(Galilee, Israel) — What a bizarre and interesting week it has been regarding events in the Middle East.
Since the onset of Israel’s operations in Rafah, the IDF has uncovered more than 700 terror tunnel shafts belonging to Hamas – and over 50 tunnels that funnel into Egypt to the south. As you’re likely aware of by now, Israel’s decision (which was the correct decision) to enter Rafah in a move to end Hamas and free the remaining hostages was not met with approval by a host of the international community. In fact, the IDF only made the decision to reveal its findings regarding the tunnels in Rafah for the benefit of the discussion in the Hague and the international justification for the action in Rafah.
Sadly, the bodies of more Israeli hostages were uncovered by the IDF in Rafah. The three bodies belonged to Yitzhak Gelernter, Amit Buskila, and Shani Louk. We expect more to be found. It’s worth noting that the Rafah situation could and likely will have negative ramifications regarding the relationship between Israel and Egypt.
Tragically, the Hague is maintaining its hypocrisy and ignorance when it comes to the survival of the Jewish state as it sympathizes with terrorists in Gaza. Apparently, the burning, raping, kidnapping, and slaughtering of over 1,200 Jews isn’t enough justification for what we’re doing in Rafah, not to mention the fact that an overwhelming amount of evidence shows that Hamas sees to oppressing its own people.
At this stage, over 800,000 Gazans have been evacuated from Rafah. 277 IDF soldiers have died since the ground operation in Gaza began.
Operations are continuing to take place in other locations throughout the Gaza Strip as well. A lot of military operations are becoming the regular in the area of Jabalia where the IDF has eliminated well over 200 terrorists so far. Dozens of others have been arrested for interrogation. The IDF claims this has been one of the most violent wartime locations so far. Not only are we operating in Gaza – we’re pursuing Hamas terrorists everywhere. Last week, the IDF also killed a senior member of Hamas near the Lebanon-Syria border. We’re also continuously active in Judea & Samaria (the West Bank).
Iran
Where do I begin? Well, let’s just call it what it is – Iran’s president is dead. Not only did Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi die in a helicopter crash this last weekend, but a number of other high-ranking Iranian officials were killed as well. The crash took place while the group of officials were on their way back to Tehran following a meeting at the border with Azerbaijan. Apparently, between the lack of capabilities of the particular helicopter they were in and the treacherous weather conditions, they fell short of survival. From the perspective of the naive international community, Iran just suffered a massive blow. However, ask the common Iranian citizen, and you’ll experience a different story.
Raisi and others like him were and are passionate about terror, death, and oppression. This is why numerous Iranian citizens could be seen celebrating his death across social media following the crash. Don’t let the corrupt leadership and radical ayatollahs confuse you. They don’t represent the worldview and mindset of the vast majority of Iranians. To make matters worse, the US offered its condolences to Iran, accompanying several other countries.
Since the death of Raisi, Vice President Muhammad Mokhber has become the president of Iran until the next election cycle. You can find more on this story by watching my breaking news segment. I also issued a second installation of breaking news at the conclusion of the event.
On another note, and unsurprisingly, following Iran’s massive projectile attack on Israel weeks ago, the Islamic Republic has allegedly vowed to join any future war that takes place between Israel and Hezbollah. We sure do live in prophetic times.
Hezbollah, Lebanon, and Syria
In what’s no surprise, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) continues to carry out strikes in various places in both Lebanon and Syria as tension with Hezbollah increases in the region. While the tension in this region has been ever-present for quite some time, the consistency of military confrontations has certainly increased since October 7, 2023. Moreover, targeted attacks are becoming all the more prominent, which was seen as recent as last Friday when a senior Hezbollah commander was killed in a vehicle attack about 40km from the border with Israel. However, the rockets keep coming from the north, as Israel – in a single strike from Hezbollah – had approximately 75 rockets fired into the region of the Golan and Galilee, most of which were intercepted.
Another key target that was eliminated by the IAF was the commander of the rocket unit of Hezbollah. This took place in the coastal sector in Lebanon. His name was Qasem Skalawi. In addition to conducting multiple strikes in Southern Lebanon & Syria, the IAF has also remained extremely busy intercepting a host of rockets, drones, and other aerial threats coming from their enemies to the north.
The Houthis & Yemen
It’s business as usual for the Houthis, as the Iranian-funded terror proxy in the Arabian Gulf continues to muster up chaos in the region. Most recently – aside from its periodic projectile launches towards Israel – the terror group hit an oil tanker in the Red Sea that was moving oil from Russia to China.
The International Community
Slovenia and other European countries – namely, Ireland, Norway, and Spain – have vowed to formally recognize a Palestinian state in the weeks ahead and they’re encouraging other countries to do the same. Now do you understand the spiritual blindness of the days in which we’re living? Over 1,200 innocent Israelis are murdered in cold blood and Europe pursues what it believes is best for the culprit of that terror.
The United States
Unfortunately, like a reckless wave, the US administration has been all over the place regarding its position on the Israel-Hamas War. There are moments when Team Biden voices support for Israel. There are also moments when it stands in the way of what the country needs to do right now. Furthermore, it has become common practice for the Biden Administration to criticize Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his every move to eliminate Hamas. And when there’s an opportunity for the US to side with Israel, lately, it seems that there are always strings attached.
Such is the case with the ongoing situation between Israel and the ICC. From various sources, we’ve received confirmation that the US administration gave a green light to the ICC to move forward with asking for an arrest warrant against Hamas and Israeli leaders as if they are equal. If that’s not enough, the US administration is conducting talks with Iran in Oman where both sides agree that Netanyahu must be removed. The most failed US administration is causing internal chaos and outside attacks on its best ally in the Middle East. Insane!
Wait on the Lord
Patience, endurance, and perseverance are virtues we, as believers, must all have in this ever-changing and morally self-destructive world. For me as an Israeli, a new dimension of the need for these three was added. We have been fighting an existential war for the past eight months on multiple fronts – both above the ground, under the ground, and in the airwaves. When you add the spiritual aspect of this battle, you’ll see how vital it is to be equipped with strong faith, knowledge of the Word, and power that can only come from the person of the Holy Spirit in us!
Isaiah 40:31 KJV – “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
