Shalom from the mountains of the tribe of Judah! I’m here with my family enjoying some time together away from our home near Galilee where our lives are constantly being interrupted by sirens telling us to hide in our bomb shelters. Truly, it can get wearying sometimes. But it is Rosh Hashanah, the beginning of a new year, and we are very ready to begin what we anticipate being a much better tour around the sun. If you want to find out more about Rosh Hashanah, I’ve just recorded a new video at CONNECT that explains its history and its future significance. Check out “The True Meaning of Rosh Hashanah” for the full story.
When I posted last week’s newsletter, I remember thinking, “Surely next week will be a little calmer.” That’s what I get for forgetting that I’m living in the Middle East. The ground battle had already started last Thursday and the IDF was getting ready to cross the border into Lebanon. Hassan Nasrallah and his minions at Hezbollah were firing off rockets like they were on a clearance sale and making all sorts of threats.
Then came Friday, and everything quite literally blew up! The United Nations was meeting in New York, and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to go to America to address that august body. Why waste time flying halfway across the world to talk to a bunch of sanctimonious politicians who will likely just walk out as soon as you start speaking? Keep reading; it’s quite possible that his departure was actually a coordinated distraction.
With Netanyahu gone, Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary-general of Hezbollah, held a meeting in his secret bunker located under a residential building in the Dahieh suburub of Beirut. Included in this gathering were many of Hezbollah’s leaders, as well as an Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) general. What was this its purpose? It was to hear via the Iranian general a special message from Iran’s supreme leader warning Nasrallah that Israel was preparing to kill him. The only hope the Hezbollah leader had was to hide in Iran. Whether or not the IRGC general had a chance to deliver this accurate warning, we’ll never know. Not long after Netanyahu stepped down from the podium at the UN, Israeli Air Force (IAF) F-15I fighter jets were racing into the skies above Beirut. When the planes reached Nasrallah’s hideout, they dropped their cargo – more than 80 bombs, including at least 15 one-ton bunker busters.
It was a fitting end for Nasrallah, a man with the blood of many Israelis and Americans on his hands. The secretary-general of Hezbollah wasn’t the only one to die. All of his commanders that he had brought in died with him. One major loss was Ali Karaki, the commander of Hezbollah’s Southern Front, who was killed in the operation. Also eliminated was the IRGC general with the Supreme Leader’s message, Abbas Nilforoushan, deputy commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and commander of Quds Force in Lebanon. In one incredible airstrike, the head of the monster was destroyed, along with its neck, shoulders, and upper torso. On Saturday, Hashem Safieddine, a cousin of Nasrallah, was named the new secretary-general of the battered terrorist organization. I’m guessing that’s what they call a “temp job”.
Even with Nasrallah gone, there is still enough left of Hezbollah to put up a fight. Rockets continue to fly over the border. Most are intercepted, but some reach the ground. So far in the most recent fighting, no human Israeli has been killed by a Hezbollah rocket. Some chickens, cows, and a horse haven’t been so lucky. Because the terrorists refuse to lay down their arms, Israel’s Operation Northern Arrows continues. Fighter jets are decimating weapons caches in Lebanon and Syria. Ground forces are tracking down and blowing up southern Lebanon’s tunnel system.
Even before the IDF moved across the border and into the towns, they revealed evidence they had found of just how heinous the original plan to attack Israel had been. As I’ve said many times before, this was supposed to be a simultaneous attack involving all of Iran’s proxies – Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and the other Syrian and Iraqi proxy militias. Of these attack forces, none was stronger or better trained than Hezbollah. For years, they had prepared their Radwan force for an invasion into Israel. They were fully ready to invade, brutalize, rape, torture, and murder like Hamas did, but they would do it with an organized plan and much better weapons. They had maps for Jewish towns, layouts for military sites, and strategies all prepared. But then Yahya Sinwar of Hamas couldn’t wait any long, and he launched early, which was truly a miraculous intervention by God. Now, instead of Hezbollah carrying out their well-planned invasion of Israel from Lebanon, Israel is invading Lebanon to track down and eliminate Hezbollah.
While the fighting intensified on the northern border of Israel, the Islamic regime in Iran was fuming and stewing. They were already embarrassed after the failure of Operation True Promise back in April 2024, when they fired 170 killer drones, 30-plus cruise missiles, and more than 120 ballistic missiles at Israel, resulting in the critical injury of a single Israeli-Bedouin. In the ensuing six months, not only had Israel killed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in the heart of Tehran, but now they had the audacity to wipe out Iran’s faithful toady Hassan Nasrallah and their own IRGC deputy commander Abbas Nilforoushan in one shot. Iran had egg all over its face. Israel had to pay.
Thus, on Tuesday night, Israel received a warning – oddly enough, from the U.S. – that Iran was about to ballistic missile the heck out of them. Sure enough, 190 gigantic ballistic missiles left launchers in Iran bound for Israel in Operation True Promise 2, a name that feels like it desperately needs a subtitle, like “Back from the Dead” or “This Time its Personal”. The attack didn’t begin well. There were a number of missiles that went up and came right back down. Five Iranian soldiers lost their lives this way. But the rest soared toward Israel in the largest ballistic missile strike the world has ever seen. In Israel, we scrambled for our bomb shelters where we prayed for God’s intervention.
When we started hearing the booms, it was obvious that something incredible was taking place. Quite a few of us went back outside to video what was taking place in the skies. In Israel, we have three layers of missile protection. We have the Iron Dome for short-range rockets, David’s Sling for mid-range, and Arrow that targets ballistic missiles that can fly outside the earth’s atmosphere. What we saw in the skies, and what you can see in some of my Telegram videos, was absolutely miraculous. All three systems were working together, simultaneously bringing down rockets at different altitudes. The odds of all three functioning as they did in absolute unison is beyond computation.
But the miracles didn’t end there. Some of the missiles got through and hit the ground. But when they did, they completely missed every place people were hiding. If just one of those ballistic missiles hit an apartment building or a mall or a military base, hundreds would have died. However, it simply didn’t happen. God’s hand was over His people. A few buildings were struck, and some minor infrastructure was damaged, but not a single live rocket landed on anyone. It’s true that there was one Arab in Jericho who had the husk of a destroyed missile fall on him when was out walking instead of hunkering down in a shelter like he was supposed to, but that’s it for the deaths. Social media is filled with stories of Israelis reporting rockets falling all around them, but not one person was hurt. Most of the rockets that made it through the curtain of protection landed in open areas – in sand, in water, in empty spaces.
Most people don’t get the magnitude of what we witnessed Tuesday night. One of my news sources, Hillel Fuld, expressed it perfectly. He wrote, “What we witnessed last night was the equivalent of God splitting the sea right before our eyes.” That is not an exaggeration, despite the attempts of the media to downplay what occurred. Again, as Hillel put it, “Last night was an incredible display of the collaboration between two of the powers that protect the Jewish people: The IDF and Hashem.” Hashem in English means “the Name”. It is God Himself.
A common phrase we are beginning to hear around Israel is that we are living in biblical times. Even the most secular Israelis and agnostics are saying it. There is no other way to describe what has taken place. We can see in Ukraine and Russia the effects of ballistic missiles. It’s devastating. But neither of those sides ever faced 190 fired at the same time. And not only did we face them, but we came out smelling like a rose.
God is truly amazing. It is one hundred percent true that most of the population of Israel still has a veil over their hearts when it comes to the Messiah. But God promised that He would never abandon His people, even when they turned their backs on Him. He laid out a plan in the Bible that would eventually have them turning their hearts toward Him, and it fits exactly into what we are seeing taking place in Israel today.
After this attack, Israel now has the perfect excuse to launch an unprecedented strike on Iran’s gas and oil infrastructure, as well as its military bases. We’ll likely hold off on the nuclear sites until the time will hopefully come when the American political scene will be a bit more favorable to the necessary actions. But Iran is about to get shaken, possibly even before this newsletter is published. That is when they will realize that they’ve wasted their money on all their proxies and will turn to a coalition made up of Russia and Turkey that already has its eyes on Israel. Once again, this all fits perfectly into Ezekiel 38 and 39.
Israel’s battle is far from over. First, there is the international fight against the countries and collective national bodies that continue to criticize and condemn Israel for fighting against those who have not only sworn to destroy our country but have acted upon it. Yesterday, Israel’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Israel Katz took a bold step against the United Nations, declaring its secretary-general, Antonio Guterres, to be persona non grata in Israel and banning him from entering the country. He wrote on X, “Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran’s heinous attack on Israel, as almost every country in the world has done, does not deserve to step foot on Israeli soil.” Katz went on to condemn Guterres for refusing to denounce Hamas’s atrocities of October 7, saying that he will be “remembered as a stain on the history of the UN.”
But our fighting isn’t just in the political arena. Israel is still facing active fronts in Yemen, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Gaza. Most dangerous of all right now, however, are the terrorist attacks spilling out of the West Bank. Tuesday saw two Palestinians open fire on a light rail train, killing seven and injuring many more. They were both neutralized. One of those killed was a 33-year-old mother who was shielding her 9-month-old baby son. In that one brief moment, those two deranged terrorists killed more people with a gun and a knife than Iran could with 190 ballistic missiles.
Tonight, as I write this, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is meeting with his defense minister, the head of the Mossad, the head of Shin Bet, and his chief of staff. They already have the authorization to move forward as they best see fit. When I wake up tomorrow, it could be to a different Middle East or even a different world. But that is nothing new. It seems that waking up to a new world is becoming common place around these parts.
The Ministry
As I was writing Telegram posts about tunnels between Metula, Israel, and Kfarkela, Lebanon, I couldn’t help thinking about Nir and his squad using those very same tunnels in my upcoming thriller, The Sick Man’s Rage. This book is pulled right from the headlines, beginning with October 7 and moving on to what’s taking place in Turkey, Lebanon, and Syria today. The novel is a thrill ride that will have you gasping for breath. Preorder your copy today, so that we can ensure that this book and its Gospel message reach all the big box stores before Christmas!
On Monday, Pastor Barry Stagner and Pastor Mike Golay will join me for another edition of CONNECT Q&A. Join us at 10:00 AM PDT as we talk about what’s happening in the Middle East and answer your questions.
Make sure to take the time to visit our Behold Israel Shop to check out our most recent additions! We have even added a build-your-own-bundle feature in order to provide you with efficient pricing as you add more books to your cart. At the end of the day, our passion is to get resources into the hands of people everywhere. We have also added new accessories and apparel!
Please continue to pray for Israel. My family and I have spent more time in the bomb shelter this last week than we have in a very long time. But, as I mentioned earlier, we are living in biblical times, and we know that God is watching over His people.
Thank you for your prayers and your never-failing love and support of this ministry. I pray that God blesses you with the same peace and joy He uses to cover us.
Awaiting His Return,
