VFI News The Reasons Iran Has Not Yet Responded to Haniyeh’s Death; Hamas Rejects Hostage Talks

The Reasons Iran Has Not Yet Responded to Haniyeh’s Death; Hamas Rejects Hostage Talks

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Israeli officials estimate that despite the heavy diplomatic pressure on Iran, Tehran is bent on attacking Israel, even more extensively than during the attack in April, Israeli media reported on Sunday, August 11. 

The report further stated that the defense establishment understands that Iran has returned to its promises as it has threatened since the elimination of Ismail Haniyeh. 

An Iranian delegation arrived in Russia on Sunday for a series of meetings. According to a source with knowledge of the details, one of the reasons for the delay of the Iranian attack was Tehran’s will to stop the security breaches that led to Haniyeh’s demise. 

The source emphasized that there were additional reasons for the attack to be delayed, including the presence of US forces in the region. 

The IDF Spokesperson clarified in light of the report: “Following reports regarding Iran’s plans, we clarify that at the moment there are no changes to the Home Front Command guidelines. If there is a change to the guidelines, we will update with an orderly announcement through the official channels.” 

Meanwhile, the Commander of the Israeli Air Force Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar has ordered the suspension of overseas leave for IAF career service members until further notice. (INN / VFI News)

“Dear God, we pray for a de-escalation with Iran and Hezbollah, despite it seeming impossible at the moment. You are the God of miracles, the God who raised Yeshua from the dead, the only God of this world, and we know that You make the impossible possible. We pray for a miraculous intervention that will ensure the peace and safety of all the citizens residing in our country, in Yeshua’s name. We trust in You and ask for Your Will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” 

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.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant spoke on Sunday, August 11, with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and told him the Iranian military preparations suggest Iran is getting ready for a large-scale attack, a source with knowledge of the call told American media. 

According to the report, which cited two sources with direct knowledge of the issue, the Israeli intelligence community’s updated assessment is that Iran is poised to attack Israel directly in retaliation for the elimination of Hamas’ political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and is likely to do it within days. 

Iran’s mission to the UN in a statement on Friday said regarding the hostage talks that were set for this week: “We hope that our response will be timed and conducted in a manner not to the detriment of the potential ceasefire.” 

However, on Sunday, Hamas rejected the hostage talks, hours after CNN published a poorly-sourced article claiming that the terrorist group was serious about a deal but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not.

Further, the Israeli intelligence community still thinks Hezbollah is likely to attack first and then Iran could join with a direct attack of its own, the original sources said. There have actually been indications that Hezbollah has been evacuating its headquarters in Beirut, Israeli media reported on Monday morning, citing an Arabic report.  

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed his cabinet not to publicly discuss security matters in the coming days amid the tense wait. “These are fateful days,” Netanyahu told the ministers and asked them to remain silent on matters of defense. (INN /VFI News)  

“Our Heavenly Father, we pray that You continue to be our shield and refuge in these times of trouble. We pray for Your wisdom and discernment to be freely given to those who are in charge of important decisions on behalf of our nation. We pray in Yeshua’s name for all the remaining hostages, and their mental and physical health, and we ask that You help our leaders mediate their release according to Your Will in Heaven.” 

Yehonatan Deutsch, aged 23 from Beit She’an, was murdered on Sunday, August 11, in a drive-by shooting attack on the road leading to the village of Rotem in the Jordan Valley. Yehonatan was released last week from active service in the IDF’s elite Maglan Unit and saw intense combat during the first months of the war in Gaza.

Yehonatan, who was scheduled to wed in the coming weeks, was on the way to his fiancée’s hometown of Ofra when he was gunned down. Deutsch graduated from the Beit She’an Yeshiva High School, was a counselor in the Bnei Akiva youth movement, and volunteered a good deal in his city.

In addition, a 33-year-old was moderately wounded after being shot at the nearby Mehola Junction. Emergency medical crews tended to the two victims but pronounced the 23-year-old dead a short time later. A MDA helicopter evacuated the moderately wounded victim who was suffering from wounds to his lower extremities.

Security forces are searching for the terrorists who fled the scene after committing the attack. According to Palestinian Arab reports, IDF forces have begun operating in the villages of Kardala and Bardala in the northern Jordan Valley.

According to a preliminary investigation, two terrorists fired at least eight bullets at the two vehicles traveling on the eastbound Route 90. The terrorist carried out the attack with a rifle and the two attacked vehicles were 250 meters apart from each other. (INN/ VFI News)

“Lord, we pray for the family of Yehonatan Deutsch and we send our heartfelt condolences to them. We pray that they turn to You for healing and that You comfort them and give them Your peace that transcends all understanding amid their grief. We also pray in Yeshua’s name for the quick recovery of the 33-year-old who was wounded during the attacks and for the shooters to be apprehended as soon as possible so they don’t cause further harm.”

Following Hamas’ terrorist attack on October 7th, 250 Israelis were taken captive, of whom 115 women, men, and children remain in captivity. During November-December 2023, as part of a ceasefire agreement and after approximately 50 days in Hamas captivity, about 80 Israelis and foreign citizens were released.

Of these, a total of 26 returnees: 19 children aged two and a half to 18, six mothers, and one grandmother, were treated in the returnees’ department of Schneider Children’s Medical Center of the Clalit Group, immediately upon their return to Israel. This department treated most of the children who returned to Israel from Hamas captivity.

The study in question is the first to describe the physical and behavioral findings in children and their mothers in the immediate period following captivity. The study was conducted by a medical team from Schneider Children’s Medical Center who participated in the treatment of the returnees.

According to the researchers, significant findings observed upon the returnees’ arrival at the hospital included: substantial weight loss, psychological trauma, and complications from poor hygiene and shrapnel injuries during the attack. Blood and stool laboratory tests were positive for various contaminants, but mostly without significant clinical manifestations.

According to researcher Dr. Noa Ziv, a senior physician in the returnees’ department: “We can say that the most concerning aspects we experienced as a medical team among the returnees are psychological. We saw mainly great sadness and psychological trauma. Despite the great joy and immense relief of release, the returnees experienced significant difficulties during the attack and captivity, and many of them witnessed atrocities such as the murder and abduction of their loved ones.” (INN / VFI News)

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” - Matthew 11:28-29

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US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has ordered the deployment of a guided missile submarine and the Abraham Lincoln strike group to the Middle East, the Pentagon announced on Sunday night, August 11. 

The announcement was made in a statement summarizing a phone call between Austin and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. “Secretary Austin reiterated the United States’ commitment to take every possible step to defend Israel and noted the strengthening of US military force posture and capabilities throughout the Middle East in light of escalating regional tensions,” the statement said. 

“Reinforcing this commitment, Secretary Austin has ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, equipped with F-35C fighters, to accelerate its transit to the Central Command area of responsibility, adding to the capabilities already provided by the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group,” it added. 

Austin has also “ordered the USS Georgia (SSGN 729) guided missile submarine to the Central Command region,” the Pentagon said. 

“Secretary Austin and Minister Gallant also discussed Israel’s operations in Gaza and the importance of mitigating civilian harm, progress towards securing a ceasefire and the release of hostages held in Gaza, and our efforts to deter aggression by Iran, Lebanese Hezbollah, and other Iran-aligned groups across the region,” the statement added. (INN / VFI News)

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.” - Proverbs 17:17

Jewish media recently reported that the Israeli American Council, a nonprofit organization representing Israeli-Americans that seeks to strengthen ties between the U.S. and Israel, filed two applications with Chicago’s Department of Transportation at the beginning of July, according to Aya Schechter, the group’s chief programming officer. 

But with under two weeks remaining until the convention, the IAC has yet to receive an answer from the city, despite following up via phone and email. 

However, last month, a coalition of pro-Palestinian activists planning a so-called “March on the DNC” gained permission for a protest route near the convention — an offer meant to settle a lawsuit accusing the city of First Amendment violations. 

The coalition, which predicts more than 25,000 participants who could disrupt the convention, has continued to challenge the contours of the proposed route in court, where a judge’s decision is expected to come this week. 

Chicago has been the site of radical pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli protests in the months since October 7, and long before. In June, pro-Palestinian protesters vandalized the city’s iconic Buckingham Fountain, including dying the water red. (BB /VFI News) 

Arad Kauf sits in the empty dining area of the bagel shop he is supposed to be managing. He’s got some new recipes proofing in the back, but they’re just sheets of raw dough. There’s no one on hand to do the baking. 

Everyone on staff at the Detroit Institute of Bagels either quit or was fired last month after a conflagration centered in part on Israel, Kauf’s homeland. “I was ashamed. I was embarrassed,” Kauf said. “I was trying to understand what I did wrong. What happened here?” 

What happened at the Detroit Institute of Bagels married a long-simmering local real estate dispute to the widespread tensions over Israel and Gaza that have rippled out across the country over the past 10 months. 

The sale of the bagel shop to Philip Kafka, a hard-charging Jewish property developer, and Kauf’s business partner, elicited protests over Kafka’s past comments supporting Israel. “My own core beliefs do not allow me to work for a zionist,” one staffer wrote in an email to the bagel shop’s new management. 

“I cannot allow my creativity and work to be associated with Zionism when this is something I vehemently reject, and am very vocal about.” The first two staffers to resign also cited “the zionist political leanings of new ownership” alongside a “history of poor business practices” and “lack of transparency” as their reasons. (JPost / VFI News)

After heading to the Paris Olympics under the shadow of death threats and expected provocations, Israel wrapped up its best-ever Games on Sunday, August 11, with a record seven medals. 

Heading in to make their presence known and refuse to retreat in the face of threats and efforts to boycott and ban them, Israel’s athletes sailed past the country’s previous four-medal haul in Tokyo, bringing home seven new medals — one gold, five silver, and one bronze. 

Israel headed into Paris with a total of just 13 Olympic medals in history, and left with 20, a massive jump for the nation of just 10 million people. The crowning achievement in Paris came in the form of sailor Tom Reuveny’s gold medal win in the men’s windsurfing event, prompting “Hatikvah” to ring out on the shores of Marseilles. 

In the women’s windsurfing event, Sharon Kantor, who had been a heavy medal favorite heading into the Games, took home the silver medal, bringing Israel’s total Olympic sailing medals to five. 

In judo, Israel’s most decorated sport, three athletes left with medals: Raz Hershko won silver in the women’s over-78kg weight class, Inbar Lanir also won silver in the women’s under-78kg class, and Peter Paltchik took home the bronze in the men’s under-100kg class. Nine of Israel’s overall 20 Olympic medals are now in judo. 

And in gymnastics, the Israelis lived up to the high expectations ahead of the games, winning two silver medals — one for Artem Dolgopyat, in the men’s artistic gymnastics floor routine, and one for the five-woman rhythmic gymnastics team in the all-around event. The win made Dolgopyat — who also won a gold in Tokyo in the same event — Israel’s most decorated Olympian. (TOI / 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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