The Middle East is once again in crisis. On 28 February 2026, the United States and Israel launched a major military operation against Iran, and the consequences have rippled across the region with devastating speed. In Lebanon, the impact has been immediate and catastrophic: more than 100 people killed, over 100,000 displaced from their homes, schools and universities forced to close, and hospitals overwhelmed with casualties.

For families in Lebanon, this is not an abstract geopolitical event—it is their lives being shattered. Homes destroyed. Children unable to go to school. Parents unable to work. The familiar rhythms of daily life obliterated overnight.

CAFOD has moved quickly. The Catholic development agency has sent £150,000 to local partners on the ground to provide life-saving food, safe water, shelter, and essential items including blankets and mattresses. This is the Catholic Church acting with speed and solidarity—not waiting for the situation to stabilise before responding, but meeting need where it exists right now.

Pope Leo XIV has spoken with unmistakable clarity. In a powerful appeal, he said: "I make a heartfelt appeal to all the parties involved to assume the moral responsibility of halting the spiral of violence before it becomes an unbridgeable chasm." These are not diplomatic words—they are a moral imperative addressed to those with the power to stop the killing.

CAFOD is asking supporters to pray for Lebanon and the wider Middle East, and to give if they are able. Every gift, however small, reaches families through the network of local partners that CAFOD has built over decades of faithful presence in the region.