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The Middle East is an ever-evolving stage. On October 7, 2023, violence in Israel erupted at the hands of Palestinian terrorist group, Hamas, and backlash from Israel spread immediately into Hamas-occupied Gaza. Anxious about next moves from other terrorist groups, Israel then trained its sights on Lebanon, invading on October 1, 2024 with the goal of dismantling Hezbollah. A few weeks later, Israeli missiles destined for Hezbollah-occupied buildings hit their mark in at least 10 sites in Beirut’s southern suburbs, as well as along the southern border and in adjacent Bekaa Valley, home of TSI’s partner, Warm Heart School.
Israel issued warnings to those living near targeted sites, and streets were soon congested with traffic as people fled. Not everyone escaped, especially the most vulnerable: Syrian refugees in Bekaa Valley. Tragically, two students at Warm Heart School lost their lives in the blasts, along with their mother. Rama Almohamad was eight years old and her sister, Inas, was ten. More than 3,400 people have been killed in Lebanon by Israeli fire, 80% of them this past fall.
Now, attention shifts to Lebanon’s neighbor, Syria. In late November, Syrian rebels mounted offensives in an effort to oust Bashar Al-Assad, Syria’s president, and for good reason. Assad’s government is responsible for displacing half of Syria’s population and killing over half a million people. On the morning of December 8, rebel troops entered Damascus and Assad fled to Moscow, where he was granted political asylum by the Russian government.
Back in Lebanon, Joseph Milan, co-founder of Warm Heart, moved his family from Beirut to the surrounding mountains for safety. “We are struggling, but hoping to have a president by next week,” Milan said in an early January interview. “This time we’re going to have a Christian leader. Hezbollah has been controlling the government for 40 years, and the power of [the Assad family] controlled Syria for 50 years. They have both collapsed.”
As Milan had hoped, Joseph Aoun, a Lebanese military figure from a Christian background, was elected president of Lebanon on January 9. Milan believes there will be more war between Israel and Hezbollah, but he hopes democracy will follow and weapons will be taken from the militant group. “This [election] is good news for us, and we are hoping it is the answer to our prayers,” he said.
Warm Heart’s ministry in Bekaa Valley was immediately affected by political events in Syria. The mobile school lost nearly 100 students as families joyfully returned home after Assad’s regime toppled. The coming months will reveal the future of Syrians in Lebanon as the political climate shifts under a new presidency, and Syrians who have chosen to stay are considered for work visas.
“Lebanon depends on Syrians for many kinds of work,” said Milan. “The pressure has been released a little with Syrians going home, so [those who are left] may get their legal papers. They will be citizens.”
Meanwhile, 60 regular students remain at Warm Heart. Their families are hesitant to return as they wait to witness how the next Islamic regime will function, and who it will favor. Older students are stepping up to take on leadership roles at Warm Heart, assembling care packages for student families, participating in trainings, and supporting their teachers. Milan is steering girls away from early marriage through education.
“I’m training them like a team, to be with us in any activity we do,” said Milan. “They are serving society. We may bring the mobile school into Syria when that door opens; we have invitations from Muslim tribal leaders there. We have the experience and the passion. I have tools, computers and sewing machines. All of this makes a big impact on students, and we can take it anywhere.”
Keep Lebanon and Syria in your prayers.
Warm Heart School in Lebanon
“The conflict is not here.” An interview with Joseph Milan on how Middle Eastern conflict affects his outreach to Syrians...
