VFI News Netanyahu Pledges at the Western Wall That Iran Will Not Go Nuclear as Israel Marks Its First Rosh Hashanah Without Hostages Since October 7

Netanyahu's Rosh Hashanah pledge at the Western Wall just sent a message to Iran — and to the world. As Israel marks its first New Year without hostages since October 7, the stakes couldn't be higher.

Netanyahu vowed at the Western Wall that Iran will not obtain nuclear weapons as long as he is Prime Minister — citing Operations Rising Lion and Roaring Lion. Meanwhile, Hamas is pulling weapons from storage in Gaza, Germany charged seven Hamas members over a plot targeting Jews, and Pacific nations are opening embassies in Jerusalem. This is VFI News Update's Rosh Hashanah 2026 news roundup. Pray for Israel's protection, for wisdom in leadership, and for the hostage families still waiting.

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged on Thursday, September 10, ahead of Rosh Hashanah, that Iran will not obtain nuclear weapons as long as he remains prime minister. Speaking at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, he addressed US President Donald Trump’s statement earlier that evening that Iran is attempting to obtain nuclear weapons once again. “President Trump announced this evening that Iran is trying to arm itself again with nuclear weapons. That is true,” Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu tied the renewed Iranian effort to the campaigns that had set it back. “After we destroyed its immediate ability to produce nuclear bombs, both in Operation Rising Lion and in Operation Roaring Lion, they are trying again,” he said. He then made a commitment for the Jewish New Year: “I pledge to you here, at the Western Wall, ahead of Rosh Hashanah: As long as I am Prime Minister, Iran will not have nuclear weapons.”

The prime minister added that Israel is continuing to strike the Iranian axis on several fronts at once. “At the same time, we are striking the Iranian axis, not only very hard in the Gaza Strip, but also in Lebanon. We destroyed the Beaufort Ridge, and now we are dealing with the Ali Taher Ridge,” he said. “More to come,” Netanyahu concluded.

(INN/VFI News)

“The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?” – Psalm 27:1

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared on Sunday, September 13, that his country “won’t surrender” to the United States amid the ongoing conflict between the two nations. The statement, posted to X, came a day after Pezeshkian attended the BRICS summit in New Delhi, India.

“If Americans are warriors, let them face our valiant military forces,” Pezeshkian wrote, accusing Washington of waging war on civilian infrastructure, food supplies and livelihoods, and of denying Iranians access to water, food and medicine.

The message closed with a flat rejection of American pressure. “Our people can’t be bullied into submission. Iran won’t surrender,” he wrote.

(TOI/VFI News)

Pray that the leaders of Iran would be restrained from every plan to harm Israel and the nations, and that the hearts of the Iranian people would be turned toward freedom and truth. Ask the Lord to give wisdom to the United States and Israel as they confront Tehran’s defiance. Pray for protection over Israel’s cities and soldiers as this conflict continues, and for a swift end to the suffering it brings.

The IDF has identified a concerning change in Hamas activity in the Gaza Strip: the terrorist organization is removing weapons from its storage facilities and working to reestablish its military control over the territory, in violation of commitments it made in the ceasefire agreement. Security officials have confirmed the shift. Hamas terrorists have been arriving at weapons storage facilities, removing arms and using them for guarding, security and tightening the organization’s grip on areas of Gaza under its authority.

The facilities contain small arms, combat equipment and rockets. In response, the IDF, guided by the Shin Bet, struck three weapons storage facilities on Tuesday, September 8, that held dozens of weapons; a launch pit previously used to fire rockets toward Israel was also destroyed. Over the preceding week, the Southern Command carried out 16 targeted strikes against Hamas infrastructure and its command structure, eliminating 14 terrorists, including five company commanders and four platoon commanders.

The defense establishment has also identified an increase in Hamas’s motivation to confront IDF troops. Signs of this include the launching of weaponized kites, gunfire toward IDF troops along the “Yellow Line,” and the detonation of explosive devices against IDF engineering vehicles.

(INN/VFI News)

Pray for the IDF soldiers serving along the Yellow Line and throughout Gaza, that the Lord would shield them from explosives, gunfire and every hidden threat. Ask that every weapons cache Hamas seeks to reactivate would be exposed and destroyed before it can be used. Pray that Hamas’s grip on Gaza would be broken and that the people of Gaza would be freed from its rule.

German prosecutors on Friday, September 11, charged seven suspected members of the Hamas terror group with planning attacks timed to the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023, massacre. “Since at least July 2025, Hamas had been planning a deadly attack in Germany or Austria targeting Israeli representatives, people of the Jewish faith or pro-Israeli individuals,” prosecutors alleged. “This attack was to take place in the immediate run-up to the second anniversary of Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.”

Prosecutors said the men acted on orders from senior Hamas figures. Suspected high-ranking Hamas operatives allegedly tasked two German citizens with securing weapons and ammunition in Germany, and they were joined by a Danish national, a Bulgarian and three Lebanese. When arrested in October 2025, three of the men were found with an automatic rifle, 13 pistols and 700 bullets.

The seven, whose full names have not been made public, remain in custody. Another man suspected of acting as ringleader, identified only as Mohammed A., was arrested in London in November 2025 and has not yet been extradited; prosecutors suspect he moved some of the weapons to Vienna and recorded a video claiming responsibility in Hamas’s name for the planned attack. German domestic intelligence has said the foiled plot shows that Hamas or affiliated individuals are attempting to “establish clandestine logistical networks in Germany for procuring weapons and planning attacks.”

(TOI/VFI News)

“We have escaped like a bird from the fowler’s snare; the snare has been broken, and we have escaped.” – Psalm 124:7

This 17th-century Jewish poem (piyut) was written by Rabbi Sa'adya ben Amram and has remained a beloved song throughout history. With both Hebrew and Yemenite Arabic, this beautiful ballad is an ode to the connection between body and soul. It is a testament to how the body and mind are one; our bodies do not limit our soul’s purpose, but rather support it. We must merge these parts of ourselves to fully serve our ultimate purpose. While our souls know the bliss of heaven, our bodies must remain on earth where we may only learn of paradise. When the two are in harmony, we can know peace.

An ancient biblical prophecy lies at the heart of a push by Pacific island nations to open embassies in Jerusalem. Israel may seem an unlikely partner for the far-flung nations of the tropical South Pacific, yet the islands have proven some of Israel’s most steadfast supporters on the international stage. Tiny Nauru opened an embassy in Jerusalem on Monday, September 7, joining a handful of nations bucking international pressure by recognizing Israeli sovereignty in the holy city. Papua New Guinea and Fiji are already among just seven UN member states with embassies in Jerusalem, and Samoa has said it will join them later this year.

Former Fijian diplomat Salote Tagivakatini said the moves were less about calculated statecraft and more about religious conviction. “Christianity is the biggest underlying factor,” she said. “Around 90 percent of indigenous Pacific islanders identify as Christians. Therefore, their interpretation of the Bible and reference to Jewish people as ‘God’s chosen people’ obligates them to support Israel.” Waves of European missionaries sailed through the South Pacific in the 19th century, bringing evangelical teachings that were adopted with enthusiasm, and many parts of the region hold deep-rooted beliefs in biblical prophecy, viewing Jews as destined to return to the Land of Israel.

Religion mixes freely with politics across the region, where many nations declare their Christian faith in their founding constitutions. Samoan Prime Minister La’auli Leuatea Schmidt wore a Jewish prayer shawl when he was sworn in in 2025, entering the room to the sound of a shofar. “I stand for Israel, the land of God,” he said at the time. “Samoa will stand up and support the holy land of God.” Pacific security researcher Maima Koro of Adelaide University said typical notions of give-and-take diplomacy miss the point. “Israel is the people of God to them,” Koro said. “It’s not transactional. The connection is spiritual.”

(TOI/VFI News)

“The LORD reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice.” – Psalm 97:1

The White House issued a Presidential Message on Rosh Hashanah on behalf of US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump on Friday, September 11, extending greetings to the Jewish community ahead of the Jewish New Year. “Melania and I send our warmest greetings to the entire Jewish community on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year and the first of the High Holy Days,” the message said.

The message highlighted the biblical significance of Rosh Hashanah, describing it as “the anniversary of when the Almighty created Adam and Eve and the story of humanity began.” It noted that the two-day holiday opens a period of reflection and repentance leading to Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, and described the High Holy Day season as a time of “prayer, repentance, and spiritual renewal.”

The president reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to promoting religious faith across the United States, combating antisemitism and protecting religious freedom. “My Administration reaffirms our steadfast commitment to ushering in a historic renewal of faith across our country, eliminating the scourge of anti-Semitism, and defending the sacred right of religious liberty for every single American,” the message said. It closed with the traditional High Holy Days hope that members of the Jewish community would “be inscribed in the Book of Life,” adding: “Wishing you a Happy, Healthy, and Sweet New Year!”

(JPost/VFI News)

Israeli Jews marked Rosh Hashanah from sunset on Friday, September 11, the first Jewish New Year since the Hamas assault of October 7, 2023, without any hostages in Gaza and without major fighting in the Strip or elsewhere. It was shortly after the Jewish New Year in 2025 that the US-brokered ceasefire deal secured the return home of the last 20 living hostages whom Hamas abducted in its October 7 invasion and held captive in the Strip.

“Last Rosh Hashanah eve, we asked for a better year to come. But before any other requests, there was one simple, clear request above all: that all of our hostages would come home,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video published to his personal X account. Surveying Israel’s military accomplishments over the past year, he declared: “Do you know another nation that fights on seven fronts and wins on all of them?” He pressed the message of national unity, calling the holiday “a time to be reminded of what connects us.” President Isaac Herzog wished Jews around the world a happy new year and paid tribute to those lost this year, including soldiers, terror victims within Israel and victims of antisemitism abroad.

Released hostages shared photos of holiday preparations with their families. Matan Angrest, freed in 2025, returned to Israel from traveling in South America to celebrate with his parents. “Thank God, I’m here a year later, celebrating Rosh Hashanah with all my loved ones, for the first time. Free, happy. Really, it’s our victory – and my personal one,” he said. IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, in a video message from the northern border, saluted “the soldiers who are right now in Gaza, in Lebanon, in Syria, and in Judea and Samaria,” who were celebrating the holiday “by fulfilling the great mitzvah of protecting the security of the nation of Israel and its land.”

(TOI/VFI News)

Give thanks that Israel has entered 5787 with every living hostage home. Pray for the families who lost their loved ones, of the fallen soldiers and for those still healing from being hostages, that this new year would bring them comfort and restoration. Ask the Lord to unite the nation across its divisions and to guard its soldiers standing watch on every front through the holidays.

Israeli windsurfer Tamar Steinberg won the gold medal at the iQFOiL Windsurfing World Championships in England on Saturday, September 12.

Her Israeli teammates rounded out a dominant showing: Sharon Kantor placed second to take the silver medal, and Daniela Peleg finished fourth.

The result put two Israelis on the podium at the Musto iQFOiL World Championship, and the celebration was immediate: “Gold for Tamar Steinberg! Silver for Sharon Kantor!”

(TOI/VFI News)

“Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea—the LORD on high is mighty.” – Psalm 93:4

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

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