In this week’s news from the Eastern Churches, produced in collaboration with L’Œuvre d’Orient, we turn to the escalating violence in the Middle East and its impact on communities in Lebanon, Iraq and the Holy Land.
A new surge of violence is shaking the Middle East - affecting Iran, Lebanon, Iraq, and the Holy Land - and adding to already deep crises that continue to destabilise the region. Lebanon At least 123 people have been killed and 683 injured in Israeli strikes, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health. More than 60,000 people have fled southern Lebanon, many heading towards Beirut, including its southern suburbs, which have been repeatedly bombed. Schools are closed, but several Christian institutions are organising to host displaced people: the Daughters of Charity, the Libami association, and the convent of the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts plan to welcome hundreds of families into their now-empty schools, while the wounded will be treated in their hospitals. Geitaoui Hospital is preparing to receive severely burned victims of the conflict. The country remains stunned, against a backdrop of growing internal tensions. Iraq In Erbil, the population is living in near lockdown due to repeated missile and drone attacks targeting U.S. military facilities and the airport area. So far, no casualties have been reported, although the region has faced over 100 missile and drone attacks in recent days. In the Nineveh Plains and central Iraq, incidents involving pro-Iranian militias are reviving a sense of insecurity. Holy Land In Jerusalem and across the Holy Land, Christian and healthcare institutions are facing rising civilian needs in a climate of anxiety and uncertainty. These events add to pre-existing crises, further reinforcing the already structural fragility of the region.