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by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – An American prison ministry is set to deliver 65,000 Christmas “Hope Packs” to incarcerated men and women in 18 US states and 20 countries internationally, CBN News reports. There are currently more than 11 million incarcerated people around the world, with over 2 million in the United States. Based in Virginia, the Good News Global prison ministry has been delivering Christmas “Hope Packs” for three years now, CBN News reports. The packs include a Christmas gift, card, 2025 calendar, food, hygiene items, and the Gospel message. The packs are assembled by local jail administrators and volunteers from local churches. “Hope Packs represent our greatest outreach to incarcerated persons ever,” Jon Evans, president of Good News Global, told CBN News. “This Christmas, we will put hope in the hands of 65,000 receptive inmates. We believe that everyone has inherent worth in the eyes of God, and providing Hope Packs is a practical and tangible way to demonstrate that to the inmates and jail and prison staff members.” Reflecting the impact of the Hope Packs, one prisoner told the GNG ministry: “I want to say thank you so much for your Christmas bag and prayers. I have been a strong believer in God my entire life, but just last night, I was actually cussing the Lord. I almost had given up. I told him to show me a sign today or I feel like I couldn’t believe anymore.” “Then I read the card that a Good News Global volunteer gave me from the Hope Pack and it touched my heart so much I started to cry,” the inmate attested. “To hear and think that someone was thinking of me and praying for me helped me so much.” The post US Prison Ministry Set to Deliver 65,000 Christmas “Hope Packs” to Inmates Worldwide appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News TRENTON/NEW YORK (Worthy News) – Two Republican congressmen from New Jersey have urged the military to shoot down mysterious nighttime drones appearing above the U.S. state. Jersey Shore-area Congressmen Chris Smith and Jeff Van Drew made the appeal amid mounting concerns about the unknown flying objects since they were first spotted last month. Smith said a Coast Guard commanding officer briefed him on an incident over the weekend in which a dozen drones followed a motorized Coast Guard lifeboat “in close pursuit” near Barnegat Light and Island Beach State Park in Ocean County. On Wednesday, Coast Guard Luitenant Luke Pinneo confirmed that “multiple low-altitude aircraft were observed in the vicinity of one of our vessels near Island Beach State Park.” According to a state lawmaker briefed Wednesday by the Department of Homeland Security, dozens of mysterious nighttime flights appear to avoid detection by traditional methods such as helicopter and radio. In a message on the social media platform X, Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia described the drones as up to 6 feet (two meters) in diameter and sometimes traveling with their lights switched off. The Morris County Republican was among several state and local lawmakers who met with state police and U.S. Homeland Security officials to discuss the sightings, ranging from New York City through New Jersey and westward into parts of Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia. FLYING OBJECTS The worry stems from the flying objects initially spotted near the Picatinny Arsenal, a U.S. military research and manufacturing facility, and over President-elect Donald Trump’s golf course in Bedminster. Most of the drones were seen spotted along coastal areas, and some were recently reported flying over a large reservoir in Clinton. Sightings also have been reported in neighboring states. However, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh suggested that residents do not worry. “Our initial assessment here is that these are not drones or activities coming from a foreign entity or adversary” such as China or Russia. Governor Phil Murphy and law enforcement officials have also stressed that the drones don’t appear to threaten public safety. Yet the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has asked residents to share any videos, photos, or other information they may have. “This is something we’re taking deadly seriously. I don’t blame people for being frustrated,” Murphy explained. Republican Assemblyman Erik Peterson, whose district includes parts of the state where the drones have been reported, suggested his talks with police and Homeland Security didn’t lead to reassurances about the drones. “My understanding is they have no clue,” Peterson said. James Edwards, of Succasunna, New Jersey, said he has seen a few drones flying over his neighborhood since last month. “It raises concern mainly because there’s so much that’s unknown,” Edwards told The Associated Press news agency. “There are lots of people spouting off about various conspiracies that they believe are in play here, but that only adds fuel to the fire unnecessarily. We need to wait and see what is really happening here, not let fear of the unknown overtake us.” The post Mysterious Drones Over New Jersey Raising Concerns appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – Israel announced this week that its airstrikes have destroyed 70-80% of Syria’s military capabilities following the rapid collapse of President Bashar Assad’s regime in Damascus. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed late Tuesday that he authorized the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to launch “Operation Bashan Arrow” to prevent Syrian military stockpiles from reaching terrorist groups. The IDF announced that the primary phase of the operation was completed on Tuesday. “We have no interest in interfering in Syria’s internal affairs. However, we do intend to do what is necessary for our security,” Mr. Netanyahu stated on social media. “I approved the Air Force bombing of strategic military capabilities left by the Syrian military.” This week, Israeli warships targeted two Syrian naval ports with missile strikes, destroying at least 15 naval vessels and dozens of sea-to-sea missiles that threatened both military and civilian vessels in the area, according to IDF officials on their Telegram account. The targets destroyed included strategic weapons like Scud and cruise missiles, UAVs, fighter jets, and surface-to-sea, air, and surface missiles, along with military assets such as helicopters, radars, tanks, hangars, and intelligence infrastructure. IDF officials stated, “Manned aircraft flew hundreds of hours over Syrian airspace, conducting over 350 aerial strikes together with fighter jets. A wide range of targets were struck, including anti-aircraft batteries, Syrian Air Force airfields, and dozens of weapons production sites.” The operation, codenamed Bashan, draws its name from the biblical reference to the Golan Heights region, encompassing both the Israeli-annexed area and the demilitarized zone on the Syrian side, recently seized by Israel. The post Israel Destroyed 80% of Syrian Major Military Assets in Operation Bashan Arrow appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Thérèse Boudreaux | The Center Square (Worthy News) – Institutional reforms, updated procedures, and even Constitutional amendments may be necessary to avoid a complete fiscal crisis in America, according to testimony presented Wednesday before the U.S. House Committee on the Budget. Rising debt and deficits threaten not only economic growth and income levels, but also increase the risk of a severe U.S. fiscal crisis if investors lose faith in the government’s ability to service its debt in full, Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, stated at a hearing Wednesday. “We’ve got major fiscal problems and a completely unsustainable fiscal trajectory. I haven’t heard anyone, Democrat or Republican, witness or member, that doesn’t accept that fact,” Arrington said. “This is a moral imperative, to right this ship before it sinks.” The U.S. national debt, currently over $36 trillion, will soon exceed its record high of 106% of GDP. David Walker, chairman of the Federal Fiscal Sustainability Foundation, echoed the chairman’s sentiment during his testimony, saying the U.S. is on an unsustainable fiscal path that poses both serious economic consequences and endangers national stability and security. Walker referenced how total federal liabilities and unfunded social insurance obligations now exceed $125 trillion, growing faster than the U.S. economy. “The federal government has grown too big, promised too much, subsidized too many, undercut states’ rights, and lost control of the budget,” Walker said. “Failure to change course, restructure our nation’s finances, and transform the federal government’s operations will have serious adverse economic security, national security, diplomatic, and domestic tranquility consequences over time.” Walker suggested several solutions to the committee that he said would cumulatively help solve the problem, including passing the Fiscal 2025 appropriations bills, which should reduce bloated spending by deleting expired programs and non-recurring items. He lauded the proposed Department Of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, but also said the U.S. needs to establish a statutory Fiscal Sustainability Commission to reduce spending, reform social insurance programs, and modify the tax system to truly make a lasting impact. Douglas Elmendorf, professor of Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, added that raising taxes alone, or cutting spending alone, are not feasible options. “Cutting spending that much would require large cuts to popular and important government benefits and programs, and raising taxes that much would require large tax increases for many people,” Elmendorf said. “The only realistic way forward is through a combination of those changes.” He also argued that drastic cuts to entitlement programs like Medicare and Social Security would be unwise. But Romina Boccia, director of Budget and Entitlement Policy at the Cato Institute, argued at the hearing that some cuts to or restructuring of entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare may be necessary, if politically unpopular. She pointed out that the fastest growing expense to the federal budget is interest and the second is government healthcare programs. “Continuing to ignore the elephant in the room is not helping,” she said. Boccia’s main recommendations to Congress included immediately adopting a Balanced Budget Amendment accompanied by reforms to entitlement programs, restraints on spending, and the requirement that emergency spending must have a repayment plan. She also suggested the U.S. create a debt brake, where spending ceilings are calculated based on projected revenues and adjusted for economic conditions using a GDP adjustment factor. This firm yet flexible approach, Boccia argued, would allow the nation to run deficits during economic downturns and accumulate surpluses during economic booms, maintaining overall fiscal balance. Kurt Couchman, senior fellow at Americans for Prosperity, agreed with Boccia that Congress should adopt a Balanced Budget Amendment. Of 35 advanced economies, only Greece, Spain, Canada, and the United States have no national-level balance rule, Couchman said. All witnesses suggested or agreed that a Fiscal Responsibility Amendment to the Constitution is necessary to bind future Congresses to ensuring sustainable federal fiscal responsibility. While lawmakers on the committee generally showed support for the witnesses’ recommendations, some disagreed on what spending should be reduced and which tax cuts should be repealed. Democrat lawmakers argued that Trump-era tax cuts only exacerbated the debt problem and proposed that reforming the tax code to target the rich would better remedy income inequality. “Two decades of Republican tax cuts have exploded our national debt,” Ranking member Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., said. “We are missing $10 trillion in revenue cumulatively just because of the tax cuts we’ve had ever since 2001. I don’t think the response to those long-term structural issues and our rising national debt is to compound those issues with a new $4.6 trillion in debt because of extending the tax cuts in the TCJA for another decade.” Some Republicans agreed, but also pointed out that measures like increasing taxes on the wealthy are inadequate. Many suggested that imposing stricter spending limits would be the most realistic way forward. Overall, lawmakers concluded, while the way forward is difficult, actions must be taken soon in order to avoid worse outcomes. “One of the barriers to action on debt is that so many proposed solutions are just politically unpopular. My Republican colleagues don’t want to raise revenues, and many of my colleagues on the Democrat side of the aisle are resistant to even examining spending,” Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif., said. “However, I worry as we’ve heard today, that the longer we take, the more extreme steps must be taken.” Reprinted with permission from The Center Square. The post ‘Completely Unsustainable’: Lawmakers Debate Path Forward for National Debt Crisis appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Casey Harper | The Center Square (Worthy News) – President-elect Donald Trump responded Wednesday to news that FBI Director Christopher Wray would resign when Trump takes office in January. “The resignation of Christopher Wray is a great day for America as it will end the Weaponization of what has become known as the United States Department of Injustice,” Trump said in a statement Wednesday. Wray and the FBI have been under fire from conservatives for years for their role in spying on the Trump campaign and raiding Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home for classified documents, among other questions about their treatment of conservatives. Trump appointed Wray to lead the FBI during his first term, but the new FBI head fell out of Trump’s favor. “I just don’t know what happened to him,” Trump continued. “We will now restore the Rule of Law for all Americans. Under the leadership of Christopher Wray, the FBI illegally raided my home, without cause, worked diligently on illegally impeaching and indicting me, and has done everything else to interfere with the success and future of America.” Trump recently announced that lawyer and former DOJ prosecutor Kash Patel was his pick to head the FBI. Wray’s resignation comes three years before he finished his ten-year term in the role. Trump had not yet announced he would fire Wray, despite announcing Patel as his pick. “My goal is to keep the focus on our mission – the indispensable work you’re doing on behalf of the American people every day,” Wray told FBI employees at a town hall where he announced his decision, according to NPR. “In my view, this is the best way to avoid dragging the bureau deeper into the fray, while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important to how we do our work.” Patel still faces confirmation in the Senate. Trump’s pick continues a theme of aggressive new leaders who plan to shake things up in Washington, D.C. from Pete Hegseth pledging to root out wokeness at the Department of Defense to Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy aiming to fire thousands of federal employees. Patel has been an outspoken critic of federal law enforcement and its use of surveillance. He has also called for an investigation into how the billions of taxpayer dollars sent to Ukraine were used. “They have used their vast powers to threaten and destroy many innocent Americans, some of which will never be able to recover from what has been done to them,” Trump said. “Kash Patel is the most qualified Nominee to lead the FBI in the Agency’s History, and is committed to helping ensure that Law, Order, and Justice will be brought back to our Country again, and soon. As everyone knows, I have great respect for the rank-and-file of the FBI, and they have great respect for me.” Democrats have been critical of many of Trump’s nominees, Patel included. Whether Patel can get the votes needed in the Senate remains to be seen. Reprinted with permission from The Center Square. The post Trump: Christopher Wray Resignation ‘Great Day for America’ appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

\By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent reporting from Budapest, Hungary KYIV/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Hungary’s prime minister has accused the president of neighboring war-torn Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, of rejecting his proposal for a Christmas truce and a large-scale prisoners’ exchange with Russia. Viktor Orbán spoke after the Ukrainian leader condemned his lengthy phone call of more than an hour with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier in the day. “At the end of the Hungarian [European Union] EU Presidency, we made new efforts for peace. We proposed a Christmas ceasefire and a large-scale prisoner exchange,” Orbán wrote on social media platform X. “It’s sad that President Zelenskyy clearly rejected and ruled this out today. We did what we could!” he added in the remarks monitored by the Worthy News Europe Bureau in Budapest. However, Zelenskyy lashed out at Orbán, who is seen as the EU’s closest ally of Putin. “We all hope that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán at least won’t call [ousted Syrian President] Assad in Moscow to listen to his hour-long lectures as well,” Zelenskyy wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “It’s absolutely clear that achieving real peace and guaranteed security requires America’s determination, Europe’s unity, and the unwavering commitment of all partners to the Purposes and Principles of the U.N. Charter” on international cooperation and peace, he said. In an apparent reference to Orbán’s ambition to become Europe’s peace broker, Zelenskyy stressed that “no one should boost personal image at the expense of unity; everyone should focus on shared success.” He added, “Unity in Europe has always been key to achieving it. There can be no discussions about the war that Russia wages against Ukraine without Ukraine.” THANKING TRUMP Though U.S. President-elect Donald J. Trump met Orbán this week, and both are reluctant to give Ukraine military aid, Zelenskyy claimed he was “grateful” to Trump “and many European leaders with whom we are already working to find the right and strong solutions for real peace.” The war-of-words between the Hungarian and Ukrainian leaders also followed suggestions by the Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, that peace talks might begin within weeks and that Warsaw would play a role in this. “Our [EU] presidency will notably be co-responsible for what the political landscape will look like, perhaps how the situation will look during [peace] negotiations, which could begin – though there are still question marks – in the winter [in Europe] of this year,” Tusk told media. However, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó dampened those expectations, saying Putin noted obstacles to peace talks, such as a Ukrainian law that “essentially prohibits the current presidential administration from negotiating peace.” Hungary, which refused to provide military aid to Ukraine, “maintained its peace stance for a thousand days on achieving a sustainable peace settlement,” he said. Szijjártó confirmed that Orban visited Trump in Florida this week after meeting Pope Francis at the Vatican as part of efforts towards forging a peace settlement. “[We] will continue the Hungarian peace mission, seeking the fastest path to peace in order to save lives,” the minister stressed. The two leaders also discussed ways to help stabilize Syria and the broader Middle East after Russia-backed President Bashar al-Assad fled to Moscow over the weekend. CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES Hungary, he added, “was focused on the situation of Christian communities and would continue to provide them with the humanitarian support necessary.” Orbán and Putin also discussed Russia’s energy supply to Hungary and other countries in the region. Szijjártó complained that outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden made it hard for several Central and Southeast European countries, including Hungary, to make payments for natural gas and nuclear fuel by placing Russia’s Gazprombank under sanctions. “Slovakia, Serbia, and Turkey also face similar challenges, and consultations with these countries were underway,” he stressed. He said Moscow and Budapest agreed to “eliminate this problem” without elaborating, adding a solution had already been found for Russian fuel rods for Hungary’s nuclear power plant. The talks were expected to raise eyebrows in Brussels which has questioned Hungary’s close ties with Russia despite being an EU and NATO military alliance member. Hungary has been at odds with the EU over sanctions against Russia over its war against Ukraine, which is believed to have killed and injured up to 1 million people. The post Hungary: ‘Ukraine Rejects Christmas Truce With Russia’ (Worthy News Focus) appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News AMSTERDAM (Worthy News) – Banks in the Netherlands, one of Europe’s leading data center nations, appealed to customers on Wednesday to have cash “due to geopolitical tensions” after the government urged citizens to keep a backpack at home with emergency items. The appeals came amid concerns about the escalating war in Ukraine, where Russian forces gain territory, with Moscow warning the West not to intervene. Dutch banks noticed that the risk “of sabotage of important infrastructure such as payment systems or energy networks – has increased in recent years, “particularly due to threats from Russia.” If such systems fail, digital payment transactions through credit or debit cards and money transfers may not be possible. “Cash is then the only viable means of payment you can use in the supermarket. Gold and cryptocurrencies are generally not accepted,” noted De Telegraaf (The Telegraph) daily newspaper. The national Nederlandsche Bank (Dutch Bank) previously warned that citizens should prepare for a situation in which electronic transactions “are completely down for a few days.” Although the Dutch Banking Association claimed banks are “very well prepared” for cyber attacks, the Dutch Bank cautioned that it views cyber attacks “as one of the greatest risks for the Dutch financial system.” Dutch experts said earlier this year that a cyber attack “on our energy network is a matter of time.” FINANCIAL MATTERS The Dutch Banking Association pledged that “integral advice on how best to arrange financial matters if a problem occurs with the payment infrastructure” will be provided. In Sweden, the government advised people to have enough money “for a week’s worth of groceries at home.” The Dutch Bank advised people to keep “50 euros ($52) in a sock for emergencies.” That seemed a small change for what is necessary for most families: In the Netherlands, an average household of 2.2 people spends 167 euros ($175) a week on food, drink, and tobacco, according to the Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (Central Agency for Statistics). Budget institute Nibud advised the Dutch to have enough money in the house “to bridge a few days,” whereby the composition of the household and its wishes, including car fuel, was also essential. That didn’t please the Verbond van Verzekeraars (the Dutch Association of Insurers), which feared people would keep too much money at home. “That is risky in the event of a burglary as the compensation for stolen cash varies between 250 euros ($263) and 500 euros ($525),” it said. Yet if it were up to the Dutch government, every citizen would bring a backpack into the house with “items that would be useful in an emergency.” In addition to cash, this would include bottles of water, non-perishable food, a first aid kit, a flashlight, and blankets. The appeals come amid mounting anxiety in Europe that the war in Ukraine will spread to other countries, with Moscow seeking vulnerable targets. The post Dutch Citizens Urged To Keep Cash Amid Russia Threats appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

Friend, you're His Masterpiece! Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Last week, a banana along with duct tape sold as a piece of art at Sotheby's auction house for an unbelievable $6.2 million! It’s hard to wrap your head around how much money people spend on art like that. Around the world, millions of dollars are spent on art, with some pieces considered priceless. But have you ever wondered what truly makes a masterpiece? It’s not about the "what"—it’s about the "who." A master creates a masterpiece. There's a Master at work on you. Your life is a priceless work of art in the Lord’s hand. God's masterful artistry, His perfect "touch", is painting, sculpting your life day by day to create the masterpiece He envisions you to be. Every stroke of the brush, every strike of the chisel, places color, renders shape to your individual identity in Him. You can trust His craftsmanship, rely on His artistry, because not only is He the consummate Master Artist, but He loves His works. Ephesians 2:10 reminds us, "We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works." God’s artistry isn’t just about you being His masterpiece; it’s also about you becoming an artist in your own right—living a life filled with good works that reflect His work in you. Think about it: the Master Artist, who created galaxies and sunsets, is shaping you. His work is alive, breathing, and eternal. While the world may marvel at multi-million-dollar art, the Lord’s work in you is infinitely more valuable—priceless in both this world and the one to come. Friend, so, embrace the process. Trust the Artist. You are His masterpiece in the making, created to reflect the beauty and greatness of the Master Himself. And when His work is complete, it will be celebrated and treasured for eternity. You are deeply valued—both now and forever. Your family in the Lord with much agape love, George, Baht Rivka, Obadiah and Elianna (Gulfport, Mississippi) Editor's Note: Latest Sermon: God Speaking Through Archaeological Timestamps Editor's Note: Feel free to share any of our content from Worthy, including Devotions, News articles, and more, on your social platforms. You have full permission to copy and repost anything we produce. 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: Dear friends — we are going to be heading WEST!!! Now booking in the following states: Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, and Arkansas …. If you know Pastors, Rabbis or Ministry Leaders who might be interested in some powerful Israeli style Hebrew/English worship and a refreshing word from Worthy News about what’s going on in the Land, please let us know how to connect with them and we will do our best to get you on our schedule! You can send an email to george [ @ ] worthyministries.com for more information. Around the World Hungary: ‘Ukraine Rejects Christmas Truce With Russia’ (Worthy News Focus) Hungary’s prime minister has accused the president of neighboring war-torn Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, of rejecting his proposal for a Christmas truce and a large-scale prisoners' exchange with Russia. Dutch Citizens Urged To Keep Cash Amid Russia Threats Banks in the Netherlands, one of Europe’s leading data center nations, appealed to customers on Wednesday to have cash “due to geopolitical tensions” after the government urged citizens to keep a backpack at home with emergency items. Bali Rattled By Monkey Forest Accident Killing Two, Injuring Several Authorities on Indonesia’s tropical island province of Bali warned Wednesday of more extreme weather after two tourists died and several were injured when a large tree fell on them at the popular Monkey Forest in Bali’s village of Ubud. Syria: US and Allies Working to Keep Chemical Weapons Out of Terrorists’ Hands Concerned that the recent toppling of Syria’s government will allow Islamic terror groups to fill the power vacuum left by ousted dictator Bashar al-Assad, the United States and its regional allies are seeking to ensure that chemical weapons accumulated by the fallen regime do not fall into the wrong hands, Axios reports. Assad notoriously used chemical weapons against his own peopl during the Civil War that has wracked Syria since 2011. Syrian Freed Prisoners Relive Horrors (Worthy News In-Depth) Thousands of inmates have stumbled out of blood-stained horror prisons since rebel forces overran Damascus on Saturday, with many confirming accounts from Christians who were held there. IAEA Warns Iran Is Enriching Uranium Close to Nuclear Bomb Grade, “No Civilian Justification” The United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned on Thursday that Iran is rapidly enriching uranium to close to nuclear bomb-grade, the Times of Israel (TOI) reports. Israel-Palestinian Conflict Israel Destroyed 80% of Syrian Major Military Assets in Operation Bashan Arrow Israel announced this week that its airstrikes have destroyed 70-80% of Syria's military capabilities following the rapid collapse of President Bashar Assad's regime in Damascus. Inside the United States ‘Completely Unsustainable’: Lawmakers Debate Path Forward for National Debt Crisis Institutional reforms, updated procedures, and even Constitutional amendments may be necessary to avoid a complete fiscal crisis in America, according to testimony presented Wednesday before the U.S. House Committee on the Budget. Trump: Christopher Wray Resignation ‘Great Day for America’ President-elect Donald Trump responded Wednesday to news that FBI Director Christopher Wray would resign when Trump takes office in January. Christians Sue Minnesota Over Law Excluding Faith-Based Colleges From State-Funded Program A US federal court is considering a case brought by Minnesota Christian parents seeking the reversal of a new state law that would exclude faith-based colleges from participating in a tax-payer-funded program that helps high-school students earn free college credits. Christian News Nigeria: Pastor and Christian Student Murdered Amid Surge of Violence in Taraba State Amid a wave of violence against Christians in north-eastern Nigeria’s Taraba state, suspected Islamic extremists murdered a pastor and a female Christian student in separate attacks last week, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News UBUD, INDONESIA (Worthy News) – Authorities on Indonesia’s tropical island province of Bali warned Wednesday of more extreme weather after two tourists died and several were injured when a large tree fell on them at the popular Monkey Forest in Bali’s village of Ubud. Tuesday’s incident was the latest in a series of disasters caused by strong winds and heavy rains lashing the area and other parts of Indonesia, killing and injuring numerous people in recent weeks, local Christians told Worthy News. In a video, visitors are seen walking leisurely in the forested park when some suddenly turn and run away before a loud cracking sound is heard. According to witnesses, the tree then crashed down, blocking a paved path. “Unfortunately, the two tourists were struck before the evacuation could be completed,” explained Ubud Police Chief Commissioner Gusti Nyoman Subarsana, whose forces brought tourists to safety. Staff and other tourists quickly assisted victims, with footage showing people helping a seriously injured individual near the fallen tree. Bali’s BMKG Denpasar Climatology Station, the local weather agency, warned of more such accidents and cautioned that “extreme weather” may persist until mid-January 2025. Weather forecaster Made Dwi Wiratmaja told the media, “Residents must remain vigilant against floods, landslides, and falling trees.” The forecaster urged people to “Avoid travel during adverse weather to reduce the risk of accidents or being trapped in disasters.” MORE VICTIMS It resembled a similar accident in Southeast Asia where a 47-year-old man was killed when a massive tree fell across a busy road in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. That tragedy, which occurred earlier this year near the iconic Petronas Twin Towers, injured two others and caused significant disruption, with 17 cars damaged and monorail services out of service due to falling branches. The man’s body was recovered from the scene, and two others – a 26-year-old ride-share driver and a 72-year-old Swedish woman – were hospitalized. Yet Tuesday’s accident at Monkey Forest, where monkeys interact with visitors, was a setback for Bali, trying to recover after the COVID-19 pandemic halted mass tourism. Data from Indonesia’s statistics bureau showed that 2.9 million foreign visitors entered the island through Bali airport in the first half of 2024, accounting for 65 percent of Indonesia’s total foreign arrivals by air for the period. About 200,000 foreigners live in Bali, but authorities say that created problems such as crime, overdevelopment, and competition for employment. “Foreign tourists who bring problems here, such as narcotics, gangs, and other issues, we can deport them from Indonesia, from Bali. And we don’t want them to enter Bali anymore,” said Luhut Pandjaitan, a senior minister overseeing tourism. The post Bali Rattled By Monkey Forest Accident Killing Two, Injuring Several appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – Amid a wave of violence against Christians in north-eastern Nigeria’s Taraba state, suspected Islamic extremists murdered a pastor and a female Christian student in separate attacks last week, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. Tens of thousands of Christians have been slaughtered by Islamic extremists since jihadism took hold in northern Nigeria in 2009: more Christians have been killed on account of their faith in Nigeria than in the rest of the world combined, the Open Doors international Christian advocacy group reported this year. Pastor Clement Anthony and student Titi Edward were murdered by gunmen who broke into their homes during the night of December 6, ICC reports. Pastor Clement was killed at his home in the Mayo Dasa area of Jalingo, Taraba’s state capital. Ms Edward was murdered at her home in the Jerbanbur area of the state. Taraba state has seen the killings of 100 Christians since January 2024, ICC reports. “The latest attacks reflect a broader trend of violence against Christians in Taraba and surrounding states,” ICC said in its report. In a 2024 website statement about the situation facing Christians in Nigeria, Open Doors reports: “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 and armed “bandits.” More believers are killed for their faith in Nigeria each year, than everywhere else in the world combined. The attacks are often brutal in nature and can involve destruction of properties, abductions for ransom, sexual violence and death. Believers are stripped of their livelihoods and driven from their homes, leaving a trail of grief and trauma.” The post Nigeria: Pastor and Christian Student Murdered Amid Surge of Violence in Taraba State appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – Concerned that the recent toppling of Syria’s government will allow Islamic terror groups to fill the power vacuum left by ousted dictator Bashar al-Assad, the United States and its regional allies are seeking to ensure that chemical weapons accumulated by the fallen regime do not fall into the wrong hands, Axios reports. Assad notoriously used chemical weapons against his own peopl during the Civil War that has wracked Syria since 2011. In a statement Sunday, following confirmation that the Assad regime had been overthrown, US President Biden said: “We will support Syria’s neighbors — Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan and Israel — from any threat that could arise from Syria.” In a separate statement on Sunday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken added: “We will support international efforts to hold the Assad regime and its backers accountable for atrocities and abuses perpetrated against the Syrian people, including the use of chemical weapons.” A US official told media on Sunday that American intelligence experts believe Assad’s weapons, including chemical agents, have so far not been distributed among bad actors, Axios reports. “We are taking very prudent measures about this … We are doing everything we can to ensure that those materials are not available to anyone and are cared for,” the official said. “We want to make sure that chlorine or things that are far worse are destroyed or secured. There are several efforts in this regard with partners in the region,” the official stated. The post Syria: US and Allies Working to Keep Chemical Weapons Out of Terrorists’ Hands appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News DAMASCUS (Worthy News) – Thousands of inmates have stumbled out of blood-stained horror prisons since rebel forces overran Damascus on Saturday, with many confirming accounts from Christians who were held there. “Sednaya is the end of life, the end of humanity,” testified a former guard in 2017 about the Syrian prison that survivors say became “a symbol of the Bashar al-Assad regime’s brutality.” At Sednaya Prison, where prisoners were tortured, starved, and killed, people cheered, cried, and shouted as they poured out of the gates two days after Assad was forced to flee to Russia. Among the freed inmates was a former pilot who refused to bomb the city of Hama over 40 years ago, a 3-year-old child imprisoned with the mother, and a teenager who had spent his entire life in the prison and was filmed uttering the only word he knew: “Halap” or “Aleppo.” Rescuers pulled around 700 people from the prison, said Ammar Anselmo, a board member of the White Helmets, Syria’s volunteer first responders. But the prison was believed to hold around 3,000 – at least 2,000 were likely killed and buried, Anselmo said. “We will face hundreds of mass graves,” he said. “But now, we are trying to observe what’s happened, trying to support the living and to provide emergency services in the cities.” HUMAN SLAUGHTERHOUSE In footage seen by Worthy News, women searched between bodies for loved ones. The Sednaya prison, also known as “the human slaughterhouse,” is located about 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of the Syrian capital, Damascus. The complex is divided into two buildings: the Red Building, for civilians, and the White Building, where military officers and soldiers were typically held, according to witnesses. Human rights group Amnesty International said at its peak, about 20,000 people were held in the prison at the same time. Though the White Helmets opened each of the cages, including deep underground, it was unclear how survivors would overcome their traumas as they walked into the daylight they had not seen in years. Survivors described being held in darkness, in freezing cells with floors covered in blood. Blankets and clothing were confiscated if prisoners dared to speak or sleep without permission, they said. Family members were also forced to torture one another under threat of execution. “The scenes I witnessed will never leave my memory,” testified a 49-year-old man who spent one year in Sednaya before being released this week. “I can’t forget the image of an elderly man covered in blood,” added the man whose name was not released amid security concerns. FREEZING HALLWAYS Others testified “being stuffed into car tires” and beaten until they lost consciousness, waking up naked in freezing hallways. One witness recalled seeing a teenager die from his injuries after being doused in fuel and set on fire by guards. At a prison near the Mezzeh Air Force base, southwest of Damascus, witnesses reported a guard who called himself “Hitler” forced prisoners to mimic dogs, cats, or donkeys. Those who refused were beaten and tortured. A prisoner said that in one month, 19 of his cellmates died “due to illness, torture, or neglect.” In a 2019 report, the Britain-based Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) documented 72 methods of torture allegedly used in Assad’s prisons. These included electrocution of genitals, burns inflicted with oil, metal rods, gunpowder, or flammable pesticides, as well as crushing heads between walls and doors and inserting needles or metal pins into bodies. Recently released footage also showed iron presses, likely used to crush bones or execute prisoners. Witnesses said that mass hangings of prisoners were a frequent occurrence. MANY KILLED The SNHR’s latest report from March of this year estimated that more than 230,000 Syrians have been killed since the start of the civil war in 2011, including over 15,000 who died under torture. Nearly 157,000 civilians were detained, many of whom “disappeared,” according to investigators. Fourteen million Syrians were displaced, with many fleeing to Europe, official figures show. Some died just days before rebels overran Damascus, including a Syrian activist who had previously lived in the Netherlands, Worthy News learned Wednesday. Mazen Hamada, who had bravely testified about atrocities in Syria in the Netherlands, was found dead in the infamous Sednaya. In footage reviewed by Worthy News, he testified about being beaten and sexually abused by guards. Yet his return to Syria under unclear circumstances in 2020 had already raised fears for his safety. These fears proved well-founded as he was reportedly killed in the prison shortly before the liberation, activists said. Hamada, who would have been 47 had he survived the fall of Assad, was reportedly severely beaten once again before his death. His recorded testimony confirmed statements from former Christian Syrian refugees who said Assad pressured and used the Christian community to divide and rule over different factions with different ethnic and religious affiliations. CHRISTIAN DOCTOR While some churches could operate openly, devoted Christians seen as opposing his rule were jailed. When, in 2012, fighting between anti-Assad forces and the Syrian Army escalated following a massacre of over 100 civilians in Houla, northwest of Homs, Dr. Haissam Saad’s life changed forever. The Christian doctor was filmed treating political dissident Riad Seif, one of the many wounded flooding hospitals in Damascus as the army repressed anti-Assad protests. Soon after, the surgeon was detained by a branch of Syrian intelligence and imprisoned, he told the respected Middle East Eye (MEE) news website. Many of the dozens of prisoners sharing Saad’s cramped, unheated cell died from the cold during the winter months, he recalled. Others bled to death after the guards’ frequent beatings. “When you are tortured with electricity by five people at the same time, you would rather die a thousand times. I tried to end my life by banging my head against the walls, to no avail,” Dr. Saad said, speaking from his Parisian living room. “After a few weeks of this hell, I begged my torturers to execute me,” he added. But a guard objected: “‘Mr. Doctor is a Christian; we can’t finish him off,’ he said.” THREE FINGERS Saad paused his story to show three fingers of his left hand, the MEE reporter noticed. He could not move them since the day they were broken under torture. “But to me,” he said, his expression darkening, “all these pains are nothing compared to the tragedy that followed.” When Saad was released in June 2013, he learned that his son, having deserted the army, had been killed by “a loyalist sniper.” Other Christians were forced into dangerous front-line positions in this mainly Muslim nation, according to witnesses. Najwa, who declined to give her family name for fear of being identified, told the MEE that she felt nauseous when pleading with a Syrian Army officer for information about her missing son, 16-year-old Hani. She later learned what had happened from a friend of his. Nabil, then 18, told her that a man working with the Syrian army had recruited the two teenagers to join troops based at Tabqa military airport in the northern Raqqa governorate to repel an assault by the Islamic State (IS) group. “You Christians are our nation’s elite. Bashar [al-Assad] has chosen you to fight,” the recruiter told them, as Nabil later told Najwa. RETREATING UNIT The next day, their unit retreated to the government-controlled Ithriya village in Hama province. But they never arrived. After taking refuge for the night at a farm near the air base, the unit was attacked by Islamic State once again, Najwa recalled. Nabil was reportedly one of the few who escaped their bullets, hiding in a vehicle. Hani, however, was never found. “And Assad dared to say that he is protecting us?” Najwa said, with tears in her eyes. That Christian civilians were shot, beaten to death, or left to perish in prison cells under Assad, who presented himself as “their protector,” doesn’t surprise Maze Darwish. The lawyer and president of the non-profit Paris-based Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression was detained by authorities from 2012 to 2015 and declared “a prisoner of conscience” by Amnesty International. He is from Assad’s Alawite minority, but like Assad’s perceived Christian opponents, Darwish, too, suffered behind bars. He said the Assad regime’s logic was: “You’re either with me, or you don’t exist.” The post Syrian Freed Prisoners Relive Horrors (Worthy News In-Depth) appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – The United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned on Thursday that Iran is rapidly enriching uranium to close to nuclear bomb-grade, the Times of Israel (TOI) reports. Affirming the IAEA’s concerns, a Western diplomatic source told Reuters on Saturday, December 7 that Tehran has no civilian justification for such activity. “These measures have no credible civilian justification and could, on the contrary, directly fuel a military nuclear program if Iran were to take the decision,” the unnamed official said. “They are in contradiction with Iran’s declarations on its willingness to return to credible negotiations.” In a confidential report to UN member states seen by Reuters, the IAEA said Iran has been putting uranium hexafluoride gas enriched to up to 20% instead of the previous 5% into two interconnected cascades of IR-6 centrifuges at the Fordow [nuclear plant] enriching to up to 60%, close to the roughly 90% of weapons-grade. According to the IAEA, Iran plans to “significantly increase” production of highly enriched uranium, TOI reports. “The information reported by the Director General of the Agency, indicating a significant increase in Iran’s capacity to produce highly enriched uranium at 60%, is extremely serious,” the Western diplomatic source told Reuters. The post IAEA Warns Iran Is Enriching Uranium Close to Nuclear Bomb Grade, “No Civilian Justification” appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – A US federal court is considering a case brought by Minnesota Christian parents seeking the reversal of a new state law that would exclude faith-based colleges from participating in a tax-payer-funded program that helps high-school students earn free college credits. The state-funded program in question is the Post Secondary Enrollment Options program, which was established 40 years ago and operated without issue until last year. In 2023, Minnesota passed a law barring PSEO participant schools from requiring prospective students to sign statements of faith as a requirement for acceptance. The law impacted Minnesota’s two conservative Christian colleges – the University of Northwestern-St. Paul and Crown College – as both require their students to sign statements aligning themselves with conservative Christian values. The plaintiffs’ attorney Eric Baxter argued at the hearing on Monday: “There’s no evidence that the admissions requirements at Crown and Northwestern were causing a problem that was so compelling that they had to restrict these schools’ religious practices.” “The state of Minnesota has a fundamental right to protect its [non-Christian, LGBTQ] students from discrimination,” Assistant Attorney General Jeff Timmerman responded. “Unfortunately, Minnesota is depriving kids like ours of the opportunity to get a head start on college at schools that embrace their faith. We hope the court will strike this law down and protect all religious students and the schools they want to attend,” parents Melinda and Mark Loe said in a press release. US District Judge Nancy Brasel heard arguments from the plaintiffs and the state on Monday December 9 but has not said when she will give her ruling. For the time being, until the court delivers a ruling, the state of Minnesota will not enforce the law and will allow the Christian colleges to continue to participate in the PSEO. The post Christians Sue Minnesota Over Law Excluding Faith-Based Colleges From State-Funded Program appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News WASHINGTON (Worthy News) – The United States rushed on Tuesday to loan war-torn Ukraine $20 billion, backed by the interest earned on frozen Russian assets, to prevent Donald J. Trump from clawing back the money on his return to the White House. With Trump’s January 20 inauguration as the 47th President of the United States just weeks away, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen personally oversaw staff executing the wire transfer of the $20 billion to the World Bank fund, Worthy News learned. The transfer is part of a $50 billion support package from the Group of Seven (G7) of leading economies agreed to this summer and apparently came as a welcome Christmas gift for struggling Ukraine. “These funds – paid for by the windfall proceeds earned from Russia’s own immobilized assets – will provide Ukraine a critical infusion of support as it defends its country against an unprovoked war of aggression,” Yellen said in a statement. “The $50 billion collectively being provided by the G7 through this initiative will help ensure Ukraine has the resources it needs to sustain emergency services, hospitals, and other foundations of its brave resistance,” she explained. The $50 billion credit for 30 years will be serviced with the interest proceeds from some $300 billion in Russian sovereign assets, which were frozen after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. LONG TALKS The G7 democracies discussed the plan for months and agreed on terms in October before Trump’s election, officials said. Outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden initially sought to split Washington’s $20 billion loanin half, with $10 billion for military aid and $10 billion for economic assistance. However, the military portion would have required approval from U.S. Congress, a task made more difficult by Republicans’ sweeping election victory, according to sources familiar with the situation. Like Republicans, Trump has questioned what he views as Washington’s open-ended military support to Kyiv and pledged to “end the war in one day” once in office. Tuesday’s transfer will reportedly be devoted to non-military purposes. The U.S. Treasury said funds were sent to a new World Bank fund called the ‘Facilitation of Resources to Invest in Strengthening Ukraine Financial Intermediary Fund (FORTIS Ukraine FIF). The global lender’s board reportedly approved the fund’s creation in October, with only one country, Russia, objecting. DOLLAR STRENGTH Yet, experts say the strength of the U.S. dollar since former President Trump’s reelection victory on November 5 has diminished the loan slightly in dollar terms. According to a G7 loan term sheet, the EU will provide 18.115 billion euros ($19.1 billion), Canada C$5 billion ($3.52) billion), Britain 2.258 billion pounds ($2.88 billion), and Japan 471.9 billion yen ($3.11 billion). Ukraine is heavily dependent on U.S. and European military and financial aid as it seeks to stop Russia’s invasion, now in its third year, with winter setting in. A $61 billion U.S. aid package for Ukraine passed in ApriL. It was the fifth since the war started in February 2022, but will likely run out by early next year. The post US Rushing $20 Billion To War-torn Ukraine Ahead Of Trump’s Presidency appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

Friend, raise your expectations! Mark 11:24 Therefore I say to you, Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them. Charles Spurgeon wrote "Prayer pulls the rope below and the great bell rings above in the ears of God. Some scarcely stir the bell, for they pray so languidly. Others give but an occasional pluck at the rope. But he who wins with heaven is the man who grasps the rope boldly and pulls continuously, with all his might." Some might take this to mean that we need to beg and plead desperately for God to answer our prayers. I don't think so. I believe that we must pray, expecting for God to bring the answer and do the work because, among many other reasons, He is faithful, just and loves us with an everlasting love! Friend, raise your expectations today! Expect God to do something great and we'll believe along with you to see mighty breakthroughs! Your family in the Lord with much agape love, George, Baht Rivka, Obadiah and Elianna (Gulfport, Mississippi) Editor's Note: Latest Sermon: God Speaking Through Archaeological Timestamps Editor's Note: Feel free to share any of our content from Worthy, including Devotions, News articles, and more, on your social platforms. You have full permission to copy and repost anything we produce. 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: Dear friends — we are going to be heading WEST!!! Now booking in the following states: Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, and Arkansas …. If you know Pastors, Rabbis or Ministry Leaders who might be interested in some powerful Israeli style Hebrew/English worship and a refreshing word from Worthy News about what’s going on in the Land, please let us know how to connect with them and we will do our best to get you on our schedule! You can send an email to george [ @ ] worthyministries.com for more information. Around the World Poland: ‘Peace Talks On Ukraine Might Start This Winter’ As Causalities Hit 1 Million (Worthy News Focus) Poland’s prime minister suggested Tuesday that peace talks on the war in Ukraine might start within weeks and said Warsaw wants to play a leading role in ending Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War Two. Dutch Authorities Detain 3 Over Deadly Blasts Authorities in the Netherlands announced Tuesday that three people have been detained over the explosions and fire at an apartment block in The Hague that killed at least six people and injured four. Syria: US Will Stay to Prevent Return of ISIS, Carried Out Strikes on ISIS Targets Following the ouster of Syria’s despotic President Bashar al-Assad by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) Islamic rebel forces on Sunday, the United States announced it will maintain a presence in the country and take steps to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State, Reuters reports. Mohamed al-Bashir Appointed Syria’s Prime Minister After Reconciliation Talks Mohamed al-Bashir announced Tuesday that he has been appointed “caretaker prime minister” of the transitional Syrian government until March 1, 2025. Dutch King Shaking As Blasts Hit The Hague, Killing 6 King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands is "in shock" after explosions destroyed apartments, killing six people in The Hague, the world’s judicial capital and seat of the Dutch government and parliament. Israel-Palestinian Conflict Syria: Israel Denies IDF Tanks Are Approaching Damascus, “Israel Does Not Intervene in the Internal Syrian Conflict” Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday denied reports that IDF tanks have entered Syria and are approaching Damascus following the collapse of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime on Sunday, the Jerusalem Post reports. At the same time, the IDF said it has carried out hundreds of strikes against military targets in Syria to ensure that weapons and equipment that may be used against neighboring Israel do not fall into the hands of “hostile elements” entering the power vacuum left by Assad. Inside the United States US Rushing $20 Billion To War-torn Ukraine Ahead Of Trump’s Presidency The United States rushed on Tuesday to loan war-torn Ukraine $20 billion, backed by the interest earned on frozen Russian assets, to prevent Donald J. Trump from clawing back the money on his return to the White House. Trump Vows to End Birthright Citizenship for Those in the Country Illegally President-elect Donald Trump again says he is committed to ending birthright citizenship for children born to foreign nationals in the country illegally. California: School Shooter Wanted “Child Executions” in Revenge for US “Genocide of Palestinians” A gunman who opened fire on children at a Seventh-day Adventist elementary school in California last week left a note saying he was seeking "child executions" in response to US involvement in the "genocide and oppression of Palestinians," the LA Times reports. Deportation Strategy to Include Targeting Sanctuary Cities, New Border Czar Says President-elect Donald Trump’s deportation strategy will include targeting so-called sanctuary jurisdictions, his new border czar, Tom Homan, says. Christian News Nigeria: Fulani Herdsmen Slaughter 96 Christians, “They Overwhelmingly Attacked Our People, Shooting Anyone in Sight” Continuing their years-long slaughter of Nigeria’s Christians, Fulani herdsmen murdered at least 96 Christians in neighboring Benue and Taraba states since October 22, Morning Star News (MSN) reports. Tens of thousands of Christians have been murdered by Islamist terrorist groups including Fulani herdsmen, Boko Haram, and Islamic State West Africa Province since Islamic jihadism took hold in Nigeria in 2009. Worthy Insights Days After Trump’s Victory, Biden-Harris Admin Granted Iran $10 Billion in Sanctions Relief, Congressional Notice Shows The Biden-Harris administration waived sanctions on Iran three days after the November election, providing Tehran access upward of $10 billion in once-frozen funds, according to a copy of the non-public order transmitted to Congress and reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon. View the full article

By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributor (Worthy News) – President-elect Donald Trump again says he is committed to ending birthright citizenship for children born to foreign nationals in the country illegally. This includes those who commit visa and other fraud to enter the U.S. to give birth in order for their child to obtain U.S. citizenship. Under Trump’s first administration, those participating in a “birth tourism” scheme were prosecuted for violating federal law, The Center Square reported. The term, “birthright citizenship,” stems from Section 1 of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which states, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” Trump vowed to end birthright citizenship in his first presidency, which didn’t happen. NBC host Kristen Welker claimed the 14th amendment “states all persons in the United States are citizens” and asked if Trump could “get around the 14th Amendment with executive action?” “Maybe we have to go back to the people,” Trump replied, referring to a constitutional amendment. “We have to end it.” He had hoped to end birthright citizenship during his first presidency through executive action but instead prioritized responding to the coronavirus, he said. In a campaign video, he explained his plan, saying, “the U.S. is among the only country in the world that says that even if neither parent is a citizen nor even lawfully in the country, their future children are automatic citizens the moment parents trespass onto our soil.” He vowed to sign an executive order on his first day in office stating that “future children of illegal aliens will not receive future citizenship.” His order would end “birth tourism, where hundreds of thousands of people from all over the planet squat in hotels for their last few weeks of pregnancy to illegally obtain U.S. citizenship for the child often to later exploit chain migration to jump the line to get green cards for themselves and their family members.” Trump said the order will require at least one parent to be a legal resident or citizen to qualify for birthright citizenship. If such an order were issued, it and others are expected to be challenged in court, the American Civil Liberties Union and others have warned. U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, pointed out that Welker omitted a key phrase in the 14th amendment, that everyone born in the U.S. is “subject to the jurisdiction thereof,” explaining that “Congress has the power to define what it means to be born in the United States ‘and subject to the jurisdiction thereof.’” “While current law contains no such restriction, Congress could pass a law defining what it means to be born in the United States ‘and subject to the jurisdiction thereof,’ excluding prospectively from birthright citizenship individuals born in the U.S. to illegal aliens.” In 1993, former U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-NV, proposed the Immigration Stabilization Act to impose statutory limitations on automatic birthright citizenship. It “would have limited automatic birthright citizenship to children born in the United States to mothers who were either U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents at the time. The fact that federal law doesn’t currently impose such a restriction doesn’t mean that it couldn’t,” which is why Reid proposed it, Lee said. “Nothing in the Fourteenth Amendment limits Congress’s ability to enact legislation limiting birthright citizenship along the lines of what … Reid proposed in 1993.” Lee also said that “those who suggest Congress is somehow powerless to limit birthright citizenship ignore important constitutional text giving Congress power to define who among those ‘born in the United States’ is born ‘subject to the jurisdiction thereof.’” The 14th Amendment, adopted in 1868, hasn’t always been applied equally. Native Americans born in the U.S. weren’t granted citizenship status until 1924. The Supreme Court has only ruled on one federal case related to birthright citizenship, in 1898. The court held that a child born in San Francisco to legal Chinese immigrants was a U.S. citizen. The case didn’t address the issue of children born in the U.S. to illegal border crossers or birth tourism participants involved in visa fraud. US Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has long argued for ending birthright citizenship by amending the Constitution, which is no simple endeavor. The Constitution may be amended through a two-thirds majority vote in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate. The president has no constitutional role in this process. The amendment must be ratified by three-fourths of the states, 38 out of 50. The Constitution may also be amended through a constitutional convention called by two-thirds of the state legislatures. This has never happened. All 27 amendments to the Constitution were passed by Congress and ratified by the states. Reprinted with permission from The Center Square. The post Trump Vows to End Birthright Citizenship for Those in the Country Illegally appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News WARSAW/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Poland’s prime minister suggested Tuesday that peace talks on the war in Ukraine might start within weeks and said Warsaw wants to play a leading role in ending Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War Two. Donald Tusk spoke amid reports that several people were killed and injured in Russian missile strikes on a private clinic and other sites in Ukraine on Tuesday. The Polish leader told journalists he would discuss the crisis with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who expressed concern about Russia capturing Ukrainian territory in a war that is thought to have killed and injured up to 1 million people, most of them soldiers. Tusk stressed that his country wants to be heavily involved in peace negotiations to stop the nearly three-year-old armed conflict when it takes over the European Union’s rotating presidency on January 1. Poland seems to be in a better position to do so than Hungary, which currently holds the EU presidency. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán tried to talk peace in Kyiv, Moscow, and even Beijing but lacked EU backing in part due to his perceived pro-Kremlin views and concerns about the rule of law in Hungary. Yet Tusk sounded more optimistic, saying that “Our [EU] presidency will notably be co-responsible for what the political landscape will look like, perhaps how the situation will look during [peace] negotiations, which could begin – though there are still question marks – in the winter [in Europe] of this year,” Tusk told media. MEETING ZELENSKY “Today, I will have the chance to talk about this with [Ukrainian] President Volodymyr Zelensky,” he added Tusk said that following Tuesday’s talks with Zelensky, he would welcome French President Emmanuel Macron to Poland on Thursday. Poland has been a strong Ukraine supporter since Russia invaded nearly three years ago. The EU and NATO military alliance member state is seen as a crucial logistics hub for Western military aid to Kyiv. Tusk said, “Macron will be in town the day after tomorrow. He will want to inform us of the results of the Paris talks.” Macron, Zelenskyy, and U.S. President-elect Donald J. Trump held a three-way meeting on Saturday in Paris that Tusk described as “short but important.” Tusk noted that German opposition leader Friedrich Merz—who leads opinion polls ahead of February elections—will also visit Poland after a visit to Kyiv. Additionally, the prime minister said he was “in constant contact” with Scandinavian and Baltic allies, “who see in Poland and Poland’s [EU] presidency a leader” in peace-building initiatives between Ukraine and Russia. “I spoke with the Swedish prime minister, and in a dozen hours, the Estonian prime minister will be here in Warsaw,” added Tusk. MORE BATTLES However, in Ukraine, on the battlefields and beyond, there were no signs of peace coming soon, with at least three people being killed and five hurt in a Russian missile strike that destroyed a private clinic in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, local governor Ivan Fedorov said. Further missile attacks on Ukraine’s north-eastern region of Kharkiv injured 10 people and damaged an administrative building, local authorities said Tuesday. Regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov confirmed that Russian forces carried out two missile attacks on the town of Zlatopil. He explained that the first strike damaged non-residential buildings and cars, while the second damaged an administrative building. Russia has hit the Kharkiv border region with frequent attacks since the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. The attacks underscored concerns that a deal with Russia to end the conflict is not guaranteed, despite Ukraine warming this week to potential negotiations. Professor Tim Willasey-Wilsey from King’s College London said that with Russia gaining ground in Ukraine’s east, Russian President Vladimir “Putin may well think, why don’t I just carry on?” STAGGERING TOLL That policy was feared to add to the staggering death toll on both sides. Some 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since Russia’s full-scale invasion began, Volodymyr Zelensky said in recent days in a rare admission of the nation’s casualties. He said 370,000 injuries had been reported, though this figure included soldiers who had been hurt more than once, and some of the injuries were said to be minor. Zelensky also claimed that 198,000 Russian soldiers had been killed and a further 550,000 wounded. While both Kyiv and Moscow have regularly published estimates of the other side’s losses, they have been reluctant to detail their own. The new figure marks a significant increase in Ukrainian deaths since the start of the year, military observers suggested. The last time Zelensky gave an update on Ukraine’s casualties was in February when he put deaths at 31,000. The Ukrainian leader’s admission came after incoming U.S. President-elect Donald J. Trump wrote on social media that Ukraine had “ridiculously lost” 400,000 soldiers, while close to 600,000 Russians had been killed or wounded. Trump did not state where these figures were from. Yet Zelensky’s estimates of Russian losses are similar to those provided by senior Western officials, who estimate Russia has suffered around 800,000 casualties, both killed and injured. ‘NEEDLESSLY WASTED’ With much more bloodshed expected, Trump has long made clear he wants to bring an end to the war. Responding to Trump’s call for an immediate ceasefire, Moscow said it was open to negotiations, adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin had set the conditions for a cessation of hostilities in June. Putin’s demands included Ukraine giving up more of its territory and abandoning ambitions to join NATO, which Kyiv has rejected. Despite their disagreements, Trump, soon to be the deal-maker-in-chief, wants both sides to agree on ending the ongoing killings. He said too many lives had been “needlessly wasted,” wiping out generations. Poland seems to share that view. It hopes its neighbors will begin working towards peace this Christmas season. The post Poland: ‘Peace Talks On Ukraine Might Start This Winter’ As Causalities Hit 1 Million (Worthy News Focus) appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS (Worthy News) – Authorities in the Netherlands announced Tuesday that three people have been detained over the explosions and fire at an apartment block in The Hague that killed at least six people and injured four. Local police said Tuesday they have made “a breakthrough” in the investigation into the disaster that partly destroyed a three-story apartment block in the Tarwekamp area in The Hague, known as the “world’s judicial capital” and the seat of the Dutch government and parliament. An extensive investigation led detectives to three men who are now behind bars three days after the disaster, officials said. Police declined to share details about the suspects or possible motives but did not rule out “more arrests will follow.” “We have been investigating 24 hours a day since Saturday 7 December, since the explosion. The arrests result from this intensive investigation,” The Hague police chief Karin Krukkert added. “They are in custody. That means that they only have contact with their lawyer. In addition, our investigation is, of course, still in full swing,” the police chief added. Several vehicles were seized during the arrests, according to police officials. If the car that residents heard “speeding away” shortly before the explosion is also among them remains to be seen, Krukkert said. “That is also still very much part of the ongoing investigation.” The police chief declined to say what caused the blasts. “All I can say is that an illegal drugs laboratory did not cause it.” Krukkert said searching for evidence at the disaster site is dangerous and will take time. “It is important to us that the situation there is stable. Then, we will continue investigating traces [of explosives and other evidence] on site. We can then also get a better picture of the cause.” Krukkert could not provide clarity on how many explosions turned the area into a wasteland culled with debris early Saturday, but earlier reports said at least two blasts were heard. Although questions remain, the mayor of The Hague, Jan van Zanen, called the arrests great news. “The police have arrested three suspects in a very short time in the search for the cause of the explosions at the Tarwekamp [area]. I commend this excellent detective work at a complicated location,” Van Zanen said in a statement. However, he, too, said it was of great importance for those directly affected and their relatives that clarity about the cause be quickly provided. “The arrest of these suspects is essential. This also provides peace of mind for residents.” Yet the impact of the disaster will be felt for a long time, he said, adding that the municipality is “in close contact with the nineteen households that cannot return to their own homes for the time being. The same applies to the affected entrepreneurs.” He said that at least some can return to their home or shop under supervision to collect supplies. They will find a scene out of a horror film: Dutch King Willem-Akexander said he was “still shaking” on his legs after seeing the debris. Apart from apartments, a bridal store and the door of a bar were completely destroyed. An artist’s studio was also totally decimated. Yet another ground-floor bar’s wine stock remarkably remained intact. Earlier, the last survivor was found alive under the debris 12 long hours after the blasts that had devastated the community. The post Dutch Authorities Detain 3 Over Deadly Blasts appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – Continuing their years-long slaughter of Nigeria’s Christians, Fulani herdsmen murdered at least 96 Christians in neighboring Benue and Taraba states since October 22, Morning Star News (MSN) reports. Tens of thousands of Christians have been murdered by Islamist terrorist groups including Fulani herdsmen, Boko Haram, and Islamic State West Africa Province since Islamic jihadism took hold in Nigeria in 2009. In Benue state, 18 Christians, including women and children, were shot dead on their way to church services in Azege village, Logo County on Dec. 1, MSN reports. “The Fulani herdsmen, armed with deadly weapons, shot sporadically on the Christians, butchered some victims with machetes, and destroyed their crops on farmlands,” Benjamin Uzenda, former member of the Logo Local Government Council, told MSN. Thirty Christians had been murdered a week earlier in Fulani attacks against Logo and Katsina-Ala counties in Benue state on November 24. “They overwhelmingly attacked our people, shooting anyone in sight and killing 30 Christians,” community leader Joseph Anawah told MSN. Benue state terrorists had also previously murdered 15 people in Ayilamo, 25 in Anyiin, and six in Uzer village since October 22, MSN reports. In neighboring Taraba state, Fulani herdsmen murdered Pastor Clement Anthony and student Titi Edward by breaking into their respective neighboring homes the night of Dec. 6, MSN reports. More Christians are murdered on account of their faith in Nigeria than everywhere else in the world combined, the Open Doors international Christian advocacy organization reported this year. The post Nigeria: Fulani Herdsmen Slaughter 96 Christians, “They Overwhelmingly Attacked Our People, Shooting Anyone in Sight” appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – Following the ouster of Syria’s despotic President Bashar al-Assad by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) Islamic rebel forces on Sunday, the United States announced it will maintain a presence in the country and take steps to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State, Reuters reports. In a statement Sunday, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East Daniel Shapiro called for the protection of Syrian civilians and respect for international norms amid dramatic scenes of jubilant Syrians rejoicing at the collapse of al-Assad’s long, corrupt, murderous, and oppressive regime. “We are aware that the chaotic and dynamic circumstances on the ground in Syria could give ISIS space to find the ability to become active, to plan external operations, and we’re determined to work with those partners to continue to degrade their capabilities,” Shapiro told the Manama Dialogue security conference in Bahrain’s capital. “(We’re determined) to ensure (Islamic State’s) enduring defeat, to ensure the secure detention of ISIS fighters and the repatriation of displaced persons,” Shapiro added. Meanwhile, US Central Command confirmed it has conducted “dozens” of airstrikes on more than 75 sites, including known “ISIS leaders, operatives, and camps” in the hours since the end of al-Assad’s regime. “There should be no doubt – we will not allow ISIS to reconstitute and take advantage of the current situation in Syria,” Gen. Erik Kurilla, head of CENTCOM, said in a statement. “All organizations in Syria should know that we will hold them accountable if they partner with or support ISIS in any way.” The post Syria: US Will Stay to Prevent Return of ISIS, Carried Out Strikes on ISIS Targets appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – A gunman who opened fire on children at a Seventh-day Adventist elementary school in California last week left a note saying he was seeking “child executions” in response to US involvement in the “genocide and oppression of Palestinians,” the LA Times reports. Glenn Litton, 56, took his own life after shooting and severely wounding 5-year-old Elias Wolford and 6-year-old Roman Mendez at Feather River Adventist School in Oroville, Butte County, in northern California on December 4. Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said in a statement that Litton was mentally ill and homeless and that he had a long history of criminal convictions including for theft, fraud, identity theft, and forgery, LA Times said. Litton attended a Seventh-day Adventist school in Paradise, California as a child and may have had a relative who went to the Feather River school years ago, Honea added. However, Litton had no known direct connection to Feather River. Although Litton’s note said he acted on behalf of the “International Alliance,” police are not aware of any such organization, LA Times reports. “We believe that this was an isolated incident and he was a sole individual who targeted this school based on the beliefs that he held,” Honea said. The post California: School Shooter Wanted “Child Executions” in Revenge for US “Genocide of Palestinians” appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributor (Worthy News) – President-elect Donald Trump’s deportation strategy will include targeting so-called sanctuary jurisdictions, his new border czar, Tom Homan, says. In an interview with The Center Square, Homan said the plan will prioritize national security threats and violent criminals. This includes those with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer requests. According to a recent ICE report, a deputy director in the Biden administration said some local jurisdictions “reduced their cooperation with ICE, to include refusal to honor ICE detainer requests, even for noncitizens who have been convicted of serious felonies and pose an ongoing threat to public safety” due to their so-called “sanctuary city” policies. “However, ‘sanctuary’ policies can end up shielding dangerous criminals, who often victimize those same communities,” he said, The Center Square reported. While many Democratic leaders in so-called sanctuary jurisdictions have said they won’t cooperate with ICE, Homan said that federal immigration law, Title 8 USC 13.24 iii, requires them to do so. Anyone who “harbors or conceals illegal aliens from federal law enforcement officers” are committing a crime, he said. “Impeding a federal law enforcement officer is a crime,” he told The Center Square. Those who “knowingly harbor or conceal an illegal alien from ICE” is also a crime. He’s also asked, “What mayor or governor doesn’t want public safety threats out of their communities? That’s their number one responsibility is to protect their communities. That’s exactly what we are going to do.” Homan says he will work with anyone, Democrats and Republicans, to ensure public safety. “I’m willing to meet with anybody. Our priority on Day One is public safety.” He’s encouraging local leaders to work with him “to make your community safer.” The goal is to have local jurisdictions cooperate with ICE requesting to take into custody any illegal foreign national already in a local jurisdiction’s custody. Removing the alleged offender from a local jurisdiction will also reduce costs for the city, county and state. The plan does not require local officers to be immigration officers but to work with ICE agents, Homan says. ICE agents are able to identify who’s booked in a county jail, for example, because everyone who’s arrested has their fingerprints input into a national criminal NCIC database, which federal agents have access to. Not providing access to those detained in a publicly funded facility is harboring, he argues. Homan is also asking Trump’s nominated Attorney General Pam Bondi, assuming she’s confirmed, to fully review and issue a formal opinion about whether local jurisdictions that refuse to comply with an ICE detainer request are violating federal law. It is also likely under Bondi that sanctuary jurisdictions would face federal prosecution. Other options on the table include Congress imposing penalties on sanctuary jurisdictions, including withholding federal funds from law enforcement agencies and city and county governments that harbor illegal border crossers, Homan said. Homan’s appeal is already working, with New York City’s Democratic mayor saying he’s willing to work with the Trump administration and Denver’s Democratic mayor who backtracked on a claim that he’d direct police to block federal agent operations. Federal agents already operate in Denver, including at a Denver ICE field office and U.S. Customs and Border Protection port of entry at the airport. Todd Lyons, acting assistant director of field operations for ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in New England, argues elected officials “preaching their sanctuary city status are making it easier for those who commit sex crimes and fentanyl dealers. We need cities and towns to work with us to keep these criminals out of neighborhoods. “We focus on the worst of the worst and all the political rhetoric is not helping,” he told the Boston Herald. Of the more than 660,000 criminal foreign nationals identified to be deported by ICE, the majority are living freely in the U.S. They include those convicted of, or charged with, homicide (14,914), sexual assault (20,061), assault (105,146), kidnapping (3,372), and commercialized sexual offenses, including sex trafficking (3,971). In Massachusetts, sanctuary policies were implemented in multiple cities including Boston, prohibiting police officers from cooperating with ICE. ICE agents have been arresting violent criminals in Massachusetts, including men convicted of aggravated rape, assault and battery, and fugitives wanted in their home countries for violent sexual crimes. In many cases, sanctuary jurisdictions refused to cooperate with ICE, instead released violent offenders into the community who then committed additional crimes, The Center Square reported. Local officials advancing sanctuary policies “are welcoming criminals to the state. They are doing their own communities a disservice,” Lyons said. “All we are asking for is to make an arrest of someone already arrested.” Homan says to local jurisdictions, “work with us to make your community safer.” Those who won’t, he says, can “get the hell out of the way.” Reprinted with permission from The Center Square. The post Deportation Strategy to Include Targeting Sanctuary Cities, New Border Czar Says appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News DAMASCUS (Worthy News) – Mohamed al-Bashir announced Tuesday that he has been appointed “caretaker prime minister” of the transitional Syrian government until March 1, 2025. He made the announcement in televised remarks. Al-Bashir will form a government to manage the transition period and “avoid slipping into chaos.” However, concerns remain about his ability to unite a nation deeply divided among numerous factions. Al-Bashir, a trained engineer, ran the rebel-led Salvation Government set up in 2017 by Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), an Islamist group that swept into Damascus, the capital, forcing then-President Bashar al-Assad to flee the country. Before the 12-day lightning offensive, Al-Bashir’s administration was headquartered in Idlib to govern the northwestern Syrian city and other territories controlled by HTS. While people in Damascus have been celebrating the rebels’ arrival, the ousted Assad had reportedly warned Christians they would face more persecution if Islamic rebels control Syria. Yet before Al-Bashir officially became Syria’s interim prime minister, Sunni-led Islamist rebels who toppled Assad met elders in the former president’s Alawite hometown of Qardaha. RELIGIOUS MEN After meeting with dozens of religious men, elders, and others at the town hall in Qardaha, located in the mountains of Latakia province in the nation’s northwest, Alawite notables signed “a statement of support,” residents said. The document they agreed upon emphasizes Syria’s religious and cultural diversity. It also calls for state police and services to be restored as quickly as possible under the new rulers, and it is agreed that any weapons held by Qardaha residents will be handed over. “We affirm the unity of the Syrian Arab Republic’s territory and religious and cultural diversity and diversity of thought,” said the statement signed by about 30 of the town’s notables. The rebels did not sign it. People familiar with the talks said the delegation visiting them were members of HTS and the Free Syrian Army, Sunni groups that led the rebellion. Assad said they “were terrorists” who would “massacre Alawites” if he fell, but the document pledged reconciliation. Syrians from the Alawite religion, an offshoot of Shiite Islam, comprise about 10 percent of the country’s population and are centered in Latakia province, close to the Mediterranean Sea and the border with Turkey. TEARFUL REUNIONS Sunni Muslims are about 70 percent of the population, and there are substantial Kurds, Druz, and Christians, some of whom have expressed concern about their future. Yet there were some hopeful signs as thousands of inmates, many of them political prisoners were freed from “President Bashar al-Assad’s pitiless detention system” after he was toppled on Sunday, reporters said. Reporters witnessed sometimes tearful reunions with relatives who believed they had been executed years earlier. However, families still scoured the filthy cells of Syria’s forbidding Sednaya prison on Monday for any sign of long-detained relatives after its gates were flung open by rebels. By that time, however, hope for finding their missing loved ones began to fade. It will now be up to Al-Bashir’s administration to avoid revenge attacks against those who supported Assad’s regime, with the world watching whether the nation moves from chaos to a sense of more stability. The post Mohamed al-Bashir Appointed Syria’s Prime Minister After Reconciliation Talks appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday denied reports that IDF tanks have entered Syria and are approaching Damascus following the collapse of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime on Sunday, the Jerusalem Post reports. At the same time, the IDF said it has carried out hundreds of strikes against military targets in Syria to ensure that weapons and equipment that may be used against neighboring Israel do not fall into the hands of “hostile elements” entering the power vacuum left by Assad. On Tuesday morning Arab sources cited by Israeli media asserted that IDF tanks had been seen close to Damascus. “An Israeli military incursion into southern Syria has reached about 25 kilometers (16 miles) southwest of the capital, Damascus, two regional security sources and one Syrian security source said on Tuesday,” JPost explained in its report. “The Syrian security source said Israeli troops reached Qatana, which is 10 kilometers into Syrian territory east of a demilitarized zone separating Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syria,” JPost said. However, IDF Arabic media spokesperson Colonel Avichay Adraee said in a statement that Israeli troops had not breached the official and longstanding buffer zone between Israel and Syrian territory. “It’s not true. The forces have not left the buffer zone,” Adraee said. “Reports circulating in some media outlets claiming that IDF forces are advancing or approaching Damascus are completely incorrect,” Adraee wrote in a post on X/Twitter. “IDF forces are present inside the buffer zone and at defensive points close to the border in order to protect the Israeli border.” Moreover, in a letter to the United Nations Security Council, Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon said the IDF had carried out “limited and temporary” operations and for the purpose of securing Israel’s border amid the political uncertainty in Syria. “Israel does not intervene in the internal Syrian conflict,” Danon wrote. The post Syria: Israel Denies IDF Tanks Are Approaching Damascus, “Israel Does Not Intervene in the Internal Syrian Conflict” appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article