VFI News Non-Hezbollah Backed Candidate Elected Lebanon’s President – Reignites Hope for Peace

This week's episode of VFI News explores the ongoing and complex situation surrounding the hostage crisis in Israel. Despite efforts from the Israeli government and international pressures, a deal for the release of hostages remains elusive.

This video examines the key challenges and shifting narratives from Hamas, the political pressures on Israel, and the devastating impact on families caught in this tragic ordeal. We also discuss the role of external powers and the deepening tensions in the region as the deadline for negotiations looms.

Learn more about the behind-the-scenes struggle and the heartbreaking realities faced by families of those still held captive in Gaza.

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Lebanon’s lawmakers elected on Thursday, January 9, army chief Joseph Aoun as president, ending a stalemate that left the post vacant for two years, in a step toward lifting the war-battered country out of financial ruin and solidifying a ceasefire between Israel and the Hezbollah terror group.  

Israel was swift to congratulate Beirut on picking Aoun, and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar expressed hope for “good neighborliness” as the new Lebanese leader indicated that he would keep Hezbollah on a tight leash and uphold the fragile truce that ended its fight with Israel in late November.  

Aoun was widely seen as the preferred candidate of the United States and Saudi Arabia, whose assistance Lebanon will need as it seeks to rebuild following Israel’s campaign against the Iran-backed Hezbollah.  

The session was the legislature’s 13th attempt to elect a successor to Michel Aoun, whose term ended in October 2022. The two Aouns are not related.  

Hezbollah had previously backed another candidate, Suleiman Frangieh, the leader of a small Christian party in northern Lebanon with close ties to deposed Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. However, on Wednesday, Frangieh announced he had withdrawn from the race and endorsed Aoun, clearing the way for the army chief. (TOI / VFI News)

“Our Heavenly Father, we thank You for the miracles You do daily for those You love. We are immensely grateful for the election of an amicable leader in Lebanon, and we pray that You will further guide him into seeking Your Will and maintaining peace between our countries. Every day we are in awe of You, Your goodness, Your love, and never-ending mercies. We thank You and we pray in Yeshua’s name that You continue to make Your Face shine upon us and all Your people.”

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.

A fast-moving fire broke out in the Hollywood Hills on Wednesday night, January 8, threatening one of Los Angeles’s most iconic spots as firefighters were already battling three other major blazes that killed five people, put 130,000 people under evacuation orders, and ravaged communities from the Pacific Coast to inland Pasadena.

Nearly 1,900 structures have been destroyed in the Eaton and Palisades fires, and the number is expected to increase. The fires that have been raging since Tuesday have ravaged some local Jewish communities, whose leaders are striving to offer comfort amid the disaster.

Though the fire in the Palisades continues to blaze, the building that houses the Kehillat Israel synagogue remains standing, for now. The same, however, could not be said for the homes of many of the community’s 920 families, including that of Daniel Sher, the associate rabbi.

“We lost our home today,” he told Israeli media as he choked back tears. Still, he did not want to focus on his personal loss, saying, “It’s not even so much about the loss of your own home, though I will not lie that that is devastating. The whole area has been desecrated, and every five minutes, I’m learning of more families who have lost their homes,” Sher said.

Rabbi Noah Farkas, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, was up all night with his staff doing everything they could to support the Jewish community.

“This is all too familiar,” Farkas told the Israeli news outlet, referencing several fires over the years that have impacted Southern California. “But in many ways, it’s also completely unprecedented,” he added, “having four fires simultaneously.” (TOI/VFI News)

“Dear Lord, we pray in Yeshua’s name for all the people who have been affected by the California fires. We pray for their physical and mental health and that You will provide for all their needs. Please, help those who have lost their homes find permanent housing after this tragedy is over and restore the injured to health. We send our sincerest condolences to everyone who has lost a family member and we pray that You comfort them and take complete care of them until they regain clarity and strength to support themselves and their loved ones.”

Anti-Israel activists and commentators in the US blame Israel for the wildfire crisis in Los Angeles. Code Pink, a far-left activist group, said on Instagram, “When US taxes go to burning people alive in Gaza, we can’t be surprised when those fires come home.”  

The New York branch of the anti-Zionist Jewish Voice for Peace, in a post about the fires, said, “Instead of putting resources toward making our country livable, our government is putting billions toward Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.”  

A leader of another hardline anti-Israel group Within Our Lifetime, posted an image of the fires and said, “The flames of Gaza will not stop there.” “Dropping hundreds of thousands of bombs on Gaza, turning it into a blazing inferno, has consequences,” she says. “There are climate consequences that will find us all.”  

It should be noted that the Los Angeles Fire Department is mainly funded by the city of Los Angeles, while aid to Israel is from the federal government.  

New York Congressman Ritchie Torres, one of Israel’s most outspoken supporters in Washington, lashed out against Code Pink for blaming Israel for the fires. 

Amy Spitalnick, the head of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, also spoke out against the Code Pink statement stating it is “the latest example of a relentless scapegoating of Israel or Jews for virtually any global problem.” (TOI / VFI News)

“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” - Matthew 5:44-45

US President-elect Donald Trump gave a news conference from Mar-a-Lago in Florida on Tuesday, January 7, less than two weeks ahead of his inauguration on January 20.

During the question and answer session following his speech, Trump was asked about the ongoing hostage situation in Gaza, where 100 Israeli hostages continue to be held by Hamas and other terrorists.

“If they’re (the hostages) not back by the time I get into office, all hell will break out in the Middle East,” Trump said, reiterating his previous threats on the hostage issue.

“It will not be good for Hamas, and it will not be good, frankly, for anyone,” he added. “All hell will break out. I don't have to say anymore, but that’s what it is.”

Trump stated, “They should have given them back a long time ago, [and] they should have never taken them. There should have never been an attack on October 7th. People forget that. But there was, and many people are killed – they’re no longer hostages.”

He noted that some of the hostages are American citizens and recounted how many parents of hostages have come to him asking for his help in getting back the bodies of their children. (INN/VFI News)

“Dear God, we come to You again to pray for the hostages remaining in Hamas’ lairs. We can do nothing more than pray, for You hold all the power in Your hands. We pray in Yeshua’s name that You release them and restore their physical and mental health. We pray that You guide the leaders who are in charge of such matters and strengthen whoever can be of service to the hostages and their families. We thank You for all You are doing and for the valuable allies You give us during this trying period.”

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The number of people executed in Iran rose to 901 last year, including 31 women, some of whom were convicted of murdering their husbands to fend off rape or after being forced into marriage, the UN human rights office said on Tuesday, January 7.  

Most of the executions were for drug-related offenses, but political dissidents and people connected with mass protests in 2022 over the death in police custody of a 22-year-old woman were also among the victims, the UN statement said.  

“It is deeply disturbing that yet again we see an increase in the number of people subjected to the death penalty in Iran year-on-year,” United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said in a statement sent to journalists. “It is high time Iran stemmed this ever-swelling tide of executions.”  

In total, at least 901 people were executed by hanging last year in the Islamic Republic, compared with 853 in 2023, the UN rights office said. That represented the highest number since 2015 when 972 people were executed. (JPost/VFI News)

“Dear Lord, we pray for the people of Iran. We pray in Yeshua’s name that You remove the wicked leaders and establish a democratic leadership with elected officials who heartily care about their people. We send our heartfelt condolences to every Iranian who lost a loved one to the regime and we pray for justice, righteousness, peace, unity, and brotherhood within their nation.”

The bill seeking sanctions against members of the International Criminal Court over its issuing of arrest warrants against PM Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant, passed 243-140 in the Republican-led House of Representatives on Thursday, January 9, marking the body’s second vote in favor of the legislation.  

The “Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act,” reintroduced this week by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast and Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), received overwhelming Republican support.  

Roy spoke against the International Criminal Court’s “unprecedented action of issuing arrest warrants” for the sitting prime minister and former defense minister of Israel.  

“Let that sit in,” he said. “This is an entity, the International Criminal Court, that has no jurisdiction over the people of the United States. [The ICC] should have no authority over our people, no authority over the prime minister of Israel.” 

“If you’re boosting the morale of Hamas, you are on the other team. And in November, the ICC’s Trial Chamber approved the arrest warrants,” Mast said. (JPost /VFI News) 

Antisemitic crimes rose in Florida and Massachusetts in 2023 compared to 2022, government reports showed.  

Antisemitic crimes increased by 94% in Florida and 70% in Massachusetts, according to Florida Attorney-General Ashley Moody’s 2023 Hate Crimes in Florida Report and the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s Hate Crimes in Massachusetts 2023 report. 

“Following the terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, the Jewish community was increasingly targeted on college campuses, places of worship, and other areas of our country,” said Moody.  

“To protect Jewish Americans, we took action – calling for a zero-tolerance policy for hate crimes and urging Florida college and university police chiefs to protect Jewish students and other religious groups.”  

Moody’s office collected 311 reported hate crimes in 2023, a 36% increase from the 229 reports in 2022. Among these 311 incidents, there were 70 anti-Jewish motivated crimes. Antisemitic crimes accounted for 22% of all hate crimes in the state. (JPost / VFI News)

A Norwegian teenager was physically removed from a Narvesen convenience store on New Year’s Eve after a clerk learned he was Jewish and a Zionist, the 19-year-old shared in an interview with Israeli media on Wednesday, January 8.

Nataniel Elpeleg was headed into town with friends to celebrate the new year when they stopped at the convenience store to buy hot dogs. The teenager reportedly struck up a conversation with a clerk, who told him he was from Yemen and the Palestinian territories. 

Elpeleg said he was naively excited and told the clerk he was half-Israeli. “I really want to have peace with you guys. I hope we can be friends in the future,” Elpeleg recalled.

“Are you a Zionist?” the clerk allegedly responded. “Being a Zionist means supporting the right of Jews to have their own state. I agree with that, so I am a Zionist, but right now, I just want to buy a sausage,” Elpeleg reportedly said. 

The clerk allegedly responded by calling Elpeleg a “child murderer” and told him he was no longer allowed in the store. Elpeleg began to film the incident, which was then uploaded onto social media. “Get out! Get out!” The store employee shouted as he pushed Elpeleg out of the store.

Elpeleg said he was disappointed that no one else in the store said a word in his defense. There were several customers and other employees present, but no one intervened. (JPost / VFI News)

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

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