In addition to the threat of being hit by rocket fire and losing their homes, citizens of Lebanon have also been hit hard economically by skyrocketing prices for basic goods such as food and gas.
(LifeSiteNews) — Christians in the Middle East are suffering heavily under the Iran war, a Christian NGO reports.
A report by the German branch of Christian Solidarity International (CSI) describes the plight of Christians since the start of the Iran war on February 28.
CSI reports that Christians in Lebanon have refused to leave their homes despite attacks and an evacuation order by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
“We have decided not to leave our homes – because if we leave our villages, we will certainly never be able to return,” Maronite priest Toni Elias from the Christian village of Rmeich said. His village is located just over a mile from the Lebanese-Israeli border. The Israeli army had already called for an evacuation on March 2. The bells of some churches had begun to ring during the night to warn the surrounding villages, CSI reports.
“We have no weapons, we have no rockets, we are no threat to anyone,” Elias said. “We are staying here and asking God for his protection.”
A local CSI partner in Lebanon explained the reason why Christian and other citizens refuse to leave their homes: “The Christians refused to leave their homes for fear that Hezbollah might occupy them, as had happened during the war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2024. The situation is similar in Ain Ebel: dozens of families, including many children, refuse to leave, even though they fear their homes could be hit by Israeli missiles.”
In addition to the threat of being hit by rocket fire and losing their homes, citizens of Lebanon have also been hit hard economically by skyrocketing prices for basic goods such as food and gas.
As LifeSiteNews reported, Catholic priest Father Pierre al-Rahi was recently killed by an Israeli military strike after he tried to help others who were wounded in a previous attack.
A CSI source from Iraq said that Christians in the country are living in constant fear of further military strikes.
“People are very afraid of Iranian attacks on Erbil and the suburb of Ankawa,” the source said. “Many Christians are leaving Erbil and fleeing to the Nineveh Plains, but even there, there are clashes between militias.”
“I get a lot of calls from people asking me, ‘What should we do? Where should we go?’ Terrible questions with no answers. I told them I don’t know, but that we have to persevere like our grandparents and parents did. Our entire country is occupied by Iranian-backed militias, which are now under attack. We hope that Israel and the U.S. will not attack the Christian militias, whose job it is to maintain order in the Christian villages.”
No comments:
Post a Comment