VFI News Tues., March 7 — Under Constant Threats, But Still Thriving | VFI News

This video brings you the latest updates on the ongoing civil unrest and riots in Israel, as well as news from other countries in the region.

In addition, we also cover the latest developments with Iran's nuclear program and positive news on Israel's economic growth.

Stay informed with our comprehensive coverage of the Middle East.

Iranian scientists could construct the key components of a nuclear bomb in less than two weeks, a top US defense official told lawmakers Tuesday, February 28.

Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl told the House Armed Services Committee that Iran’s nuclear program had made “remarkable” progress since former President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, signed by the Obama administration, Iran, and five other world powers.

“Back in 2018, when the previous administration decided to leave the JCPOA, it would have taken Iran about 12 months to produce one fissile — one bomb’s worth of fissile material,” Kahl said after Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) asked why the Biden administration had attempted to resurrect the deal.

“Now, it would take about 12 days. “And so, I think there is still the view that if you can resolve this issue diplomatically and put constraints back on their nuclear program, it is better than the other options,” Kahl added, “but right now, the JCPOA is on ice.”

Earlier, officials did not believe Tehran was proficient enough with the technology needed to actually construct a nuclear bomb, and Iran has denied having any such ambition.

However, president Joe Biden ’s administration is reportedly “very, very” worried by Iran’s progress toward nuclear weapons-grade uranium, a top diplomat also acknowledged Wednesday. (NYP / VFI News)

“God, we thank You for enabling powerful allies to recognize Iran’s actions and capabilities in regards to its nuclear activity. We pray that the global community will soon come to the same realization in unison, and take more proactive steps to prevent the possibility of a nuclear war in the future.”

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.

Israel warned Brazil that it was dangerous to allow two Iranian warships to dock in Rio de Janeiro, noting that their presence in the southern Atlantic Ocean was a "dangerous and regretful development”- “It is still not too late to order the ships to leave the port," the Foreign Ministry stated Thursday, March 2, in a sharply worded statement.

"The Iranian regime has executed dozens of terror attacks against ships, putting in danger the maritime freedom of navigation. Two of the attacks occurred in recent weeks," it said.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's government granted permission for the ships to dock, despite pressure from the United States to bar them. The IRIS Makran and IRIS Dena warships arrived Sunday morning, February 26.

The ships are part of the Iranian navy that works with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fleet, which is a designated terror entity by the United States, the Foreign Ministry said. The Biden administration had specifically issued sanctions against the ships and their geographical location in Latin America places them just one continent away from the US shores.

US State Department spokesman Ned Price said Wednesday that the Biden administration wanted to make sure that the “IRGC – that Iran more broadly is not able to acquire a foothold, is not able to take advantage of others in this hemisphere." (JPost / VFI News)

“The wicked put up a bold front, but the upright give thought to their ways.” - Proverbs 21:29

Reports of Iranian schoolgirls being poisoned at school continue to stream in from across Iran, with over 1,000 students in more than 50 schools impacted so far, according to opposition reports the previous week. The poisonings were first reported in late November, with the pace of reports rising in recent weeks.

Iranian officials have varied in their responses to the poisonings, with some claiming the symptoms being reported are largely caused by stress, some calling the incidents "subversive operations" and "intimidations", and others stating that the incidents seem to be intentional and that security forces are investigating.

Footage from hospitals throughout Iran shows girls being brought to emergency rooms and put on oxygen. Footage from the schools shows girls sitting outside, some collapsing and others coughing heavily.

At least one individual has been arrested in relation to one poisoning incident at a school in Shahin Shahr, according to Iranian state media.

According to a social media account which covers anti-government protests in Iran, some students have seen plainclothes security agents outside the schools right before the poisonings. Some reported eyewitness accounts have claimed that a small explosion was heard at some of the schools, followed by a strong smell and then the symptoms of poisoning began.

Videos reportedly from Tehran showed students and parents chanting "death to the dictator" and "death to the child-killing government" in protests against the poisonings.

On Wednesday, March 1, the Critical Threats Project (CTP) at the American Enterprise Institute assessed with moderate confidence that the Iranian government is tolerating the poisonings, as there is indirect evidence that the regime is not sufficiently responding to the attacks. (JPost / VFI News)

“God, we pray for the health of the Iranian girls that exhibit symptoms of poisoning. We trust that the guilty parties will be revealed and face harsh consequences for endangering the Iranian youth in such an abhorrent manner.”

Israeli security forces recently apprehended eight wanted terror suspects believed to be responsible for a series of shooting attacks across Judea and Samaria, the IDF censor cleared for publication Tuesday, February 28.

The eight suspects were arrested in a series of operations in recent weeks carried out by the IDF and the Shin Bet internal security agency.

None of the shooting attacks attributed to the eight terrorists resulted in injuries. The attacks include multiple incidents in or around the town of Nabi Salih, near Ramallah, in December and January, in which two of the suspects opened fire on IDF forces.

In a separate attack, one of the suspects opened fire on an Israeli car which drove near Rawabi in Samaria. One of the most recent shootings attributed to the suspects was carried out two weeks ago at the Qalandia checkpoint on the northern edge of Jerusalem. (INN / VFI News)

“God, we are grateful for the highly competent Israeli personnel that are able to protect our citizens and serve justice. We hope that we will no longer witness terrorist attacks in our region though, so that we can all live safely and prosper without fear of incoming threats.”

Let's look back at the best of Barry during 2022. We are looking forward to bringing you the news you crave as we have stepped into 2023 together.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC) denounced this year’s Nation of Islam Savior’s Day conference, an annual event featuring anti-Semitic rants by Louis Farrakhan and other speakers.

The Center slammed Farrakhan’s latest speech, “The War of Armageddon Has Begun,” in which he “unleashes a tsunami of Jew hatred.” The address included accusations that Jews control world governments, the media and financial institutions.

The Nation of Islam leader, 89, also again referred to the Jewish community as the “Synagogue of Satan.” Farrakhan further repeated his claim that Jews control Black celebrities, defending Kanye West and Kyrie Irving. He praised West as “a very great brother, a genius.”

SWC Associate Dean and Director of Global Social Action Agenda, Rabbi Abraham Cooper, slammed Farrakhan for “four decades of non-stop vicious Jew-hatred.” “Words lead to action and his toxic hatred has been absorbed by many, including Kanye West.”

“We urge all our neighbors to reject his hate and we must commit to strengthen our relationships for the betterment of all Americans whatever their color creed or orientation” Rabbi Cooper said. (INN / VFI News)

“Many have become my enemies without cause; those who hate me without reason are numerous.” - Psalm 38:19

Hungary will move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem next month, apparently in a special gesture to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban.

The two reached an agreement on the matter in recent days, with the details hashed out during intensive talks between Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and Hungary’s top diplomat Peter Szijjarto, senior Foreign Ministry officials told Israeli media on Friday, February 3.

Following the United States, several other countries have since moved their embassies to Jerusalem or announced their intention to do so, with Hungary now agreeing with Israel to transfer its embassy from Tel Aviv to the capital.

The move will make Hungary the first European Union member state to open an embassy in Jerusalem, which the bloc opposes in the absence of a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.

Senior Foreign Ministry sources who confirmed the planned embassy transfer linked the move to Orban’s desire to help out Netanyahu, granting the premier a diplomatic achievement amid political instability over his government’s contentious plans to overhaul Israel’s judicial system. (TOI / VFI News)

Sheba Medical Center, Israel’s largest hospital, was recognized as one of the best hospitals in the world for the fifth time in a row by Newsweek and Statista Inc., the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider.

The 2023 ranking evaluated the best hospitals across 28 countries including the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Israel, and more.

Four data sources were used for the evaluation: recommendations from more than 80,000 doctors, hospital managers and healthcare professionals; patient experience surveys; patient reported outcome measures; and hospital quality metrics which include patient safety, hygiene measures, waiting times, and quality of treatment.

Sheba ranked as the number one hospital in Israel for the fifth year running, and the number one hospital in the GCC/MENA (Gulf, Middle East) regions.

"It is a testament to our talented and innovative medical staff, which on an annual basis treats nearly two million people from all walks of life in Israel and around the world, to be nominated for the fifth consecutive year by Newsweek and Statista as a World's Best Hospital,” said Professor Yitshak Kreiss, Director General of Sheba Medical Center. (INN / VFI News)

“He holds success in store for the upright, He is a shield to those whose walk is blameless.” - Exodus 2:7

In 2016, archaeologists discovered the skeletal remains of two brothers buried more than 3,400 years ago in Megiddo, located in the Jezreel Valley in Northern Israel.

After analysis, researchers now claim the brothers suffered from health problems and one was even treated by trepanation; the removal of a piece of bone from his skull.

The study, titled “Cranial trephination and infectious disease in the Eastern Mediterranean: The evidence from two elite brothers from Late Bronze Megiddo, Israel” was published in a nonprofit open-access publisher.

The article explained that the older brother had a square piece, about three centimeters long, removed from the front of his skull. The marks in the skull bear no signs of healing, leading researchers to conclude that the procedure was done just before his death, perhaps in a desperate yet unsuccessful attempt to save his life.

“The totality of the evidence suggests that this was a person who had been ill for a long period of time, so maybe they had some kind of surgery or an attempted life-saving procedure,” Rachel Kalisher, a doctoral student in archaeology at Brown University and lead researcher, said.

“We have evidence that trypanism has been a widespread form of surgery for thousands of years. But in the Near East we don’t see it that often, only about a dozen cases of trypanism have been found in the whole region,” she added.

The hole was made by scoring the skull and carefully levering out pieces from the center. If the assessment is accurate, this would be the most ancient case of trepanation discovered to date. (I365N / VFI News)

“Along the borders of Manasseh were Beth Shan, Taanach, Megiddo and Dor, together with their villages. The descendants of Joseph son of Israel lived in these towns.” - 1 Chronicles 7:29

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

Want to see more from VFI? Follow us on Facebook! Our official Facebook name is Vision for Israel. Follow us there and please hit “like” if you like us.