I must admit that my heart has been heavy these last days as I’ve thought about the state of our world. We are currently living in a very painful season of human history: wars and rumors of war abound. Good is called evil and evil good, the moral character of mankind continues to degrade, divorce is brutalizing marriages, babies are aborted in the womb, and cancer and disease are ravaging the bodies of many. As worship of self grows, God is belittled and disparaged, as are His people. It feels as if things could not get any worse.

So what do we do in times such as these? Do we mope or hang our heads in depression? Do we run and hide from the world in safe little Christian enclaves? No, our call is to engage with the world. Our mission as light in the darkness has not ended. In fact, it is greater now than it has ever been as the time of end draw near. So, as you go about your mission, watch where you’re going, keep looking up, and wake up each day with this passage on your mind:

Titus 2:11-14 KJV – “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”

Israel Strikes Terrorist Targets

Sunday morning brought the sounds of loud blasts to the Damascus suburb of Qudsaya. Although Israel remains mute on their participation, most believe the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) were on the delivering end of the attack.

There have been at least 22 strikes by Israel on Syria this calendar year. According to residents of the area, “warehouses of pro-Iran militias” were destroyed in Sunday’s attack.

Wednesday night saw a lot of action in the West Bank, as, first, Israeli security arrested a suspect in connection with a drive-by shooting. Second, eight Palestinians were wounded by IDF forces when they attacked Jewish worshippers visiting Joseph’s Tomb in Shechem. Finally, the IDF and Border Police united to destroy an explosives laboratory and warehouse at the Balata refugee camp.

Israel’s Economy is Doing Just Fine

Instead of running around and crying out, “The sky is falling! The sky is falling!”, the progressive left media has been warning, “Israel’s economy is collapsing!” What’s the reason for the spike in inflation rates and stumbling of the shekel? Prime Minister Bejamin Netanyahu and his judicial reform, of course. But just like Chicken Little’s prediction of doom was foolish and wrong, so is the media’s.

The inflation rate in Israel has been shrinking ever since Netanyahu got in office. The country’s credit rating, which they said would fall sharply, remains at A+. And our unemployment rate continues to be one of the lowest in the world.

This anti-Netanyahu campaign is organized and orchestrated, coming from advertising companies owned by multi-millionaires who are determined to topple this government. But, so far, despite all the money they’ve thrown into this hit job, it’s only their finances that have felt the blow.

Expanding Global Relationships for Israel

Israel’s Foreign Ministry has announced that Paraguay will open its embassy in Jerusalem this year. Somewhat following the lead of their almost-neighbor to the north, Uruguay has said that they will open a diplomatic mission in Jerusalem.

Israeli relations also continue to grow in Asia. On Wednesday, Israeli minister of Economy and Industry Nir Barkat was in Hanoi to sign an agreement to launch the first direct flights between Israel and Vietnam. The flights between Hanoi and Tel Aviv will launch in October.

Israel Launches New High-Tech Submarine

There was no fanfare when Israel’s newest submarine was launched from Kiel, Germany. But there was a lot of interest. A variation of the Dolphin-II class, this boat, named the INS Drakon (Dragon), is longer than its predecessors and sports a huge sail. The sail is the tower that rises from the sub’s topside.

The speculation is that the reason for its size is that this is the first modern submarine designed to launch missiles from its sail. The missiles are believed to be ballistic, possibly carrying nuclear payloads, and will be fired vertically from the boat.

Ukraine Evacuating Settlements after Failed Counterattack

Following Ukraine’s failed counterattack against Russian forces, Kyiv is ordering mandatory evacuations in the northeastern Kharkiv region. In Kupiansk, the city military administration issued an announcement requiring Ukrainian citizens to leave dozens of towns and villages near the front.

Meanwhile, Stian Jenssen, the chief of staff to the NATO secretary general, ill-advisedly told a panel audience on Tuesday, “I think that a solution could be for Ukraine to give up territory and get NATO membership in return.” The Kyiv government went ballistic. The next day, Jenssen walked back his statement, saying it was “a mistake”.

Assad Opposition Growing Stronger in Syria

The cheering you may be hearing from Syria is likely coming from the anti-Assad Sunni rebels. As Russia is forced to regularly and rapidly pull troops out of Syria to send to Ukraine, the rebel attacks on the Syrian army grow stronger and bolder. Another group benefitting from a smaller Russian presence and a distracted Syrian military is ISIS. They have been targeting and massacring Syrian soldiers at an alarming rate.

Just last Thursday, after waylaying an army bus near Mayadeen, in Deir Ezzor province, the ISIS terrorists surrounded the vehicle and opened fire. Thirty-three soldiers on board were slaughtered. Finally, on Monday night, Damascus rocked with the sound of a huge explosion as an ammunition warehouse northeast of the city blew apart. No one has claimed responsibility for that blast, but undoubtedly someone is celebrating a job well done.

US Department of Treasury Sanctions Lebanese Environmental Group

Green Without Borders (GWB) is a Lebanese NGO that claims to promote agribusiness models for small-scale producers. Instead, what GWB and its director, Zuhair Subhi Nahla, promote is the terrorist group Hezbollah. The organization set up outposts near the Israeli border under the guise of environmental research. What these locations actually housed were Hezbollah members, weapons training ranges, ammunition storage, and other terrorism-related facilities.

As a result, the US Department of Treasury has issued sanctions on this fake environmental front. The heavy influence of Hezbollah in Lebanon continues to destroy the country. The Syrian lira has lost 60% of its value in less than a month-and-a-half. Today, it was trading at around 16,000 lira to one US dollar. At the airport, there is no electricity. It is currently functioning on a generator.

As I mentioned last week, I love the Lebanese people, and my heart breaks for them. I pray that somehow they will find a way to escape from under the thumb of this terrorist organization before Hezbollah and its evil leader, Hassan Nasrallah, throw them into a war with Israel that they can’t possibly win.

US Pays Iran for Prisoners

The United States does not pay ransom for hostages. As you read this story, just keep repeating that phrase to yourself. In what was not a ransom for hostages transaction, the Biden administration has agreed to release $6 billion from South Korea and five Iranians held prisoner in the US to Iran in exchange for the release of five American citizens who are detained in Tehran.

The convoluted justification for this action is something like, “What’s the problem? We’re simply swapping five prisoners for five prisoners…. What? Oh yeah, plus the $6 billion.”

Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called this a “dangerous precedent”, then declared what everybody recognizes, “This will only encourage more hostage taking by the Iranian terrorists.” Could it possibly be that this has anything to do with greasing the skids for a new Iran nuclear agreement? Hmmmm….

Iran’s Proxies Attack US Bases in Syria

In a story that should be more connected to the previous one than it apparently is, a new Iran-sponsored terrorist organization calling itself the “Popular Resistance in the Eastern Region” claims to have carried out three attacks using rockets and drones on American bases in northeastern Syria. The three attacks, which the group claims to have carried out on Saturday, were directed at US military facilities in the Shadadi, Konikho, and Omar oil and gas fields.

Muslim Mob Attacks Churches in Pakistan

Angry over allegations that a Christian man had desecrated a Quran, Muslim mobs went on a rampage yesterday attacking churches. One church was burned, while two more were ransacked and damaged. In addition, numerous Christian homes were attacked.

The violence increased today with Christians being beaten to death and thrown from heights. The US has close relations with Pakistan. What is the administration in Washington doing to stop this? Where are the human rights groups? Is it because these are only Christians being killed that everyone appears to be ignoring it?

Niger Junta to Prosecute Former President for Treason

The future for ousted Niger President Mohamed Bazoum is looking bleak. The ruling military junta has declared that it will prosecute the imprisoned president on charges of treason. Junta spokesperson Colonel Amadou Abdramane stated that they had “gathered the necessary evidence to prosecute the ousted president…for high treason and undermining the internal and external security of Niger.”

Wildfires Ravage Maui

The death toll has risen to 106 in the wildfires that devasted the Hawaiian island of Maui. Property loss estimates have reached a minimum of $3.2 billion, with more than 5200 homes destroyed or damaged by flames or smoke. No sooner had the fire died down than out-of-state buyers swept in offering to purchase the land of victims who had lost their houses. As a result, Hawaii Governor Josh Green is seeking to put a moratorium on land purchasers from outside the state.

Government Approved News?

Bill C-11 that passed not long ago in Canada supposedly only regulates broadcasters, including providers of both traditional broadcasting services and online streaming services. However, social media giants, in their attempt to avoid paying royalties to broadcasters (as is required in the new bill), are simply removing news channels from their platforms. This is a novel way for governments to limit news consumption to only the regulated channels, and, by doing so, to control the content people are consuming. It is not only Canada where this is happening. Governments worldwide are doing all they can to become the final arbiters of what news their citizens can partake in.

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