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By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributor (Worthy News) – Retired San Diego Border Patrol Chief Patrol Agent Aaron Heitke said he was instructed by the Biden administration to not publicize arrests of illegal border crossers identified as “Significant Interest Aliens” with ties to terrorism. Heitke testified before a U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security hearing on Wednesday about how Biden-Harris “open border policies have undermined our safety and security.” “We had an exponential increase in Significant Interest Aliens … with significant ties to terrorism,” illegally entering in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection San Diego Sector, he said. Prior to the Biden-Harris administration, the sector averaged 10 to 15 SIAs per year. “Once word was out that the border was far easier to cross, San Diego went to over 100 SIAs in 2022, way over 100 SIAs in 2023 and more than that this year,” he said. “These are only the ones we caught,” meaning the number likely is higher because of the volume of getaways, those who illegally cross the border and are not apprehended. “At the time, I was told I could not release any information on this increase in SIA’s or mention any of the arrests,” Heitke testified. “The administration was trying to convince the public that there was no threat at the border.” His testimony came as the greatest number of individuals on the U.S. federal terrorist watch list have been apprehended under the Biden-Harris administration of 1,856 since fiscal 2021 through August, The Center Square reported. None of this would have happened if current federal laws enacted by Congress were enforced, he said. “The only true consequence we have to slow down and discourage people from coming to the United States illegally is sending them back to their country of origin,” required under current law, he said. Under the Biden-Harris administration, Border Patrol agents were instructed to do the opposite, he said. In three and half years, “I saw a steady decrease in countries we could send people back to. “For the first time in my 25 years and under five different administrations, whether through neglect or on purpose, I saw a large-scale lapse in our ability to return people to their country of origin. The inability to send people home meant that most people being arrested for illegal entry would either have to be detained or released.” Since January 2021, “on day one,” the Biden-Harris administration “made a point of decreasing the amount of detention space available nationwide,” noting that Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s funding for detention space has steadily been cut and private detention eliminated. The “open border policies” and “the fact that so many illegal aliens were being released into the United States spread worldwide very quickly,” he said, resulting in an unprecedented influx of illegal entry into the country. “The impacts to me and my agents were significant. Sectors were ordered to take in and process all the illegal aliens encountered on the border. The Border Patrol saw groups of hundreds and thousands coming into the United States and turning themselves in.” The result was “80% to 90%, sometimes 100% of the agents on duty [were taken] away from” the southwest border. There were miles of the border unmanned in Texas, Arizona and California, he said, where there was “no agent presence for weeks and months at a time.” Foreign nationals “who did not want to be caught could simply walk in,” he said, referring to gotaways. They total at least more than 2 million since fiscal 2021, The Center Square first reported. “We have no idea who and what entered our country over this time. Throughout 2022 and 2023, I sent agents to Texas and Arizona to count gotaways. Those sectors could not even put enough agents in the field to see what they had missed.” Heitke was previously interviewed by the committee last year and described the level of national security threats that existed because they were forced to close checkpoints after an influx of illegal border crossers shifted to California. Agents were then required to shift manpower from the field to process and release into the country illegal border crossers, The Center Square reported. With their agents being pulled from the field, Heitke and others said Americans were unsafe and transnational criminal organizations were exploiting the open border to smuggle people and an unprecedented amount of fentanyl. “Each time we asked for help in dealing with a new issue, it fell on deaf ears,” he said. Reprinted with permission from The Center Square. The post Retired Border Chief Ordered to Not Report Border Crossers With Ties to Terrorism appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – A massive barrage of Israeli airstrikes hit Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon just after the terrorist group’s leader declared that two days of intense hybrid bombings, including the detonation of pagers and walkie-talkies targeting Hezbollah forces, amounted to a declaration of war. Israeli airstrikes intensified on Thursday, surpassing previous days, as Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah acknowledged that the terror group had suffered a “major and unprecedented” blow earlier in the week when thousands of its communications devices, including pagers and walkie-talkies, were suddenly destroyed. Despite this setback, Nasrallah vowed that Hezbollah would recover and continue its attacks on Israel, following months of cross-border fire. In a televised address, he condemned the attacks on their devices, calling them “an unprecedented massacre” and blaming Israel for the strikes. “This criminal act is a major terrorist operation and amounts to a declaration of war,” Nasrallah stated. Nasrallah vowed retaliation for the intelligence operation that killed at least 37 and injuring nearly 3,000 Hezbollah members. The attack, one of the group’s worst security breaches, crippled their internal communications and shook confidence in the security of their networks. “There is no doubt that we have been subjected to a major security and military blow that is unprecedented in the history of the resistance and unprecedented in the history of Lebanon,” Nasrallah stated in his speech. Despite diplomatic efforts to prevent war, tensions along the Israeli-Lebanese border have escalated, with intensified exchanges of fire and more aggressive Israeli operations. Israel faces pressure to secure its northern towns and enable evacuated residents to return, as tens of thousands have been displaced for nearly a year. “The Hezbollah terrorist organization has turned southern Lebanon into a combat zone,” the Israeli military stated, adding that it is “operating to bring security to northern Israel, enable the return of residents to their homes, and achieve all of the war goals.” Early today, Israel’s top military general, Herzi Halevi, approved battle plans for the northern front against Hezbollah. The post Israeli Airstrikes Intensify Across Lebanon as War with Hezbollah Escalates appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributor (Worthy News) – The U.S. has been in a perpetual national emergency over terrorism threats since Sept. 11, 2001, which was again extended for another year. President Joe Biden on Wednesday extended an executive order that has been in place since it was first signed by former president George W. Bush on September 23, 2001. The White House issued a notice, “Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Persons who Commit, Threaten to Commit, or Support Terrorism,” stating Biden signed Executive Order 13224. The order declares a national emergency pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The law relates to “the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States constituted by the grave acts of terrorism and threats of terrorism committed by foreign terrorists, including the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, in New York and Pennsylvania and against the Pentagon, and the continuing and immediate threat of further attacks against United States nationals or the United States.” The order also continues an executive order first signed by former President Donald Trump on Sept. 9, 2019, the notice states. Executive order 13886 was signed “to strengthen and consolidate sanctions to combat the continuing threat posed by international terrorism and to take additional steps to deal with the national emergency.” It states that those “who commit, threaten to commit, or support terrorism continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States.” The White House says the national security threat is ongoing since the 2001 executive order was signed. Biden is adopting measures “to deal with that emergency.” He extended the national emergency and order “beyond September 23, 2024, … for 1 year.” The notice was published in the Federal Register and transmitted to the Congress. The extension was granted as the greatest number of illegal border crossers entering the U.S. have been identified on the terrorist watch list under the Biden-Harris administration. According to CBP data, from fiscal 2021 through August of this year, 1,856 identified on the U.S. terrorist watch list as known or suspected terrorists (KSTs) were encountered or apprehended at the northern and southwest borders, with the greatest number in a single year of 736 in fiscal 2023. Under the Trump administration, 1,432 KSTs were apprehended from fiscal years 2017-2020, with the greatest number reported of 541 in fiscal 2019. CBP’s fiscal year is from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30. CBP reported KST data includes numbers from land ports of entry at the U.S.-Canada and US-Mexico borders, including all nationalities, and noncitizens apprehended between ports of entry at both borders. While many congressional and news reports solely focus on one data set, the greatest number reported every year, with the exception of 2019, are caught by U.S. officials at the US-Canada border, The Center Square first reported. The greatest number of KSTs reported at the US-Canada border total 487 in fiscal 2023 followed by 323 this fiscal year to date. Overall, 1,178 KSTs were apprehended at the US-Canada border under the Biden-Harris administration and 798 under the Trump administration. Since fiscal 2021 through August of this year, 382 noncitizens identified on the terrorist watch list were apprehended after they illegally entered the U.S. from Mexico between ports of entry, according to the data. That’s up from 11 under Trump from fiscal years 2017-2020. Those identified as KSTs are matched to the Terrorist Screening Dataset, the federal government’s database that contains sensitive information on terrorist identities. The TSDS originated as a consolidated terrorist watchlist to hold information on known or suspected terrorists. Over the past decade, it evolved “to include additional individuals who represent a potential threat to the United States, including known affiliates of watchlisted individuals,” CBP says. The CBP data has been reported as hundreds with ties to the Islamic terrorist group ISIS were released into the country by the Biden administration or evaded capture with ties to an alleged ISIS smuggling ring. FBI Director Christopher Wray has warned multiple times of heightened terrorist threats similar to those existing 23 years ago, The Center Square reported. Retired national security experts have also warned that a terrorist attack is imminent; U.S. military bases have been breached by illegal foreign nationals; retired FBI national security experts have warned Biden-Harris border policies have facilitated a “soft invasion” into the U.S. of millions of military-age men illegally entering the country, including from terror-linked regions, China and Russia. The former director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement who worked under six presidents, Tom Homan, said Biden is the only president in U.S. history to “unsecure the border on purpose.” He and others argue the Biden-Harris “open border policies have created the greatest national security crisis since 9/11.” Reprinted with permission from The Center Square. The post Biden Extends National Emergency Due to Terror Threats, Ongoing Since 9/11 appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – Facing relentless violence against their communities by Islamic jihadist terror groups, 16.2 million Christians in sub-Saharan Africa have now been forced to flee their homes and live in poverty-stricken Internally Displaced People (IDP) camps, the Christian Post (CP) reports. In its latest annual report, the Open Doors international Christian advocacy and persecution watchdog organization said sub-Saharan Africa is the “most violent place in the world for Christians” and that the killings of believers in the region have “outstripped” those of any other region in the last 50 years. Highlighting the chronically dire situation facing Christians in Nigeria, Open Doors reported that: “recorded testimonies indicate that Boko Haram, Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) and militant Fulani groups have deliberately targeted Christians or Christian communities, their livelihood, faith leaders and places of worship.” As a result, Open Doors says, vast numbers of Nigerian Christians are forced into Internally Displaced Persons camps: as of December 2023, Nigeria’s Borno state alone was hosting 1.7 million IDPs. “Of the 1.7 million in Borno, 74% were displaced before 2021, illustrating how many IDPs have been dealing with the harsh realities of displacement settings for many years,” Open Doors stated. “A further 68% of IDPs have been displaced two or more times.” During an interview with Open Doors, Pastor Barnabas, who lives in an IDP camp in Nigeria’s Benue state said: “[Christian IDPs’] minds have been discouraged. And as a pastor in the camp, [who is also] displaced, I don’t have anything to give them.” “We only pray together and share the Word of God together. Our eyes are on [God]. … Our hope is [in] Him. We put our confidence [in] Him. We believe He is great. He will do it, more than we have expected,” Pastor Barnabas said. The post 16.2 Million Christians Displaced by Islamic Jihadist Violence in Sub-Saharan Africa, “Our Hope is in God” appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News ISLAMABAD (Worthy News) – A Pakistani court has sentenced Shagufta Kiran, a Christian mother of four, to death for “committing blasphemy against Islam,” a senior Christian advocacy activist told Worthy News Thursday. Wednesday’s ruling by the Islamabad Cyber Court highlighted broader concerns about the persecution of Christians in Muslim-majority Pakistan, suggested Farrukh H. Saif, the co-founder and director of the Emergency Committee to Save the Persecuted and Enslaved (ECSPE). “Alongside the death penalty, Shagufta was fined 300,000 Pakistani Rupees ($1,077) in yet another controversial case under Pakistan’s stringent blasphemy laws,” he told Worthy News. His group has closely followed the case and supports Christians facing what he views as trumped-up blasphemy charges. Shagufta Kiran was detained in July 2021 after being accused of forwarding a message through the social media messaging service WhatsApp that purportedly contained blasphemous content, Christians said. “The arrest occurred in the early hours of the morning, without a warrant, when armed agents from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) raided her home in Islamabad,” Pakistan’s capital, recalled Saif. “Alongside Shagufta, her two young sons, ages 10 and 12, were also taken into custody, though they were later released.” ALLEGED CRIMES The alleged crime dates back to September 2020, when Shagufta, a member of several interfaith WhatsApp groups, reportedly forwarded the controversial message. In comments shared with Worthy News, her husband, Rafique Masih, said, “Shagufta forwarded the message without reading it and had no malicious intent.” The exact text wasn’t shared with Worthy News, but Worthy News established that even mild criticism about Islam is often perceived as blasphemy. Yet, “despite this, she was charged under several sections of Pakistan’s Penal Code, including sections 295-A and 295-C, which pertain to insulting Islam and the Prophet Muhammad. The latter carries the death penalty, while the former is punishable by up to ten years in prison,” Saif said. Shagufta’s family had to flee Islamabad “due to death threats from extremist groups after her arrest, and she spent days in custody enduring interrogation before being transferred to Adiala Central Jail,” he told Worthy News. She is among several Christians and others languishing in jails in Pakistan on blasphemy charges. It was not immediately clear when and if she would appeal her sentence. If carried out, the Christian woman would face the a gallow as hanging is the only legal method of execution in Pakistan, Worthy News learned. “The case of Asia Bibi, another Christian woman who was sentenced to death in 2010 under similar charges, drew worldwide attention and condemnation. Asia was acquitted in 2018 after spending eight years on death row, but her case underscored the vulnerabilities faced by minorities under these laws,” Saif said. Shagufta Kiran’s sentence has sparked renewed calls for reforms. Critics argue that Pakistan’s blasphemy laws are draconian, “disproportionately target religious minorities, and have been weaponized in personal disputes.” Advocacy groups Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have condemned the laws as “inconsistent with fundamental human rights” and demand that Pakistan ensures fair trials and the protection of religious freedoms. The post Pakistan Sentences Christian Mother To Death For Blasphemy appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – Amid Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has reiterated that the kingdom would not recognize Israel without the establishment of a Palestinian state, the Times of Israel reports. The Crown Prince made his remarks during an annual speech to the advisory Shura Council on Wednesday (September 18). Official arch-enemies since the establishment of the Jewish state in 1948, Saudi Arabia and Israel have unofficially and tentatively drawn closer in recent years due to the mutual threat posed to them by Iran. Moreover, the United States holds out to Saudi Arabia the prospect of a highly coveted security package for the kingdom should it normalize relations with Israel. However, Saudi Arabia has contended that there must be an agreed path to a Palestinian state if it is to become the next Islamic country to join the Abraham Accords in normalizing diplomatic relations with the Jewish state. “We renew the kingdom’s rejection and strong condemnation of the crimes of the Israeli occupation authority against the Palestinian people,” the Crown Prince said Wednesday. “The kingdom will not stop its tireless work towards the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, and we affirm that the kingdom will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel without that,” the Crown Prince added. The post Saudi Arabia Will Not Recognize Israel Without Palestinian state, Crown Prince Says appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Taiwanese company Gold Apollo says that the pager model allegedly used by Hezbollah members that simultaneously exploded and killed numerous people, mainly in Lebanon, was made by its Hungarian partner. Gold Apollo has a “long-term partnership” with Budapest-based BAC Consulting KFT to use its trademark, and the model mentioned in media reports “is produced and sold by BAC,” the company said in a statement after reports that Gold Apollo pagers were involved in the blasts. The revelations are remarkable as Hungary’s government is pro-Israel. It has also used Israeli technology to spy on journalists and other perceived threats to the government, investigations revealed earlier. However, University College London (UCL) graduate Cristiana Barsony-Arcidiacono, the CEO of BAC Consultancy, said she was “just a link” in the supply chain and did not make the pagers. “I do not make the pagers. I am just the intermediary. I think you got it wrong,” she said. Yet questions remained about whether a Hungarian factory could have produced the products. The BAC Consulting in Budapest is a peach building on a residential street northeast of the city center. A person at the building, who asked not to be named, said BAC Consulting “was registered” at the address but did not have a physical presence there. MORE COMPANIES Several other companies were also listed as being registered at that address. BAC’s website, which remained inaccessible Thursday, previously said it was scaling up its business in Asia and aimed to “develop international technology co-operation among countries for the sale of telecommunication products.” According to records, BAC’s net turnover was 256,996,000 Hungarian Forint ($725,000) in 2022 and 210,307,000 Hungarian Forint ($593,000) in 2023. A company brochure published on LinkedIn lists eight organizations BAC claims to have worked with, including the European Commission and the UK Department for International Development (DfID). Yet a senior spokesperson for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has said the exploding pagers were “never” in Hungary. “Authorities have confirmed that the company in question is a trading intermediary, with no manufacturing or operational site in Hungary,” said Zoltán Kovács, the state secretary for international communication and international relations. At a dozen people were killed and nearly 3,000 wounded when pagers used by Hezbollah members detonated simultaneously across Lebanon on Tuesday, several sources said. Lebanese and American security suggested that explosives were planted in the devices planted by Israel’s Mossad spy agency. The post ‘Hungary Produced Pagers That Exploded And Killed Hezbollah Members’ (Worthy News Investigation) appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News NEW YORK JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Israel has condemned an adopted United Nations resolution demanding that all Israeli forces and civilians pull out of Palestinian areas within a year. The resolution also called for an embargo on arms that Israel might use in those areas. Israel’s Foreign Ministry described the move as“cynical international politics” that would encourage “terrorism and harm the chances for peace.” The resolution, accepted by the United Nations General Assembly in New York, called for Israel to “end without delay its unlawful presence” in “Occupied Palestinian Territory” within 12 months, including all soldiers and civilians. The resolution also welcomed a July ruling by the International Court of Justice that said Israel’s control of Palestinian territories and settlements is “illegal” and should be withdrawn. The advisory by the highest United Nations court, also known as the World Court, said this should be done “as rapidly as possible.” At the same time, the General Assembly resolution imposed a 12-month deadline. The U.N. called on states to “take steps towards ceasing the importation of any products originating in the Israeli settlements, as well as the provision or transfer of arms, munitions and related equipment to Israel… where there are reasonable grounds to suspect that they may be used in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.” However, “The Palestinian-led UN resolution, which calls for unilateral moves against Israel, will not end the conflict, but will embolden an already RADICALIZED Palestinian Authority,” the Israeli ministry added on social media platform X. “Peace can and will only be achieved through direct negotiations and the de-radicalization of the PA.” FIRST MOVE Wednesday’s resolution was one of the first moves by the Palestinian Authority (PA) since it gained a seat in the U.N. assembly and the right to initiate resolutions. The PA is based in the West Bank and claims to represent all Palestinians in the United Nations. Some 124 countries supported the measure, 14 opposed it, and 43 abstained. Israel, the United States, the Czech Republic, Argentina, and Pacific island nations were among those opposing the move. Paraguay and Malawi were also voting against the measure. Israel captured the West Bank, also known by its Biblical names Judaea and Samaria, as well as the Gaza Strip, the Sinai Peninsula, the Old City of Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights during the 1967 Six-Day War between Israel and a coalition of Arab countries, mainly Egypt, Syria, and Jordan. Israel maintains it needs several of those areas to prevent a similar war in the future. Wednesday’s United Nations resolution came days before world leaders travel to New York for their annual U.N. gathering. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was due to address the 193-member General Assembly on September 26, the same day that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will also do so. The resolution was adopted as Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza approaches its first anniversary and as violence in the West Bank reaches new highs. Troubled efforts to broker a cease-fire deal in Gaza are pressing ahead, with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meeting fellow mediators Wednesday in Egypt, even as attacks elsewhere in the region raise fears of a broader regional war in the Middle East. The post Israel Condemns UN Over Resolution appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News VIENNA/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Israel’s atomic chief has warned that Syria built an undeclared nuclear facility after Iran, which he said has “in alarming amounts conducting covert nuclear activities.” Moshe Edri, Director General of Israel’s Atomic Energy Commission, expressed concern about the ongoing nuclear activities of Syria and Iran, which have been in a “proxy war” with Israel for decades. At this week’s International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) conference in Vienna, Austria, Edri stressed that “Syria, which built an undeclared, clandestine nuclear reactor at Deir al-Zour, optimized for plutonium production, has been in non-compliance with its safeguards obligations for over a decade.” In comments monitored by Worthy News on Thursday and confirmed by at least two Jewish sources, he told the IAEA, the United Nations top nuclear watchdog, that “Syria has recently followed the footsteps of its close ally, Iran, and is pretending to cooperate in good faith with the [IAEA] Agency. [However, Syria is] not admitting the full facts, and not providing true answers to the Agency’s questions.” Edri urged the “international community” to “stand behind the IAEA with a goal towards receiving clear, full, explanations from Syria, once and for all.” Syria’s reported nuclear activities come despite IAEA Director Rafael Grossi visiting Syria in March for talks with Syrian leaders about the “peaceful uses of nuclear energy.” It was the first trip to Syria by an IAEA official since 2011, when international nuclear inspectors fled the country during the Syrian civil war. ISRAEL WARNING Edri also reiterated Israel’s warning that it won’t accept Syria’s ally Iran seeking to develop nuclear weapons despite Tehran’s claims its nuclear program is “peaceful.” In a message seemingly directed at Tehran, Edri clarified that a “nuclear-armed Iran equipped with delivery systems is not an option that Israel, or the world, can, or should tolerate.” Despite Israel’s concerns, “There is no doubt that Iran conducted a nuclear program aimed to produce several nuclear weapon devices,” the well-informed Edri added. “Iran continues to be the main source of regional instability and poses a threat to peace and security worldwide. This reality requires the full attention of the international community, now more than ever before,” he argued. “Despite repeated resolutions by the [IAEA] Board of Governors, Iran has continuously failed to provide technically credible explanations regarding these activities and continues to deceive the Agency and the international community.” His speech at the 68th General Conference of the IAEA also focused on the nuclear challenges faced by Israel, which is believed to have atomic weapons. He revealed that the Jewish nation’s nuclear facilities are targeted by its regional enemies. NATIONAL TASK “As the director general of the Israel Atomic Energy Commission, our national task is to guarantee the safety and security of our nuclear facilities. [They] are openly targeted by [Islamic groups] Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, even more so since October 7th” when Hamas attacked Israel, he explained. “Israel continues to demonstrate its responsible behavior in this regard and continues to take all necessary precautions to ensure that these facilities are operated according to the highest international safety and security standards to withstand these threats as required.” While Iran says its nuclear activities are peaceful, Tehran has suggested it could be “pushed” into building a nuclear weapon if Israel “threatens” its existence. “We have no decision to build a nuclear bomb, but should Iran’s existence be threatened, there will be no choice but to change our military doctrine,” said Kamal Kharrazi, an adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, recently. “In the case of an attack on our nuclear facilities by the Zionist regime, our deterrence will change,” he was reported as saying by Iran’s Student News Network. It is widely believed that Syria, like Iran, sought to develop nuclear weapons with help from North Korea, according to multiple sources with close knowledge of the situation. However, Syria’s plutonium production reactor was destroyed by the Israeli Air Force in 2007. Syria maintains it seeks to cooperate in destroying weapons of mass destruction, for instance, chemical weapons. Yet, Edri and other independent investigators suggest that Syria’s nuclear and chemical programs are ongoing, in part inspired by Iran, which actively seeks the destruction of Israel. The post Israel: ‘Syria Secretly Built Nuclear Facility’ In Iran’s Footsteps (Worthy News Investigation) appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News VIENNA/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Israel’s atomic chief has warned that Syria built an undeclared nuclear facility after Iran, which he said has “in alarming amounts conducting covert nuclear activities.” Moshe Edri, Director General of Israel’s Atomic Energy Commission, expressed concern about the ongoing nuclear activities of Syria and Iran, which have been in a “proxy war” with Israel for decades. At this week’s International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) conference in Vienna, Austria, Edri stressed that “Syria, which built an undeclared, clandestine nuclear reactor at Deir al-Zour, optimized for plutonium production, has been in non-compliance with its safeguards obligations for over a decade.” In comments monitored by Worthy News on Thursday and confirmed by at least two Jewish sources, he told the IAEA, the United Nations top nuclear watchdog, that “Syria has recently followed the footsteps of its close ally, Iran, and is pretending to cooperate in good faith with the [IAEA] Agency. [However, Syria is] not admitting the full facts, and not providing true answers to the Agency’s questions.” Edri urged the “international community” to “stand behind the IAEA with a goal towards receiving clear, full, explanations from Syria, once and for all.” Syria’s reported nuclear activities come despite IAEA Director Rafael Grossi visiting Syria in March for talks with Syrian leaders about the “peaceful uses of nuclear energy.” It was the first trip to Syria by an IAEA official since 2011, when international nuclear inspectors fled the country during the Syrian civil war. ISRAEL WARNING Edri also reiterated Israel’s warning that it won’t accept Syria’s ally Iran seeking to develop nuclear weapons despite Tehran’s claims its nuclear program is “peaceful.” In a message seemingly directed at Tehran, Edri clarified that a “nuclear-armed Iran equipped with delivery systems is not an option that Israel, or the world, can, or should tolerate.” Despite Israel’s concerns, “There is no doubt that Iran conducted a nuclear program aimed to produce several nuclear weapon devices,” the well-informed Edri added. “Iran continues to be the main source of regional instability and poses a threat to peace and security worldwide. This reality requires the full attention of the international community, now more than ever before,” he argued. “Despite repeated resolutions by the [IAEA] Board of Governors, Iran has continuously failed to provide technically credible explanations regarding these activities and continues to deceive the Agency and the international community.” His speech at the 68th General Conference of the IAEA also focused on the nuclear challenges faced by Israel, which is believed to have atomic weapons. He revealed that the Jewish nation’s nuclear facilities are targeted by its regional enemies. NATIONAL TASK “As the director general of the Israel Atomic Energy Commission, our national task is to guarantee the safety and security of our nuclear facilities. [They] are openly targeted by [Islamic groups] Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, even more so since October 7th” when Hamas attacked Israel, he explained. “Israel continues to demonstrate its responsible behavior in this regard and continues to take all necessary precautions to ensure that these facilities are operated according to the highest international safety and security standards to withstand these threats as required.” While Iran says its nuclear activities are peaceful, Tehran has suggested it could be “pushed” into building a nuclear weapon if Israel “threatens” its existence. “We have no decision to build a nuclear bomb, but should Iran’s existence be threatened, there will be no choice but to change our military doctrine,” said Kamal Kharrazi, an adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, recently. “In the case of an attack on our nuclear facilities by the Zionist regime, our deterrence will change,” he was reported as saying by Iran’s Student News Network. It is widely believed that Syria, like Iran, sought to develop nuclear weapons with help from North Korea, according to multiple sources with close knowledge of the situation. However, Syria’s plutonium production reactor was destroyed by the Israeli Air Force in 2007. Syria maintains it seeks to cooperate in destroying weapons of mass destruction, for instance, chemical weapons. Yet, Edri and other independent investigators suggest that Syria’s nuclear and chemical programs are ongoing, in part inspired by Iran, which actively seeks the destruction of Israel. The post Israel: ‘Syria Secretly Built Nuclear Facility’ In Iran’s Footsteps (Worthy News Investigation) appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News DAMASCUS/KYIV/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Ukraine is targeting Russian forces in Syria and Africa as part of efforts to pressure Moscow to redeploy resources from Ukraine, Worthy News learned Thursday. Several sources said Ukraine’s Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) special forces conducted an operation against a Russian military base in Syria last Sunday. The attack reportedly targeted a facility on the southeastern outskirts of Aleppo, where Russian forces were manufacturing and testing attack drones. The Kyiv Post newspaper shared footage of the operation, purportedly showing a HUR flag visible behind a berm near a garage used as a Russian-based storage facility. The video, allegedly recorded by an intelligence officer, captures an explosion at the Russian facility followed by the detonation of ammunition. There were no immediate reports of injuries. Earlier, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency developed plans to conduct covert attacks on Russian forces in Syria last year using secret Kurdish help, according to a leaked top-secret U.S. intelligence document. NEW BATTLEFIELD The introduction of a new battlefield — thousands of kilometers (miles) from the war in Ukraine — appeared designed to impose costs and casualties on Russia and its Wagner paramilitary group, which is active in Syria. That would compel Russia to redirect its military assets from Ukraine, which it invaded in February 2022, to strengthen its defenses in Syria. Ukrainian officers considered training Syrian Democratic Forces operatives to strike Russian targets with “unmanned aerial vehicle attacks,” commonly known as drones. Leading Ukraine’s charge to fight Russia “anywhere where Russians can be found” has been Major General Kyrylo Budanov, who oversees Ukrainian military intelligence operations. Budanov himself has taken secret missions to attack Russia in the occupied Crimean Peninsula after 2014 and helped kill a lieutenant general from Russia’s FSB security service, Ukrainian sources say. His HUR agency is separate from Ukraine’s domestic intelligence agency, much like the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), are different agencies in the United States. But both Ukrainian intelligence agencies have been responsible for numerous drone strikes inside Russia, several Ukrainian and Western officials say. CIA LINKS? The HUR agency is widely believed to have close ties to the CIA, which reportedly helped develop the top-secret Ukrainian intelligence organization after Russia’s first invasion in 2014. Since its inception, it has had the authority to collect intelligence outside Ukraine. Budanov’s initial unit was known for its daring missions behind enemy lines, and the CIA trained him himself, U.S. sources say. Budanov stated his intention in March 2024 to bring the fight to Russia and confirmed reports that Ukraine is fighting Russian mercenaries in Africa. “We conduct such operations aimed at reducing Russian military potential anywhere where it’s possible,” Budanov told reporters. “Why should Africa be an exception?” In Africa, Russia collaborated with Sudan’s military leadership to divert billions of dollars in gold, significantly depriving the citizens of Sudan of substantial state revenue, to help Russia circumvent Western sanctions, according to Western intelligence. In 2021, Russia backed a military coup that ousted the transitional civilian government of Sudan. Critics say the move undermined the pro-democracy movement that had successfully removed “long-time dictator Omar al-Bashir.” U.S. observers say Russia “exploited Sudan’s resources” and supported the coup to ensure continued access to these valuable assets. In 2023, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba promised to “free Africa from Russia’s grip” as he waged a diplomatic counter-offensive. MILITARY CAMPAIGN By August last year, Ukraine’s military intelligence “Timur” unit was reportedly conducting a military campaign to hunt Russian mercenaries in Sudan. Sergey Sukhankin, a senior fellow at the Jamestown Foundation, believes there “must have been an agreement” between Ukraine and its Western allies that provided military backing against Russia in the event Ukraine attacked Russian forces in Africa. In recent weeks, Kyiv has also been capturing territory in Russia. That has added to pressure on Moscow, which is now being forced to fight Ukrainian forces on multiple fronts, turning the war into an international armed conflict. The post Ukraine Hunting Russian Forces In Syria and Africa (Worthy News Investigation) appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – Following a stated aim of its leader Kim Jong Un to expand the country’s nuclear weapons program, North Korea was detected test-firing two ballistic missiles this week, the Associated Press reports. North Korea has intensified its weapons testing activities in the last two years in an apparent effort to expand its arsenal of nuclear missiles targeting the US and South Korea. Japan announced Wednesday that it had detected the North Korean launches and that the missiles apparently fell into the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, AP reports. “The launches come days after North Korea offered a rare view into a secretive facility built to enrich uranium for nuclear bombs in a significant show of defiance against the United States and as leader Kim Jong Un called for a rapid expansion of his nuclear weapons program,” AP noted in its report. “Analysts say North Korea could conduct a nuclear test explosion or long-range missile test ahead of the US presidential election in November with the intent of influencing the outcome and increasing its leverage in future dealings with the new U.S. administration,” AP added. This week’s launches followed a round of ballistic tests that North Korea conducted last week, AP said. The post North Korea Test-Fires Two Ballistic Missiles Amid Intensified Weapons Testing Activity appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Casey Harper | The Center Square (Worthy News) – The U.S. Federal Reserve Board on Wednesday announced a slight cut to the federal funds rate, the first cut since March of 2020, when rates were near 0%. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell pointed to good data on the job market like unemployment, labor force participation and fewer job vacancies. “They say this is still a solid labor market,” Powell said, referring to the data points. “Because we have been patient and held our fire as inflation has come down, I think we are in a very good position…” The Fed announced a cut of 50 basis points, or half a percentage point, as economists and the market closely watched the news, making the new federal funds range 4.75-5%. “Recent indicators suggest that economic activity has continued to expand at a solid pace,” the board said in a statement. “Job gains have slowed, and the unemployment rate has moved up but remains low. Inflation has made further progress toward the Committee’s 2 percent objective but remains somewhat elevated.” News of the rate cut had the Dow Jones Industrial Average up by 300 points shortly after. The rate cut has been anticipated and was expected by many experts after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said at last month’s Jackson Hole Economic Symposium that it was time to “adjust” policy. The Fed’s mission is to balance economic growth with lower inflation using federal fund rates. Raising rates comes with the intention of lowering inflation, which hit a breakneck pace earlier in the Biden administration. “The Committee seeks to achieve maximum employment and inflation at the rate of 2% over the longer run,” the Fed said. “The Committee has gained greater confidence that inflation is moving sustainably toward 2%, and judges that the risks to achieving its employment and inflation goals are roughly in balance. The economic outlook is uncertain, and the Committee is attentive to the risks to both sides of its dual mandate.” Prices have risen more than 20% since Biden and Harris took office. Inflation has since slowed this year, although the prices themselves have not returned to their lower levels. The federal government recently announced that it had significantly overestimated the number of jobs created last year. Despite this, the Fed felt the economy was strong enough to sustain the cut. Since the Fed raised rates, mortgage rates have soared. They could begin to drop with Wednesday’s news. Notably, Powell said the influx across the border has caused a rise in unemployment. The next Federal Reserve meeting is scheduled for Nov. 6-7. “Of course we are going to look at the totality of the data as we make these decisions meeting by meeting,” Powell said at a news conference Wednesday. Whether another rate cut is coming remains unclear. Powell said that will depend on upcoming jobs and inflation data. “In considering additional adjustments to the target range for the federal funds rate, the Committee will carefully assess incoming data, the evolving outlook, and the balance of risks,” the Fed said. “The Committee will continue reducing its holdings of Treasury securities and agency debt and agency mortgage‑backed securities. The Committee is strongly committed to supporting maximum employment and returning inflation to its 2 percent objective.” Reprinted with permission from The Center Square. The post Fed Announces Cut to Federal Interest Rate, Driving Stocks Up appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Shirleen Guerra | The Center Square (Worthy News) – A federal government shutdown still looms after the U.S. House failed to pass a stopgap measure before the fiscal year ends on Sept. 30. The six-month continuing resolution fell short by a vote of 202-220 after 14 Republicans and three Democrats defected across party lines over a controversial decision to tie voter ID provisions in the SAVE Act to the temporary spending plan. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., buoyed by comments from former President Donald Trump, said linking the two issues delivers “what the overwhelming majority of the people of this country rightfully demand and deserve — prevent non-American citizens from voting in American elections.” While it’s already illegal for noncitizens to vote in elections, Johnson made no apologies for the decision to combine the two, stating, “Congress has an immediate obligation to do two things: responsibly fund the federal government and ensure the security of our elections.” Specifically, the provision would require states to verify citizenship when registering voters. While many lawmakers believe uniting the two issues is necessary amid a heated and narrowly divided electorate, others see it as a political stunt. “America is tired of the constant Trump-driven chaos,” Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wa, posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Speaker Johnson needs to stop listening to the loudest voices on the furthest right, end these theatrics, stop steering toward a shutdown, and work with us to chart a bipartisan course forward. The clock is ticking,” With the latest deal scrapped, it’s unclear what direction negotiations will take as the Oct. 1 shutdown deadline nears. Reprinted with permission from The Center Square. The post Government Shutdown Still on After Failed House Vote appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

Friend, follow through! Luke 24:49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high. Knowing He was about to depart, Yeshua (Jesus) left His disciples with a final command: stay in Jerusalem, and wait...for the promise. Of the thousands who had witnessed His miraculous ministry and heard His amazing teaching and the hundreds that had actually seen Him after the resurrection, we read in Acts that only 120 stayed and tarried until the promise arrived. But these 120 were steadfast. They waited the full term... What would have happened if they had left after the 4th day? Or the 6th day? Or the 9th day? They would have missed the promise and the amazing blessing that came with it. But those 120 believers stayed - they stayed and pressed in until the Holy Spirit came! Friend, do you want the fullness of the Spirit in your life? Continue pressing in. Wait with relentless faith and patience. Perseverance is often the critical factor in receiving the promises of God. Our Lord will fulfill every good promise in His perfect time. Your family in the Lord with much agape love, George, Baht Rivka, Obadiah and Elianna (Missouri) (Baltimore, Maryland) 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 now booking in the following states. Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida! If you know Rabbis, Pastors or Leaders who might be interested in 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 North Korea Test-Fires Two Ballistic Missiles Amid Intensified Weapons Testing Activity Following a stated aim of its leader Kim Jong Un to expand the country’s nuclear weapons program, North Korea was detected test-firing two ballistic missiles this week, the Associated Press reports. North Korea has intensified its weapons testing activities in the last two years in an apparent effort to expand its arsenal of nuclear missiles targeting the US and South Korea. Israeli Atomic Commissioner: The World Must Not Allow a Nuclear-armed Iran Emphasizing that Iran is the primary source of conflict in the Middle East, Israel’s chief atomic energy commissioner warned this week that Israel cannot “tolerate” a nuclear-armed Iranian Islamic regime, Ynet News reports. Dozens Feared Dead As Flooding Ravages Central, East Europe (Worthy News Radio) Authorities in Central and Eastern Europe say intense flooding that has swept parts of Central and Eastern Europe, including Austria, Poland, Romania, and the Czech Republic, has killed at least 22 people. Russia’s Plans Expansion of Army to Reach 1.5 Million Active Duty Troops In the third year of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, and having sustained heavy losses, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered the size of his army to be increased by 180,000 troops to 1.5 million active servicemen, Reuters reports. Israel-Palestinian Conflict Several Killed, Hundreds Injured As New Explosions Hit Hezbollah Walkie-Talkies At least nine people have been killed and some 500 wounded in Lebanon in explosions targeting walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah, deemed a terrorist organization by Israel, Israeli and Lebanese sources said Wednesday. Israel Moves Elite IDF Fighting Battalion From Gaza to Lebanon Border Amid increasingly high tensions between Israel and the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon, the Israeli military has announced it moved the 98th Paratroopers Division, an elite fighting battalion, from the Southern Command operating against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to the Northern Command along Israel’s border with Lebanon to face Hezbollah. Inside the United States Fed Announces Cut to Federal Interest Rate, Driving Stocks Up The U.S. Federal Reserve Board on Wednesday announced a slight cut to the federal funds rate, the first cut since March of 2020, when rates were near 0%. Government Shutdown Still on After Failed House Vote A federal government shutdown still looms after the U.S. House failed to pass a stopgap measure before the fiscal year ends on Sept. 30. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News BEIRUT/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – At least nine people have been killed and some 500 wounded in Lebanon in explosions targeting walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah, deemed a terrorist organization by Israel, Israeli and Lebanese sources said Wednesday. Wednesday’s blasts follow wide-ranging attacks on Tuesday in which pagers used mainly by Hezbollah members exploded, injuring over 2,800 and killing 12. The Lebanese Health Ministry said in a statement earlier Wednesday that 14 people died and over 450 were wounded in the attack on walkie-talkies. Explosions occurred in the southern suburbs of Beirut and Nabatieh, Tyre, and Saida in south Lebanon. A source in Hezbollah confirmed that walkie-talkies used by the group were being targeted. Iran’s feared Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Wednesday denied a report that a massive wave of pager explosions the day before in Lebanon had also killed 19 of its members in Syria. Saudi Arabian outlet Al-Hadath had made the claim, saying the deaths occurred in the Deir Ezzor region in eastern Syria and that a further 150 IRGC members were injured. The discrepancy in information could not be reconciled immediately. Yet Lebanese security sources said those targeted in Wednesday’s attacks primarily sustained wounds to the stomach and hands. CIVIL DEFENSE The Lebanese Civil Defense later said it was operating to extinguish fires that had broken out following the explosions in some 60 shops and homes, 15 vehicles, motorcycles, and two fingerprint devices. It added that ambulances were transferring the wounded to hospitals throughout the country. Initial reports said initial “networked devices“ explosions emerged from Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and throughout Lebanon. The explosions occurred at and in parallel to the funeral of four Hezbollah members in Lebanon, Israeli sources said. The funeral was live-streamed on social media platform X but ended abruptly. Unofficial reports claimed that iPhones, video cameras, IC-V82 radios, and other devices also detonated. Hezbollah has reportedly told its operatives to distance itself from communication devices. LITHIUM BATTERY Unofficial reports also claimed that Hezbollah told its members to dispose of devices containing a lithium battery or that are connected to the internet. Well-informed sources said several lithium batteries used for solar energy storage detonated, causing some houses to catch on fire. However, senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine warned Israel that the armed group was in a “new phase” and a “punishment is certainly coming.” Worthy News learned that the hand-held radios that exploded Wednesday were bought by Hezbollah five months ago at the same time as the pagers. Lebanese state media claimed that drones and aircraft were seen flying above western and central Lebanon during the explosions. U.S. sources say Israeli intelligence services, including the Mossad and Israel Defense Forces agents, were involved in the operation. Explosions occurred in the southern suburbs of Beirut and the cities of Nabatieh, Tyre, and Saida in south Lebanon. A source in Hezbollah confirmed that walkie-talkies used by the group were being targeted. Hezbollah urged its fighters not to carry communications equipment connected to the internet. The explosions seemed part of a pledge by Israel to neutralize the group after they fired a barrage of rockets into Israel, forcing thousands to flee their homes. The post Several Killed, Hundreds Injured As New Explosions Hit Hezbollah Walkie-Talkies appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – Emphasizing that Iran is the primary source of conflict in the Middle East, Israel’s chief atomic energy commissioner warned this week that Israel cannot “tolerate” a nuclear-armed Iranian Islamic regime, Ynet News reports. In an address to the 68th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria on Tuesday, Israel’s Atomic Energy Commission Director-General Moshe Edri said: ” A nuclear-armed Iran, equipped with delivery systems, is not an option that Israel, or the world, can, or should tolerate. Iran continues to be the main source of regional instability and poses a threat to peace and security worldwide.” “Iran has been conducting covert nuclear activities in undeclared sites for many years. The Agency has found concrete evidence of these activities, including the use of undeclared nuclear material and equipment,” Edri explained. Reminding the IAEA assembly that the international community has been unable to hold Iran accountable, Edri said: “Despite repeated resolutions by the Board of Governors, Iran has continuously failed to provide technically credible explanations regarding these activities and continues to deceive the Agency and the international community.” “As the Director General of the Israel Atomic Energy Commission, our national task is to guarantee the safety and security of our nuclear facilities that are openly targeted by Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, even more so since October 7th. Israel continues to demonstrate its responsible behavior in this regard, and continues to take all necessary precautions to ensure that these facilities are operated according to the highest international safety and security standards to withstand these threats as required,” Edri concluded. The post Israeli Atomic Commissioner: The World Must Not Allow a Nuclear-armed Iran appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Authorities in Central and Eastern Europe say intense flooding that has swept parts of Central and Eastern Europe, including Austria, Poland, Romania, and the Czech Republic, has killed at least 22 people. https://www.worthynews.com/wordpressimages/2024/09/WorthyNewsRadioSep18.mp3 Residents also brace for more devastation in other nations, including Slovakia and Hungary, prompting Pope France to pray for those suffering in the ongoing flooding, the aftermath of Storm Boris. Volunteers and emergency workers race to secure river banks in Poland’s southwest, including in the historic city of Wroclaw and other areas. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk says authorities will do all they can to save lives. I have convened this government session first of all to adopt as soon as possible the decision to introduce the state of natural disaster,” he told reporters. “We will use it only when there is a real direct threat to human life. We will use this legal provision, the order to evacuate,” Tusk added. Yet several people have already drowned here. REBUILDING LIVES Others will have to rebuild their shattered lives. Shop manager Ewelina Koremba is among those suffering. “My family had this shop since 60 years. First my grandmother had this, then my dad, and now since 15 years me,” the tearful hound woman said. “And yesterday, I lost everything. Sorry,” she added, sobbing. Besides Poland, torrential rainfall and surging water levels over the weekend have also collapsed bridges and damaged houses in other nations, including Austria, Romania, and the Czech Republic, countries specifically mentioned by Pope Francis in his call for prayers for the flood victims. Other nations, such as Hungary, are now bracing for more floods, as the large Danube River is rapidly rising along with other rivers. Budapest, Hungary’s capital, and other areas are experiencing what officials describe as “the worst flooding in more than a decade. “ The post Dozens Feared Dead As Flooding Ravages Central, East Europe (Worthy News Radio) appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Authorities in Central and Eastern Europe say intense flooding that has swept parts of Central and Eastern Europe, including Austria, Poland, Romania, and the Czech Republic, has killed at least 22 people. https://www.worthynews.com/wordpressimages/2024/09/WorthyNewsRadioSep18.mp3 Residents also brace for more devastation in other nations, including Slovakia and Hungary, prompting Pope France to pray for those suffering in the ongoing flooding, the aftermath of Storm Boris. Volunteers and emergency workers race to secure river banks in Poland’s southwest, including in the historic city of Wroclaw and other areas. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk says authorities will do all they can to save lives. I have convened this government session first of all to adopt as soon as possible the decision to introduce the state of natural disaster,” he told reporters. “We will use it only when there is a real direct threat to human life. We will use this legal provision, the order to evacuate,” Tusk added. Yet several people have already drowned here. REBUILDING LIVES Others will have to rebuild their shattered lives. Shop manager Ewelina Koremba is among those suffering. “My family had this shop since 60 years. First my grandmother had this, then my dad, and now since 15 years me,” the tearful hound woman said. “And yesterday, I lost everything. Sorry,” she added, sobbing. Besides Poland, torrential rainfall and surging water levels over the weekend have also collapsed bridges and damaged houses in other nations, including Austria, Romania, and the Czech Republic, countries specifically mentioned by Pope Francis in his call for prayers for the flood victims. Other nations, such as Hungary, are now bracing for more floods, as the large Danube River is rapidly rising along with other rivers. Budapest, Hungary’s capital, and other areas are experiencing what officials describe as “the worst flooding in more than a decade. “ The post Dozens Feared Dead As Flooding Ravages Central, East Europe (Worthy News Radio) appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – Amid increasingly high tensions between Israel and the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon, the Israeli military has announced it moved the 98th Paratroopers Division, an elite fighting battalion, from the Southern Command operating against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to the Northern Command along Israel’s border with Lebanon to face Hezbollah. A reserve-service infantry division in the Israeli army, the 98th Paratroopers Division with approximately 10,000 to 20,000 troops was withdrawn from southern Gaza’s Khan Younis in late August, the Times of Israel reports. In a statement, the military correspondent of the Israeli army radio station, Doron Kadosh said the division had been scheduled “to continue fighting in the Gaza Strip, but on the last day it was decided to divert it to the north.” Hezbollah joined Hamas’ war against Israel following the October 7 attack, citing solidarity with the Palestinians. Supported by Iran like Hamas, Hezbollah has fired thousands of missiles at northern Israeli towns, causing civilian casualties and the evacuation of some 60,000 people. Hezbollah have said they will continue their attacks until Israel stops the war in Gaza – something the Israeli government says will not happen until it gains “total victory” over Hamas. The post Israel Moves Elite IDF Fighting Battalion From Gaza to Lebanon Border appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – In the third year of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, and having sustained heavy losses, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered the size of his army to be increased by 180,000 troops to 1.5 million active servicemen, Reuters reports. The move would give Russia a larger army than those of India and the United States, making it the second largest in the world after China’s, Reuters reports. According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) military think tank, China has just over 2 million active duty servicemen. The latest expansion would be the third time Putin has increased the Russian army since invading Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Reuters notes. In what has been described as a “stunning cost,” Russia suffered the reported killing or wounding of 100,000 troops between December and April this year alone, NBC News said on May 2. Andrei Kartapolov, chairman of Russia’s lower house of parliament’s defence committee, said in statement that the increase in troops was part of a plan for Russia’s army to match that of its “former foreign partners,” Reuters reports. “For example, we now need to form new structures and military units to ensure security in the north-west (of Russia) since Finland, with which we border, has joined the NATO bloc,” Kartapolov told Parlamentskaya Gazeta, the Russian parliament’s in-house newspaper. “And in order to carry out this process, we need to increase the number of troops.” The post Russia’s Plans Expansion of Army to Reach 1.5 Million Active Duty Troops appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Brett Rowland | The Center Square (Worthy News) – Ryan Wesley Routh, the 58-year-old man accused of trying to assassinate former President Donald Trump during a round of golf on Sunday, was camped out on the golf course with a rifle and a bag of food for nearly 12 hours before being spotted. Routh, who is registered to vote in both Hawaii and North Carolina, faces federal charges of possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Routh worked as a builder in a suburb of Honolulu. On top of the federal gun charges, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday the state has the jurisdiction to prosecute Routh for attempted murder. If convicted on that charge, Routh could face life in prison. Long before Trump decided to play golf at his club in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Sunday, Routh was camped by the fence along Summit Boulevard, a busy roadway by Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach. A U.S. Secret Service agent, who was a hole or two ahead of Trump walking the perimeter, spotted a rifle sticking out from the tree line. The agent fired in the direction of the rifle before a witness told authorities Routh sped away in a Nissan sport utility vehicle. Routh’s cell phone records indicated he had been camped out from 1:59 a.m. to 1:31 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 15, according to a criminal complaint filed in the federal case. Investigators found an SKS-style rifle with a scope and an unreadable serial number, a backpack, a bag of food and a GoPro camera. Authorities quickly caught Routh on I-95. It wasn’t his first time being arrested. Greensboro Police had arrested Routh for possession of a weapon of mass destruction on Dec. 16, 2002, according to records from the Guilford District Court in North Carolina. Routh, then 36, had a fully automatic machine gun during a three-hour standoff with police after a vehicle stop, according to a report from the Greensboro News & Record. That felony conviction made it illegal for Routh to own a firearm. In 2010, he served a suspended sentence for possession of stolen goods, according to records from the North Carolina Department Of Adult Correction. Online, Routh portrayed himself as an international freedom fighter who voted for Trump in 2016 before writing a self-published book in 2023 urging Iran to assassinate Trump. He told news media he spent months in Ukraine working to bring foreign fighters in from Afghanistan. It’s not clear if he ever got anyone to sign up for that plan. Routh was active for a time on Twitter, the social media company now known as X. In 2020, he posted that he voted for Trump in 2016, but was disappointed. “@realDonaldTrump While you were my choice in 2106, I and the world hoped that president Trump would be different and better than the candidate, but we all were greatly disappointment and it seems you are getting worse and devolving;” he wrote, “are you retarded; I will be glad when you gone.” In his 2023 book, “Ukraine’s Unwinnable War,” Routh wrote that Iran was free “to assassinate Trump.” The book said Trump’s decision to leave the Iran nuclear deal was a “tremendous blunder.” Routh referred to Trump as a “buffoon” and a “fool” for the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol. In a brief interview with CNN, Oran Routh, the suspect’s son, called his father “loving and caring” and an “honest, hardworking man,” the outlet reported. “Ryan is my father, and I don’t have any comment beyond a character profile of him as a loving and caring father, and honest, hardworking man. I don’t know what’s happened in Florida, and I hope things have just been blown out of proportion, because from the little I’ve heard, it doesn’t sound like the man I know to do anything crazy, much less violent. He’s a good father, and a great man, and I hope you can portray him in an honest light,” Oran Routh said on Sunday. One of Routh’s neighbors in the Honolulu suburb of Kaaawa said he was “a very good neighbor” while another called him a “creep,” KITV4 Island News reported. Reprinted with permission from The Center Square. The post Suspected Trump Assassin Left Long Trail in Court Records, Online appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributor (Worthy News) – More than 2.75 million foreign nationals have illegally crossed the U.S. border so far this fiscal year. That total represents nationwide encounters and apprehensions at ports of entry and between ports of entry, including at the northern and southwest borders. Combined, they total 2,756,646 after U.S. Customs and Border Protection released August data. The federal government’s fiscal year runs from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30. When including additional data related to illegal border crossers, the total skyrockets. In August, there were nearly 159,000 illegal border crossers reported nationwide, slightly more than half of those reported in August 2023, according to data cited in a CBP “nationwide encounters” chart. Troy Miller, a senior official performing the duties of the CBP commissioner, said the total represents a decrease from last month and last year primarily because of a presidential executive order issued in June that decreased encounters between ports of entry by more than 50%. In the below chart, CBP reports that there were 107,503 illegal border crossers at the southwest border in August, excluding those who evaded capture. The number is actually higher, according to a statement by Miller: 58,000 were apprehended between ports of entry and 63,000 arrived at ports of entry at the southwest border without having made a CBP One mobile app appointment. This brings the total to 121,000. Another 44,700 arrived having made appointments through the app, he said, bringing the total to 165,700. Notably, according to CBP data, northern border encounters and apprehensions set records in August, bringing this fiscal year’s total to 181,814. Once September data is reported, it likely will surpass last year’s 189,402 to be the highest in U.S. history of illegal crossings through the northern border. The majority illegally entering or attempting illegal entry nationwide are single adults, according to the data. When it comes to fiscal year data, the totals also increase. Miller notes that from January 2023 through the end of August 2024, roughly 813,000 inadmissible foreign nationals used the CBP One app to arrive at ports of entry. Those processed “subsequent to arrival for their appointment are Venezuelan, Cuban, and Mexican,” he said. Additionally, through the end of August 2024, nearly 530,000 inadmissible Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans were granted parole through a CHNV parole program created by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas identified by congressional Republicans, state attorneys general who sued, federal judges and former CBP chiefs as illegal, circumventing federal law established by Congress. They include 110,000 Cubans, more than 210,000 Haitians, nearly 93,000 Nicaraguans, and nearly 117,000 Venezuelans—all released into the country who otherwise under current law would be prohibited from entry. Their papers state “inadmissible,” the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security notes, which according to federal law means they are unlawfully present in the country and should be processed for removal, not entry into the U.S. Miller notes that by implementing the “these safe, orderly and lawful processes,” illegal entries were simply transferred from between ports of entry to ports of entry. This means that the illegal border crosser totals for fiscal 2023 and 2024 are significantly higher than the encounters CBP is reporting because they aren’t included in that count. These totals also appear to exclude foreign nationals released through roughly a dozen newly created parole programs to “access lawful pathways,” which Republican members of Congress argue are illegal. They include expanding entry to citizens of Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, extending temporary protective status and so-called “family unification” protective status, and expanding entry to minors from Central America and their extended family members, among others, The Center Square reported. Despite claims by the Biden-Harris administration that everyone being processed into the U.S. is being vetted, multiple DHS inspector general reports and Border Patrol officials have said this is not the case. Despite the claim by the administration that the parole programs are lawful and only noncriminals are being admitted, criminals are being released into the country and vetting isn’t happening, The Center Square reported. Under the Biden-Harris administration the baseline number of illegal border crossers has surpassed more than 12.5 million since fiscal 2021, first reported by The Center Square. When factoring in the multiple parole programs used to facilitate illegal entry, the number is significantly higher. Reprinted with permission from The Center Square. The post With August CBP Data, Illegal Border Crossers Top 2.75 Million This Year appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News BEIRUT/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – At least nine people were killed and about 2,750 wounded by exploding handheld pagers across Lebanon and Syria the Lebanese health minister has said. Firass Abiad said that an eight-year-old girl was among those killed and that more than 200 people are in critical condition after the communication devices exploded on Tuesday, with injuries mainly reported to the face, hands, and stomach. Lebanon’s Hezbollah blamed Israel for the spree of pager blasts, saying it will get “its fair punishment,” according to a statement released by the Iran-backed group, which has been exchanging almost daily cross-border fire with Israel for nearly a year. U.S. sources also said Israel was behind the attack on the Taiwan-made pagers. On Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the only way to return Israel’s northern residents was through “military action” during a meeting with U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein. The events come hours after Israel’s security cabinet made the safe return of 60,000 residents displaced in the north by Hezbollah attacks an official war goal. “The possibility for an agreement is running out as Hezbollah continues to ‘tie itself’ to Hamas and refuses to end the conflict,” a statement from his office said. “The security cabinet has updated the objectives of the war to include the following: Returning the residents of the north securely to their homes,” the prime minister’s office said. “Israel will continue to act to implement this objective.” ESCALATING TENSIONS Those tensions escalated Tuesday with witnesses seeing known Hezbollah members bleeding. Hezbollah legislator Ali Ammar, whose son Mahdi was reportedly killed Tuesday in the pager explosion in Lebanon, said: “This is a new Israeli aggression against Lebanon. The resistance will retaliate in a suitable way at a suitable time.” The sons of two other senior officials were wounded, Hezbollah said. Sources said they are the son of Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah and the son of senior security official Wafiq Safa. With tensions increasing, the European Union foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, urged for more pressure on Israel and Hamas for a ceasefire in Gaza, warning that every day that passes without a deal risks the lives of hostages and civilians – as well as a regional war breaking out. “The only thing I can say is that all actors involved have to continue putting pressure on both parties to reach this agreement,” Borrell told journalists in Dubai on Tuesday. “Every day that the agreement is not being reached, it means more hostages will be retained, and more people will be killed. So it’s not a matter of waiting for tomorrow. Tomorrow is already too late.” MANY KILLED The EU diplomat was speaking just after news broke from Lebanon of at least nine people killed and nearly 2,800 others wounded by the pager explosions across the country. Borrell said he would seek more information from Beirut but acknowledged it could escalate the already-boiling tensions in the region: Indeed, there is the possibility of the war spilling over to Lebanon. Lebanon’s state news agency said there were blasts in the southern suburbs of Beirut and several other areas. Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV network also said many pagers had exploded without identifying those hurt. Footage showed wounded men sitting or lying on floors and others being rushed to hospitals. There were also pictures of blasts in shops. Hezbollah said it constituted the “biggest security breach yet” since hostilities with Israel escalated 11 months ago in parallel with the Gaza war. That war was triggered by Hezbollah’s ally Hamas attacking Israel on October 7, killing some 1,200 people and kidnapping about 250 others The post Nine Killed, Nearly 3,000 Injured As Hezbollah Pagers Explode appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

Friend, be a servant to all! Matthew 23:11-12 But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. If you were to visit Paris, you could see the statues of two men, both named Louis. The first is of Louis XIV, France's absolute monarch. He represents one of the supreme achievements of greatness through power. His philosophy of life was that the whole nation and the world, should serve him. A few blocks away is another statue. There is no uniform on this figure carved in stone, no badge of office, no sword, no crown. It is a memorial to Louis Pasteur, a man whose life was unselfishly devoted to the research of immunization and disease prevention. The statue of the monarch, Louis XIV, is nothing more than a piece of sculpture--who even remembers what he did? But the statue of Louis Pasteur has become a place where pilgrims throughout all the world pay grateful homage for his great work; and every time we drink a glass of milk, we remember his name. That milk we're drinking has more than likely gone through a process called pasteurization, named after Pasteur's research. It is the uncrowned servant of mankind who wears the real crown of men's love and honor. Friend, let's ask the Lord to help us become more humble and available to serve to both Him and others. It is then that we will wear the true crown of glory! Your family in the Lord with much agape love, George, Baht Rivka, Obadiah and Elianna (Missouri) (Baltimore, Maryland) 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 now booking in the following states. Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida! If you know Rabbis, Pastors or Leaders who might be interested in 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 “All Religions are a Path to God,” Pope Francis Tells Young People Pope Francis has come under fire from US Christian leaders after telling a group of young people in Singapore last week that "all religions are a path to God," the Christian Post (CP) reports. The pontiff made his statement while addressing an interreligious meeting at a Catholic junior college last week, at the end of an 11-day visit to Asia, CP reports. China: Shanghai Hit With Most Powerful Typhoon in 75 Years The city of Shanghai in China on Monday was struck by the most powerful typhoon it has experienced since 1949, with hundreds of thousands of people having had to evacuate their homes, the Associated Press reports. Israel-Palestinian Conflict Nine Killed, Nearly 3,000 Injured As Hezbollah Pagers Explode At least nine people were killed and about 2,750 wounded by exploding handheld pagers across Lebanon and Syria the Lebanese health minister has said. ‘Hundreds of Hezbollah Members Injured After Handheld Pagers Explode’ At least hundreds of members of Hezbollah have been injured in southern Lebanon and the Lebanese capital, Beirut, after the handheld pagers they used to communicate exploded, Israeli and Arab sources say. Netanyahu: All-out War With Hezbollah May Be Necessary to Secure Return of Northern Israeli Evacuees While still fighting Hamas in Gaza, Israel has told the United States that, contrary to what the Biden administration believes, an all-out war against Hezbollah in Lebanon may be necessary to ensure tens of thousands of Israelis evacuated from northern Israel can return to their homes, the Jerusalem Post reports. Inside the United States Suspected Trump Assassin Left Long Trail in Court Records, Online Ryan Wesley Routh, the 58-year-old man accused of trying to assassinate former President Donald Trump during a round of golf on Sunday, was camped out on the golf course with a rifle and a bag of food for nearly 12 hours before being spotted. With August CBP Data, Illegal Border Crossers Top 2.75 Million This Year More than 2.75 million foreign nationals have illegally crossed the U.S. border so far this fiscal year. Border Patrol Officials: Violent Criminals Being Released Into US Aren’t Being Vetted Border Patrol officials say foreign nationals who illegally cross the border aren’t being vetted prior to being released into the country. Christian News Nigeria ‘Bandits’ Attack Churches Killing 3; Dozens Abducted Dozens of Christians remained missing Tuesday after armed persons attacked churches in Nigeria’s northwest Kaduna state, killing at least three people while abducting a pastor and some 30 worshippers, Christians said. View the full article