The war between Israel and Hamas continues to spread beyond the borders of Israel, and the Middle East is closer than ever to spilling out into a regional conflict. Here’s the latest news:
One Israeli was killed and others injured earlier this week after a rocket attack on northern Israel by Hezbollah, which struck a military base and a kibbutz. In response, Israel Defense Forces sent fighter jets across the border into Lebanon, launching airstrikes that killed 10. Remember, Hezbollah is a Shia Muslim militant group and Iran proxy operating out of Lebanon. Israel continues to warn that they are “certainly prepared” for war with Hezbollah and an ongoing offensive in Lebanon may be in the works.
Iran claims that “terrorists” have sabotaged one of its primary gas pipelines. Two explosions seen yesterday along Iran’s north-to-south pipeline network caused outages in villages near the pipeline, though Iran says these were quickly repaired.
Western leaders worry that Iran has the capability to produce nuclear weapons. Recent claims by senior Iranian officials indicate Iran has the components and fuel necessary to cross the threshold into a weapon. These claims by Iran have increased since the attacks by Hamas on October 7. Watchdog agencies warned several weeks ago that Iran had tripled its production of weapons-grade uranium.
The U.S. hit Iranian proxies in Iraq and Syria after those militants killed three U.S. military personnel in Jordan in late January. Iran’s military leaders have threatened more attacks if the Pentagon directly strikes Iran. “No threat will be left unanswered,” said Revolutionary Guard chief Hossein Salami.
As Israel plans a ground operation in Rafah, the city in southern Gaza where many refugees have fled, the World Health Organization is pleading with Israel not to invade the area. IDF Special Forces conducted a raid last night at the largest remaining hospital in the area.
Talks continue in Cairo, Egypt, for a possible hostage deal between Israel and Hamas, but Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declined yesterday to send an Israeli delegation to participate. David Barnea, the director of Mossad, has been participating in the talks and presented a deal to Netanyahu, but he rejected the recommendation.
Even after declaring himself a Zionist in response to the attacks by Hamas, President Biden is beginning to lose patience with Netanyahu, especially as the death toll mounts in Gaza. One former state department analyst blamed Netanyahu: “He’s almost desperate to keep his coalition and prioritizes it above all else even at the risk of incurring suspicion, mistrust, the anger of an American president.” Another expert said the relationship between the two men “is on the brink of breaking.”
Biden met with King Abdullah II of Jordan earlier this week in Washington. Abdullah has criticized the Hamas attack but has also called for a cease-fire and an end to the Israel-Hamas War. Critics are now accusing Biden of betraying Israel by meeting with the Arab leader. Biden seems to be bowing to pressure from his left-wing supporters.
As Mark Hitchcock and I discussed in yesterday’s Tipping Point Show, the growing rift between Biden and Netanyahu is becoming a big issue. He’s pressuring Israel into considering a two-state solution and giving up some of its territory. Netanyahu, of course, is fully opposed to this. He knows a two-state solution with Hamas is impossible. It will never happen.
There are so many fronts opening up in this conflict and the tension in the Middle East is ratcheting up day after day.
Meanwhile, the tension between Israel and the rest of the world is worse than it’s ever been, but we know how it’s going to end. This is not Israel’s final conflict. Ultimately, the world is going to march on Israel. Current events are setting the stage for the events of the end times.
Please continue to pray for Israel, God’s chosen nation...
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