Syria (MNN) — Syrian refugees are on the run again as life in war-torn Lebanon becomes increasingly volatile. Nearly 120,000 Syrians have returned to their home nation since Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the wider Iran war on March 2.

“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.