As believers, we should be aware of what is taking place in this world of ours. Reading of the plight of others ought to move us to prayer and, if the Lord directs you, to involvement.
God is at work around the entire globe. Sometimes, it is difficult to see His hand amidst all the chaos. Sin is rampant and the news is filled with stories of those who have bought into the deceptions of the devil. However, we know through Scripture that God has a plan that He is carrying out. And it is because of the assurance of that magnificent truth that we can look at what is happening today through the lens of God’s redemptive timeline and find hope.
So, as you read this edition, let these stories remind you of God’s love, wisdom, and power, and let them move you to intercede, lifting up in prayer those who are hurting and praying against the schemes of the enemy.
1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 KJV – “And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.”
Netanyahu Granted an Extension
Forming a government has been a very difficult task for Benjamin Netanyahu due to the large number of demands from his coalition’s partners. As a result, he petitioned Israel’s President Yitzhak Herzog for a two-week extension. Instead, on Friday, the president granted him just 10 days. Now, rumors are circulating that Netanyahu will be forced to re-petition Herzog for four more days bringing the total up to the original two weeks – the maximum amount the president is authorized to grant. It is likely that Herzog will allow the additional time, because he sees that there is no one other than Netanyahu who even has a chance at establishing a government.
Israeli Air Force Conducts Syrian Strikes, Drops Warning Leaflets
Late night Saturday saw the IAF striking a radar system in the area of as-Suwayda in southern Syria near the border with Israel’s Golan Heights. The next day, leaflets were dropped from the air into the south of Syria warning soldiers to stop cooperating with Hezbollah. Written in Arabic, the warning read in part, “Time after time you have been responsible for the harm caused by your decisions…. The presence of Hezbollah in the area has brought you humiliation and you are paying the price for that.” Then, last night saw another attack by Israel on Iranian targets in Deir ez-Zor.
Relocation of Czech Embassy to Jerusalem Getting Closer
President of the Czech Republic, Miloš Zeman, issued a request to Prime Minister Petr Fiala to move their embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Already, in the past, Fiala has indicated his support of the idea. However, despite the two primary leaders of the country being in favor, the move faces strong opposition from many members of their own government and from the European Union (EU).
As Iranian Protests Continue, Leadership Makes Contingency Plans
Iran is ramping up their response to the on-going protests first sparked by the killing of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while she was in custody of the morality police for improperly wearing her hijab. Many protestors are being arrested and tortured. The country’s judiciary has admitted to publicly hanging two men, both convicted of “enmity against God” for attacking members of the paramilitary Basij Resistance Force who had been employed to quell the protests. However, anti-government groups and human rights organizations insist that the confessions of the men to the crimes were coerced through torture. Expect the violence to increase as the unease of the regime’s leadership grows. In case of a revolution, representatives are already negotiating with Venezuela for asylum and a safe haven should Iran’s leaders have to flee. Let’s hope the Supreme Leader soon finds himself moving boxes into a new flat in Caracas.
Azerbaijan Takes a Page from Putin’s Pipeline Playbook
In a dispute over gold and copper mines, Azerbaijan has cut off the gas supply to the breakaway state of Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Artsakh. Along with interrupting the flow through the Armenia-Nagorno-Karabakh pipeline, which runs through Azerbaijani territory, the Azeri government has also blockaded the Lachin Corridor – the only road connecting Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh. “Under such weather conditions, cutting off the supply of blue fuel is a humanitarian and economic terrorism that Azerbaijan consistently carries out against the peaceful population of Nagorno-Karabakh,” said an official in Stepanakert. Although Russian peacekeepers were deployed last year to keep peace between two parties, their moral authority to criticize Azerbaijan’s actions is limited since Vladimir Putin is playing the same natural gas pipeline games with much of Europe.
Ukraine’s Power Plight Worsens
Iranian-made drones were used by Russian forces on Saturday to target energy facilities in Odessa, leaving the port city without electricity. Ukrainian officials hoped to partially restore power “in the coming days”, although full restoration could take months and might well be hindered by more Russian attacks. Kherson Oblast also suffered heavy damage to its infrastructure. Meanwhile, military activity around the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant continues to cause great concern.
Possibility of the Russia/Ukraine War Expanding Grows
Poland is growing their army by up to 200,000 people next year. The figure is an upper limit, but the draft move marks a departure from the country’s professional military only policy established in 2009. With Russia’s invasion into Ukraine, the Warsaw government reinstated non-professional military service for volunteers. On the other side of the conflict, the Belarusian army carried out a snap military inspection on Tuesday to test the readiness of the army for combat. Many are concerned that this is one more indication of Minsk’s intention to join Russia in its fight against Ukraine.
Russia Readies Nuclear Missile Capable of Hitting US and UK
Vladimir Putin’s military made a show of deploying a massive Yars nuclear missile at the Kozelsk military compound in the Kaluga region southwest of Moscow. This thermonuclear-armed device is capable of carrying multiple warheads and has a range of 7500 miles. It is estimated that there are 173 more of these missiles in the Russian arsenal either mobile- or silo-based. It seems that the Russian president wanted to remind the West that their capitals are well-within range of these weapons that are 12 times more powerful than what was dropped on Hiroshima.
Turkey Threatens Greece with Missiles
The dispute between Turkey and Greece over the latter’s arming of certain Aegean islands has become more menacing. On Sunday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened Greece’s capital city, saying, “Greece is afraid of our missiles. They say that the TAYFUN (Turkish for “typhoon”) missile will hit Athens. It will, unless you stay calm.” This statement came just days after Erdogan’s foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, threatened that Turkish troops might “suddenly arrive overnight” if Greece doesn’t demilitarize the islands.
World Cup Bribery Scandal Hits the European Parliament
For anyone who knows anything about the inner-workings of the International Olympic Committee, it should come as no surprise that the World Cup has produced its own bribery scandal. European Parliament vice-president, Eva Kaili of Greece, was arrested for receiving money from Qatar in return for influencing other members of the governing body in favor of the Gulf country. Four other parliament members in her socialist party have been asked to step down from their positions, while four more people outside of the parliament remain in custody along with Kaili. The leadership in Doha have been strongly criticized for their human rights record particularly when it came to the protection of foreign workers. Estimates of those who died while building the stadiums for the World Cup are in the thousands.
European-Based Moroccans Riot After World Cup Loss
Moroccan football fans have shown themselves to be overly rambunctious winners and sore losers when it comes to the World Cup. After their several surprising wins in the tournament, there was celebratory rioting in Belgium and the Netherlands. Then, when the team was trounced by France in the semi-final round, Moroccan fans in Paris, Lyon, Lens, Nice, and many other French cities violently expressed their displeasure. In Montpellier, a 14-year-old boy was struck by a car and killed when a group of Moroccan supporters descended upon a vehicle that was displaying a French flag. The driver of the car tried to escape, and the boy was run down.
