Even as the U.S. made the bold decision to leave the blatantly anti-Israel U.N. Human Rights Council (more on that next week), Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah was refusing to comply with a Russian demand that they leave Syria.
"Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said Iranian and Hezbollah forces will not withdraw from Syria until the country is ‘liberated’ and its ‘territorial integrity is restored,’” The Jerusalem Post reported this week.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, rocket sirens blared throughout the early morning hours yesterday in the south, as 45 rockets and mortar shells were reported fired toward Israeli towns, prompting rounds of Israeli airstrikes on Hamas military sites in the Gaza Strip.
At least six rockets fired from the coastal enclave landed inside Israeli communities adjacent to the border, including one that struck just outside a kindergarten, Israeli officials said.
In the last two months, 488 fires were started through kite and balloon terror, destroying 7,166 acres of fields and forests along the border. Finally, in retaliation, the Israeli Air Force responded with the attacks against several known Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.
In recent weeks, Israeli jets repeatedly have hit Iran and Hezbollah positions along the Syria-Israel border. In late May, Russian President Vladimir Putin called for all non-Syrian forces to leave the country, vowing to work with the U.S. to protect Israel’s borders with Syria. Then, this week, Iran and Hezbollah refused to pull back.
The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a non-government organization, reported, “All that has happened is a media withdrawal.”
The Hezbollah Threat to Israel
Hezbollah is a Lebanese militant group and political party founded in 1985 with the two-fold goal of establishing an Islamic government across the Arab world and obliterating Israel. The U.S. State Department labeled it a terrorist organization in 1997.
“We do not want to destroy or kill or throw anyone into the sea,” said Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s leader, responding to Russia’s demand. Speaking to Israeli citizens, he warned, “Get on your planes and boats and go back to the countries you came from. If you insist on the occupation, the day of the great war is coming, the day we will all pray in Jerusalem.”
Author, security consultant and analyst Joshua Gleis wrote for ynetnews.com this week that Hezbollah “has an abundance of sophisticated weaponry from Iran, Syria, China and Russia … the group has more rockets than nearly all NATO countries.”
Additionally, he says, “(Hezbollah) has cooperation and coordination with the (US-backed) Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) as well as the Lebanese government. It has a government in Syria that owes it its very existence and which is awash with Iranian Revolutionary Guard ‘advisors’ that sit close to Israel’s borders. It has UAVs and missiles capable of targeting cities, ships and aircraft alike.
”Add to that the years of experience Hezbollah has gained in fighting US-backed forces such as the Kurds as well as terrorist groups such as ISIS, and Israel has itself one seriously formidable foe.”
Israel Prepares for War
In the meantime, Israel continues to prepare for war on all sides. Actions have included strengthening relationships with such countries as Saudi Arabia.
“Those who still use the term Israeli-Arab conflict, you are out of date,” said former Israeli defense minister Moshe Ya’alon in a recent security meeting. “There are shared interests that have brought the Sunni Arab camp, led by Saudi Arabia, to be in the same boat with us.”
Please pray with us that:
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The enemies of Israel – and, therefore, enemies of God – will be thwarted
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God’s will of peace for Israel will be realized
- Jewish people throughout Israel – from young people serving in the Israeli military to elderly Holocaust survivors – will receive the help and support they need and will hear and believe the Good News.
Get the Israel Prayer Guide
Do you want to know how to pray for Israel in greater detail and depth? Jewish Voice Ministries has put together this Intercessory Prayer Guide for Israel that provides focused, targeted requests to help you pray for the nation of God’s People. We hope this prayer guide can help both Messianic Jews and Christians pray their support for Israel.
