VFI News Israel Allegedly Strikes Iranian Embassy in Syria, Iran Prepares for Retaliation

In this comprehensive news broadcast, we delve into the multifaceted dynamics shaping the Middle East, with a primary focus on Russia's recent deployment of troops near the Syrian border. As tensions escalate in the region, we explore the implications of this strategic maneuver for Israel and neighboring countries.

We explore the intersection between world events and biblical prophecies. Drawing parallels between current affairs and scripture, the speaker underscores the significance of staying attuned to geopolitical developments.

Moving on, the broadcast delves into the disturbing rise of misinformation and anti-Israel bias in mainstream media, particularly concerning the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Despite evidence to the contrary, false narratives persist, contributing to widespread misconceptions about the situation on the ground.

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Furthermore, we explore the broader geopolitical landscape, with a keen focus on Russia's strategic interests in the Middle East. As Russian warships and special forces troops amass near Israel's borders, questions arise regarding Moscow's intentions and potential implications for regional stability.

Touching upon economic factors, the broadcast also explores the significance of silver and gold in light of biblical prophecy. With geopolitical tensions on the rise, individuals are encouraged to consider diversifying their assets and staying informed about global economic trends.

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Israel Allegedly Strikes Iranian Embassy in Syria, Iran Prepares for Retaliation

Two Iranian officials told American media on Friday, April 5, that Iran had placed all its armed forces on full high alert and a decision had been made that Iran must respond directly to the strike attributed to Israel in its embassy complex in Damascus, Syria, to create deterrence.

Israel has not claimed responsibility for the strike, which killed at least seven officials including senior IRGC commander Mohammad Reza Zahedi. British media cited a Lebanese security source as the first to identify Israel as the responsible party, to which an Israeli military spokesperson responded, “We do not comment on reports in the foreign media.”

Iran has until now taken care to avoid a direct conflict with Israel that could lead to full-fledged war, with only its proxies – Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis in Yemen – having launched direct attacks on Israel.

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued a threat to Israel on Wednesday and said it would “be slapped” for the strike. Later, on Friday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah also warned that an Iranian retaliation for the air strike is “definitely coming.”

US military forces in the region have been placed on heightened alert. Israel has also placed its military on high alert, according to an Israeli official, canceled leave for combat units, recalled some reservists to air defense units, and blocked GPS signals. (INN / VFI News)

“Our Heavenly Father, we pray that the truth comes out in regards to the strike in Iran’s embassy in Syria, and we trust that You will thwart any potential attacks against our people. We pray for Your intervention in Yeshua’s name and we hope that You will guide our forces into defending our country on all fronts. May You protect the vulnerable and strengthen those who need it. We thank You for Your continuous provisions and all the responsible, efficient professionals you have gifted us to keep us safe.”

The articles included in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Vision for Israel. We try to provide accurate reporting on news pertinent to Israel, the Middle East, the diaspora, and Jewish issues around the world—and we hope that you find it both informative and useful for intercessory prayer.

The US has picked up intelligence on what an Iranian retaliatory strike for the alleged Israeli strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, will look like, American media reported on Friday, April 5.

According to the report, American intelligence indicates that Iran is planning a retaliatory attack that would include a swarm of Shaheed loitering drones and cruise missiles.

Officials quoted in the report say the timing and target are unknown, but a proportional response to the Damascus attack would be to hit an Israeli diplomatic facility. The attack is likely to come until the end of Ramadan this week, according to the American news outlet.

Another important unknown is where the drones and missiles would be launched — from Iraq or Syria, which could prompt a thin claim of deniability by Tehran — or from Iranian territory.

Iran’s deputy UN ambassador Zahra Ershadi on Tuesday vowed that Iran would respond to the strike. Ershadi accused Israel of threatening regional and international peace and declared that “the United States is responsible for all crimes committed by the Israeli regime.”

Former US Defense Secretary Mark Esper later said that Iran is likely to retaliate against Israel, but on a limited scale to avoid wide-scale war in the Middle East. (INN / VFI News)

“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” - Psalm 23:4

Tens of thousands gathered outside the Knesset for a rally supporting the hostages Sunday night, April 7, exactly six months after they were kidnapped by Hamas and taken to Gaza on October 7.

“Half a year that the 133 hostages are being tortured day in and day out, every minute, in Hamas captivity,” said the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. The forum also addressed the IDF pullout of southern Gaza on Sunday, saying that “the withdrawal of forces should be the first stage in a hostage deal. Now, we must not abandon the hostages in Gaza.”

Released hostage Itay Regev spoke at the rally, talking about the emotional torture faced by the hostages, and about how Hamas would tell them that no one cared about bringing them home. “I just want to ask our leaders, is it true? Have you given up on them?” he asked.

“Are the terrorists correct? I would like an answer, but before the [Knesset] recess if possible,” he said, referencing the parliamentary break that began Sunday.

Released hostage Agam Goldstein-Almog also spoke, recalling her time in captivity. “I used to think a lot about who the people fighting for me were, who is dealing with my release, and you are those people, a huge part of them,” she told the crowd. (JPost / VFI News)

“God, we pray for all the hostages who were violently abducted on October 7. We ask in Yeshua’s name that the ones who are still in captivity be released immediately with no further delays, and that all of the hostages, both former and current, be healed from the torments that the terrorists inflicted on them. We pray for their physical and emotional healing.”

Over the course of its operations in the Al-Amal area in Khan Yunis, the Givati Brigade combat team has been dismantling Hamas weapons storage facilities, and destroyed over 40 tons of explosive devices, the IDF announced on Saturday, April 6.

Additionally, the soldiers confiscated Hamas weapons that were being stockpiled in the Gaza Strip, including rifle ammunition and RPGs.

The announcement also stated that the soldiers of the Givati Brigade had multiple close-quarter encounters with Hamas terrorists. In one instance, the soldiers detected four Hamas terrorists near their location and subsequently killed them.

Earlier on Saturday, Lebanese Hezbollah-affiliated media reported that Israel operated in the villages of Arnoun and Rmeish in southern Lebanon. The IDF has not responded to those reports. (JPost / VFI News)

“Though they plot evil against you and devise wicked schemes, they cannot succeed.” - Psalm 21:11

Far beyond the headlines and deep within the land of Israel, there are richer stories to be told. Stories about the true Israel of today—a complex, vibrant, modern, and yet very traditional place where Jews and Arabs have lived together as neighbors for three thousand years. Roots & Reflections offers you a slice of life as it is today in Israel—a land where the most dramatic events in the history of the world have unfolded.

https://www.youtube.com/c/RootsReflections/featured

A youth armed with a hammer tried to attack policemen at the gas station at Megiddo Junction on Friday afternoon, April 5, according to a police statement.

Shortly before the arrest, a police patrol noticed a 17-year-old walking suspiciously near the gas station at Meggido Junction. The suspect is a resident of Musmus village, about eight kilometers south of Megiddo.

Police approached the suspect and noticed he had pulled out a hammer and begun swinging it towards the officers while running towards them. Police officers from Umm el-Fahm immediately made contact and fired at the suspect. The suspect suffered minor wounds and was arrested. No police were wounded during the arrest.

Danny Levy, Superintendent of the Coastal Police, praised the officers, saying, “The pursuit of contact, vigilance, and alertness led to the end of the event without any casualties. There is no doubt that with your quick and professional activity, you saved lives.” (JPost / VFI News)

“I will proclaim the name of the Lord. Oh, praise the greatness of our God!” - Deuteronomy 32:3

MK Danny Danon (Likud), a member of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, on Friday morning, April 5, said that Israel made a mistake when it acquiesced to US requests in the war against Hamas in Gaza.

“Our mistake was made a few months ago, when we listened to the US,” Danon said. “We changed the modus operandi in Gaza and took our foot off the gas pedal. That brought pressure on us. Today the international community is saying that it’s taking too much time.”

Danon also responded to the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet’s decision to take immediate steps to increase the amount of humanitarian aid to Gaza. “Unfortunately, the tragic incident in which aid workers were killed had consequences in the international arena,” he said.

“There was an effect in the world and we saw that we needed to do something about it. On the other hand, if the world cares so much about Gaza, there is a port in Arish (Egypt -ed.), there are solutions to bring in humanitarian aid. We are not responsible for the Gaza Strip,” he added. (INN / VFI News)

The Defense Ministry body that coordinates Israeli activity in Palestinian territories said that 322 aid trucks entered the Gaza Strip on Sunday, April 7, the highest one-day total since the beginning of the war.

The Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) emphasized that Israel places no limit to aid that can enter the Strip, but the boost in transfers on Sunday appears to be a result of mounting international pressure on Israel to improve the humanitarian situation in the enclave.

According to COGAT, 70 percent of the trucks entering Gaza on Sunday carried food. Meanwhile, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew toured the IDF’s new Humanitarian Coordination and Deconfliction Cell on Sunday, which was established earlier this week as part of a series of steps to improve the situation of Palestinians in Gaza.

“As we work to achieve the goals of this war, namely the destruction of Hamas and the return of the hostages, we recognize the importance of facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza,” Gallant said during the tour.

According to a Defense Ministry statement, the humanitarian coordination cell was established in order to “enable key partners to work closely in order to facilitate the delivery of aid in a manner that will enable the IDF to continue operating against Hamas terrorism, while also ensuring the security of aid workers.” (TOI / VFI News)

The planned celebration of the 30th anniversary of trade ties between Taiwan and Israel will be held under a cloud of grief over the vast loss of life, serious injuries, and substantial damage to property after last week’s 7.4 magnitude earthquake in Hualien County.

Taiwan’s biggest earthquake in at least 25 years killed at least 12 people on Wednesday, April 3, injuring more than 900, while 50 hotel workers were missing en route to a national park, authorities said, as rescuers used ladders to bring others to safety.

Television broadcast images of buildings tilted at precarious angles in the mountainous, sparsely populated eastern county of Hualien, near the epicenter of the 7.4 magnitude quake, which struck just offshore at about 8 a.m. (0000GMT). “It was very strong. It felt as if the house was going to topple,” said Chang Yu-lin, 60, a worker in a hospital in Taipei, the capital.

The anniversary event by way of a conference held in conjunction with Zulat, the Movement for Equality and Human Rights, will take place on Monday, April 8 at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque and will also include a Taiwanese film, “Who’ll Stop the Rain?”

Conference participants will include the head of the Taiwanese mission in Israel Yaping Abby Lee, Zulat President and former head of Meretz Zehava Galon, former MK Nira Shpak, who is a member of Kibbutz Kfar Aza, Dr. Manal Totry Jubran of the Bar-Ilan University Law Faculty, and Pnina Tamano-Shata, who chairs the Knesset Committee on the Advancement of the Status of Women, with Zulat CEO Einat Ovadia as moderator. (JPost / VFI News)

“Lord, we pray for all the people in Taiwan who experienced tremendous losses last Wednesday due to the high-magnitude earthquake. May You restore their spirit, and everything that was lost, and heal the wounded as soon as possible. We pray for the families of the citizens who lost their lives, and we trust that You will comfort them and give them peace, and strength to navigate this trying period. We send our heartfelt condolences to them and we pray for the people who are still missing. May they be found quickly and return to their loving families.”

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

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