GNITN - Special Edition

Israel At War – Day 117

The Iran Problem

They Must Respond

After what may be yet another Iran proxy attacking a Unites States base this one in Jordan, a response is needed. We read more on the situation is a report from i24news.tv:

Iranian sources told Al Jazeera Arabic that the U.S. "sent more than one message to Tehran over the past two days via third parties" saying it doesn't seek an escalation, in light of the deadly attack on the U.S. base in Jordan.

According to the report, Tehran responded to Washington that it would consider an attack on its territory to be a red line, and that such a violation would be met with an appropriate response.

As Iran International noted, "Tehran's message said that it does not want a war with Washington either, but it will forcefully confront any American adventure."

The response is warranted, but Iran isn’t taking responsibility”

Previously Biden posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account: "We'll hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner of our choosing."

The White House has blamed a militia group backed by Iraq-based Kataib Hezbollah for the drone attack on the base in Jordan, in which 3 U.S. personnel were killed. Kataib Hezbollah is considered to be an Iranian proxy group, while Tehran maintains that the militias are independent.

No one seems to want a war, even Russia:

Russia earlier on Tuesday urged both parties to de-escalate the situation in an effort to prevent spillover of the conflict across the region.

As we could expect, it all comes back to the war against Hamas:

On Tuesday, Iranian-backed militia in Iraq Kataib Hezbollah announced it will temporarily suspend its military operations against American forces “in order to prevent embarrassment to the Iraqi government.”

The group's leader Abu Hussein Al-Hamidawi said in a statement “we will continue to defend our people in Gaza in other ways,” insinuating the decision was a result of Iranian pressure.

The Puppet Master Must Be Dealt With

As The United States determine a response to the attack in Jordan that killed three soldiers, we’ve all known that Iran is pulling all the strings in this war against Israel even if the initial attack caught them by surprise. And there is no secret to knowing this since they fully admit to it. The growing problem is that Iran is provoking the United States more and more and, in some people’s minds wanting them to declare war on them. The Israel Defense Force (IDF) is well versed in fighting the Iranian proxies, but other countries would rather not get entangled in the war. Supporting Israel if only to secure the Jewish vote in the upcoming elections is still support, but supporting Iran financially would appear to be counterproductive. A report from CBN.com suggests a scenario that very well could play out:

From the White House to the Lebanese border and beyond, U.S. and Israeli leaders are deciding how to deal with Iran and its proxies in the Middle East. One possible – some would say probable – scenario is the prospect of a wider war on multiple fronts.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned Monday that the time for diplomacy is slipping away with Lebanon.

“There will be a stage when our patience will run out and our ability to contain this matter will expire, and as a result of this we may end up with forceful action," Gallant stated.

The IDF is more than ready to ready to deal with Hezbollah, who is the largest of the proxies:

Surveying the scene from Israel's northern border, Gallant said Israel's Home Front Command is preparing for war, and his assessment included a more specific warning for Lebanon.

“What you saw in Gaza can be copied to Lebanon, and the Air Force dedicates a small part of its force to Gaza," Gallant explained. "It keeps a large part of its force on standby in order to deal with a northern scenario. I hope we don't get to this situation, but we are prepared in this matter.”

Still, at some point Iran must be stopped or, at the very least slowed down. I believe that the IDF will be ready to do that even if America just responds in smaller counter offensives.

Spreading To Other Areas

Even if some people aren’t noticing, the West Bank is another hotbed of terrorism. I continue to assert that Israel must also take this threat seriously as well and Prime Minister Netanyahu understands that all too well:

The fighting also spread to Judea and Samaria, also known as the West Bank, where Israeli forces carried out a raid Tuesday in a hospital in Jenin.

Officials say they killed three Hamas operatives on the verge of launching a terrorist attack.

The hospital security camera footage shows disguised undercover Israeli agents entering the hospital.

Afterward, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with IDF troops.

His exhortation to the soldiers included a reminder of the critical importance of Judea and Samaria in the conflict.

“This is an arena that is not just important, it is super important," Netanyahu said. "I know that you invest in it, both in defense and attack. It seems to me that since the beginning of this year, even more so, of course, since the beginning of the war, half a thousand terrorists have already been eliminated here, and there's more to be done, including today in Jenin."

If Israel is to destroy all threats of terrorism, they will have to do so on at least five fronts, the West Bank being one of them. It is so plainly obvious and yet world leadership only seems to think eliminating only Hamas will suffice.

Psychological Warfare By Hamas

The IDF found a document listing how Hamas is fighting Israel using psychological warfare as we read in an article from the National Post:

Israeli forces in Gaza recently found a secret document written by a senior Hamas official detailing the terrorist group’s psychological warfare strategy against the Israeli public, Israel’s Channel 12 reported on Monday.

Furthermore, the document was discovered at a site visited by Hamas’s senior leader in the Strip, Yahya Sinwar, according to the report. However, it was unclear whether the mastermind of the Oct. 7 massacre had penned the paper.

The article using the hostages to create pressure on Israeli leadership:

The document orders that photos and videos of the Israeli hostages continue to be published “due to the psychological pressure they create.” There are currently 136 captives still in the hands of Hamas.

They also appear to think Defense Minister Gallant is a weak link:

The report also singles out Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant as a target for psychological pressure, apparently due to the terror group’s belief that he is the most susceptible to this tactic.

Making Netanyahu to blame is another tactic since Hamas sees it as way to divide the country:

Additionally, the directive emphasizes the importance of maintaining the narrative that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bears responsibility for the failures of the Oct. 7 terrorist attack, and pushing the idea that the IDF ground operations will not create the conditions necessary for the return of the rest of the hostages.

Moreover, the document highlights the social divide in Israel as an issue to focus on, as well as increasing pressure around the issue of the hostages and “putting sticks” in the wheels of Israel’s war.

This isn’t too surprising as this tactic since many armies use these to fight wars. But we do know that there is a spiritual dynamic to this and it is one that we can engage in. I highly encourage believers to intercede as we know we aren’t fighting armies of flesh and blood:

For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against persons without bodies—the evil rulers of the unseen world, those mighty satanic beings and great evil princes of darkness who rule this world; and against huge numbers of wicked spirits in the spirit world. (Eph 6:12, TLB)