The Lord said to me [Jeremiah], “From the north calamity shall break forth on all the inhabitants of the land.”
Jeremiah 1:14 NKJ
The Dangerous Scope of the War
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said recently that Israel is fighting battles in seven sectors across the Middle East – against Hamas in Gaza, against Hezbollah in Lebanon, against the Houthis in Yemen, against the Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria, against Iran itself and against Palestinian terrorists in Judea and Samaria.
Furthermore, the Jewish state faces a diplomatic battle against the International Criminal Court, whose chief prosecutor is seeking arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and even the IDF itself.
Nevertheless, Netanyahu insists that he will resist international pressure in pursuit of the goals of the war: eliminating Hamas, bringing the hostages home, and ensuring Palestinian terrorists never again pose a threat from Gaza.
“We are committed to total victory,” Netanyahu said. He emphasized that he was not prepared to accept Hamas’ demand that Israel halt the war without achieving war goals.
“Our future will not exist here against the axis of evil of Iran and its proxies if we simply fold our hands,” he said. He reiterated that among those war goals was the safe return of all the hostages.
Since Oct. 8, Hezbollah – Iran’s greatest proxy on the northern Israeli border – has been firing rockets and drones from southern Lebanon into northern Israel. The attacks have escalated over recent days, forcing more than 100,000 Israelis in northern Israel to evacuate their cities, farms, and villages.
![](https://yeshuatami.com/newsblog/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/fires-1024x512.jpg)
Photo from Buzzkue – Hezbollah Rocket and Drone Attacks Spark Fires in Northern Israel.
Tragically, in the Galilee area, Hezbollah rockets have caused many fires, consuming thousands of acres of forests.
Israel is rightly concerned that a full-blown war with Hezbollah would cause many deaths and much destruction in Israel. Unfortunately for Lebanon, already a failing state controlled by Hezbollah, it also faces great destruction from which it might never recover.
There is pressure on Israel from the Biden administration that is increasing its efforts to de-escalate the growing tensions between Israel and Hezbollah in order to prevent a full-scale war.
Hezbollah is using the war against Hamas as an excuse for its attacks in order to achieve its goal of taking from Israel the Har Dov strategic area, a region lying one hundred feet south of the Lebanese border. However, Har Dov is already recognized by the UN as Israeli territory.
Nevertheless, Lebanon (Hezbollah) claims the area as its own. The US administration has been involved in talks with Lebanese officials to resolve the conflict. Unfortunately, the Lebanese government is powerless against Hezbollah.
Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu has repeatedly said that he is committed to returning the evacuated Israeli citizens to their homes by finishing the fighting either by diplomatic or military efforts.
“Hamas, and the other Iranian proxies, understand very well that we will fight with all means against their terrorism . … “Whoever tries to hurt us, whoever finances and organizes, whoever dispatches terrorists against Israel – will pay the full price,” Netanyahu said.
In response, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said that any Israeli military action in Lebanon including the assassination of Lebanese, Palestinian, or Iranian officials would drive his organization to retaliate.
In his recent visit with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant stressed the urgent need for immediate UN intervention in de-escalating tensions by strengthening UN peacekeepers’ authority in the region, ensuring their freedom of movement, and implementing their mandate. “Israel will not tolerate increasing threats to the security of its citizens, and will act as required in their defense,” Gallant added.
While Israel seeks first a diplomatic solution, it is obvious that the Proxies of Iran (including Hezbollah) will violate any and every ceasefire or peace agreement as they have always done in the past.
Our Past Treaty with Lebanon
Following the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel, the ceasefire agreement and Security Council Resolution 1701 demanded from Israel a complete cessation of hostilities against Hezbollah in exchange for Hezbollah’s disarmament and the establishment of a zone from Lebanon’s border with Israel to the Litani River “free of any armed personnel, assets, and weapons other than those of the Government of Lebanon” and a U.N. force presence.
While Israel honored the agreement, Hezbollah did not. The 10,000 U.N. troops deployed to enforce the demilitarization of southern Lebanon were powerless against Hezbollah’s blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement as Hezbollah hid thousands of missiles in mosques, hospitals, schools, and homes. Gradually, with the help of Iran, Hezbollah has increased in power in Lebanon, politically and militarily.
The question now is, how long can Israel allow Iran’s proxy on its northern border to continue its daily attacks, turning the Galilee region into an uninhabitable fire zone?
For now, the Israeli army continues to battle Hamas in Gaza in the south, while preparing for all-out war against Hezbollah in the north.
Eventually, Israel must end the attacks from both terrorist jihadist groups.
With God’s Help
As Netanyahu has said in many of his speeches: “With God’s help we will win.”
Many in Israel, Arabs and Jews, and around the world join the effort to cover our country with prayers following the escalation security situation in the face of the treat of full-out war with Hezbollah are praying for this situation, including us in the Prayer and Worship tent on our roof here in Ashdod. Please join us in this effort.
Pray for the protection of the citizens in the Galilee and our soldiers who are fighting on all fronts.
This is not just a physical war but mainly a spiritual war, as our chief enemy, is determined to annihilate the Jewish people. We trust the God of Israel and the world, Adonai Tzevaot will not abandon His people.
…For You [Lord] have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone; You have broken the teeth of the ungodly. Salvation belongs to the Lord. Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah
Psalm 3:7-8 NKJ
Other image: Photo from the Wall Street Journal. The Iron Dome in action.