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by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has formulated a plan to counter-strike Iran and its proxies. However, the timing of this action remains undecided due to the complexity of the preparations involved, the Jerusalem Post reported. The decision underscores Israel’s leadership’s serious intent to retaliate, but efforts are being made to temper the response to avoid a wider regional war. During a visit to the Arrow air defense battery of Battalion 136, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi suggested that an attack was not imminent. He stated, “We are enabling a home front policy to at least give citizens this Passover week to live almost like normal because we completely trust you and your readiness.” This indicates a temporary period of normalcy for citizens during the holiday week, reflecting confidence in the military’s preparedness. While many military analysts have speculated on various strategies for a potential counterstrike, Israel’s exact plans remain unclear. Possible strategies include extensive operations such as targeting Iranian nuclear facilities, more moderate actions like striking drone or ballistic missile sites linked to Iran’s recent aggressions, and more limited approaches such as assassinating key individuals or targeting IRGC officials and their allies abroad. These tactics might also be combined with a significant cyber attack to enhance their overall impact. Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant expressed pride in the Israeli Air Force’s dominance over Middle Eastern skies, stating, “The Iranians failed in their attack, and they will fail to deter Israel. The skies of the Middle East are wide open for the [Israeli] air force. Every enemy that threatens us will be struck wherever they are.” However, he also disclosed that the attack on Israel on Sunday morning was more severe than initially reported, involving more than 500 aerial threats from Iran and its proxies. Previously, officials had estimated the number of aerial threats to be between 300-350, including about 120 ballistic missiles, 170 drones, and 30 cruise missiles. Additionally, Gallant disclosed that Hezbollah launched rocket attacks, with militia groups from Yemen, Syria, and Iraq also participating. Military analysts are considering the likelihood of a significant cyber attack by Israel, given that the IDF has annoucned a drill in the northern region. This exercise was aimed at assessing the coordination between its cyber and technology units and the Northern Command operational units. This exercise underscores the possibility of Israel responding to Iran through cyber operations, and such actions could potentially provoke further counter-strikes by Tehran and its main ally, Hezbollah. During the exercise, combat forces and cyber and technology units were deployed throughout the northern fronts to simulate readiness for an all-out hybrid digital and kinetic war. The post Counter-Strike on Iran Determined by IDF, But Not Timing appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

Friend, avoid the mines! John 15:5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. In a documentary mini-series called "Against All Odds," a remarkable story is told about an Israeli platoon who found themselves in the midst of a minefield along the Syrian border during the Yom Kippur War. When the platoon realized they were in a minefield they pulled out their bayonets and started to dig out mines and disarm them. Suddenly, a fierce wind began to blow, removing the sand from the minefield. Each and every mine was exposed and the soldiers ventured through the minefield unscathed. If you found yourself in the midst of a minefield but had someone with you that knew where every mine was and could guide you through, then you'd be sure to stay as close to him as possible! My friend, life is a minefield; and the enemy has planted mines all across your path -- the mines of temptation! You have Someone with you who knows where they are and how to guide you around them. But how closely are you walking with Him? God's word and His Spirit equip us thoroughly for life and godliness. Obedience to His word and abiding in His Spirit we can avoid every deadly trap of the enemy and even if He calls us to martyrdom, we can go joyfully in His power. Friend, but in the meantime, let's not ignore the presence and counsel of our Heavenly Guide. It's too easy to become distracted by fears, entertainments, and even real responsibilities. But all these can pull us away from Him....so that we suddenly find our foot on a mine about to explode under us. The discipline of practicing His presence was never more important than it is now in these last of the last days. The Bible warns that "because iniquity abounds, the love of many shall wax cold!" Let us stay awake, fully conscious of our Helper's presence. Led of His Spirit we will dodge every one of our enemy’s mines, and navigate both ourselves and others to safety, bearing fruit all along the way! Your family in the Lord with much agape love, George, Baht Rivka, Obadiah and Elianna (Dallas, TX) (Baltimore, Maryland) Editor's Note: During this war, we have been live blogging throughout the day -- sometimes minute by minute on our Telegram channel. Be sure to check it out! Editor's Note: We are planning our summer Tour so if you would like us to minister at your congregation, home fellowship, or Israel focused event, be sure to let us know ASAP. You can send an email to george [ @ ] worthyministries.com for more information. Around the World US, EU Discuss Sanctioning Iran While Warning Israel The United States and European allies have pledged more sanctions against Iran, but differences remain on whether to designate the country’s feared Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization. Poland To Debate Liberalizing Abortion Despite Massive ‘March for Life’ The Polish parliament is to debate overturning what critics view as Europe’s most restrictive abortion regulations despite thousands of protesters saying it could violate the rights of the unborn. Lebanon: Senior Christian Politician Murdered Pascal Sleiman, a well-known senior figure in Lebanon’s Christian Lebanese Forces (CLF) party was abducted and shot dead in the country’s Byblos area last week. The news has caused outrage in Lebanon’s Christian community. Israel-Palestinian Conflict Counter-Strike on Iran Determined by IDF, But Not Timing The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has formulated a plan to counter-strike Iran and its proxies. However, the timing of this action remains undecided due to the complexity of the preparations involved, the Jerusalem Post reported. IDF Kills Senior Hezbollah Commander After Drones From Lebanon Explode in Galilee Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday killed a senior Hezbollah field commander after two attack drones launched from Lebanon entered Israel and slightly injured three Israelis when they exploded in the Galilee region, Ynet News reports. Inside the United States Over 600,000 Illegal Immigrants Being Tracked by DHS With Criminal Records The Department of Homeland Security is monitoring 617,000 illegal immigrants, according to testimony that will be presented before a Congressional Hearing on Tuesday. Report: Biden Has Taken Over 200 Actions Against US Oil President Joe Biden and his administration have taken over 200 actions against the U.S. oil and natural gas industry as energy prices have gone up, according to a new report. SCOTUS Rules Idaho Can Ban Sex-Change Treatments For Children The US Supreme Court ruled Monday that Idaho can criminalize the provision of sex-change treatments to minors, Reuters reports. The Court was divided in its ruling, with the three Democratic-appointed justices dissenting. USA: Anti-Israel Protesters Block Golden Gate Bridge, Brooklyn Bridge For Hours Anti-Israel protesters in the US caused major disruption across the country when they blocked major highways as well as the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco and the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City on Monday, the Telegraph reports. The protesters claimed to be acting as part of a global “economic blockade” to “free Palestine.” Christian News ‘Australia Church Attack Was Terrorism’; Bishop, Priest Among Injured Australian police say Monday's stabbing attack at a Sydney church in which a bishop, priest, and churchgoers were injured during mass was a "terrorist act." Nigeria: 91 “Chibok Girls” Still Missing After 2014 Abduction by Boko Haram, #BringBackOurGirls On the 10th anniversary of the abduction by Boko Haram Islamic terrorists of 276 mostly Christian school girls in Chibok village, in northeastern Nigeria, 91 of the abductees remain missing, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. View the full article

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – The Department of Homeland Security is monitoring 617,000 illegal immigrants, according to testimony that will be presented before a Congressional Hearing on Tuesday. Sheriff Waybourn is set to testify before the National Security, Border, and Foreign Affairs subcommittee, overseen by Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI). The hearing, titled “How the Border Crisis Impacts Public Safety,” will open with remarks from Mr. Grothman, who will address the influx of illegal immigrants that has expanded the caseload at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. According to Mr. Grothman, the agency is now monitoring over 6 million illegal immigrants, with approximately 617,000 of these individuals either having criminal convictions or pending criminal charges. “These offenders, [many of which] are gang members and outlaws, have left nothing untouched,” the sheriff is expected to say, according to prepared remarks obtained by The Washington Times. “While I do not necessarily think these aliens have a higher crime rate, just the fact that these people are illegal in our country and committed crimes is the impact.” The witnesses will testify before the committee about the surge of fentanyl and other illegal drugs crossing the border, which has led to a concerning increase in overdoses, especially in juveniles. “Having served as a DEA agent in Miami during the mid and late 80s, I thought I had seen the worst of the drug problem. I was wrong,” Sheriff Mike Chapman of Virginia will state as he presents evidence of a disturbing increase in juvenile drug overdoses as 11 students at a single high school experienced overdoses within six weeks last year. The hearing takes place just hours before the House is expected to forward two articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to the Senate. Concurrently, Mr. Mayorkas is scheduled to testify before the House Homeland Security Committee on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. Over 7.2 million illegal immigrants have entered the United States under President Joe Biden’s administration, according to statistics provided by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). This figure exceeds the population totals of 36 individual states within the country. The post Over 600,000 Illegal Immigrants Being Tracked by DHS With Criminal Records appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributor (Worthy News) – President Joe Biden and his administration have taken over 200 actions against the U.S. oil and natural gas industry as energy prices have gone up, according to a new report. “President Biden and Democrats have a plan for American energy: make it harder to produce and more expensive to purchase,” the Institute for Energy Research states in a new report. “Since Mr. Biden took office, his administration and its allies have taken over 200 actions deliberately designed to make it harder to produce energy here in America.” The analysis highlights actions Biden took on his first day in office, listing them chronologically through March of this year. The first act was canceling the Keystone XL pipeline, issuing a moratorium on all oil and natural gas leasing activities in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and revoking Trump administration executive orders that decreased regulations in order to expand domestic production. Within a week of being in office, Biden issued additional moratoriums on new oil and gas leases on public lands or in offshore waters and imposed new regulations related to permitting and leasing practices, which were tied up in the courts for years. It was not until last month that a federal court upheld the first oil and natural gas lease sale on federal lands. Last December, the Fifth Circuit also ruled that Gulf lease sales must go forward. Other actions ahead of the midterm elections include threatening to tax the oil and natural gas industry, blaming them for profiteering. Roughly six months before the general election, his administration has proposed $110 billion tax hikes on oil, natural gas and coal. In response, U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., led a coalition of 24 senators expressing “grave concern” about his “continued hostility towards American energy production.” IER published the report after the latest action taken to increase the cost of U.S. oil production and cancel plans to restock the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. The SPR has been depleted to roughly half of what it was when he first took office. “President Biden had the chance to top up the SPR when prices were still low during the pandemic, but anti-oil-and-gas ideologues within the administration couldn’t bear to do anything that would help out producers when demand was low,” Kathleen Sgamma, president of Western Energy Alliance, told The Center Square. He then drained it “for political reasons and it’s long overdue to fill the SPR back up. Like many other politically driven decisions from this administration that distort energy markets, the government will have to spend more taxpayer money than if it had rational energy policies.” Ed Longanecker, president of the Texas Independent Producers & Royalty Owners Association, told The Center Square that the Biden administration withdrawing approximately 250 million barrels from the SPR “was another dangerous example of putting politics over national security. The fact that some will believe the decision to cancel contracts to refill the SPR is due to a newly discovered fiscal consciousness is both nonsensical and alarming. Poorly conceived, albeit intentional energy policy results in higher costs for consumers, global emissions, and inflation, while putting our economy and energy security at risk.” Daniel Turner, Founder and Executive Director for Power The Future, said instead of using American-produced oil to refill the SPR, Biden was “embracing insanity by putting the green agenda ahead of our families and our national security. Only in Joe Biden’s head does it make sense to lower costs by raising fees.” In light of Iran’s recent attacks against Israel, he said, “the world and our allies need a strong America that is fully utilizing our energy strength. Instead, the only things Joe Biden wants to strengthen is Iranian oil and Washington’s tax revenue.” As the Biden administration imposes more fees on American oil producers, Iran’s oil exports reached $35 billion within the last 12 months, according to Iranian Labour News Agency. “Despite the reimposition of U.S. sanctions on Tehran in 2018, Chinese purchases of Iranian oil have allowed the country to maintain a positive trade balance,” Reuters reported. “Without oil exports, Iran would have registered a $16.8 billion trade deficit.” U.S. House Republicans last month passed several bills and resolutions to strengthen the U.S. oil and natural gas industry, The Center Square reported. Only a handful of Democrats, largely from Texas, supported them. Texas leads the U.S. in oil and natural gas production, having broken records in the last few years, The Center Square has reported. Because the majority of oil and natural gas is produced on private land and a bipartisan group of Texas elected officials and regulatory agencies are supportive of the industry, Texas has been able to achieve what most states have not. those in the Texas energy industry argue that, without their ingenuity and technological advancement, the U.S. would not be as energy independent as it is and prices would be higher. When the Russian-Ukrainian crisis hit, it was Texas LNG exports that provided a “lifeline” to European countries, a TIPRO analysis found. “With so much uncertainty in the world, the need for reliable, responsibly produced energy from a stable trading partner has never been more crucial,” Texas Oil & Gas Association President Todd Staples said. “Texas is that trade partner. Our producers, pipelines, refineries, and exporters answer the call to alleviate the global energy crisis, made worse by war.” He also argues that Texas’ production records “are not guaranteed. We cannot take for granted that this industry can continue to rewrite its record book in the face of federal policies blatantly designed to undermine progress. Delayed permits, canceled pipeline projects, closed and delayed federal leasing programs and incoherent regulations hurt American consumers and stifle our ability to deliver energy freedom and security around the world.” Reprinted with permission from The Center Square. The post Report: Biden Has Taken Over 200 Actions Against US Oil appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday killed a senior Hezbollah field commander after two attack drones launched from Lebanon entered Israel and slightly injured three Israelis when they exploded in the Galilee region, Ynet News reports. Backed by Iran, Hezbollah has fired rockets into northern Israel continually since Hamas triggered the ongoing war in Gaza by its Oct. 7 genocidal attack on Jewish civilians in southern Israel. The two drones launched by Hezbollah infiltrated Israel on Tuesday at noon, and exploded in the Beit Hillel area of the Galilee, Ynet said. Then, just before 3.30pm, sirens in Western Galilee and Beit Hallel warned of five rocket launches from Lebanon, Ynet said. In response, the Israeli Air Force aircraft targeted and killed Ismail Yusaf Baz, the commander of Hezbollah’s coastal sector, in the area of Ain Ebel in Lebanon, Ynet said. Ismail had been involved in planning rocket and anti-tank missile launches toward Israel from the coastal area of Lebanon. He has also organized terror attacks against Israel. Tuesday’s incidents came a day after four IDF soldiers were injured just inside the Lebanese border from an explosion that Hezbollah claimed was a bomb they placed there. The post IDF Kills Senior Hezbollah Commander After Drones From Lebanon Explode in Galilee appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – The US Supreme Court ruled Monday that Idaho can criminalize the provision of sex-change treatments to minors, Reuters reports. The Court was divided in its ruling, with the three Democratic-appointed justices dissenting. The case arose after Idaho’s Republican-controlled Legislature passed the Vulnerable Child Protection Act, prohibiting treatments including puberty blockers, hormones and mastectomies that are “inconsistent with the child’s biological sex.” The Act provides that those who violate the law can face up to 10 years in prison. The Act was due to come into effect on Jan. 1 but was blocked by US District Judge Lynn Winmill who determined the legislation violates the US Constitution’s 14th Amendment which guarantees equal protection under the law, Reuters reports. The District court issued an injunction preventing the implementation of the Act after two transgender girls aged 15 and 16 respectively, and their parents, sued the state claiming the law is unconstitutional as it discriminates based on transgender status and sex. Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador appealed to the US Supreme court after the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals refused to lift the District court’s injunction.The Supreme Court’s ruling allows Idaho to prohibit sex change treatments for all minors in the state, except the plaintiffs, Reuters said. “The state has a duty to protect and support all children, and that’s why I’m proud to defend Idaho’s law that ensures children are not subjected to these life-altering drugs and procedures,” Labrador said in a statement after Monday’s ruling. The post SCOTUS Rules Idaho Can Ban Sex-Change Treatments For Children appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – Anti-Israel protesters in the US caused major disruption across the country when they blocked major highways as well as the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco and the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City on Monday, the Telegraph reports. The protesters claimed to be acting as part of a global “economic blockade” to “free Palestine.” Israel and the Jewish people worldwide have experienced an outpouring of hostility and antisemitism following the Hamas’ massacre of Oct. 7 which triggered Israel’s ongoing war against the Palestinian jihadist terror group in Gaza. Mass demonstrations against Israel have been held in major cities around the globe since the massacre which left 1,200 mostly civilian Israelis dead and around 240 kidnapped in addition to many wounded. On Monday, protesters in the San Francisco Bay Area held up all traffic, including pedestrian and bicycle movement when they chained themselves to 55-gallon drums filled with cement across Interstate 880 in Oakland for some five hours, the Telegraph reports. The Golden Gate Bridge was shut down in both directions. California Highway Patrol arrested 28 people. Across the country in New York City, protesters marched into Brooklyn and blocked Manhattan-bound traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge, the Telegraph reports. The bridge remained blocked until 5pm. Numerous people were arrested. The bridge was fully reopened by 5 pm. In another instance, protesters in Chicago blocked lanes on Interstate 190 leading into O’Hare International Airport at 7 am, the Telegraph said. The post USA: Anti-Israel Protesters Block Golden Gate Bridge, Brooklyn Bridge For Hours appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – Pascal Sleiman, a well-known senior figure in Lebanon’s Christian Lebanese Forces (CLF) party was abducted and shot dead in the country’s Byblos area last week. The news has caused outrage in Lebanon’s Christian community. An IT expert who worked for Byblos Bank, Sleiman was an outspoken opponent of the Hezbollah Shia Islamic terror organization which controls much of Lebanon. Sleiman went missing after being ambushed by several assailants while driving from a condolence visit in Byblos on April 7. His body was found in Syria by Syrian soldiers on April 9. While four Syrian nationals were arrested for killing Sleiman, a number of experts believe Hezbollah ordered the killing as an example to Lebanon’s Christian community to cease resisting them and to join them in their war against Israel. Soon after news broke of Sleiman’s death, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah attacked Lebanese Christians in a broadcast statement, saying: “[The Christians] are not people of truth, nor are they people of truth, nor are they people of justice and they do not care about the national interest, civil peace, or anything. They are people of strife and seek civil war.” In a statement to CBN News, Sarit Zehavi of the Alma Research and Education Center said: “The basic goal of Hezbollah is to distribute the Islamic revolution and to take over Lebanon and to establish an Islamic state in Lebanon. War in Israel serves this goal.” However, amid rising tensions between Syrian refugees and local Lebanese, Lebanon’s security forces claimed a gang of Syrian refugees had killed Sleiman during an effort to steal his car. Soon after the killing, Lebanon’s Interior Minister called for an end to the presence of Syrians in the country. The post Lebanon: Senior Christian Politician Murdered appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (Worthy News) – Australian police say Monday’s stabbing attack at a Sydney church in which a bishop, priest, and churchgoers were injured during mass was a “terrorist act.” A 16-year-old boy was detained following the violence at the Assyrian Christ The Good Shepherd Church, in which Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel and Priest Isaac Royel were wounded. Both were expected to survive. In addition, at least four people suffered “non-life-threatening” injuries, police said, adding that the alleged attacker was also hurt in the clash at the Assyrian Church congregation. Australian media reported that the teen who allegedly stabbed the church leaders and individual believers had his fingers cut off. Chris Minns, the prime minister of Australia’s New South Wales state, confirmed the information but did not clarify whether the teen severed his fingers or if it was done to him. “The information we have is that it happened in the commission of the crime, not to him,” he added. The troubles began during a mass that was broadcast live online. It showed Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel giving a service when he was approached by an attacker at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in the Sydney suburb of Wakeley. MULTIPLE TIMES STABBED He was approached and allegedly stabbed multiple times just after 7 pm on Monday. The 16-year-old also attacked the priest and others. The attack at the Christ The Good Shepherd Church sparked massive outrage, witnesses said. By the time police arrived, they were forced to bunker inside the building to protect the arrested teenager. In audio obtained by Australia’s 9News television program, a responding paramedic could be heard calling for more backup to contain the crowd. “I currently need more police to attend,” the paramedic told the operator. “The roads are blocked with hundreds of people.” Officials later said that the crowd – hundreds of people reportedly seeking revenge – violently clashed with police, who were guarding the church where the attacker was being treated. Two officers were reportedly injured, one with a broken jaw after he was hit with a brick and fence palings, and 10 police cars destroyed. The violence left paramedics fearing for their safety and “holed up” inside the church for more than three hours, witnesses said. ‘DISTURBING ATTACK’ Soon after the stabbing, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese convened an emergency meeting of national security agencies, calling the attack “disturbing.” “We’re a peace-loving nation… There’s no place for violent extremism.” Trying to quell further violence, he urged that people “not take the law into their own hands.” Speaking to the media on Tuesday morning, New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb said the bishop and priest were undergoing surgery and were “lucky to be alive.” Authorities, who declined to release the religion of the alleged attacker, admitted later that he was known to police. He had been released “on a good behavior bond” after being caught with a knife at a train station last November, Worthy News learned. Minns also confirmed reports the teenager had been found with a knife at school as early as 2020. Police said they believe staging the attack during a live-streamed service was intended to be “intimidating not only [to] the parishioners in attendance, but those parishioners who were watching online.” FACING PERSECUTION Monday’s attack likely reminded many believers in the area of the difficulties they had faced for their faith in Christ, Worthy News established. The Wakeley neighborhood where the attack occurred is a hub for Sydney’s small Christian Assyrian community, many of whom fled persecution and war in Iraq and Syria. Monday’s violence followed turbulence within the Assyrian Church. The injured bishop was suspended for disobeying canons and forming a breakaway church. In 2021, he became a vocal opponent of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, describing lockdowns in Australia as “slavery” and arguing that vaccines were futile. However, Bishop Emmanuel is one of the “kindest, [most] authentic, genuine human beings,” local legislator Dai Le said in published remarks. The violence came as Sydney was still reeling from Saturday’s deadly stabbings at a shopping mall. A man stabbed six people to death at the Westfield Shopping Centre in Bondi Junction in the city’s eastern suburbs before he was fatally shot, police said. Eight people, including a 9-month-old baby, were injured in the attack in Australia’s most populous city, officials confirmed. The 40-year-old suspect was known to police but not believed to have held terrorist views, police said. Six of the victims — five women and a man — and the suspect died. The post ‘Australia Church Attack Was Terrorism’; Bishop, Priest Among Injured appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – On the 10th anniversary of the abduction by Boko Haram Islamic terrorists of 276 mostly Christian school girls in Chibok village, in northeastern Nigeria, 91 of the abductees remain missing, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. Sparking nationwide and global outrage, on April 14, 2014, Boko Haram jihadists stormed the Government Girls Secondary School in the village of Chibok, Borno state, and kidnapped the school girls who were teenagers at the time. Fifty-seven of the girls managed to escape soon after the abduction, and negotiations led to the gradual release of 128 girls by 2022, ICC reports. However, with 91 of the “ Chibok girls” still missing, the viral hashtag #BringBackOurGirls remains pertinent. “Official updates on the government’s efforts to free the remaining women have all but stopped,” ICC noted in its report. “Many of these women were forced to marry their abductors and have children of their own while living in Boko Haram’s camps in the Sambisa Forest.” In the years since the Boko Haram attack on the Chibok school, Nigeria has come to lead the world for the number of abductions and murders of Christians at the hands of Islamic terrorists. “Though news of the Chibok kidnappings galvanized support for the Christian girls on social media, similar mass kidnappings occurring today in Nigeria barely make a blip,” ICC noted. Nigeria ranks six on the Open Doors World Watch List 2024 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted. “Christians in Nigeria, particularly in the Muslim-majority north, continue to live under immense pressure and to be terrorized with devastating impunity by Islamic militants…Violence by Islamic extremist groups such as Fulani militants, Boko Haram and ISWAP (Islamic State in West African Province) increased during the presidency of Muhammadu Buhari, putting Nigeria at the epicenter of targeted violence against the church,” the Open Doors international Christian advocacy reports in a current website statement. The post Nigeria: 91 “Chibok Girls” Still Missing After 2014 Abduction by Boko Haram, #BringBackOurGirls appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributor (Worthy News) – Former President Donald Trump and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson have raised the alarm about non-citizens voting in U.S. elections, citing the border crisis. They did so after Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., told Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas this week that his policies were impacting U.S. elections and after Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, reintroduced a bill to require proof of citizenship to vote. DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas took issue with his concern saying it was “nothing short of preposterous.” Johnson said House Republicans were also introducing a bill to require proof of citizenship to vote ahead of the November election and Trump demanded that the U.S. border be immediately closed. At a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Trump said, “I would like to demand that our border be closed because we have millions of people coming into our country. Millions and millions of people are pouring in at levels that nobody’s reporting … including terrorists.” He reiterated a claim he made in Texas nearly three years ago that Central and South American countries were opening their prisons and violent criminals were illegally entering the country. “They come from jails and prisons,” he said. “They come from mental institutions and insane asylums. They come from all over the world, not just South America. … Venezuela announced that their crime is down 67% because of the fact that they’ve taken the gang members … and they’ve deposited them very nicely into the United States of America. … It’s happening with countries all over Africa, Asia, South America, all over the world.” He also said President Joe Biden “should close the border immediately. He needs no legislation … He doesn’t need anybody. He can do it. I did it without any legislation. I had the best border we’ve had in ever recorded history,” citing policies he implemented like Remain in Mexico and ending the Obama-era catch and release policy. “I just demand as a citizen, I demand the border has to be closed,” he continued. “Our country cannot take it. No country could take it. It’s not sustainable by any country.” Both Trump and Johnson raised concerns about noncitizens illegally entering the country and then voting in U.S. elections. “Election integrity is tied to border,” Johnson said. “Why is that? You need to understand something really important about federal law since 1993. The National Voter Registration Act, we call it the Motor Voter law, allows people to sign up to vote when they get a driver’s license. If an individual only asserts or simply states that they are a citizen, they don’t have to prove it. They can register that person to vote in a federal election.” He also said states are “currently prohibited from asking someone to prove they’re a citizen. The federal voter registration form just has a check box, and if you do that, you’re good. … We think that’s a serious problem. “It seems like common sense. I’m sure all of us would agree. We only want U.S. citizens to vote in U.S. elections, but there are some Democrats who don’t want to do that … because they want to turn these people into voters. Because there is such a great number of illegal foreign nationals getting driver’s licenses and going on welfare, he said, “There’s so many millions of illegals in the country that if only one out of a hundred voted, they would cast potentially hundreds of thousands of votes in the election that could turn an election.” He said noncitizens voting could turn congressional races and impact the presidential election. House Republicans “will do everything within our power to ensure that we do have free and fair elections in this country. If we don’t have that in a constitutional republic, we have nothing. It’s the basis of who we are as a nation, and we owe that to the American people.” He described election integrity measures the House would pass that incorporate provisions of bills filed by Rep. Roy. They include the Save Act, which amends the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in U.S. elections. Another bill requires DHS and the Social Security Administration to provide information to state election officials to verify citizenship status and requires states to remove noncitizens from official lists of eligible voters. A recent Rasmussen Reports poll found that 82% of U.S. voters surveyed said illegal foreign nationals should not be allowed to vote in the U.S. elections; 78% said it was important to prevent them from voting in U.S. elections. Reprinted with permission from The Center Square. The post Trump, Johnson: ‘Election Integrity Is Tied To Border Security’ appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – The ability of the Israeli military and its allies to shoot down 99 percent of hundreds of drones and missiles fired by Iran toward Israel was the culmination of years of U.S.-backed efforts in the region, officials said Monday. After several false starts and minimal progress, there was progress towards breaking down political and technical barriers that thwarted military cooperation between Israel and the Sunni Arab governments. But with Iran seen as threatening stability in the region, the effort gained momentum after the 2020 Abraham Accords brokered by the then President Donald J. Trump’s administration. The Accords established formal ties between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain, forming the basis for broader regional cooperation. And instead of a Middle East version of the NATO alliance, the U.S. focused on less formal regionwide air-defense cooperation to blunt Tehran’s growing arsenal of drones and missiles, The Wall Street Journal newspaper reported Monday. Once Iran used those weapons in a highly anticipated strike against Israel, the Jewish nation and its allies were prepared to act. As hundreds of Iranian drones and missiles winged across the Middle East Saturday night and early Sunday local time, a defensive line of radars, jet fighters, warships, and air-defense batteries from Israel, the U.S., and a half dozen other countries were ready to intervene. INTERCEPTING DRONES Israeli and U.S. forces intercepted most of the Iranian drones and missiles. But they could do so in part because Arab countries quietly passed along intelligence about Tehran’s attack plans, opened their airspace to warplanes, shared radar tracking information, or, in some cases, supplied their forces to help, officials said. After further talks with the U.S., the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia agreed privately to share intelligence. At the same time, Jordan said it would allow the use of its airspace by the U.S. and other countries’ warplanes and use its aircraft to assist in intercepting Iranian missiles and drones, the officials said. Two days before the attack, Iranian officials briefed counterparts from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries on the outlines and timing of their plan for the large-scale strikes on Israel so that those countries could safeguard airspace, The Wall Street Journal reported. The information was apparently passed along to the U.S., giving Washington and Israel crucial advance warning. With an Iranian attack all but certain, the White House then ordered the Pentagon to reposition aircraft and missile-defense resources to the region and took the lead in coordinating defensive measures between Israel and Arab governments, according to a senior Israeli official. “The challenge was to bring all those countries around Israel” at a time when Israel is isolated in the region, the official said. “It was a diplomatic issue.” YEARS OF PLANNING Despite years of planning, the U.S.-led effort to help Israel in the days and hours before the Iranian attack still had reportedly overcome numerous obstacles. Chief among them were fears by Gulf countries at being seen as coming to Israel’s aid at a time when the war in Gaza badly strains relations. Much of the cooperation Saturday night that led to the shooting down of the Iranian-directed barrage needed to be forged on the fly, officials suggested. Many details about the role played by Saudi Arabia and other key Arab governments are being closely held. Yet it helped that the Pentagon shifted Israel from its European Command to Central Command, which includes the rest of the Middle East, in recent years, according to experts. The move enabled greater military cooperation with Arab governments under U.S. auspices. “Israel’s move into Centcom was a game changer,” making it easier to share intelligence and provide early warning across countries, said Dana Stroul, who until December was the most senior civilian official at the Pentagon with responsibility for the Middle East. On Monday, The Wall Street Journal reported that as early as in March 2022, Marine General Frank McKenzie, then the top U.S. commander in the region, convened a secret meeting of top military officials from Israel and Arab countries to explore how they could coordinate against Iran’s growing missile and drone capabilities. The talks, held at Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, marked the first time that such a range of ranking Israeli and Arab officers met under U.S. military auspices to discuss countering Iran. “The Abraham Accords made the Middle East look different…because we could do things not just under the surface but above it,” a senior Israeli official was quoted as saying. Israel joining Central Command enabled even more technical cooperation with Arab governments, creating new security realities that have proven to be crucial as Israel fought for its very existence on Saturday. The post Israel’s Success Against Iran Attack Was Years In Making appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

Friend, are you shining? Matthew 25:23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. It was a stormy night in Birmingham, England, and Hudson Taylor was to speak at a meeting at the Severn Street schoolroom. His hostess assured him that nobody would attend on such a stormy night, but Taylor insisted on going. "I must go even if there is no one but the doorkeeper." Less than a dozen people showed up, but the meeting was marked with unusual spiritual power. Half of those present either became missionaries or gave their children as missionaries; and the rest were faithful supporters of the China Inland Mission for years to come. Hudson Taylor was going to be faithful to speak even if it was to only one person. Today, God may be calling you to speak to that one person. D.L. Moody once said: “God has called us to shine, just as much as Daniel was sent into Babylon to shine. Let no one say that he cannot shine because he has not so much influence as some others may have. What God wants you to do is to use the influence you have. Daniel probably did not have much influence down in Babylon at first, but God soon gave him more because he was faithful and used what he had." Friend, God is looking for those who are willing to be faithful! He wants to use us in ways we could never or would never have imagined – but in order for that to transpire, we need to be faithful in the little things, and we need to be available when He calls! Your family in the Lord with much agape love, George, Baht Rivka, Obadiah and Elianna (Dallas, TX) (Baltimore, Maryland) Editor's Note: During this war, we have been live blogging throughout the day -- sometimes minute by minute on our Telegram channel. Be sure to check it out! Editor's Note: We are planning our summer Tour so if you would like us to minister at your congregation, home fellowship, or Israel focused event, be sure to let us know ASAP. You can send an email to george [ @ ] worthyministries.com for more information. Around the World Biden’s Easing of Iran Sanctions in Focus After Missile Strike on Israel President Joe Biden is taking heat from Republicans for easing sanctions on Iran, including giving the terrorist-sponsoring nation access to billions of dollars in previously frozen assets, before it launched a massive drone attack on U.S. ally Israel. Azerbaijan Rejects Armenia’s Hatred Case At World Court (Worthy News Radio) Azerbaijan on Monday in the Netherlands urged the top United Nations court to throw out a case filed by Armenia linked to the long-running dispute over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Lawyers argued that judges do not have jurisdiction over the trial. Israel-Palestinian Conflict Israel’s Success Against Iran Attack Was Years In Making The ability of the Israeli military and its allies to shoot down 99 percent of hundreds of drones and missiles fired by Iran toward Israel was the culmination of years of U.S.-backed efforts in the region, officials said Monday. Israel’s War Cabinet Weighs Severe But Measured Responses to Iran Attack to Avoid Regional War Israeli officials aim to retaliate against Tehran for its unprecedented drone and missile attack while carefully avoiding further escalation, maintaining alliances crucial in repelling the attack, and staying focused on their military objectives in Gaza, according to The Wall Street Journal. US and Western officials expect Israel's response could come swiftly, potentially as early as today. Inside the United States Trump, Johnson: ‘Election Integrity Is Tied To Border Security’ Former President Donald Trump and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson have raised the alarm about non-citizens voting in U.S. elections, citing the border crisis. New Study Shows Puberty Blockers May Cause Infertility/Testicular Abnormalities In Boys A new study by researchers at the US-based Mayo Clinic shows that trans-identifying boys who are prescribed puberty blockers may suffer long-term infertility and atrophied testicles, the Christian Post reports. Feds, Scientists Take Fire For Allegedly Hiding COVID Origins Truth A Republican-led Congressional committee says a scientist and top advisor to Anthony Fauci used his personal email to hide evidence related to the origins of COVID-19. Christian News Uganda: Evangelist Slaughtered, Christian Mother And Child Violently Attacked In two separate attacks by Muslim extremists in Uganda last month, an evangelist was murdered and a mother and her child were burned with boiling water, Morning Star News reports. Christianity is legal in Uganda, but believers have come under continually increasing violent attack by Islamists. India: Hindu Extremists Drive 50 Christian Farmers Off Their Land The International Christian Concern (ICC) aid and advocacy organization reported last week that its staff recently witnessed an attack on Christians in Chhattisgarh state in which Hindu extremists drove a community of 50 farmers and their families off their land. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – A new study by researchers at the US-based Mayo Clinic shows that trans-identifying boys who are prescribed puberty blockers may suffer long-term infertility and atrophied testicles, the Christian Post reports. Titled “Puberty Blocker and Aging Impact on Testicular Cell States and Function,” the study was published in March. The study’s findings have not yet been peer reviewed. The study analyzed testicular tissue samples from 87 boys under the age of 18, the Christian Post reports. Nine of the patients identified as girls and had been prescribed puberty blockers. Two of the nine boys were found to have “abnormalities” in their testicles. According to the researchers, these abnormalities represent “unprecedented histological evidence revealing detrimental pediatric testicular sex gland responses to [puberty blockers].” “At the tissue level, we report mild-to-severe sex gland atrophy in [puberty blocker] treated children,” the researchers wrote.The abnormalities raised “a potential concern regarding the complete ‘reversibility’ and reproductive fitness of [spermatogonial stem cells],” the researchers noted. The researchers emphasized that the currently available clinical data worldwide is insufficient to provide a clear understanding of the risks of prescribing puberty blockers to children, the Christian Post said. The study authors assessed their research is “significant” in light of the recent and ongoing spike in transgender treatments “despite limited data on the long-term consequences of [puberty blocker] exposure on testicular reproductive health.” The post New Study Shows Puberty Blockers May Cause Infertility/Testicular Abnormalities In Boys appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – Israeli officials aim to retaliate against Tehran for its unprecedented drone and missile attack while carefully avoiding further escalation, maintaining alliances crucial in repelling the attack, and staying focused on their military objectives in Gaza, according to The Wall Street Journal. US and Western officials expect Israel’s response could come swiftly, potentially as early as today. Israel’s Channel 12 reports that the war cabinet discussed several “painful” but measured retaliatory options against Iran that won’t ignite a regional conflict. Additionally, they are seeking a response to Iran’s recent missile and drone attack that will not be obstructed by the US, according to the network. Two days after an Iranian missile and drone attack hit the Nevatim Airbase, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi visited the base. He met with members of the 140th (“Golden Eagle”) Squadron, praising their role in countering the attack. “Iran wanted to damage the strategic capabilities of the State of Israel – this is something that did not happen in the past. We were prepared in the ‘Iron Shield’ operation. This preparation also saw Iran meet our air superiority, which you expressed very well,” he stated. “We are looking ahead and considering our steps. The launching of so many missiles, cruise missiles, and drones into Israeli territory will be met with a response,” Halevi stated. Israeli security analysts outline a variety of non-escalatory retaliatory measures against Iran that won’t overly burden Israel’s forces, already deployed across Gaza, the northern border, and in Judea and Samaria. Among the options are cyberattacks and targeted strikes on crucial Iranian infrastructure, such as oil facilities. Israel, known for its covert operations against Iranian nuclear interests, might consider more overt actions or targeting Iranian proxies, according to analysts. However, significant attacks on Iran’s well-protected nuclear sites are seen as unlikely without U.S. support. Former Israeli ambassador and historian Michael Oren noted, “It’s when we move from defense to counter-offense, we hemorrhage American support.” Sima Shine, from the Institute for National Security Studies, told the Wall Street Journal that while precise strikes on military targets are more feasible, they are unlikely in the near term without backing from Washington. Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami, head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, announced on state-run television that Iran will retaliate against any future Israeli attacks on its interests from Iranian territory. “We have decided to create a new equation: from now on, if the Zionist regime attacks our interests, assets, figures, and citizens anywhere, we will reciprocally attack from the origin of Iran,” Salami declared, signaling an increase in tensions between the two nations. President Biden has called for Israel to exercise restraint in responding to Iran’s attack, advocating for a united diplomatic effort among allies to prevent the conflict from escalating into a broader Middle Eastern war that could involve the U.S. “Together with our partners, we defeated that attack,” Biden stated during a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani on Monday, emphasizing the U.S. commitment to Israel’s security, a cease-fire, the return of hostages, and containing the conflict. The UK, France, and Germany have advised Israel against retaliating after Iran’s significant attack, warning that military action could escalate into a full-scale regional war. British Foreign Secretary David Cameron spoke to the BBC, acknowledging Israel’s right to respond to the attack involving around 350 drones and missiles but stressed that Israel needs to “think with its head as well as its heart, to be smart as well as tough.” French President Emmanuel Macron has also urged Israel to adopt a policy of isolation rather than retaliation following Iran’s attack. Speaking to French media, Macron described the Middle East situation as “very unstable” and emphasized France’s commitment to Israel’s protection. “We will do everything to avoid a conflagration,” he stated on BFMTV, noting that he was scheduled to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later Monday and was in contact with other regional countries. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, speaking at a news conference in Paris alongside her French and British counterparts, emphasized the need for diplomacy following Israel’s defensive success. “Now we must prevent an escalation in the region,” Baerbock stated, revealing she had warned Iran’s foreign minister against further escalation during a discussion on Sunday. Israel’s military reported that its air defenses successfully intercepted 99 percent of over 300 Iranian drones and missiles aimed at the country on Sunday. In support, the U.S., France, and the U.K. intercepted drones directed at Israel the previous night. Additionally, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, despite not officially recognizing Israel, agreed to share intelligence privately. Jordan, which has advocated for a cease-fire in Gaza, permitted the use of its airspace for U.S. and allied warplanes and deployed its aircraft to help intercept the attacks, according to Saudi and Egyptian officials. The post Israel’s War Cabinet Weighs Severe But Measured Responses to Iran Attack to Avoid Regional War appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Casey Harper | The Center Square (Worthy News) – A Republican-led Congressional committee says a scientist and top advisor to Anthony Fauci used his personal email to hide evidence related to the origins of COVID-19. Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic Chairman Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, sent a letter to the National Emerging Infectious Disease Institute asking for more information about these communications. “The Select Subcommittee is now aware of potential further attempts by Dr. [David] Morens to subvert public transparency,” the letter said. “Specifically, the Select Subcommittee has been made aware of alleged communications between Dr. Morens and you regarding EcoHealth Alliance. “These communications included emails from Dr. [David] Morens’ personal Gmail account to you and Dr. Peter Daszak of EcoHealth,” the letter adds. Critics say the use of a personal email account allowed Morens to avoid having his emails obtained by official records requests. At least some of the email exchanges, handed over by a whistleblower, were with Dr. Peter Daszak, who leads EcoHealth, the controversial research group accused of having a role in the creation of COVID-19. The federal government has denied the claim that partially taxpayer-funded EcoHealth had a role in COVID’s origin. EcoHealth is a U.S. nonprofit research company that used taxpayer-funded grants to carry out coronavirus research. Federal records show that EcoHealth was conducting coronavirus research involving bats in China when the pandemic broke out. As The Center Square previously reported, a federal grant database reports that the same group has received millions in taxpayer funds from the federal government over the past decade to research coronaviruses that originate in animals and in some cases can transfer to humans. A highly disputed part of the inquiry is whether EcoHealth Alliance’s research involved making coronaviruses more dangerous to humans. As lawmakers have dug into the issue, they have raised more questions. “In today’s letter to Dr. Keusch and Boston University, Chairman Wenstrup is requesting the production of any documents and communication related to correspondence with Dr. Morens, Dr. Daszak, and other individuals and entities with knowledge of and access to COVID-19 origins material,” Wenstrup’s office said. “This letter continues our investigation into the potential cover-up of COVID-19 origins information by America’s public health authorities.” EcoHealth released a statement after initial reports of these emails rebuffing many of the claims and releasing what it says are the original emails in question in a news release. “These reports do not show the full text of the emails in question, but allege that they are part of a cover up, or represent inappropriate communications,” the group said in a statement. “Contrary to the news reports, they show clearly that EcoHealth Alliance was appropriately communicating with senior staff at the NIH, or who formerly worked at NIH, to try to identify ways to reinstate a grant that had been terminated unexpectedly and arbitrarily, then suspended with onerous conditions. The grant was subsequently reinstated by NIH, and EcoHealth Alliance is currently working under this grant to conduct critical scientific research to prevent future pandemics.” U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., in particular has been outpoken on this issue, stating that more than a dozen federal agencies were aware that federally funded research was being done on coronaviruses in China to make them more dangerous. “Newly obtained documents confirm yet again Fauci lied about COVID. Fauci’s NIH lab was a partner with Wuhan on a proposal to engineer a highly transmissible coronavirus in 2018,” Paul wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “But he wasn’t alone, 15 government agencies knew about it and said nothing. Americans deserve answers.” Reprinted with permission from The Center Square. The post Feds, Scientists Take Fire For Allegedly Hiding COVID Origins Truth appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Dan McCaleb | The Center Square (Worthy News) – President Joe Biden is taking heat from Republicans for easing sanctions on Iran, including giving the terrorist-sponsoring nation access to billions of dollars in previously frozen assets, before it launched a massive drone attack on U.S. ally Israel. Iran fired more than 300 drone and other missiles into Israel during the early morning hours Sunday (Israel time) in response to Israel’s strike on the Iranian consulate in Syria on April 1. Israel said 99% of the missiles were intercepted and damage from the attack was limited, with no fatalities, but the escalation is drawing wider concern of a potentially heightened conflict in the Middle East. Republican members of Congress in part blamed the Biden administration’s easing of sanctions against Iran for the attack. “Iran has encircled Israel and has been attacking our Israeli allies from almost every front for months,” U.S. Sen Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said in a statement. “They have launched attacks from Syria, Iraq, Yemen, the West Bank, Hezbollah-controlled Lebanon, and of course the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. Now they have escalated by launching attacks directly from Iranian territory.” Cruz continued, “These attacks are enabled and financed by deliberate policy choices made by Joe Biden and Biden officials, who have allowed roughly $100 billion to flow to Iran since 2021. Americans and Israelis have been made catastrophically more vulnerable by these policies.” Biden eased the sanctions, which gave Iran access to billions of dollars in assets that previously had been frozen, in an attempt to get the country to follow the terms of a nuclear deal struck under former President Barrack Obama. U.S. Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., also blamed Iran’s missile attack in part on the Biden administration. “Biden’s weakness has given billions to Iran to launch attacks on U.S. soldiers and now Israel. All their military capability should be destroyed and severe economic sanctions put back in place,” Steube said, according to Florida Politics. “The Iranians were broke when Trump left office and now they are enriched, empowered and emboldened.” In a statement, Biden condemned the attacks and said the U.S. will do its part to support Israel. “At my directions, to support the defense of Israel, the U.S. military moved aircraft and ballistic missile defense destroyers to the region over the course of the past week,” Biden said. “Thanks to these deployments and the extraordinary skill of our servicemembers, we helped Israel take down nearly all of the incoming drones and missiles.” Israel promised retaliation, but Biden said the U.S. would not assist Israel in any counteroffensive. Instead, Biden said he “will convene my fellow G7 leaders to coordinate a united diplomatic response to Iran’s brazen attack.” Former President Donald Trump said on social media late Saturday that Iran would never had attacked Israel if he were still president. “The weakness that we’ve shown is unbelievable,” Trump said on Truth Social. “It would not have happened if we were in office.” Israel has been engaged in a war with Hamas in Gaza after the Iranian-backed terrorist organization killed more than 1,100 people and took hundreds of hostages in an Oct. 7 sneak attack. After Israel invaded Gaza, antisemitic incidents increased throughout the U.S. by 360%, according to preliminary data published by the Anti-Defamation League. The war is in its seventh month, with more than 33,000 Palestinians dead. Reprinted with permission from The Center Square. The post Biden’s Easing of Iran Sanctions in Focus After Missile Strike on Israel appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Dan McCaleb | The Center Square (Worthy News) – President Joe Biden is taking heat from Republicans for easing sanctions on Iran, including giving the terrorist-sponsoring nation access to billions of dollars in previously frozen assets, before it launched a massive drone attack on U.S. ally Israel. Iran fired more than 300 drone and other missiles into Israel during the early morning hours Sunday (Israel time) in response to Israel’s strike on the Iranian consulate in Syria on April 1. Israel said 99% of the missiles were intercepted and damage from the attack was limited, with no fatalities, but the escalation is drawing wider concern of a potentially heightened conflict in the Middle East. Republican members of Congress in part blamed the Biden administration’s easing of sanctions against Iran for the attack. “Iran has encircled Israel and has been attacking our Israeli allies from almost every front for months,” U.S. Sen Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said in a statement. “They have launched attacks from Syria, Iraq, Yemen, the West Bank, Hezbollah-controlled Lebanon, and of course the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. Now they have escalated by launching attacks directly from Iranian territory.” Cruz continued, “These attacks are enabled and financed by deliberate policy choices made by Joe Biden and Biden officials, who have allowed roughly $100 billion to flow to Iran since 2021. Americans and Israelis have been made catastrophically more vulnerable by these policies.” Biden eased the sanctions, which gave Iran access to billions of dollars in assets that previously had been frozen, in an attempt to get the country to follow the terms of a nuclear deal struck under former President Barrack Obama. U.S. Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., also blamed Iran’s missile attack in part on the Biden administration. “Biden’s weakness has given billions to Iran to launch attacks on U.S. soldiers and now Israel. All their military capability should be destroyed and severe economic sanctions put back in place,” Steube said, according to Florida Politics. “The Iranians were broke when Trump left office and now they are enriched, empowered and emboldened.” In a statement, Biden condemned the attacks and said the U.S. will do its part to support Israel. “At my directions, to support the defense of Israel, the U.S. military moved aircraft and ballistic missile defense destroyers to the region over the course of the past week,” Biden said. “Thanks to these deployments and the extraordinary skill of our servicemembers, we helped Israel take down nearly all of the incoming drones and missiles.” Israel promised retaliation, but Biden said the U.S. would not assist Israel in any counteroffensive. Instead, Biden said he “will convene my fellow G7 leaders to coordinate a united diplomatic response to Iran’s brazen attack.” Former President Donald Trump said on social media late Saturday that Iran would never had attacked Israel if he were still president. “The weakness that we’ve shown is unbelievable,” Trump said on Truth Social. “It would not have happened if we were in office.” Israel has been engaged in a war with Hamas in Gaza after the Iranian-backed terrorist organization killed more than 1,100 people and took hundreds of hostages in an Oct. 7 sneak attack. After Israel invaded Gaza, antisemitic incidents increased throughout the U.S. by 360%, according to preliminary data published by the Anti-Defamation League. The war is in its seventh month, with more than 33,000 Palestinians dead. Reprinted with permission from The Center Square. The post Biden’s Easing of Iran Sanctions in Focus After Missile Strike on Israel appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS (Worthy News) – Azerbaijan on Monday in the Netherlands urged the top United Nations court to throw out a case filed by Armenia linked to the long-running dispute over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Lawyers argued that judges do not have jurisdiction over the trial. https://www.worthynews.com/wordpressimages/2024/04/WorthyNewsRadioApril15.mp3 Monday’s procedures began amid a legal dispute linked to the long-standing tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan that escalated into a 2020 war over the Nagorno-Karabakh region that left more than 6,600 people dead. The enclave is within Azerbaijan but has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia since the end of a separatist war in 1994. Armenia filed a case at the International Court of Justice at The Hague in 2021, accusing Azerbaijan of a “state-sponsored policy of Armenian hatred.” The country claimed that hatred has led to “systemic discrimination, mass killings, torture and other abuse.” Armenia’s case is based on an international convention stamping out racial discrimination. That agreement has a clause allowing disputes to be resolved by the World Court if bilateral negotiations fail to broker a settlement. However, Azerbaijan urged the top United Nations court to dismiss the case on Monday. NEGOTIATIONS URGED Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Elnur Mammadov told judges Monday that Armenia could not bring the dispute to the court in The Hague, as the two countries had not first engaged in serious negotiations. “Azerbaijan considers its objections in this case imperative for the proper administration of international justice. Armenia’s application misuses…and tries to escape its obligation of a settlement of its dispute with Azerbaijan by way of negotiation before invoking the court’s jurisdiction,” he said. He added that Armenia was, in his words, “firmly set on commencing these proceedings before the court and using the effect of these proceedings to wage a public media campaign against Azerbaijan.” However, Armenia has vehemently denied wrongdoing. It recalls that Azerbaijan waged a lightning military campaign in Nagorno-Karabakh last year that resulted in the vast majority of the region’s 120,000 mainly Christian Armenians fleeing their homes. In December, the two sides agreed to begin negotiations on a peace treaty. Armenia’s prime minister said last month that the Caucasus nation needs to define its border with Azerbaijan quickly to avoid a new round of hostilities. The post Azerbaijan Rejects Armenia’s Hatred Case At World Court (Worthy News Radio) appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – In two separate attacks by Muslim extremists in Uganda last month, an evangelist was murdered and a mother and her child were burned with boiling water, Morning Star News reports. Christianity is legal in Uganda, but believers have come under continually increasing violent attack by Islamists. Evangelist Ronald Twinomugisha was hacked to death in Iganga District on March 30 after it became known that he had led four Muslims to Christ, MSN reports. Prior to his murder, 32-year-old Twinomugisha had received death threats from Islamic extremists. In a statement to MSN, a local witness said he saw men in Islamic attire entering Twinomugisha’s home on the evening of his murder. “At around 8 p.m. I heard … a loud wailing saying, ‘Please don’t kill me! Please don’t kill me! I am working for Jesus Christ! Please, Jesus is the one who sent me!’ I feared to come out of my house, but shortly the voice stopped,” the witness said. The evangelist was found dead in a pool of blood beside a note that read: “’We learned what you have been teaching, and misleading Muslims and leading them to a wrong religion from the course and path of Allah.’” Police have launched an investigation. Five days earlier, in neighboring Namutumba District, 33-year-old Zafara Nagudi was praying at home with her 10-year-old daughter Sharifa Nangobi when they were attacked by her Muslim husband Mujjibu, MSN reports. Zafara’s husband assaulted her and their daughter after he learned she had put her faith in Christ at a recent outdoor evangelistic event in Kaiti. “I had put water on for preparing millet bread that was at the boiling point,” Nagudi told MSN. “Suddenly I saw my husband at the door of the kitchen, and immediately we stopped praying. I eventually told him …that we were praying to Jesus Christ to help our family. He became very furious and said, ‘I heard everything but am surprised! Are you a Christian or Muslim?’ From there he slapped me and kicked me while boxing me,” Nagudi said. Mujjibu then threw the hot water on his wife and daughter and left them for dead. The two were later rescued and taken for medical treatment. The post Uganda: Evangelist Slaughtered, Christian Mother And Child Violently Attacked appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – The International Christian Concern (ICC) aid and advocacy organization reported last week that its staff recently witnessed an attack on Christians in Chhattisgarh state in which Hindu extremists drove a community of 50 farmers and their families off their land. Published on April 4, the ICC report on what happened to the Chhattisgarh farmers is part of the organization’s long-term coverage of the intensifying persecution of Christians in India by Hindu extremists. “As farmers who live off of the land, this loss was devastating,” ICC noted in its report. “For years, we have seen a steady rise in persecution in India,” ICC said. “While the attacks often target pastors and other Christian leaders, there has also been a rise in attacks against average Christian villagers.” ICC has provided the Chhattisgarh Christian farmers with seeds and fertilizers so they can begin again, the report said. “Christians around the nation of India find themselves increasingly under threat,” the Open Doors international Christian advocacy organization explains in a current website statement. “This hostility is often driven by an ongoing belief among some Hindu extremists that Indians ought to be Hindu—and any faith outside of Hinduism is not welcome in India. This mindset has led to violent attacks across the country and impunity for the people who perpetrate this violence, especially in places where the authorities are also Hindu hardliners.” India has been ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party for nearly two decades and now ranks 11 on the Open Doors World Watch List (WWL) 2024 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted. Prior to the BJP’s ascension to power in 2014, India had ranked 31 on the WWL. The post India: Hindu Extremists Drive 50 Christian Farmers Off Their Land appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News KYIV/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Wartorn, Ukraine’s military chief, warned that the battlefield situation in the industrial east has “significantly worsened in recent days.” It comes amid concerns that warming weather allows Russian forces to launch a fresh push along several stretches of the more 1,000 km-long (620-mile) front line. https://www.worthynews.com/wordpressimages/2024/04/WorthyNewsRadioApril14.mp3 Ukrainian General Oleksandr Syrskyy said that Moscow had “significantly” ramped up its assaults since President Vladimir Putin extended his nearly quarter-century rule in what critics view as a preordained election. With anti-war candidates barred from the ballot and independent voices silenced in a Kremlin-backed media blockade, Moscow has made it clear it wants to end the war only on its terms. Invading Russian troops have reportedly been “actively attacking” Ukrainian positions in three areas of the eastern Donetsk region, near the cities of Lyman, Bakhmut, and Pokrovsk. Drier, warmer spring weather has made it easier for heavy vehicles to move across previously muddy terrain. In addition, Russia has, in recent days, attacked crucial infrastructure, including destroying a significant power plant near the capital, Kyiv. The destroyed Trypillya power plant was the largest electricity provider for three regions, including Kyiv. Authorities warn that more civilians and troops die in part due to delays in US military aid. RUNNING OUT Maryan Zablotskyy, a member of the Ukrainian parliament, says his nation is running out of crucial military hardware. “It is vulnerable unless you have anti-air missiles. And unfortunately, we are desperately running out of them. So the Russian military technology is not that far from Iran and North Korea,” he said. “The U.S. Patriot missiles do shoot them down very effectively. But unfortunately, as maybe Israel very soon, we are also under attack from Iranian drones. So almost 3,000 Iranian drones were also fired at Ukrainian energy grids since the beginning of only 2024,” the legislator explained. He added that soldiers at the frontlines “very simply need ways and means to shoot back. Because the moral drops really very fast when you’re under fire and cannot respond.” Russian President Vladimir Putin has defended the strikes, saying Moscow had been “obliged to respond” to the strikes on Ukrainian energy sites following Kyiv’s attacks on Russian targets. There are mounting concerns that Ukraine may face more losses on the battlefield and even lose the war without more Western military support. Germany, Europe’s leading economy, agreed Saturday to send a Patriot air-defense system to Ukraine, but Berlin hasn’t relented on its refusal to provide Kyiv with Taurus cruise missiles. However, critics of the war, including Hungary, have urged Kyiv and Moscow to launch peace talks to end Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War Two, which has so far killed and injured hundreds of thousands of people. The post Ukraine Military Fears More Losses At Battlefields (Worthy News Radio) appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

Friend, never forget the power of prayer! Psalms 122:6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you. Isaiah 62:6-7 I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; They shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the LORD, do not keep silent, 7 And give Him no rest till He establishes And till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth. This past weekend saw an unprecedented assault on Israel by Iran; 185 drones, 36 cruise missiles, and 110 surface-to-surface missiles were launched in successive waves from the eastern enemy nation devoted to the destruction of the Jewish homeland. More than 99% of these objects were intercepted by Israel and her allies. Israel's military is extraordinarily capable and her allies' support significant, yet I believe there is a bit more to the story. A study of the history of wars reveals that God has intervened in military conflicts, and not just in biblical accounts of war. The war of 1812 is one example, when the fledgling American nation was facing a devastating challenge from the British. Francis Scott Key peered across the harbor in Baltimore at the siege of Fort McHenry, witnessing the scene that would inspire the words in his national anthem, and wondering would the young nation survive "the bombs bursting in air”; would we find that "our flag was still there"? As the war progressed, British troops marched into Washington D.C. capturing the city as American forces retreated, and finding the dinner table set, sat down to dine before setting the White House ablaze, while First Lady Dolly Madison fled her presidential home by carriage, taking with her the rolled-up portrait of George Washington. The British troops continuing their destructive spree, entered the Capitol building, where they mockingly held a vote in the lawmaker's chamber to decide whether to burn it down. Then they torched the Capitol, the Library of Congress, the Navy Yard, and other significant public buildings. However, soon afterward, the sky darkened and fierce winds began to howl, a hurricane and tornado unleashed chaos in Washington, D.C. The storm's ferocity threw British soldiers from their horses, killed others with flying debris, and sent cannons airborne. Torrential rain extinguished the raging fires across the city as a tornado swept down Constitution Avenue. The tempest forced two British ships ashore and prompted a retreat. Overwhelmed, a British admiral exclaimed to an American woman, “Great God, Madam! Is this the kind of storm to which you are accustomed in this infernal country?” Her response underscored the storm's timely intervention against the invaders: “No, Sir, this is a special interposition of Providence to drive our enemies from our city.” Someone must have been praying; perhaps we'll eventually find out who.... According to a British historian, "More British soldiers were killed by this stroke of nature than by all the arms the Americans could muster in the feeble defense of their Capitol." It was shortly thereafter that President James Madison, recognizing the hand of God in saving his nation, declared a 'Day of Fasting and Prayer.' While many in Israel may attribute its survival against a barrage of missiles to its military defenses and allies, the unfolding conflict had mobilized millions of saints around the world to pray for the "Peace of Jerusalem", doubtless invoking the aid of powerful angels in whatever ways their divinely guided activity impacts the course of missiles and weapons of war. Friend, never underestimate the effectual prayer of the saints as it works in the affairs of men! Let the recent conflict in Israel serve as a testament to the efficacy of spiritual warfare, and that God's intervention works in tandem, fulfilling His purposes in earthly affairs, and protecting all that belong to Him. Let us continue to pray and stand in faith as this Middle East conflict develops, praying for the salvation of Israel and her enemies, as He desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. The gospel will reconcile even the bitterest of enemies, until Yeshua (Jesus) returns to finally bring peace on Earth. Your family in the Lord with much agape love, George, Baht Rivka, Obadiah and Elianna (Dallas, TX) (Baltimore, Maryland) Editor's Note: During this war, we have been live blogging throughout the day -- sometimes minute by minute on our Telegram channel. Be sure to check it out! Editor's Note: We are planning our summer Tour so if you would like us to minister at your congregation, home fellowship, or Israel focused event, be sure to let us know ASAP. You can send an email to george [ @ ] worthyministries.com for more information. Around the World Ukraine Military Fears More Losses At Battlefields (Worthy News Radio) Wartorn, Ukraine’s military chief, warned that the battlefield situation in the industrial east has “significantly worsened in recent days.” It comes amid concerns that warming weather allows Russian forces to launch a fresh push along several stretches of the more 1,000 km-long (620-mile) front line. Man Kills Six In Australia Shopping Mall A man stabbed six people to death at a busy Sydney shopping center Saturday before he was fatally shot, police said, in a case that shocked the nation. Vatican Condemns Vote To Make Abortion EU’s Fundamental Right The Vatican has condemned the European Parliament’s decision to include the “right to abortion” in the European Union’s Charter of Fundamental Rights. Many Ukrainians Without Power After Deadly Russian Strikes (Worthy News Radio) Authorities say hundreds of settlements in Ukraine are without power following Russian drone and missile strikes which killed at least five people. The attacks came shortly after Ukraine’s parliament voted for a mobilization law to increase manpower following massive losses on the battlefields in the country’s more than two-year war against Russia’s invading military. Transatlantic Alarm Over WHO Pandemic Treaty (Worthy News In-Depth) Transatlantic political alarm bells are ringing over plans by world leaders to sign an international pandemics treaty that critics say will give the World Health Organization (WHO) unprecedented power over sovereign nations. Israel-Palestinian Conflict G-7 Condemns Iran Strikes On Israel Three Group of Seven (G-7) of the most advanced economies have been “firmly condemning the launch of missiles and drones from Iran, reiterating full support for Israel’s security.” Iran Fires More Than 300 Drones, Missiles At Israel, But Most Shot Down Israel’s military said Sunday that Iran launched over 300 killer drones and missiles toward Israel but added that its successful air defenses thwarted 99 percent of the flying objects illuminating the sky over the Jewish nation. Over 200 Iranian Drones, Missiles In Israel (Video) Israel’s military said Sunday that Iran launched over 200 killer drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic rockets toward Israel, adding to fears the attacks would escalate into a regional Middle East war. Israel Army At “Full Force Defending Israel” As Iran Attack Is Underway Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the military say Israel is in “full force” defending Israel after Iran confirmed it had launched dozens of drones and cruise missiles toward Israel. Israeli Army Finds Missing Boy Killed In Terror Attack Israel’s military confirmed Saturday that the body of a missing Israeli boy was found in the West Bank, also known as the Judea and Samaria Area, after he was killed in a “terrorist attack.” U.S. Deploys Warships to Israel in Response to Iranian Threat The U.S. has deployed naval warships to safeguard Israel and American forces, aiming to deter a potential direct attack from Iran on Israel, which could occur as soon as Friday or Saturday, the Wall Street Journal reported. Inside the United States Trump and Johnson Propose Election Integrity Bill Requiring Proof of Citizenship to Vote Former President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La) came together to support a bill for election integrity that would require all voters to provide proof of U.S. citizenship before voting in federal elections. House Passes FISA Renewal on Fourth Attempt, Excludes Warrant Mandate for US Data The House of Representatives approved a bill to renew Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), extending federal surveillance on foreign targets until 2026. The legislation passed without the warrant requirement that some lawmakers had pushed for to protect the privacy of Americans whose data may be incidentally collected during those operations. Christian News Millions Of Zimbabwe Christians Facing Starvation Aid workers warned Friday that millions of Christians in Zimbabwe face starvation after the government declared a state of disaster and issued a hunger alert as thousands of malnourished people have already died in the drought-stricken African nation. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News ROME/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Three Group of Seven (G-7) of the most advanced economies have been “firmly condemning the launch of missiles and drones from Iran, reiterating full support for Israel’s security.” Italy, which holds the G-7 presidency this year, made the remarks following a special summit on Sunday, hours after Tehran launched more than 300 killer stones and missiles toward Israel. Separately, the European Union’s executive European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the group would “reflect” on additional sanctions against Iran, specifically on its drone and missile programs. Yet Israel made clear it would look at military options with Benny Gantz, a member of Israel’s war cabinet, warning to exact a price from Iran “in a way and at the time that suits” Israel. Gantz said the clash with Iran “is not over” and that Israel must strengthen the strategic alliance and regional cooperation system. The Jewish nation has longstanding agreements with Egypt and Jordan and signed agreements to normalize relations with the United Arab Emirates UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco in 2020. Yet amid the war rhetoric, the G-7 also highlighted the need to avoid further confrontation to defuse tensions in the broader region. END TO CRISIS? The group urged an end to the crisis in Gaza through a ceasefire, and the release of all hostages abducted in Israel on October 7 when Hamas killed some 1,200 people. Israel launched a war against Hamas following the October 7 attacks that it described as the worst atrocity against Jews since the Holocaust, also known as the Shoah. With more threats and attacks from Iran and its allies expected Israel said defensive guidelines for the public will remain in place until Monday evening. Israel’s Home Front Command said schools will remain closed as “Educational activities will be prohibited across the whole country.” It said gatherings would be limited to 1,000 people in most of Israel. The cautionary measures were implemented Saturday, from 11 pm local time, and initially slated for the next two days, Worthy News learned. In Washington D.C., the U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson said the House will vote this coming week on aid for Israel after Iran’s attack, and he indicated Ukraine funds could be part of the package. “The House Republicans and the Republican party understand the necessity of standing with Israel,” Johnson said on U.S. broadcaster Fox News’s Sunday Morning Futures. “The details of that package are being put together now.” The post G-7 Condemns Iran Strikes On Israel appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Worthy News’ George Whitten and Stefan J. Bos JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Israel’s military said Sunday that Iran launched over 300 killer drones and missiles toward Israel but added that its successful air defenses thwarted 99 percent of the flying objects illuminating the sky over the Jewish nation. Yet children suffered as a young girl from the Negev area was lightly injured during the attack, officials said. Separately, a 10-year-old boy from a Bedouin town is in serious condition after being wounded by shrapnel following the interception of a drone, medics explained, and there were fears the attack could lead to a broader Middle East war. Later on Sunday news emerged that three Jordanians were killed, while a few dozen others were treated for anxiety due to the attacks. The announcements came as U.S. President Joe Biden planned to convene a meeting of the Group of Seven (G7) advanced democracies on Sunday “to coordinate a united diplomatic response to Iran’s brazen attack.” Christians around the world, including in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim nation, have been praying for Israel. “We are praying today in our Church for the Jewish nation,” a Christian told Worthy News. Israeli sources had earlier said that Indonesia seeks to normalize relations with Israel, but its foreign ministry made clear over the weekend that more time is needed to establish normal diplomatic relations with tensions rising. As a new day began in Israel, many returned home from shelters. “Iran launched more than 300 threats, and 99 percent were intercepted,” confirmed Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesman. “That is a success.” Hagari said Iran launched about 170 drones, of which “zero crossed into Israeli territory.” He said every one of the 30 cruise missiles fired by Iran also failed to reach Israeli territory, with 25 being intercepted by Israeli fighter jets. “Out of over 120 ballistic missiles, only a few crossed into Israeli territory, with the rest being intercepted. These fell at the Nevatim Air Force Base, causing only minor damage to infrastructure,” the IDF spokesperson stressed. ISRAEL REACTION Asked if Israel would respond, Hagari said the country would do what was needed to protect its citizens. U.S., British, and Jordanian forces in the region were also involved in shooting down Iranian drones and missiles despite Tehran’s warning to the United States to stay out of the conflict, officials said. French military planes also contributed “in patrolling airspace” for Israel during the assault, IDF spokesperson Hagari explained on Sunday. Tehran had threatened to retaliate against Israel after its consulate in Damascus, Syria, was hit by a suspected Israeli strike that killed several high-ranking Iranian officials. The Islamic Republic accused Israel of killing top Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Mohammad Reza Zahedi on April 1, among others. He had reportedly directed Iran’s indirect attacks on Israel in Lebanon and Syria and was a top coordinator with the Hezbollah militia. The strikes were reportedly backed by Tehran’s allies, including Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who launched multiple drones at Israel in coordination with Iran, security sources said. BRITAIN SECURITY Britain-based security firm Ambrey suggested that the projectiles were likely timed to reach Israel simultaneously with Iran’s missiles and drones. “Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were reportedly launched by the Houthis toward Israel. The UAVs were launched in coordination with Iran,” the company says. “Israeli ports are assessed to be potential targets,” it adds and warns of “collateral damage” to shipping. Besides the Houthis, Lebanon-based Hezbollah said they fired dozens of Katyusha rockets from Lebanon towards the Golan Heights, setting off sirens in the Snir kibbutz, officials said. It added to military challenges as Iran already launched its weapons against Israel. Spokesman Hagari earlier praised Israel’s allies for supporting its efforts to defend itself. “Together [with our partners], we are operating at this very moment. So far, we have intercepted a vast majority of missiles, attack drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles outside of Israel’s border,” Hagari stressed. Almost all interceptions, the military said, have been by aircraft and military interception systems such as the David’s Sling. The Iron Dome, which defends well against Hamas and Hezbollah’s simple rockets, is “less relevant for drones and fancier long-range missiles,” according to experts. IRAN STRIKE Shortly after the Iranian strike began, Iraqi officials announced that Iraqi airspace was being closed. Lebanon and Jordan also decided to close their airspace on Saturday night. Several drones were seen flying from the direction of Iran over Iraq’s Sulaymaniya province, security sources said. Additional waves of drones and missiles were seen over other areas in Iraq and Jordan later in the night. Jordanian jets reportedly shot down dozens of Iranian drones. Egypt’s air defense was also on alert, with the Egyptian military and security sources saying they feared an Iranian drone attack aimed toward Israel. British Royal Air Force jets in the Middle East “will intercept any airborne attacks within range of our existing missions, as required” after Iran targeted Israel with drones and missiles, a spokesperson said. “In response to increased Iranian threats and the growing risk of escalation in the Middle East, the UK Government has been working with partners across the region to encourage de-escalation and prevent further attacks,” the statement added. Iraqi security sources told Arabic media that several Iranian missiles fell near Yusufiya, south of Baghdad, on Saturday night. An Iranian drone also fell in Shiraz in south-central Iran, Iranian sources said. WARNING IRAN The Iranian attack against Israel sparked panic in Iran and Lebanon. Witnesses saw long lines in gas stations in Iran and Lebanon, where residents rushed to prepare for a feared escalation in the region after Iran attacked Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a video message before the attack, said that “in recent years, and even more so in recent weeks, Israel has been preparing for the possibility of a direct attack from Iran.” He warned Tehran that “whoever harms us, we will hurt them. We will protect ourselves from any threat, and we will do so with steadfastness and determination.” “Together we will overcome all our enemies,” he said as he urged Israelis to listen to the Home Front Command directives and thanked Israel’s allies, such as the US, France, and Britain, “for standing with the Jewish state.” “Our defense systems are deployed. We are prepared for any scenario, both in defense and attack,” Netanyahu pledged, adding that the IDF, the state, and the public “were strong.” Back in Washington D.C., the White House said that “US President Joe Biden is being regularly updated on the situation by his national security team and will meet with them this afternoon at the White House.” President Biden “has been clear: our support for Israel’s security is ironclad. The United States will stand with the people of Israel and support their defense against these threats from Iran,” stressed the White House. Biden and Netanyahu spoke over the phone early Sunday morning for about half an hour, and the United Nations Security Council was to hold an emergency meeting on Sunday afternoon in light of the attack. The post Iran Fires More Than 300 Drones, Missiles At Israel, But Most Shot Down appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article