Just today, the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague has charged Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant with “crimes against humanity and war crimes” for their supposed maltreatment of civilians in Gaza. This appalling move was immediately met with derision by both Israel and the United States. Israel’s President Isaac Herzog condemned the action, stating, “Taken in bad faith, the outrageous decision at the ICC has turned universal justice into a universal laughingstock.”

In the United States, Senator Lindsey Graham promised, “The US Senate will act and impose sanctions on this irresponsible body. Senator Schumer should pass the bipartisan legislation that came from the House punishing the court for such outrage and President Biden should sign it. Now.”

Do these charges mean that Netanyahu is going to jail? Absolutely not. It does, however, restrict his travel to many western nations, including The Netherlands, site of the recent pogrom on Israeli soccer fans, which has already announced that they would obey the order. But if the prime minister wants to go to the United States, he will find no restrictions other than not going to Dearborn, Michigan, whose mayor, Abdullah H. Hammoud, has already announced that he will arrest him on the spot. In all of this ridiculousness, the promise of the Muslim enclave of Dearborn’s mayor is the only action that is not surprising.

One More Reason Why Iran Needs To Be Stopped

When I speak of hatred of Israel, most people’s minds immediately turn to Iran and its many proxies, including Hamas and Hezbollah. It’s very true – Iran despises Israel to its very core. But you may be surprised to learn that there is a country that the ayatollahs hate even more than Israel. The end game of Iran’s Shiite Islamic regime is not Jerusalem, but Mecca and Medina. And where are these cities? In the heart of Sunni Saudi Arabia.

There has been a division in Islam, the origin of which goes back to the succession following the death of Muhammad. The Sunnis, the majority branch, supported the election of a caliph, leading to the selection of Abu Bakr. However, the Shiites believed that leadership should stay within the family of Muhammad, namely with his cousin and son-in-law Ali. Unfortunately for the followers of Shia, it was the Sunnis who ended up with the two most important sites in Islam – the Masjid Al-Haram with the Kaaba in Mecca and the Al-Masjid an-Nabawi in Medina – both in their flagship country, Saudi Arabia. The “third holiest site” is the Al-Masjid al-Aqsa (or al-Aqsa mosque) in Jerusalem.

It is an impossibility for the Iranian regime to gain control of Mecca and Medina with a direct assault. The Saudi’s military is strong, and their oil is plentiful enough that most of the western world would spring to their defense. So, instead the ayatollahs are playing a long game. It began after the Iranian Revolution with the creation of a corridor of influence that stretched through Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon towards the Mediterranean Sea. Now, they’re also looking south, bringing Yemen and Qatar into their pocket. If their strategy plays out, Jordan will be next, then the Gulf states like the UAE, Bahrain, and Oman. Looking at a map, it becomes obvious what Iran is doing. It is surrounding Saudi Arabia, cutting them off from any neighborly help. The stranglehold Iran could put on the Saudis would eventually force the Sunni kingdom to their knees.

It is very true that Iran hates Israel for a whole lot of reasons. But looking at this strategy we see that, in reality, the Jewish state is a means to an end. If Iran as leader of a great Muslim coalition were to take Israel, it would place the al-Aqsa mosque wholly in Islamic hands. But even more so, it will ensure that Saudi Arabia is caught in a steel vice that will squeeze until Mecca and Medina are finally in Shiite hands.

This is one more reason why Iran needs to be stopped. Toppling the ayatollahs’ regime would save the oppressed Iranian people, bring relief to the Saudis, stabilize the region, and serve as a death sentence to the proxy militias in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen. It may also cause Qatar to stop funding Hamas. Ultimately, as followers of Scripture, we know that Persia (Iran) will join a future coalition against Israel, as told in Ezekiel 38. Is the end game of Mecca and Medina their reason? Maybe. What we do know is that whether under these ayatollahs or under a regime that might replace it, Iran will pitch in with Russia, Turkey and others to destroy Israel. And they will fail.

Ceasefire in Lebanon?

Israel is cautiously optimistic about a US proposal for a ceasefire in Lebanon. There are still two sticking points from Jerusalem’s point of view. First, there is the question of the extent of Israeli freedom of action in the event of a Hezbollah violation. The second is regarding the composition of the supervisory committee in Lebanon. If these issues are able to be satisfactorily dealt with, there could be a ceasefire within a week. It will be none too soon for Hezbollah, because the groundswell of Lebanese citizens against the terrorists continues to grow.

Hezbollah Unleashes Rockets on Israel

Amidst talks of a ceasefire, both sides in the Israel-Lebanon war continue their fight. Israel is pelting Beirut, Tyre, Baalbek, and other areas with airstrikes, while the ground war is gradually making its way north. At the same time, Hezbollah is shooting what rockets they can into Israeli territory.

Akko (Acre) experienced a barrage of 25 missiles yesterday with only one hitting the ground, causing no injuries. On Monday, another barrage proved fatal for one woman. More than 100 rockets were fired by Hezbollah, with one hitting a three-story building in the northern town of Shfar-am killing the forty-one-year-old. Farther south near Tel Aviv, shrapnel from an intercepted missile hit several buildings causing fires and wounding numerous people.

Hezbollah’s New Secretary General Threatens Israel

Naim Qassem, Hezbollah’s new secretary general following the targeted killing of his predecessor, is making the most of his few remaining days on this earth by uttering threats against Israel. It seems he is upset that his friend, Hezbollah media relations chief Mohammad Afif, was taken out in an air strike in Beirut on Sunday.

In a speech yesterday, he said, “Israel attacked the heart of Beirut, so it must expect the response to take place in the heart of Tel Aviv. It must pay the price.” In the same speech, he made the assertion, “When the enemy does not achieve its goals, it means we have won.” By that same logic, if the Buffalo Bills football team had the goal of beating the Kansas City Chiefs by 10 points, then their nine-point victory on Sunday was really a loss, which means the Chiefs remain undefeated and we have one more reason to dislike the music of Taylor Swift.

Gaza Ceasefire Shot Down

The UN Security Council voted 14-1 for a resolution that would demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Despite the overwhelming support, it didn’t pass because the one dissenting vote was the United States which is one of five nations that holds veto power.

US deputy ambassador Robert Wood stated, “We made clear throughout negotiations we could not support an unconditional cease-fire that failed to release the hostages.” Tip of the hat to you, Mr. Deputy Ambassador.

In the same vein, three US senate bills were pushed forward by socialist senator Bernie Sanders to embargo certain offensive weapons from going to Israel. Each resolution was soundly defeated with 18 pro against 79 con votes. With the new sheriff making his way to town, the tide in Washington is definitely turning Israel’s way.

Netanyahu in Gaza

Even with the battle raging in northern Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made his way to the Netzarim Corridor on Tuesday. Standing alongside new Defense Minister Israel Katz, the PM reiterated his pledge that “Hamas will not be in Gaza.” He also reminded Gazans of a pledge he had made earlier; there will be a reward of $5 million and safe passage out of Gaza for anyone who turns over a hostage. Meanwhile, the fighting was hot farther north in Jabaliya, with many terrorists being killed while others surrendered en masse.

UNRWA Again Shows Its Colors

One hundred and nine aid trucks drove into Gaza to deliver humanitarian supplies. On the way, 97 of them were violently attacked and looted by armed Palestinians. Who’s to blame? If you ask the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), not surprisingly they’ll say Israel.

In a statement, the agency said, “The Israeli authorities continue to disregard their legal obligations under international law to ensure the population’s basic needs are met and to facilitate the safe delivery of aid.” Not only do we have to fight in Gaza, but we have to help feed their people and guarantee the safety of humanitarian aid. When has that ever been required of a military? Then, when the Palestinian gangs and terrorists start stealing the aid, we’re to blame for it? UNRWA is a joke.

Iran on the Cusp of Going Nuclear

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, reported that Iran is “just a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.” And, if the IAEA is only now getting around to admitting to this, we can be assured that they’ve had weapons-grade uranium for months now. Is there any chance we can bring the new administration into Washington just a little early so that we can once-and-for-all shut this down?

Ukraine Upgrades it Weaponry and Russia Responds with Nuclear Threats

This last week marked Day 1000 since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine War, a conflict which shows no signs of abating. If anything, the fight is ramping up. Ukraine has used for the first time American ATACMS long-range missiles which have the capability to hit deep into Russia. Also, Germany has delivered 4,000 Mini Taurus strike drones to Kyiv’s army.

This deepening involvement by the west led the Kremlin to revise its nuclear policy, lowering the threshold for their use. Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman, warned that Ukraine’s use of western missiles could provoke a nuclear response under these new guidelines. This rhetoric, along with an increase in Ukrainian attacks, has led the US, along with Spain, Italy, and Greece, to shut down their embassy in Kyiv.

These preemptory diplomatic actions appear warranted as this morning, for the first time in the war, Moscow employed an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in a multi-pronged attack on the city of Dnipro. The missile, obviously used in a tit-for-tat because of Ukraine’s use of the American ATACMS missiles, is a clear warning. Even though this missile was tipped with a conventional warhead, ICBMs can easily deliver nuclear payloads.

I get what Putin is doing. However, here is a quick question for the president. If you’re so concerned about some countries interfering in other countries’ conflicts through the giving of war materiel, then why has the IDF, as it’s moved in southern Lebanon, discovered that 60-70% of Hezbollah’s weapons were manufactured by Russia? Sure, some of them went all the way back to the Soviet era. But many more were modern, including large quantities of Russian “Cornet” anti-tank missiles. While you’re complaining about Ukraine’s western-aided arsenal, maybe you want to rethink giving your old stuff away to terrorists.

Mysterious China being Mysterious China

Last year, the Chinese vessel New Polar Bear severely damaged the undersea gas pipeline, Balticconnector, which linked Finland and Estonia. Finland’s Minister of European Affairs Anders Adlercreutz said of the purposeful nature of the incident, “I’m not the sea captain. But I would think that you would notice that you’re dragging an anchor behind you for hundreds of kilometers.” It took seven months to get it back online.

Now it appears that the Chinese vessel Yi Peng 3 severed two fiber-optic undersea cables this past weekend, one connecting Finland and Germany and the other linking Sweden with Lithuania. Either some of these Chinese pilots need to go back to shipping school, or there’s something a little hinky going on.

Amir Tsarfati is a fmr Deputy Governor of Jericho, Israeli tour guide, author, and the Founder and President of Behold Israel.