Following the explosion of Nord Stream 1 & 2, the Swedish Minister of Energy suggested that the explosion was likely the result of an attack from another country. Russian foreign intelligence is claiming that a western country was involved in the execution of the incident.
Adding salt to the wound, Russia continues to target the civilian population in Ukraine. Last week, the Russians hit a convoy of Ukrainian refugees trying to flee the contested region of Zaporizhzhia. At least 23 people were killed in the attack. However, the most notable moment related to Russia surfaced when Vladimir Putin announced that four Ukrainian provinces have been officially annexed to Russia. As of this week, Russia considers any attack against these annexed areas an attack against Russia itself. The Biden Administration responded with widened sanctions on Russian officials following the announcement of the annexation.
Not only is Russia hinting at the future use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine, but the Chechen Republic is also encouraging the Russians to proceed in this manner following the Russian retreat from Liman in Eastern Ukraine. Just days ago, NATO warned its member states of Russia’s deployment of the K-329 Belgorod Nuclear Submarine equipped with the Poseidon Nuclear Missile. This week, Russia began nuclear tests on its border with Ukraine.
Russia even has its hand in what’s taking place regarding the lack of oil output via OPEC+. The current oil cut is the largest since the onset of COVID-19 in 2020. Russia is influencing this lack of output in an attempt to increase oil prices around the world.
Iran continues to struggle internally with a host of riots taking place in opposition to the corrupt regime. Recently, at least 19 people were killed and several others were injured in the Sistan and Baluchistan provinces alone. A statue of the late Iranian General Qassem Soleimani was set on fire at one of the protests. He’s considered a national hero in the eyes of the ayatollahs. But Iran has other problems, as its currency, the rial, hit an all-time low of 330,000 rials to one dollar.
A young lady named Nika Shakarami was kidnapped by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces throughout the protests last week. After an extensive search for her body, her family was asked to come identify that which was found. She had been beaten extensively before being killed and was buried elsewhere.
When it comes to Iran and Russia, the former is being humiliated by its own people and is imploding economically. The latter is being embarrassed on a global scale due to its lack of success in Ukraine and is dealing with a crumbling economy. Believe me, war is closer than ever.
Nearly two dozen people were killed in an attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, that was carried out by Sunni extremists.
Sadly, the Biden Administration had a role in pressuring Israel to give up some of its territory in order to resolve the dispute related to the Israel-Lebanon maritime border. Our current prime minister, Yair Lapid, was called out by former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following his agreement with US officials to consider handing over some of Israel’s sovereign territory. The idea of giving up land for peace has never and will never work when the people you’re dealing with want to eliminate you from the face of the earth. Israel officially rejected the Lebanese remarks to its proposal on Thursday.
Iran is continuing to threaten the UAE and Saudi Arabia following the expiration of the ceasefire between the Saudi Kingdom and the Houthis in Yemen. The Houthis are funded by Iran and are responsible for countless rocket attacks on Saudi and Emirati oil resources.
North Korea wanted to stay relevant this week, so it decided to send a missile in the direction of Japan, which would ultimately end up in the ocean. Japan called on its citizens in the northeastern region of the country to take shelter and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol warned that his country would respond to the incident.
On Thursday, North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters Thursday after the United States redeployed an aircraft carrier near the Korean Peninsula in response to Pyongyang’s previous launch of a nuclear-capable missile over Japan.
Tens of thousands of Jews could be seen at the Western Wall ahead of Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement) early this week. My prayer is that the people of Israel would come to find that their eternal atonement has been made in the Person and work of Jesus Christ.
