Iran Launches Hundreds of Missiles toward Israel
Infographic from the Israeli government of Iranian strikes on Israel (Source: Wikimedia Commons/Israeli government)
At 11 pm Saturday, Iran launched hundreds of ballistic missiles, drones, and cruise missiles toward Israel. Israel had been on high alert since Iran threatened retaliation after attributing a strike in Syria to Israel. This drone attack targeted an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps general in Syria. The strike destroyed the building he was in and killed six other high-level military officers. In response, Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles. Israel’s Air Force, along with allied forces of Jordan, the United States, and the United Kingdom, were waiting to take down the coming threats.
Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system, along with the Arrow air-defense system and David’s Sling anti-missile system, led to an unprecedented aerial battle, eliminating 99 percent of rockets and drones. Airspace in Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Syria were shut down. Throughout the night, the people of Israel could hear the hard work of the Israeli Air Force overhead. Sirens alerting of incoming rockets sent thousands of civilians to spend the night in bomb shelters with the sounds of interception heard overhead. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said,
The whole world saw who Iran is tonight—a terrorist state that attacks Israel from a distance of 1,500 km [about 930 miles] away and tries to activate all of its proxies. But the world saw the power of a coalition and how Israel, together with the United States and other countries, stands and blocks this attack in an unprecedented manner.
Please pray for Israel’s safety and decision-making during this precarious and unprecedented time in Israel.
Cyberattacks against Israel Triple after October 7
A cyber war could bring horrible devastation to Israelis and Iranians (Illustrative / Source: Unsplash)
Since October 7, cyberterrorism against Israel has tripled. Disguised as a private tech group in an office building in Tehran, Iran and its proxies are leading the hacking attempts. Of the 3,380 incidents since October 7, 800 were deemed to have “significant potential for damage.” Hackers do not only target military infrastructure. They also want to inflict economic harm on various segments of Israeli society like academia, tourism, media, finance, transportation, health, and technology. For instance, Iranian Intelligence and a Hezbollah-linked group led a cyberattack on a hospital in November in northern Israel. Though these cyberattacks have not gravely damaged Israel’s economy, the threats are serious.
Please pray for increased diligence and innovation so Israel can thwart attacks from these cyberterrorists.
Tens of Thousands of Southern Evacuees Return Home
Many evacuees stayed at the Royal Hotel by the Dead Sea (Source: Wikimedia Commons/יעקב)
Six months after October 7, approximately 70 percent of residents of the communities around Gaza were able to return home. In total, 57,000 people had been evacuated following Hamas’ brutal rampage in southern Israel. Most of these evacuees have been living in hotels in the Dead Sea region but are eager to return home. These communities are within 4.3 miles of the Gaza border and are now guarded and monitored by soldiers and surveillance to give residents a sense of calm.
Many people see the rebuilding and return of the Gaza border communities as crucial for its strategic economies in agriculture and industry. This return is also symbolic of Israel’s resilience. The government subsidy for southern residents will end in June (when the school year ends). Thirteen communities were so heavily damaged or are too close to the Gaza border to allow its residents to return for the time being. In addition, daily rocket and mortar attacks from Hezbollah keep 60,000 evacuees from the north from returning home. They are still living in subsidized hotels.
Please pray for those returning and for a renewal of their routines and relationships so their communities can feel like home again.
“Daddy, Don’t Worry, the Lord is in Control”
Our Messianic center in Jerusalem, Israel
This week, students started the two-week Passover vacation from school. Our staff in Jerusalem organized a five-day children’s camp at our Jerusalem Messianic Center. Many of the children were from terror-stricken areas like Ashkelon, Ashdod, and Ofakim. Over the months since October 7, our staff in Jerusalem have been spending time with children and parents to help them process their grief, pray, and become great friends! The children were on day two of their camp when news alerted the country of the pending Iranian attack. After prayer, assessment, and speaking with the parents, it was apparent the children would urgently need to go home—even if it was 11:00 pm!
The staff gently woke the children and told them why they needed to go home. Despite their young age, many of the children understood and, despite their disappointment, started to pack up. For some children, this triggered the trauma of past sirens and rockets, but our staff were gently able to calm them and pray with them. Soon enough, the children initiated praise and worship, singing quietly as their parents started to pick them up.
Our staff had been telling the children how the Lord keeps us and watches over us (Psalm 121). One of the parents confessed to our staff he felt the child was better off staying with believers in Jesus during this crisis. He is not yet a believer, but he knew our staff would keep calm, know how to talk with the child and be able to pray together. Then, something amazing happened. As the child was leaving with this parent, the child said, “Daddy, don’t worry, the Lord is in control and will protect us and guard us because He loves us so much.”
At the end of a stressful night, our staff also needed to hear these words as they would soon be sitting in a bomb shelter, with sirens blaring and rocket interceptions above them. There were a few children left who could not get picked up, and they all sang together and prayed.
