WORLD NEWS UPDATE Israel and the Middle East

Israel Strikes Terror Target

In a rare daytime strike, Israel destroyed a Hezbollah site in Tartus in western Syria. Three terrorists were killed in the missile attack which originated from the Mediterranean. Israel, per usual, declined to comment on the event. Then, that same night, Israel struck again, flying over Lebanon to reach the Shariat Airbase in Homs. The base and other headquarters were damaged.

Mossad Thwarts Attacks on Jews Around the World

Mossad director David Barnea stated in a speech that his agency has thwarted 27 attacks against Israelis and Jews around the world over the past year. Countries where these attacks were planned included Cyprus, Tanzania, India, and others. “We are witnessing a significant increase in attempts to attack Jews and Israelis worldwide, and as we speak, we continue to track Iranian and proxy teams to prevent them from killing Jews and Israelis,” said Barnea. In his speech, he also explained how Israel was able to interdict a deal in which Iran would sell Russia short-range and long-range missiles to be used against Ukraine.

Israel Signs Wheat Deal with Muslim Countries

Israel signed a historic wheat deal with two Muslim countries, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. In exchange for wheat imports, Israel will provide these countries with advanced agricultural technologies. While a great deal for all three nations, the one country that will not be happy about this is Russia. Currently, Israel is a major importer of Russia

n wheat. This agreement could reduce the volume of imports from the Russians. This is just one more reason for Moscow to be unhappy with Israel.

Massive Quake Rocks Morocco

Last Friday evening, the ground in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco began to shake. Buildings collapsed, landslides were triggered, roads were blocked, and people were killed. So far, the death toll from the earthquake has reached 2,901 with 5,530 injured, making it the deadliest North African earthquake in 63 years. Israel has offered to send search-and-rescue teams, joining the numerous nations who are willing to help in the quake’s aftermath.

Cyclone Daniel Devastates Libya

The Mediterranean storm, designated Daniel, has left large portions of Libya underwater. Worst hit is the city of Derna which was deluged when two dams collapsed in the mountains above the city. Whole neighborhoods were washed away in a moment. The Libyan Minister of Health expects the death toll to reach 10,000 and the missing to be ten times that number. Meanwhile, flooding continues in areas around the world: Shatoujiao, Shenzhen, China; Hong Kong; Yangchun, Guangdong, China; Gateshead, England; Shanghai, China; Molina de Segura, Murcia province, Spain; Weda Bay, Maluku, Indonesia; along with many other locations.

In Armenia/Azerbaijan Conflict, Iran is the One to Blink

The slow burn between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed autonomo

us oblast of Nagorno-Karabakh threatened to burst into flames this past weekend. Both sides raced troops toward their joint border, while calling on their allies to back them up. Iran threatened Azerbaijan saying they better back down. Turkey and Pakistan immediately told Iran that they best stay in their lane. Eventually, Iran backed down under pressure not only from outside the country, but likely also from the 20 million of their citizens of Azeri origin. Russia has also been involved in the past on the Armenian side, but they declined to get involved having enough problems of their own already in Ukraine. After a lot of saber-rattling, Armenia and Azerbaijan reached an agreement which should calm things back down, at least for now.

US Pays Iran $6 Billion for Hostages

The news media will sugarcoat the deal that the Biden administration has just made with Tehran’s Islamic regime saying that they simply waived sanctions on $6 billion as part of what is really just a prisoner swap. Our guys for their guys – oh, and $6 billion. In reality, everyone recognizes this for what it is. Tehran took US citizens as hostages, and Washington just paid $6 billion ransom to get them back. “Wait,” say Biden’s apologists, “the agreement is that this money will be used for humanitaria

n purposes.” But no one believes that, not even Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi. “This money belongs to the Iranian people, the Iranian government,” said Raisi, “so the Islamic Republic of Iran will decide what to do with this money.” Could it go toward their uranium stockpile, which the IAEA said is now within one month of having enough enriched uranium for six bombs and four months away from having enough for ten? Or might it go toward the airport that Iran is building in Lebanon – just 20km away from the Israeli border – which they will use to launch terrorist attacks? The ayatollahs are going to be able to check a lot of items off their to-do list with $6 billion.

Biden and Modi Announce New Railway and Trade System Connecting Asia with the West

A new railway and trade system could better unite India and Asia with the West, according to US President Joe Biden, Indian President Narendra Modi, and others at the G20 Summit in New Delhi, India. The route would pass through Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, and Israel before moving into Europe. This would essentially make Israel a substitute trade way in place of using the congested Suez Canal.

North Korea May or May Not have Launched their First Nuclear Sub

North Korea launched its first fully operational tactical nuclear attack submarine. South Korea immediately attempted to rain on Kim Jong-un’s underwater parade by saying that “fully operational” might be a bit of an exaggeration. The implication is that “somewhat operational” or “at least it doesn’t sink” might be better descriptors. Soon after leaving the unveiling of the sub, the North Korean leader hopped on his personal train and headed northeast to Vladivostok, Russia. Once there, he met Russia President Vladimir Putin at a cosmodrome for talks. The expectation is that Putin will ask Kim for artillery and ammunition

, while Kim will want technology in return. This is the first time the two neighbors have met since 2019.

God is in Control

Amid the many end-time crises in our own country and the troubles surrounding Israel, the Lord’s church must not give in to the deception, chaos, and lawlessness that we see all around us. To do so often leads to anger, despair, and depression. We must remember that God is in control.

Our duty is to keep one

eye on the world, but the other squarely focused on the Word of God. It is from the latter

that we may experience comfort, hope, and peace during society’s insanity. “LOOKING FOR JESUS, THE AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH.”