Netanyahu Warns Hamas Over Gaza Kite Launches as Trump Declares 'Economic D-Day' Against Iran

Trump Declares 'Economic D-Day' Against Iran | VFI News Midweek

Netanyahu and Katz Warn Hamas: Stop Gaza Launches or Face Intensified IDF Action

Declaring 'Economic D-Day,' Trump Says Any Country Trading with Iran Will Be Sanctioned

Israel: Strike on Syria's Abu al-Duhur Airbase Prevented Turkish Expansion Toward Its Border

Israel and Colombia Scrap Visa Requirements as Ties Rapidly Warm

Sos Asis (I will rejoice greatly) by Barry & Batya Segal

Survey: Millions of American Jews Now Hide Their Identity as the US Marks Its 250th Anniversary

In Historic First, Argentine Judge Removed from Office over Antisemitic Social Media Posts

Jerusalem's New Green Line Light Rail Links the City Center to Malcha

After 505 Days in Captivity, Former Hostage Eliya Cohen Marries Ziv Abud

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Trump just declared "ECONOMIC D-DAY" — threatening to sanction every country still doing business with Iran. This is the most aggressive economic move against the Islamic Republic in history.

These are the headlines reshaping the Middle East right now. From Trump's sweeping Iran sanctions to Israel's pre-emptive strike in Syria — the region is shifting fast. VFI News Midweek covers the news so you can pray with understanding.

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📖 "The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD." – Proverbs 21:31

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz held a security assessment on Sunday evening, August 23, on the threat posed by drones, balloons and kites launched from the Gaza Strip toward Israel. IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, the head of the National Security Council, and senior IDF officials took part in the discussion. The two leaders warned Hamas that Israel would respond if the launches continued.

"Israel is warning Hamas that if launches toward Israel are not stopped immediately, the IDF will act to intensify interdiction against those responsible for the launches and will move populations out of areas from which kites, drones, and balloons are set to be launched," they said. "We will not return to the reality that existed before October 7," Netanyahu said. "Israel will not allow the Hamas terror organization, or any other factor in the Gaza Strip, to return and threaten our settlements and undermine the sense of security of our citizens."

Earlier on Sunday, Netanyahu released a video addressing the growing drone threat and the possibility that it could be used from Gaza. "Do you have a drone at home? It can be lethal. If it comes in swarms, and you arm it, it is very accurate and hard to see," he said. "We are the most advanced in the world, but this is a global problem. We saw it in Ukraine, we saw it in Lebanon, we saw it in Iran, and now they are trying to renew it and bring it into Gaza." He said he had instructed the security establishment and the IDF to take aggressive action against the threat in the southern sector: "To strike it, to strike its operators, to strike from the place where it was launched, to do everything to protect our citizens."

“Dear Lord, we thank You for watching over the communities along the Gaza border, and we ask that You shield them from every threat that rises against them, whether it comes by air or by land. Give wisdom and resolve to Israel's leaders and commanders as they act to protect the people, and grant our soldiers alertness and courage in every mission. We pray that the plans of Hamas and all who seek Israel's harm would come to nothing, and that the residents of the south would live in the peace and security You promised. In Yeshua's Name we pray.”

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, August 19, declared "ECONOMIC D-DAY" against Iran, warning that any country doing business with the Islamic Republic will face "TREMENDOUS economic consequences." "Oil smuggling, swap lines, cash transfers, exchange houses, ship registries, front companies — It all needs to stop NOW. You know who you are," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. "No one has given the Islamic Republic of Iran a greater opportunity to make a deal than me. TRAGICALLY, for them, they have failed to take it."

On Tuesday, August 18, Trump declared that he was not interested in talks with Iran, but by Wednesday he said he was open to resuming them. "Therefore, today, I am announcing the MOST CRUSHING ECONOMIC OPERATION EVER TAKEN AGAINST ANY COUNTRY!" Trump said. This time, he insisted, it "will be economic warfare and isolation on an unprecedented scale."

"Today, I am also announcing that ANY country that allows its financial institutions, businesses, airports, or government entities to provide any type of lifeline to Iran will itself face TREMENDOUS economic consequences," he said. "This will be an ECONOMIC D-DAY, and we need all of our allies to stand with the United States of America to isolate and defeat the Iran threat." "These maniacs are on the ropes, and these HISTORIC MEASURES will cripple them and their ability to project terror worldwide," he wrote. "IRAN WILL NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON."

“The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD.” – Proverbs 21:31

Israel struck the Abu al-Duhur military airbase in Syria to stop the Turkish security threat from "becoming something much bigger," a spokesperson for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a post on X on Friday, August 21. Israeli intelligence had identified that troops from Turkey were going to deploy at the airbase, which is less than 200 miles from Israel. Israel had warned Syria, the spokesperson said, and Syria received those warnings and "chose to ignore them."

Turkey was a particular threat, the spokesperson added, because of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's repeated threats against Israel and open calls for its destruction. "He even said about our closest partner, the United States, that a just world is possible, but not with America," the spokesperson said. "Is this the kind of guy you would want on your border?"

Israeli forces currently hold only one-tenth of 1% of Syrian territory adjacent to its border, the spokesperson stated, while Turkey has a "substantial military presence" in approximately 5% of Syrian territory. "More than a year ago, Israel and Syria reached an understanding to maintain the security status quo and to keep this border calm. Syria breached that understanding," the spokesperson said. "Israel welcomes a return to the previous status quo. We are not looking for escalation. But neither Turkey nor any other country is going to threaten the state of Israel."

“Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted; propose your plan, but it will not stand, for God is with us.” – Isaiah 8:10

Israel and Colombia have decided to mutually waive visa requirements for visitors, the Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday, August 20. The decision takes effect on Tuesday, September 1. It followed talks between Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar and Colombian Foreign Minister Omar Beltrán Escobar, and under the agreement, citizens of both countries will be exempt from visa requirements.

The move comes amid a rapid warming of relations between Israel and Colombia following the latter's change of government. Diplomatic relations were severed under President Gustavo Petro, but newly elected President Abelardo de la Espriella has worked to restore them since taking office.

In July, Sa'ar met his Colombian counterpart in Washington, where the two formulated a roadmap for the full restoration of diplomatic and economic relations and the return of ambassadors. Colombia's new government has also announced its intention to open an embassy in Jerusalem, and days after de la Espriella took office, Colombia announced its recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

This compelling passage is from Isaiah 61:10a, communicating thanks to a merciful God, for His salvific work. It reads: “I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of His righteousness...” Let this be a meditative reminder to you of all the blessings He bestows upon His beloved children.

As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, a new survey released by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) shows that one of the communities that has helped build the nation since its founding is facing a pervasive and escalating threat. Jews have been part of American life since before the founding of the United States, arriving in New Amsterdam in 1654 and counted among the merchants, soldiers, and citizens who supported the Revolution.

The comprehensive study, commissioned by CAM's Antisemitism Research Center (ARC), finds that a majority of Jewish Americans — 57% — experienced antisemitism in the year preceding the survey, equivalent to approximately 3.3 million Jewish adults alongside an estimated 250,000 Jewish children living in affected households. The threat is also visible in changing behavior: 38% said they now hide things that identify them as Jewish, 32% have avoided posting anything online that would identify them as Jewish, and 23% — about 1.2 million adults — said they had skipped Jewish events or observances out of fear.

The survey also found broad Jewish communal support for the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism after reading it. 71% of those polled said the definition accurately described antisemitism, and more than two-thirds said it should be adopted by institutions. Only 4% opposed the definition, with just 1% in strong opposition.

“Our Heavenly Father, we lift up the Jewish community of the United States before You and ask that You strengthen every heart that has grown afraid to be recognized as Jewish. Surround them with Your protection so that no one needs to hide who they are, and raise up leaders, institutions, and neighbors who will stand with them against hatred. We pray that antisemitism would be exposed and defeated wherever it takes root, and that Your people would walk openly and proudly in the heritage You have given them. In Yeshua's Name we pray.”

An Argentine federal judge was removed from office on Tuesday, August 18, for a series of antisemitic posts on his social media accounts that constituted misconduct incompatible with his role, an impeachment panel ruled. Alfredo Eugenio López, who headed Federal Court No. 4 in the coastal city of Mar del Plata, was removed by Argentina's Jury of Impeachment, a special panel composed of judges, lawmakers and lawyers. It is the first time in Argentina's history that a judge has been removed over antisemitic remarks.

In his social media posts, the judge referred to the Jewish people as "a brood of vipers," Israel as a "fictitious state," and Argentinian Jews as "foreigners." He also used such terms as "Zionist" and "gay" as insults. The panel found that the judge committed acts of "discrimination and the denial of equal rights against the Argentine Jewish community," adding that "by acting in this manner, he shattered public confidence in his continued fitness to administer justice impartially."

The case reached the panel through Argentina's Council of the Magistracy, based in Buenos Aires, the constitutional body responsible for the selection and discipline of federal judges. The first complaint against López was filed in February 2025 by the Delegación de Asociaciones Israelitas Argentinas (DAIA), the umbrella organization representing Argentina's Jewish community. One month later, the Argentine Forum Against Antisemitism also filed a complaint, and in July 2025, attorney Yamil Santoro of the Apolo Foundation added another.

“Dear God, we thank You for justice done in Argentina and for the courage of the Jewish community there in bringing this case forward. We ask that You establish righteous judges in every nation, men and women who will administer justice without partiality and refuse to give hatred a seat of authority. Protect the Jewish communities of Latin America and the world from those who would demean them, and let this precedent encourage others to stand firm against antisemitism. In Yeshua's Name we pray.”

After years of planning, delays, and construction across the city, Jerusalem is undergoing one of the greatest transportation revolutions in its history. The first segment of the Jerusalem Light Rail's Green Line (L3) was scheduled to commence operations on Friday, August 21, connecting the city center to the Malcha neighborhood in the southwest of the capital. The launch changes Jerusalem's transportation map, making it the first city in Israel to have an intersecting light rail network.

The new segment is approximately 7 kilometers (4 miles) long and includes 12 new stops, in addition to a transfer stop shared with the Red Line. The line passes the city's main employment, government, and education centers, including the International Convention Center, the Governmental Campus, Hebrew University's Givat Ram campus, the Botanical Gardens, the Givat Mordechai neighborhood, Lev Academic Center, the Tennis Center, Teddy Stadium, Pais Arena, and the Malcha Mall.

Transport authorities hope the new line will ease the heavy congestion on the Red Line, which has surpassed 4.6 million passengers per month, and provide a faster, more convenient alternative to private vehicles. Initially, the trains operate every 12 to 15 minutes. Following the initial operating period, frequency is expected to improve to one train every 8 to 10 minutes during peak hours.

“Jerusalem is built like a city that is closely compacted together.” – Psalm 122:3

Former hostage Eliya Cohen and his partner, Ziv Abud, were married on Wednesday evening, August 19, after ten years together and 505 days during which Cohen was held in captivity in Gaza. The wedding was held at Ronit Farm with more than 1,000 relatives and friends in attendance. After an entire week during which they did not see each other, the two met on the wedding day for the first time as bride and groom.

Former Chief Rabbi David Lau officiated at the chuppah and kiddushin ceremony, and singer-songwriter Amir Benayoun accompanied the couple as they entered the chuppah. On October 7, 2023, Eliya and Ziv were in the "death shelter" at Re'im, where Aner Shapira fought back and threw grenades that had been tossed into the shelter back outside, saving many of those inside. Ziv was among the survivors, while Eliya was abducted to Gaza and returned to Israel after 505 days in captivity.

The couple chose Moshe Shapira, Aner's father, to write their ketubah. "For us, this is a closing of a circle that is difficult to describe in words. Aner was part of the moment that changed our lives, and today his father will be the one to write our ketubah and take part in the moment when we choose life and love. It is very moving for us," the couple said. "We have been through a very long journey since that day, and this wedding now feels like a small victory for life," they added.

“I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” – Isaiah 61:10

The suggestions, opinions, and scripture references made by VFI News writers and editors are based on the best information received.

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