militant group Hezbollah would hold.
"The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) began to pull troops out of Lebanon early Tuesday morning as a large group of reserve paratroopers who had been airlifted to Tyre marched back into Israel on foot, headed by their brigade commander," said the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ), an evangelical group supporting Israel.
"On Tuesday afternoon, Lebanese officials reported that the IDF had withdrawn completely from the towns of Marjayoun and Gandoreh – the scenes of intense battles just days ago – but remained on standby in other nearby villages," added the well-informed Jerusalem-based ICEJ which closely monitors the situation and has been involved in several aid projects in Israel.
"This is the time for peace-makers and peace-keepers to re-double their efforts to maintain a just and lasting peace in the region," added the Evangelical Alliance UK, which claims to represent over one million British evangelicals, in a statement to BosNewsLife.
STRONG ALLIES
The United Kingdom along with the United States were considered among the strongest allies of Israel during the month long battle in which nearly one thousand people died, mainly civilians, including many women and children.
Lebanese Christians have been in the crossfire, and Christian aid workers struggled to cope with the displacement of roughly one million people. Christians also suffered in Israel where homes were destroyed by rockets fired by Hezbollah from Lebanon.
The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), one of the main Christian groups on the ground in Lebanon, said its staff and volunteers in Beirut "are providing emergency food, bedding, shelter, and basic necessities for displaced families."
SMALLER GROUPS
Smaller groups active in Lebanon during the war included the Hungarian Baptist Charity which arrived in war-torn Lebanon to help hundreds of refugees crammed into the classrooms of the Baptist primary school in Beirut.
The Charity’s President Sandor Szenczy said the team also included medical personnel which took a multi-thousand dollar consignment of medications and equipment with them from Budapest, Hungary.
Similar efforts were underway in Israel, where a barrage of rockets destroyed homes in villages and towns, including Jesus’ hometown Nazareth.
"Now that the ceasefire has been agreed, reconstruction will undoubtedly be costly," the Evangelical Alliance UK cautioned.
PRAYERS URGED
"Although tensions in the region have eased, Christians should continue to pray for peace. We commend the Archbishop of York’s initiative in fasting and praying for peace, and encourage other Christians to commit themselves to pray for the Middle East," the group added in a statement to BosNewsLife.
One issue that reportedly remains unclear is what the IDF response will be to the alleged attempts by Iran and Syria to smuggle weapons into Lebanon and rehabilitate Hezbollah forces.
Military and political analysts have been quoted as saying that the group would use the ceasefire to rearm. The IDF has reportedly said that it would hold its fire while asking the Lebanese army and international forces to assist in stopping the transfer of weapons. But Lebanese and UN officials have reportedly said they have no intention of disarming Hezbollah.
Complicating the efforts are reports that about 20 percent of the Lebanese army are Shi’ite Muslims and Hezbollah supporters, although is was impossible to independently confirm these estimates. (With BosNewsLife reports, BosNewsLife Research and reports from Israel and Lebanon. Stay with BosNewsLife for continues coverage on the crisis in the Middle East).
