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They Shall Come Back

October 13, 2025 By Bella Davidov Leave a Comment

And they shall come back from the land of the enemy. There is hope in your future, says the Lord, your sons shall come back to their own border. Jeremiah 21:16b-17

This happened today, Monday October 13.

Exactly two years ago, on the Holiday of Succot (booths), Hamas brutally attacked southern Israel from Gaza, murdering 1,200 Israelis and abducting 251 into Gaza. Israel declared war on Hamas and that has been fought since then.

Now, there is great joy in Israel as all the hostages are Home.

So, all who had returned from the captivity…sat under the booths… And there was very great joy and gladness. Nehemiah 8:17

Late on October 9, Israel’s cabinet formally approved plans for a ceasefire with Hamas, setting a Gaza peace process in motion.

Phase I

U.S. President Donald Trump announced that it constituted the “first phase” of his twenty-point peace plan that the White House had unveiled last week.

Qatar, a critical player in the mediation efforts, confirmed the developments, as did Israeli and Hamas officials. It has been a long and drawn out effort of negotiations between Israel and Hamas through the mediators, Egypt and Qatar, for the release of the remaining hostages still held in Hamas’ terra-dungeons in Gaza, because of Hamas’ unreasonable demands.

Israel’s military action in Gaza had reportedly intensified until right up to the ceasefire deadline. Since the truce, Palestinians have been returning in droves to Gaza City after an Israeli military spokesperson declared it safe to head back to the enclave’s previously most populous city.

The Israeli army, Israel Defense Forces (IDF), agreed to withdraw their troops up to a line that leaves it in control of 53 percent of the strip.

With the withdrawal complete, a seventy-two-hour window was given to Hamas to return the remaining hostages taken on October 7. Twenty were believed to be alive; another twenty-eight deceased. This is the first stage of the agreement.

Until now, out of the 251 hostages, 147 were released or exchanged in prior deals, eight of whom were dead, and the bodies of dozens more have been recovered by the IDF.

In this first phase, Hamas agreed to release the hostages safely and quietly, without victory demonstrations.

Israel agreed to release 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences in Israel, as well as 1,700 detainees from Gaza.

Israel published its official list of who would be freed on Friday; not including several high-profile political figures at the top of Hamas’s list. Israel also agreed to give back fifteen Palestinian bodies for the remains of each Israeli hostage it received.

Trump was very pleased with the progress, as he said that it was a “great day” for the Arab and Muslim world, Israel and all surrounding nations, as well as the US. “We thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who worked with us to make this Historic and Unprecedented Event happen. BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!” he posted.

As Israel anxiously awaited the return of the 20 live hostages and the bodies of twenty-eight hostages brutally murdered by Hamas, there was an extensive preparation underway to receive the bodies, honor the fallen, and support their bereaved families.

However, the exact number of the fallen hostages remains uncertain. There is also the danger that the bodies may be booby-trapped with grenades or explosives, as was the case in the past.

President Donald Trump arrived in Israel this morning for a very short visit. It coincided with the arrival of the hostages from Gaza.

President Trump’s visit lasted close to four hours. Air Force One landed at Ben Gurion Airport at 9:20 a.m. and due to the short visit, there was only a red carpet, flag bearers, honorary salutes and handshakes, but no speeches and no anthems.

Phase II

The President visited the Israeli Knesset (parliament) where he delivered a speech. Then he flew to Egypt for a summit of Arab and world leaders on the topic of Gaza to raise support and finalize an agreement over the second phase of the president’s post-war Gaza plan. Israel was not invited to attend the summit.

During the summit, leaders are expected to sign the U.S.-brokered peace agreement aimed at ending the conflict in Gaza. [Click here to read Trump’s 20 points of the Gaza peace proposal.]

Let’s thank the Lord that the 20 live hostages have returned. Please pray for their care and rehabilitation now that they are home. Please pray that all of the deceased will be returned. Pray that Israel will be able to eliminate Hamas’s military and political power in Gaza, as part of the second phase. (we will report on that in our next newsletter.)

Image by R.D. Smith, Unsplash

Purim: Chag Sameach!

March 14, 2025 By Bella Davidov Leave a Comment

This week, the Jewish people will be celebrating Purim. Purim, like most of the Jewish feasts, commemorates God’s deliverance of Israel from yet another attempted annihilation, this time in the kingdom of Persia (modern-day Iran.)

While this holiday is a time of feasting, the giving of gifts, and joy, we need to see the importance of understanding the purpose of God not only in the Purim story but especially in connection with what the nation of Israel is going through at this time.

In the Book of Esther, the dramatic story of Purim is full of twists and turns. The evil Haman, second only to the king of Persia, who was demonically inspired, is a type and shadow of the antichrist. His hatred of the Jewish people prompted him to devise a plan for their annihilation.

However, at the end of the story, there is a reversal of fate (naafoh-hu in Hebrew) as the people intended for annihilation become victorious.

“So they called these days Purim, after the name Pur (casting of lots)…the Jews established…throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city…that they should celebrate these two days of Purim every year…and that the memory of them should not perish among their descendants.” (Esther 9:26-28)

Purim is one of the most joyous and fun holidays on the Jewish calendar. It is held on the 14th day of the month of Adar, which this year falls on March 13-14. Purim celebrations include masquerading in masks and costumes, sending packages of sweets, and giving charity to the poor. During the Purim celebration, the entire book of Esther is read in Jewish synagogues around the world. It was originally a scroll handwritten on parchment called a Megillah in Hebrew.

Bella and Simcha dressed as Queen Esther and the King for Purim a few years ago.

The story of Purim is actually quite serious: about a time of grave danger for the Jewish people, and an inspiring Jewish woman—Esther—whose great faith and courage God used to save the Jewish people from annihilation. Even though God’s name is not mentioned in the story of Esther, his hand is visibly working.

Click here to read the rest of the story of the miracle of Purim.

There have been other Hamans through the generations with the same plan, a final solution to annihilate all the Jews. Behind all of them is the same arch-enemy of Israel, the enemy of God – Satan. But the victory belongs to the Lord, He is Israel’s protector.

The Jewish people have faced many enemies throughout history, and still do. One nation after another, one leader after another has tried to cause their total annihilation. But not one of them has succeeded. Israel is still a nation today, Am Israel Chai (the people of Israel live.)

Israel is the only nation existing today that is called by God’s name, El means God. The name Israel was picked by God when He changed Jacob’s name to Israel.

Through the prophet Isaiah God said that He not only chose Israel to be His people but created Israel for a purpose:

“1. But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name;

3. For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior…

7. Whom I have created for My glory…

10. “You are My witnesses,” says the Lord,

12. Therefore you are My witnesses,” Says the Lord, “that I am God…

15. I am the Lord, your Holy One, The Creator of Israel, your King”

20. My people, My chosen.

21. This people I have formed for Myself; They shall declare My praise. You are Mine.”

(assorted verses from Isaiah 43)

According to God’s words in the above prophecy, God chose to create the nation of Israel for His glory, to be His witness that He is God, and to declare His praise. The main purpose of Israel is to bless the world with His Salvation through Yeshua/Jesus the Jewish Messiah, the savior of the world.

Therefore, Israel and the Jewish people became the target of Satan, the adversary. Satan’s purpose was, and still is, to destroy Israel so God’s plan and purpose will not come to be. However, God has always emerged as the victorious one, and He always will, Satan is a defeated foe.

Ever since the State of Israel was reestablished in 1948, and the Jews have come back to the land of Promise, and are still coming, enemies are all around Israel’s borders, constantly threatening the nation’s very existence. But with God’s protection, Israel is stronger than ever.

Present Day Concerns

Now Israel is at war against the enemy whose creed is the destruction of Israel as the nation of the Jews. Hamas (Islamic Resistance Movement), a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, still refers to the land of Israel as Palestine and claims that it is a sacred Islamic land. It categorically denies Israel’s right to exist and has declared jihad, a holy war against the Jewish state, rejecting any recognition of Israeli sovereignty.

Hamas, as well as the Palestinian Authority, uses severe anti-Semitic hateful rhetoric against Israel and the Jewish people, promoting and legitimizing terror acts against them. Their education is replete with caricatures and portrayals of Jews as meriting humiliation, involved in global conspiracies, and responsible for major conflicts throughout world history.

To express their indiscriminate killing of Jews, Hamas terrorists infiltrated Israel’s southern border on October 7, 2023, committing atrocities against innocent Israeli citizens.

While Israel fights Iran’s proxies, there remains the threat from the Iranian regime that has announced time and again that Israel will be wiped off the map of the Middle East. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has warned continually against the existential threat to Israel posed by the possibility of a nuclear Iran.

There is a need for prayer and supplication, to come before the King of Kings and intercede for His people against the enemy’s threats, from without and within. However, along with the deliverance of Israel from her physical enemies as in the time of Esther, there is a need to fast and pray for Israel’s spiritual salvation. Will the Body of Yeshua be silent for Zion’s sake?

We know from God’s word that salvation will come to Israel. The question is what role will the body of Messiah play? We ask you to stand with us in prayer and supplication, in the face of the evil and wickedness of Israel’s enemies once again. And “who knows whether you have come to the Kingdom for such a time as this.”

“Behold, the wicked brings forth iniquity; yes, he conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood. He made a pit and dug it out, and has fallen into the ditch which he made. His trouble shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down on his own crown.”

Psalm 7:14-16

Back to the the book of Esther in the Bible

In the book of Esther, on the same date, the 13th day of the twelfth month – the month of Adar – when the enemies of the Jews had hoped to destroy them, a new edict and decree of the king was executed. On that day, the opposite occurred (Haafoh hu in Hebrew) in that the Jews themselves overpowered those who hated them.

“The Jews gathered together in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on those who sought their harm. And no one could withstand them, because fear of them fell upon all people.”

Esther 9:1-2

God, the protector of Israel, warns any nation not to touch the Apple of His eye.

Please Pray

Pray that God will give Israel’s leaders wisdom and strategy on how to win this never-ending battle to destroy Israel and usurp land the God of Israel has given to His people. Pray for divine strategies to protect the land and its citizens from the surrounding enemies.

We are praying for a Purim miracle this year, as in the book of Esther where there was a turnaround – Naafoh hu. May the enemy’s goal of the destruction and annihilation of the Jewish people come upon themselves. May Hamas be destroyed and Israel saved. Amen.

“Don’t think that you (Queen Esther) alone will be saved out of all the Jews just because you are in the king’s palace. If you keep silent at this time…relief and deliverance will come to the Jews from another source… “Who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this.”

An Amazing Turn of Events

September 24, 2024 By Bella Davidov Leave a Comment

“…and also against Hamath, which borders it, as well as Tyre and Sidon, though they are very shrewd. And on Tyre and Sidon (cities in south Lebanon,) though they are very skillful. Tyre (on the sea coast, 23 kilometers north of the Israeli border) has built herself a stronghold; she has heaped up silver like dust and gold like the dirt of the streets. But the Lord will take away her possessions and destroy her power on the sea, and she will be consumed by fire.” Zechariah 9:2-4

Pagers

Pagers, used by Hezbollah members to coordinate their military operations, exploded in Beirut and southern Lebanon on Tuesday last week in a remote cyber-attack, killing 12 (the figure is not final) people and injuring close to 3000.

Israel has not officially taken responsibility for the pager Cyber-attack. However, in a process of elimination and due to the ongoing exchange of fire between Israel and Hezbollah in northern Israel and south Lebanon, and given Israel’s intelligence and cyber capabilities, who else could have done it?

Hezbollah blamed Israel and has vowed to retaliate. Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran and designated a terror organization by the United States and the UK, emerged during the Lebanese civil war. Tensions with Israel date back to the 1980s with the militant group declaring Western powers and Israel as their enemies.

Hezbollah fought against Israeli forces in 2006 and began launching rockets into northern Israel in solidarity with Hamas shortly after the start of the war in Gaza. Israel has responded by striking Hezbollah military facilities.

Hezbollah, a Shia militant Iranian proxy terrorist organization that is based in south Lebanon with offices in the capital Beirut, shunned the use of smartphones that can easily be hacked by Israel and turned to using its outdated pager system in order to shield sensitive information from modern hacking techniques. It was a wrong calculation on their part, as it has proven to be false security.

Instead of coordinating military operations, hundreds of pagers held by Hezbollah members exploded. They were remotely hacked, causing their batteries to overheat and explode, resulting in loss of life and many injuries.

The shocking waves of explosions in strongholds such as the southern suburbs of Beirut stunned Hezbollah members and fighters. Among the victims were the son of a Hezbollah member of Parliament. Hospitals in Beirut were overwhelmed by the influx of casualties, with desperate calls for blood donations.

Experts agree that this attack will change warfare from now on. Cyber-attacks are often below the surface, without visible traces or debris. Most of the attacks are aimed at systems or financial institutions, without hurting people.

Walkie-Talkies

The following day, on Wednesday, walkie-talkies and solar equipment exploded in Beirut and other parts of Lebanon in a second wave of attacks targeting Hezbollah electronic devices.

According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, at least nine people were killed and more than 300 people wounded in the second wave.

Just two days earlier, Israel redefined the goal of the war against Hezbollah by adding to its formal war goals the safe return of its citizens who have been evacuated from their homes in northern Israel and near the border with Lebanon due to Hezbollah’s attacks from southern Lebanon.

Thousands of Israelis have been relocated to hotels all around Israel and their lives disrupted after Hezbollah started attacking on October 8, 2023, the day after Hamas’ genocidal killing spree in Israel on October 7, 2023, which sparked the war in Gaza.

However, even with airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in south Lebanon and the assassination of senior Hezbollah commanders, Israel must take stronger action against Hezbollah to stop their near-daily attacks that have continued for almost a year. A full-blown war is unavoidable.

Hezbollah says it would halt the attacks if there would be a cease-fire in Gaza.
However, Israel must continue the war in Gaza in order to eliminate Hamas, which opposes any deal with Israel.

The U.S.

The United States has pressed for restraint, warning that a wider war in Lebanon would not achieve its goals.

U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein has met with Israeli P.M Netanyahu and made several visits to Lebanon and Israel to try to ease tensions. Hochstein argues that a full-scale war in Lebanon would spark a broader and drawn-out regional conflict. He told the PM that the Biden administration remained committed to finding a diplomatic solution in Gaza and Lebanon.

However, Netanyahu told Hochstein that, with all due respect and appreciation for the U.S. support, there must be a major fundamental in the security situation in northern Israel before residents can return to their homes. Israel must and will “do what is necessary to safeguard its security.”

On Wednesday, a day after the initial cyber-attacks, several blasts were heard at a funeral in Beirut for three Hezbollah members killed by exploding pagers the day before, according to Associated Press journalists at the scene. A photographer in the southern coastal city of Sidon saw a car and a mobile phone shop damaged after devices exploded inside of them.

Welcome to the future. Cyber warfare is now a present-day battlefield, as seen in the attack on Hezbollah in Lebanon. This new battlefield has shifted from land and sea to cyberspace.

Hezbollah’s Response

Hezbollah’s reliance on its invulnerable communication system of pagers has been shattered.

On Saturday night and Sunday morning, Hezbollah sent approximately 150 rockets, cruise missiles, and UAVs, mainly into northern Israel. Most were intercepted by Israel’s multi-layered aerial defense. There were a small number of hits as well as shrapnel falling. “The Israeli Air Force is prepared for both defensive and offensive operations,” the IDF stated.

A teenager was killed when his vehicle crashed as sirens sounded in the early hours of Sunday morning. Three people were wounded in a rocket strike in Kiryat Bialik north of Haifa Sunday morning. Twenty-five cows were killed when a rocket struck a dairy farm in the Jezreel Valley. It was the deepest rocket fired into Israel since the beginning of the war in October.

On Saturday, the IDF carried out a wave of airstrikes against hundreds of Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, including rocket launchers, with the army saying it had identified plans to launch major rocket attacks against Israel.

“IDF strikes will continue and increase against the terrorist organization Hezbollah,” the military said.

PM Netanyahu’s Statement

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented Sunday on the recent escalation between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“We inflicted a series of blows on Hezbollah. If Hezbollah did not get the message, I promise you – it will get the message now,” Netanyahu said.

He also said. “On October 7th, the Hamas terrorist monsters burst into Israel, murdered our people, raped and beheaded our women, burnt babies alive, and took 255 innocent people hostage, including many Americans.”

“A day later, on October 8th, another Iranian terrorist proxy, Hezbollah, attacked Israel completely unprovoked. They fired missiles and rockets into our cities. They made 60,000 Israelis leave their homes along the Lebanon border, becoming refugees in their own land. In the subsequent months, they haven’t stopped attacking us for a single day” Netanyahu said.

“No country can accept the wanton rocketing of its cities. We can’t accept it either,” he declared. “We will take whatever action is necessary to restore security and to bring our people safely to their homes.”

Click here to read more about Hezbollah.

Click here to read more about the situation in Lebanon.

As we write this letter

The Israeli Air Force continues to strike Hezbollah terrorist targets. The Israeli Air Force aircraft, under the direction of the intelligence, attacked about 1,300 Hezbollah targets throughout Lebanon. Prior to the strikes, Israel warned Lebanese civilians in Arabic to evacuate buildings in which weapons are hidden by Hezbollah. On Monday afternoon, multiple barrages of missiles were launched from Lebanon toward Israeli territory, activating sirens in several areas in northern Israel. Several were intercepted. A direct hit was reported on a home in a village, no one was injured. Early this morning sirens were sounded in the Jeszreel Valley and in the Nazareth area. Paramedics are searching areas where reports of explosions have been received. They treated a number of people who were injured while running for shelter, as well as some who were suffering from anxiety. Several blazes ignited near Ami’ad, and were extinguished by firefighting teams.

Please pray as the Holy Spirit leads.

Prayer Requests

Praise and thanks to the Lord for the pager/walkie-talkie strategy where the maximum number of civilians were protected and yet many terrorists were effectively disabled. Praise the Lord that according to His Word, He is fighting for Israel.
Pray for the hearts of Israelis to be moved to confession and repentance during these trying times.
Pray the same for the hearts of Gazans, Lebanese and even Hamas and Hezbollah operatives, as we pray for our enemies.
Pray for protection over all of Israel’s borders.

Israel Threatened

August 6, 2024 By Bella Davidov Leave a Comment

“So shall all Your enemies perish, O Lord; but they that love Him
be as the sun that shines in full strength…”
Judges 5:31

Last week Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, officially endorsed and empowered 69-year-old heart surgeon, Masoud Pezeshkian, as the new Iranian President. Pezeshkian replaces President Ebrahim Raisi who died in a helicopter crash in May.

Iran’s New President: Pezeshkian

Pezeshkian was sworn in as Iran’s ninth President at a ceremony attended by senior officials from several countries including Armenia, Tajikistan, Egypt, Sudan, Iraq, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, Cuba, and Brazil, and even the European Union envoy Enrique. Also present were Iran’s proxy leaders including the late Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh; Islamic Jihad head, Ziyad al-Nakhalah; Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General, Naim Qassem, and Yemen’s Houthi spokesman, Mohammed Abdulsalam.

During the ceremony, many chanted, “Death to Israel, Death to America.”

A day earlier, Pezeshkian warned Israel against attacking Lebanon, saying “heavy consequences” would ensue. Pezeshkian also reaffirmed support for the so-called “axis of resistance,” the Hezbollah and Houthis terrorists that support Hamas against the Zionist enemy – Israel.

The ceremony took place amid concerns of an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah following Hezbollah’s rocket attack which killed 12 children in a soccer field in the Druze town of Majdal Shams on the Israeli Golan Heights. In response, Israel struck Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, targeting and killing Fouad Shukur, a top Hezbollah commander allegedly behind the rocket attack. According to Israel, Shukur was responsible for most of Hezbollah’s superior weaponry as well as Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel since October 8, a day after the Israel-Hamas war erupted. [Image of Fouad Shukur from Post Register Lebanon]

Ismail Haniyeh

Hours later, in Iran’s capital, Tehran, a direct missile hit Haniyeh’s residence, killing him and one of his bodyguards. [Image from South China Morning Post]

Iran and the militant Revolutionary Guard group immediately blamed Israel for the surprise assassination that risks escalation into an all-out regional war. Iran’s supreme leader vows revenge against Israel. Israel had pledged to kill Ismail Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders over the group’s October 7th attack on southern Israel that erupted into war in Gaza.

Meanwhile, Israel has not taken responsibility for Haniyeh’s assassination. Without mentioning Haniyeh’s death, Israeli PM, Netanyahu, proclaims that Israel “will exact a very heavy price from any aggression against us on any front.There are challenging days ahead.”

Israel often refrains from commenting on assassinations carried out by its Mossad intelligence agency or strikes on other countries.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has stated that Israel doesn’t want war despite killing the Hezbollah commander in Beirut, “but we are preparing for all possibilities.” He did not mention Haniyeh’s death.

Haniyeh left the Gaza Strip in 2019 and lived in exile in Qatar. Israel has targeted Hamas figures in Lebanon and Syria but targeting Haniyeh in Iran’s capital was vastly more involved, though Israel has operated there under cover in the past.

Following Haniyeh’s assassination, Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, declared that revenge was “our duty” and that Israel had “prepared a harsh punishment for itself” by killing “a dear guest in our home.” Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warned that Israel would face a “harsh and painful response” from Iran and its allies around the region. The Iranian Parliament held an emergency meeting later that day.

Hamas said Haniyeh’s assassination “takes the battle to a new level and will have major repercussions on the entire region.”

Khalil al-Hayya, a powerful Hamas figure formerly close to Haniyeh, said that Haniyeh’s replacement would “follow the same vision” regarding negotiations to end the war and continue the same policy of resistance against Israel.

Haniyeh’s killing creates the potential for direct confrontation between Iran and Israel should Iran choose to retaliate.

Israel and Iran – Bitter Enemies

Bitter enemies for years, Israel and Iran risked war earlier this year after Israel hit Iran’s embassy in Damascus in April. Iran retaliated by sending about 300 missiles and drones into Israel, most of which were intercepted by Israeli and Israeli allies’ defense mechanisms. Israel countered with an unprecedented strike on Iran’s facilities. However, international efforts succeeded in containing the violence before an all-out war broke out.

Besides direct retaliation on Israel, Iran could increase attacks through its proxies, the so-called “Axis of Resistance,” including Hezbollah, Hamas – mainly Shiite militias in Iraq and Syria – and Yemen Houthi rebels.

Netanyahu’s Response

Netanyahu declares that Israel will continue its war in Gaza until Hamas is totally eliminated. He asserts that Israel’s achievements in recent months are due to resisting pressure to end the war at home and abroad.

Hamas’ demand to end the war; to release a small number of abductees and to continue supplying weapons into Gaza while remaining in power is unacceptable to Netanyahu. Israel will never agree to demands that endanger its security; it would be a complete surrender to the terrorist group. Israel will continue fighting until complete victory is achieved, declares Netanyahu.

Please Pray

May all the plans of the enemy be null and void, in Yeshua’s name.
May the enemy’s traps be traps unto themelves.
May the enemy fall into each and every trap it prepares for Israel.
May confusion reign among Israel’s enemies.
Please Lord, send Your warring angels to thwart each and every rocket thrown at Israel.
May the God of Israel glorify His Name in bringing victory to Israel, His inheritance.
Please continue to stand together with us for the protection of Israel from her surrounding enemies.
Father God, we worship You and thank you for giving the Israeli government and the army commanders wisdom and unity in making crucial decisions during these challenging times.
Lift up in prayer the hostages in Gaza, the many thousands OF evacuees from their homes and the soldiers in line of duty and those in the reserves.
Father God, we thank You for drawing many Israelis to You during these war times(almost 10 months now)
We especially pray for the families who have lost loved ones, fathers, children, relatives and friends during the war.

Other image: Enormous Funeral for the 12 child victims of the bombing of a children’s soccer field in Madjal Shams. Photo from The Guardian

Wars and Rumors of Wars

June 27, 2024 By Bella Davidov Leave a Comment

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.

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.