“You are moving the hand of God in the region,” says Sharaiha. “Pray for us and pray for the different churches and ministries that are doing so much good in the region, trying to build peace and also build the capacity of those ministries in the Middle East and North Africa.”

Header photo is a stock photo taken in Lebanon courtesy of Nathan McBride via Unsplash.

“Electricity, water, sewage, roads, everything is affected right now, with extra harm caused by this recent war and having 20 percent of our population forced to find a place of refuge overnight,” Melki says.

Life is “becoming very, very difficult.”

Refugee returns

Lebanon has the highest number of refugees per capita in the world, with roughly one-quarter to one-third of its population being made up of refugees. Most are Syrian; others include Palestinians, Iraqis, and Sudanese.

(Photo courtesy Heart for Lebanon)

“Lebanon cannot afford to host such a large refugee population and care for its own people in great need,” Melki says.

“As Christians, we cannot prefer a people group over others, and that’s not what I’m saying. What I’m saying is right now, Lebanon as a nation and the Lebanese as a community have so much pressure that they’re finding it very difficult to care for refugees.”

Over 200,000 people have crossed from Lebanon into Syria since the war began. While 95 percent are Syrian refugees, the rest are Lebanese people looking for stability.

“Whether from Syria, Palestine, or Iraq, a large return of individuals to their countries will definitely lift some economic [and] socio-political strains on our society,” Melki says.

Following Christ’s example, Heart for Lebanon cares for those who remain, whether refugee or national. Believers’ unbiased attention often leads to Gospel opportunities.

“Desperate people take desperate measures,” Melki says.

“There is a vacuum in their life. It can either be filled by people who give them food to control and indoctrinate them, or it’s our opportunity to come alongside and lead them out of despair into hope in Christ alone.”

Relational care

Heart for Lebanon’s threefold approach is holistic, meeting the felt needs of every man, woman, and child. Here’s how you can help.

“First, we provide the basic essentials for survival: food and hygiene, blankets, mattresses, warm clothing, some medicine when available. It’s rainy season in Lebanon, and people on the run live with the clothes on their backs,” Melki says.

The ministry’s Hope On Wheels team helps kids forget the war raging around them.

Through our partnership with Samaritan’s Purse, we are delivering special gifts to children in the war-torn South. These “Gifts of Joy” are tangible expressions of God’s love and a reminder to these children that they are not forgotten.
(Photo, caption courtesy Heart for Lebanon)

“We go to schools that are being used as shelters for internally displaced people. We go to church parking lots, to villages, and do fun activities for children, giving them the opportunity to play in a safe environment, to laugh again,” Melki says.

Finally, a third team addresses families’ emotional and spiritual needs.

“Our relational engagement team spends long hours every day visiting, encouraging, listening to the stories of the people who are afraid, and even questioning the existence of God.”

Every touchpoint is another step toward the ministry’s goal: “To win the trust of the people we serve and to answer the Jesus question: where is Jesus? Who is Jesus? Who is the God of Christianity?” Melki says.

“I cannot tell you the joy we receive as we see people in tears, coming to faith, and the Bible studies, discipleship classes, and church attendance have increased significantly.”

Header and story images courtesy of Heart for Lebanon.

“Depending on their ethnicity and religious affiliation, they are either returning to Syria or looking for some other country to settle in [during] these difficult times. We have seen, of the individuals that we serve, around 200 families who have chosen to return,” Heart for Lebanon’s Camille Melki says.

“Syria is not the most stable country to return to, but compared to what’s going on in Lebanon right now, they feel safer heading back home.”

(Photo courtesy Heart for Lebanon)

Most of the returnees are Sunni Arabs, Melki adds. Syrian minority groups like Christians, Kurds, and Alawites aren’t taking any chances.

“There [is] still persecution [against] the Christian villages in Syria, and the Christian families are not feeling safe, so they have taken their chances the other way – believing that they can find safer places in Lebanon despite the war we are experiencing,” Melki says.

“The Kurdish population and the Alawite population that have come to Lebanon from Syria are petitioning the United Nations for further protection. [They know] that they cannot return to Syria, at least in the foreseeable future, because of the current regime’s stand against the Alawites and against the Kurds.”

How to help

Heart for Lebanon cares for thousands of refugees and displaced Lebanese people, providing help and hope in Jesus’ name. You can support those efforts here.

When war began in early March, “Heart for Lebanon added another 2,600 families overnight, over and above the many thousands of families that we care for,” Melki says.

Ask the Lord to strengthen believers as they care for refugees and displaced Lebanese in Jesus’ name. Pray that refugees would be drawn to Christ through the tangible demonstrations of His love.

“Heart for Lebanon has a comprehensive approach to crisis; we address it on the physical, the emotional, but also on the spiritual level,” Melki says.

Header and story images courtesy of Heart for Lebanon. 

That’s because of the work of organizations such as the Program for Theological Education by Extension (PTEE). 

Erin James with PTEE explains that their team stands in the gap for Christians living in areas with low access to seminary. “We provide classes and training for refugees who have fled high-conflict areas and who desire to return after the conflict is over,” she says. 

“The target [students are] the ones that either don’t have the money, no ability to move, or the ones that are working full time and can only handle one class at a time.”

Christian Ethics class.
(Photo, caption courtesy PTEE)

PTEE’s fully accredited program has been in place for more than 30 years and today offers certificate, diploma, and bachelor’s tracks. James says it was started to meet a felt need among Arabic Christians from different backgrounds to better understand the Bible.

“We want them to be able to teach Sunday school, be pastors, lead women’s ministry, children’s ministry, but from a biblically sound foundation,” says James.

James says their education by extension methodology has been tested and proven. Coursework, group discussions, and tests are an integral part of the program. 

“It originally came out of South America. It’s been used in Asia,” she says. “So we started creating the classes where the cost is minimal. [Students] can meet in their local church or even a house, and study the Word.” 

Please pray for PTEE’s current students to grow in their faith and understanding of how to serve Christ in their unique contexts. 

“Lord-willing, when the conflict ends, then they have this solid biblical foundation to go back and be able to teach the Bible,” says James. “Then they can reach, talk to the people that stayed, that are now going, ‘Wait, who is God? We’ve lived through this thing, this horrible conflict,’ and they’re looking for a deeper understanding of the meaning of life, or just a deeper understanding of the Bible.”

Pray also for funds to support PTEE’s growing work. 

“We’re doing a mobile program as well. [Pray] that we’d be able to expand the work and reach more Christians who desire to study the Word,” says James. 

Header photo courtesy of PTEE.

Governments monitor Christian activity. Believers risk rejection, arrest, and worse. And yet, the Gospel is not bound. Dane of unfoldingWord says partners are bridging the gap for minority-language communities.

(Photo courtesy of unfoldingWord)

“In partnership with the Bible Society of Jordan, unfoldingWord is trying to equip church networks with free and open Scripture text, translation tools, [and] translation training materials,” Dane says, “to meet the Scripture and discipleship needs of all the minority communities in the Middle East and in North Africa.”  

Although the Bible is available in Modern Standard Arabic, most people in the MENA speak either a variant, a dialect, or a completely different language. In other words, a majority of MENA communities do not have the Bible in their mother tongue. 

Thanks to unfoldingWord, MENA church networks are gaining the tools needed to translate Scripture into unreached languages. 

“unfoldingWord has 27 ‘book packages’ for the New Testament in English,” Dane says. 

“We hand them off to people like the Bible Society of Jordan, [who translate] them into gateway or strategic languages of the world. That’s what makes Bible translation wisdom, skill, and knowledge available to church networks translating the Bible for their own people.” 

Visit unfoldingWord’s website to learn more.

Each of the 27 “book packages” contains “a literal translation of the Bible, a simplified translation of the Bible, a verse-by-verse translator guide, definitions of key terms, [and] short articles about handling Bible translation issues,” Dane explains.

(Photo courtesy of unfoldingWord via Facebook)

“They’re all linked to the words in context. and the original languages, in a software package.” 

Pray for receptive hearts across the MENA to encounter the truth of Jesus. Pray for wisdom and discernment as the unfoldingWord team strives to complete more book packages.     

“Our team finished all of the book packages for the New Testament, but they’re still working very hard on the Old Testament. I think they’re about halfway through,” Dane says. 

Header photo courtesy of unfoldingWord.

Staff at the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary outside Beirut have little capacity to worry. ABTS Director of Partnerships Loulwa El Maalouf says they’re busy hosting hundreds of displaced people.

“Our guests come from different backgrounds and areas across Lebanon. Yet amid uncertainty, we see them gather hand in hand to assist the kitchen staff in preparing meals. Join us in prayer that during this season of hardship, just as these meals nourish their bodies, the word of God may also nourish their spirits.”
(Photo, caption courtesy ABTS)

“This word ‘balance’ doesn’t exist in our dictionary, especially during this time,” she explains.

When the crisis began in early March, “so many members of our staff spent more than 12 hours at work, and no one is complaining.”

ABTS serves amid crisis

ABTS offers undergraduate- and graduate-level education to believers across the Arab world through traditional and hybrid programs. More about that here.

For ABTS students, Lebanon’s current emergency is nothing new. “We have students from Morocco, Yemen, Iraq, Sudan, Syria,” El Maalouf says.

“Our students are used to living in crises.”

Even so, “We want to be an example for our students,” she adds, stressing the importance of combining practical demonstration with classroom learning.

“We equip them to be the salt and light within difficult circumstances, so it’s very important for us to be able to do what we preach.”

Displacement pushes Beirut to the limits

Israel’s defense minister says his country would establish a “security zone” in southern Lebanon and take control of key river crossings, a move that would stop over a million people from ever returning home.

These displaced masses are filling every nook and cranny of Beirut, a city already strained by overlapping disasters. According to the UN, many newly uprooted families lack basic necessities such as shelter, food, and medical care.

(Photo courtesy ABTS)

Faced with ever-increasing need, believers press on. “They’re preparing for what might be a long-term war; some of them had to relocate because their areas are not safe. However, they are serving wholeheartedly with a smile on their face,” El Maalouf says.

“This is truly only possible through the strength of the Holy Spirit.”

Pray that displaced families will come to know Jesus through the word and deed of ABTS staff.

“Our prayer and our plan is that everyone will hear the Gospel and have a clear understanding of why we are doing what we are doing,” El Maalouf says.

Ask the Lord to continuously strengthen believers, and consider supporting emergency efforts here.

“We are sharing regular updates on our website,” El Maalouf says, and if “someone is interested in providing meals or accommodation, they can also financially support” ABTS work.

Header image depicts Israeli air strikes in Beirut early in the current crisis. Header and story photos courtesy of ABTS. 

But inside Iran, there’s another story unfolding.

John Cerniglia, President of SAT-7 USA, says Iranian believers inside and outside the country are still finding ways to share Christ, even in secrecy.

(Photo courtesy of SAT-7)

“We understand, of course, in Iran that we’re talking about the underground Church,” he says. “There are no church buildings in Iran, but we understand there could be as many as a million underground believers. These are people who love Jesus, but who are unable to be public in most cases about their faith. So we hear from them because they watch our satellite television program.”

Through satellite television broadcasts, ministries like SAT-7 reach homes across Iran with Christ’s hope, even when other channels go dark.

Cerniglia says, “Satellite continues to be the only reliable way to get information into the country…. The government can easily block the internet. They can easily shut down phone service. So we’re on a primary and reliable signal to get into the country.”

Viewers in Iran can even call SAT-7 and speak with an Iranian Christian outside the country at the ministry’s call center.

“A couple of months ago, a man called into the program…and he was receiving our content in the Farsi language,” Cerniglia shares. “He was in Iran, and he called into one of our inbound call centers, screaming. I mean, he was irate.”

(Photo courtesy of SAT-7 PARS)

A young Iranian female staffer at SAT-7 answered the call – which Cerniglia explains also introduced a level of cultural imbalance, since the angry caller was an older male.

“He said to her, ‘You’ve destroyed my marriage. You told my wife I shouldn’t be beating her.’”

Despite the man’s anger and the layer of cultural imbalance, the SAT-7 staffer responded with the confidence and grace of the Holy Spirit.

Cerniglia says, “Our young Iranian woman paused and said, ‘Well, sir, what we told your wife is that she was created in the image of God, the Creator of the universe, and that her body is a holy temple to be protected and to be honored.’ And then this young 20-something said, ‘And sir, that’s how we see you. You, too, were created in the image of God.’”

“He was confused by this because this is foreign,” says Cirniglia. “In fact, this began a discipleship journey that our team is on with this gentleman! We hope to lead him to the Lord now that he understands the truth.”

Praise God for the faithful witness of Iranian believers, even from beyond Iran’s borders. Pray that many more Iranians would encounter the truth of Jesus and be transformed.

Find ways to come alongside SAT-7’s ministry at sat7usa.org.

Header photo: Iranians rally in Tbilisi, Georgia, voicing support for the United States and Israel, March 1, 2026 (Photo courtesy of MNN).

When the latest crisis began, “We felt that God was leading us to open our guest house and dorms to welcome people,” ABTS Director of Partnerships Loulwa El Maalouf says.

“So many people have [had] to flee their homes, and this time, it’s even worse than previous years.”

Over one million people were displaced in three weeks when Hezbollah dragged Lebanon into the Iran conflict. Nearly 200 found refuge at ABTS after fleeing Lebanon’s war zones.

ABTS is hosting 193 displaced individuals, including 53 children.
(Photo courtesy ABTS)

“We’re able to provide them with daily meals,” El Maalouf says. “We also started [a] daily community chapel where we encourage each other, worship God, and share a hopeful message from the Bible.”

No end in sight

Israel’s expanding footprint in southern Lebanon, along with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s promise of more strikes, dims any hope of de-escalation.

“It’s terrible that this war reached Lebanon. We had one day [where] we felt like the region is on fire, but Lebanon is spared. Unfortunately, this didn’t last at all,” El Maalouf says.

Ask the Lord to strengthen ABTS staff during this demanding season. You can also help ABTS continue this vital work.

“We are continuing with our education, and at the same time, we are working full-time as a shelter,” El Maalouf says, adding that ABTS staff put in long hours to fulfill a higher calling.

“We want to show the love of Christ. We want to do what we teach, and hopefully God will be glorified.”

Header and story images courtesy of ABTS. 

Qatar (Photo courtesy of Ayush Pappini via Unsplash)

On Wednesday, Israel struck Iran’s South Pars gas field. Iran responded on Thursday with strikes across the Gulf region, which included a gas facility at Qatar’s Ras Laffan plant. These events have made crude oil prices even more volatile. 

As the economic impacts of the war spread across the world, so do the psychological and human costs. Fadi Sharaiha from the MENA Leadership Center recognizes people growing numb to living under sirens, missiles, and drone strikes. 

“This is what we call the mechanism of defense for people. If you are going through a trauma, what happens is you justify the trauma, or you normalize it,” he says. “This is really a dangerous I would say ‘mental health’ concern that I have for people.”

Iranian boy in a jacket (picture courtesy of Hiva Sharifi via Unsplash)

The numbers surrounding this war keep rising, yet Sharaiha notes, “The first casualty in a war is truth. So nobody knows really the numbers, or what is really happening on the ground.” 

Even with the mass of data in Middle East news reports, the fact remains that every person who has been killed was made in God’s image, as well as every person displaced or suffering any kind of loss. 

“For me, those are not numbers. Those are faces. Those are people who are created in God’s image. They have aspiration, goals, feelings, emotions. They want to live their lives,” says Sharaiha. 

Find your place in the story

As Christians watch the news and pray, Sharaiha urges us to think personally, “to have a face to the number.”

“Please pray for the peace in the Middle East,” he says. “Pray for those people who are being displaced — like 1 million people in Lebanon.”

Lebanon (Stock photo courtesy of Nathan McBride via Unsplash)

Pray for endurance for Christians in the Gulf region. This is so important, because Sharaiha says, “It’s very easy to lose focus and faith whenever you’re going through a trauma, war, or conflict.” 

Also, pray a big-picture prayer! Ask God to use His people around the world to speak the true hope of Christ in significant ways during the Middle East conflict. This is tied to what Sharaiha calls “the prophetic voice” of the Church. 

“That [prophetic voice] is not politics. We need to go back to peace-building, reaching the unreached, loving people, and making sure that we are available for people to help and support,” he says. 

In early March, the MENA Leadership Center’s most recent online training was attended by students whose countries were being bombed in the newly-begun US-Israel-Iran war. Sharaiha says future courses will include an introduction to refugee ministry and a course on conflict resolution. 

“We are trying to respond to whatever is happening today, on the ground of people going through war, going through trauma, going through bad times,” he says. 

Learn more about the ministry and mission at menaleadershipcenter.com. 

Header photo courtesy of a user named Pavellllllll on Pixabay.

At least 700 schools have been turned into shelters for people fleeing. Others take refuge in their cars on the streets at night when airstrikes happen.

Heart for Lebanon added 1,500 families to its care operations when the conflict began three weeks ago. “These are vulnerable Lebanese families that woke up one day and had nothing prepared for a crisis like this,” Heart for Lebanon’s May-Lee Melki says.

“This also encompasses some refugee families who are now twice and thrice displaced, whether Kurdish or Syrian.”

Heart for Lebanon expands support

Melki says Heart for Lebanon is increasing its focus on two critical areas. One is the ministry’s support for local churches throughout the country. Heart for Lebanon partners with congregations to reach as many people as possible.

“We are increasing our support to local churches, whether it is in the form of humanitarian aid or food packages – whatever they need,” Melki says.

(Photo courtesy Heart for Lebanon)

A second focus is the ministry’s program for young women ages 13 to 21. “They’re always the most tender demographic that gets hit by crises like this,” Melki explains.

“Our team is checking in with the girls we support, making sure they are safe and have everything they need through this crisis.”

Crises overlap

Lebanon isn’t just facing one or two crises, but many at once. Airstrikes have caused widespread destruction, including civilian casualties and damage to homes and infrastructure. There are also rising fears that the conflict could drag on or turn into a longer-term occupation, keeping families in limbo.

Finally, because Lebanon is part of a wider regional struggle involving Iran and its allies, the country has little control over what happens next.

Heart for Lebanon exists for times like these. You can help believers make Christ’s love tangible here.

“Please pray for our ability to show the Gospel in action,” Melki requests.

“This is not something that we are wired, as humans, to respond to, but it is yet another opportunity for the Kingdom to expand and for the hope of Christ to be front and center.”

Header and story images courtesy of Heart for Lebanon.