VFI News Israel Aims to Become World Leader in Space-Attack Capabilities

Trump's Iran deal has a blind spot that could cost Israel everything — the MOU's Lebanon clause was written without consulting Hezbollah, Israel, or Lebanon's own government. Here's why that matters.

The US-Iran memorandum of understanding signed this week has 14 points — and Iran and America can't agree on what a single one of them means. Barry Seagull cuts through the noise from the Israel Desk.

This week on VFI News: why the old Yasser Arafat "two-language" trick no longer works in the internet age, what Iran's wildly false victory claims are actually designed to accomplish, and why Trump's New York landlord negotiating style may be dangerously mismatched with Tehran's ideological hardliners.

Plus — why Syria's interim leader Al-Jolani had to publicly reject a commitment Trump made on his behalf without asking him first.

⏱️ CHAPTERS:

0:00 Welcome & This Week's Headlines

1:45 The MOU: What America Says vs. What Iran Says

6:30 The Arafat Problem — Lies in the Internet Age

11:20 Why Iran Calls Everything a "Great Victory"

16:00 Trump's New York Landlord Playbook in Tehran

21:30 The Lebanon Clause Nobody Consulted Israel On

27:10 Syria's Al-Julani Rejects Trump's Commitment

32:00 Barry's Final Analysis

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Defense Minister Israel Katz on Thursday, June 25, declared that Israel intends to become the world’s leading power in space-attack capabilities. He said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and he had set the goal of recruiting the nation’s finest minds to build a capacity that, in his telling, no country yet possesses. Katz framed the effort as essential to preserving Israel’s strategic edge against far larger adversaries.

“As of [June 25], no country has the ability to mount attacks in space. We must be the leading country in the world with this capability,” Katz said. He argued that reaching such a milestone would secure decisive advantages in deterrence and offensive reach. “If we achieve this, it will ensure the advantage of deterrence, of the ability to attack, destroy, and all of the other matters versus our enemies with large resources,” he added.

The remarks pointed clearly toward Iran. During the 2026 war with Iran, Israel struck multiple Iranian facilities tied to space warfare, including sites developing the means to attack satellites in orbit. Katz’s statement marked the clearest public declaration to date by a senior Israeli official of the nation’s ambition to lead the emerging contest above the atmosphere.

(JPost/VFI News)

“Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight.” – Psalm 144:1

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar told governors and mayors gathered at the international session of the MUNI EXPO in Tel Aviv that Hezbollah has fired more than 7,000 rockets, missiles, and drones into Israel from Lebanese territory since March. He spoke following another round of US-mediated talks between Israel and Lebanon, casting the Iran-backed terror group as the central obstacle to security in the region. No nation, he stressed, could tolerate such a sustained barrage against its cities without acting to protect its citizens.

“We do not have any serious dispute with the government of Lebanon beyond a few border points that can be resolved in short negotiations,” Sa’ar said, pointing instead to a shared adversary. “We and Lebanon have a common enemy. This is the enemy of Lebanon’s future, sovereignty, and independence, and it is also the enemy of Israel’s security. That enemy is Hezbollah.” He noted that the group opened its war on Israel on March 2 on instructions from Tehran, just as it had begun firing on October 8, 2023, one day after the Hamas assault on Israel.

Sa’ar challenged the international community to picture its own cities enduring thousands of incoming projectiles, asking what country could accept such attacks and refrain from restoring security. His remarks tied Lebanon’s path toward stability directly to breaking Hezbollah’s grip, presenting the negotiations with Beirut as an opening for both peoples. The message placed responsibility for the conflict squarely on the terror group and its patrons in Tehran.

(INN/VFI News)

“Dear Lord, we lift up the people of Israel living under the constant threat of rockets, missiles, and drones launched from Lebanon. We ask in Yeshua’s Name that You shield every city and community in the north and grant strength and sharp vigilance to those who defend them. We pray that You expose and dismantle every terror network that seeks Israel’s harm, and that You soften the hearts of those caught up in it so they turn to You in repentance. May You bring true and lasting security to Israel and to all her neighbors who long for peace.”

Senior figures from Israel’s intelligence community and defense establishment convened on Thursday, June 25, for the opening of an “economic battle” conference hosted by the Defense Ministry’s National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing. Defense Minister Israel Katz used the gathering to argue that the financial campaign against Iran has reached a decisive stage. He described choking off the flow of money to Tehran’s proxies as one of the most important fronts in safeguarding Israel’s security.

“For decades, the regime in Tehran has built a regional terror machine based on the continuous flow of resources to its proxies across the Middle East,” Katz said. He charged that, rather than investing in the economy, infrastructure, education, and healthcare of its own citizens, the Iranian regime had chosen to pour its wealth into terrorism. Every dollar reaching the Ayatollahs’ treasury, he warned, becomes a ballistic missile in Iran, a drone in Lebanon, a rocket in Gaza, or a UAV in Yemen.

Those same funds, Katz cautioned, can flow onward to Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and the rest of Iran’s terrorist network. He urged that the economic campaign be intensified on every front rather than treated as a finished task. The conference signaled Israel’s intent to press the financial squeeze on Tehran as aggressively as its military and intelligence efforts.

(INN/VFI News)

“Heavenly Father, we ask in Yeshua’s Name that You cut off every stream of funding that flows to those who plot violence against Israel and her neighbors. Frustrate the schemes of the Iranian regime and bring to light every hidden channel that arms its proxies. We pray that the resources of nations would be turned toward life, healing, and the welfare of their people rather than toward terror. Grant Israel’s leaders wisdom and resolve as they labor to protect the innocent, and let Your justice prevail.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Monday, June 22, that Israeli forces in southern Lebanon retain “full freedom of action” against any threat, pushing back against claims that a new US-Iran arrangement would tie Israel’s hands. “The directive that the defense minister and I have given the IDF is clear and has not changed,” he said, insisting that troops face “no restrictions” in thwarting direct or emerging dangers to residents of northern Israel. He reaffirmed his commitment to maintaining a security zone in southern Lebanon for as long as necessary.

His statement followed claims of a new deconfliction mechanism for Lebanon, shaped during US-Iran negotiations in Switzerland over the weekend of June 20-21, that would narrow Israel’s permitted responses to “imminent threats” alone. US Vice President JD Vance said such a mechanism had been established during talks in Burgenstock on Sunday, June 21, and suggested Hezbollah would be drawn into discussions among Israel, Lebanon, and other regional partners. Both Jerusalem and Beirut have resisted any arrangement that seats the Iran-backed terror group, and its patrons in Tehran, at the table.

A further claim held that the new oversight body would include the United States, Iran, Lebanon, Qatar, and Pakistan while leaving Israel out, departing sharply from the November 2024 framework that had included Israel. A senior US official disputed that Israel had been excluded, stressing that the close ties between Washington and Jerusalem ensure Israel’s interests are protected. The next round of direct Israel-Lebanon talks was set to open in Washington on Tuesday, June 23.

(TOI/VFI News)

“What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” – Romans 8:31

Join Batya for this week’s Parasha where she talks about the law given to Moses and the purification of sin. This week’s Parasha is from the book of Numbers 19:1 - 22:1.

Colombia’s President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella pledged on Wednesday, June 24, to forge an unprecedented alliance with Israel once he takes office, signaling a sweeping reversal of his predecessor’s hostility. The pledge followed a congratulatory phone call from Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar. “Colombia will restore and strengthen its relationship with the State of Israel like never before,” de la Espriella wrote on social media.

Sa’ar described the conversation warmly, calling the incoming leader “a true friend of the Jewish people and the State of Israel.” He said de la Espriella had reaffirmed his campaign commitment to an alliance between the two nations that would be stronger than ever. “We will do this together — Colombia and Israel — and in a big way!” Sa’ar declared, emphasizing his own desire to deepen the partnership for the benefit of both peoples.

De la Espriella secured his victory in a tightly contested runoff, edging past left-wing Senator Ivan Cepeda by less than a single percentage point on a platform of tightening ties with both Israel and the United States. His stance marks a total break from outgoing President Gustavo Petro, who severed relations with Israel in May 2024 and later moved to open an embassy in Ramallah. The President-elect, set to take office in August, has vowed to overturn those directives entirely.

(INN/VFI News)

I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”– Genesis 12:3

Israeli investors have placed among the top ten foreign players in the United States commercial real estate market, ranking eighth, while a new JLL analysis put Israel 11th worldwide in outbound commercial property investment for 2025. The same review ranked Israel 11th in Europe. The numbers reflect the expanding global footprint of Israeli capital.

Israeli investment in European projects remained higher than in the United States, totaling $1.93 billion in Europe against $1.06 billion in the US. Investors favored the industrial and logistics, office, hotel, and hospitality sectors, with both private and institutional capital among the leading sources. “The 2025 data shows that the Israeli investor is no longer in the stage of entering global markets, but rather in the stage of managing an allocation mix,” said Mor Ziv, head of Real Estate Investments at JLL Israel.

Ziv explained that Israeli investors now weigh each market by asset quality, financing structure, local partnerships, risk level, and the potential to build long-term value. He pointed to a maturing approach in which seasoned institutions pursue large-scale, carefully selected transactions abroad, examining financing structures and trusted local partners before committing. The portrait is one of confident, increasingly sophisticated Israeli capital operating on the world stage, even amid geopolitical headwinds.

(JPost/VFI News)

Israel’s State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman issued a sober warning about the country’s readiness for a major earthquake, urging stronger reinforcement of buildings in high-risk areas. His statement came in the wake of a powerful double earthquake in Venezuela. Drawing on audits published in recent years, Englman stressed that preparing for such a disaster cannot wait.

In an urban renewal review published in June 2026, he wrote that the need to strengthen buildings against earthquakes is not being adequately addressed within current renewal efforts, and that large-scale projects are not being sufficiently promoted in vulnerable communities. The review also faulted the government for failing to produce a national policy document or a unified national urban renewal plan, despite earlier recommendations. Englman warned that the gap leaves the country dangerously exposed.

The audit found that no building permits were issued between 2017 and 2025 for 23 evacuation-and-reconstruction (pinui-binui) projects in Beit She’an, Tiberias, Tzfat (Safed), and Kiryat Shmona — cities counted among those most vulnerable to major earthquakes and wartime threats. Englman tied his warning directly to the devastation unfolding abroad, pressing leaders to treat reinforcement as an urgent national priority rather than a deferred ambition. The message was unmistakable: the time to act is before the ground shakes, not after.

(INN/VFI News)

“Dear Lord, we ask for Your protection over the land and people of Israel, and we pray for wisdom for the leaders responsible for preparing the nation against natural disaster. Grant diligence and unity to those who must strengthen homes, schools, and communities in vulnerable areas. We pray that warnings would be heeded and that lives would be safeguarded long before any calamity comes. We thank You that You are a refuge and a very present help in trouble, and we place every city and family into Your faithful hands.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the first members of India’s Bnei Menashe community to Israel on Thursday, June 11, pledging that the nation would bring the entire community home over the coming years. “After years of strengthening the bond between Israel and India, thanks to the warm relationship with my friend Narendra Modi, I am thrilled to see the Bnei Menashe returning home,” he said during the welcome event. He told the new arrivals that they are an inseparable part of the Jewish people and that Israel is their home.

Around 600 immigrants from the Bnei Menashe community in Northeast India have settled in Israel since the start of 2026, with another 600 expected to arrive by the end of the year. The community currently lives in the northeastern Indian states of Manipur and Mizoram. Their arrival marks the opening chapter of a far larger ingathering.

The government has approved a proposal, advanced by the Aliyah and Integration Minister, to bring the full 6,000-person community to Israel within about five years. Netanyahu vowed to complete the effort “over the next four years,” welcoming the newcomers to build their lives in the Galilee and in Nof Hagalil. The pledge framed the community’s return as part of the enduring story of the Jewish people gathering home from the ends of the earth.

(JPost/VFI News)

“Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west.” – Isaiah 43:5

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

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