VFI News December 31, 2021

Iran's threats are reaching an all-new high and Israel is fighting a shortage of eggs with the bird flu outbreak - killing thousands of birds!

#iran #greenpass #israelcovid #nuclearweapon #birdflu #nuclear

• 00:36 - Mohammed tops most popular baby name in Israel
• 01:41 - Ancient underwater treasure found in Caesarea
• 02:58 - Bird flu outbreak in Israel
• 04:11 Israeli economy grows by 7%
• 05:08 - Rise in incitement against Jews Christians and Gays in France
• 06:33 - Iran’s nuclear warning to Israel

Want more of what you just saw?

SUBSCRIBE TO GET NOTIFIED! https://www.youtube.com/c/VisionforIs...

We wish all of our readers and partners a happy and blessed new year! May the Lord bless all of you this coming year with health, peace, and love.

A Twitter account run by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Friday, December 24, threatened to blow up the city of Dimona in the Negev desert, where a nuclear facility is located.

The IRGC account, with its 12,100 followers, posted a video showing multiple explosions in a desert. “Then on the day, we [God] will deal you the fiercest blow. We will surely inflict punishment, “ the IRGC wrote in Arabic, citing a quote from the Koran, adding the hashtag “Dimona.” The video is post-dated to Friday.

The account provides a link to the IRGC’s Telegram account, with its 376,084 subscribers. Both the IRGC Twitter account and Telegram account show the IRGC logo—an arm raised while clutching a rifle.

The IRGC Arabic account only follows the Farsi language Twitter account of the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, as well as a backup account for IRGC Arabic.

A December 13 tweet from the IRGC account reads: "In the event of foolishness on the part of the Zionist regime, the Islamic Republic of Iran is no longer ready to destroy Tel Aviv and Haifa but to liberate Holy Quds. If the security of the Holy Land of Iran is compromised, no one will taste the moment of security, whether those who are at 1,000 km or at 10,000 km.“ Quds is the Arabic name for the capital of Israel, Jerusalem.

In 2019, the US designated the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization. The US State Department—under both Democrat and Republican administrations—has classified the Iranian regime as the world’s worst state-sponsor of terrorism. The IRGC is estimated to have murdered over 600 US military personnel in the Middle East.

Last week, an Arabic language Twitter account of the Islamic Republic of Iran published an image on December 17 that showed the planned burned elimination of the Jewish state in 2022. The picture shows Israel composed of nails and matches and a book of matches next to words in Hebrew and English declaring: “Just try and you will see.”

The book of matches, which is situated next to Israel in the image, says “Ballistic matchstick” and shows an Iranian regime flag on it. The apparent message is that the clerical regime is prepared to detonate the matches to destroy Israel in 2022. (JPost / VFI News)

“God, we ask that you protect Israel from terrorism and all those who wish to destroy 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.

Iran fired multiple ballistic missiles Friday, December 24, at the close of five days of military drills that generals said were a warning to Israel and included a mock strike on Israel’s nuclear facility.

“These exercises were designed to respond to threats made in recent days by the Zionist regime,” armed forces chief of staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri told state television.

“Sixteen missiles aimed and annihilated the chosen target. In this exercise, part of the hundreds of Iranian missiles capable of destroying a country that dared to attack Iran were deployed,” he added.

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps chief Major General Hossein Salami added: “The military exercise… is a serious warning to Zionist regime officials… Make the slightest mistake, we will cut off their hand.”

Iranian Revolutionary Guards forces finished the drill by blowing up a target set up to resemble Israel’s Dimona nuclear complex, Reuters reported. Iranian TV broadcast images of missiles striking the target structures and issued a threat to Israel.

The short-range and medium-range missiles, Iran has said, can reach Israel as well as US bases in the region.

Iranian officials said the missiles fired during the drill successfully hit one target at the same time as 10 drones simultaneously hit their targets. State TV showed missiles launching in the desert. (TOI / VFI News)

I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. - Psalm 91:2-3

Lebanon's top Christian party has indicated it is considering ending a political alliance with Iran-backed Hezbollah, threatening a fragile union that has shaped Lebanese politics for nearly 16 years.

Gebran Bassil, leader of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) party said earlier this week there would be "political consequences" for action taken against his party by Lebanon's two main Shiite parties Hezbollah and Amal.

Prominent figures close to the party have also said the 2006 Mar Mikhael Agreement between FPM and Hezbollah is at an end.

The party's support was critical in bringing President Michel Aoun, the FPM's founder, to power in 2016, and the FPM has provided critical Christian political cover for Hezbollah's armed presence under Lebanon's sectarian power-sharing system.

Pro-Hezbollah Sheikh Sadiq Al-Nabulsi said on Wednesday, December 22, that Hezbollah had "a very high tolerance for pain and criticism" but Bassil was at risk of losing its support.

"Today the FPM has no real ally other than Hezbollah, so why are you letting go of your last ally?" he said.

Bassil's party has faced growing political pressure to distance itself from Hezbollah since the country's 2019 financial meltdown.

Traditional allies in the Arab Gulf have been unwilling to provide Lebanon with aid, as they have in the past, because of what they have said is Hezbollah's grip on the country and its support for Iran-backed Houthi rebels battling Saudi-backed forces in Yemen.

The group is classified by the United States and major western nations as a terrorist group. (JPost / VFI News)

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. - Ephesians 6:11

France has ordered the closure of a mosque in the north of the country because of the radical nature of its imam's preaching, regional authorities told AFP (Agence France-Presse) on Tuesday, December 28.

The mosque in Beauvais, a town of 50,000 people some 62 miles north of Paris, will remain shut for six months, according to the prefecture of the Oise region where Beauvais is located. It said the sermons there incite hatred, violence and 'defend jihad'.

The move comes two weeks after Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said he had triggered the procedure to close the site because the imam there 'is targeting Christians, homosexuals, and Jews in his sermons. This, the minister said, was 'unacceptable'.

Local authorities were legally bound to launch 10 days of information-gathering before taking action but told AFP on Tuesday that the mosque would now be shut within two days.

A lawyer for the association managing the mosque said that his remarks had been 'taken out of context', and said that the imam had been suspended from his duties following the prefecture's letter.

The French government announced earlier this year that it would step up checks of places of worship and associations suspected of spreading radical Islamic propaganda. (DM / VFI News)

“God, we ask that you rid the world of hate and antisemitism.”

The number of people living in poverty in Israel is alarming. Vision for Israel wants to change this, and effectively reach people with the love of Yeshua by meeting their physical and emotional needs in practical ways. Each Vision for Israel outreach project is purpose-driven and directly impacts our brothers and sisters in need. Together, we can rebuild Israel and the Middle East.
Check out our YouTube channel! https://www.youtube.com/c/VisionforIsrael/featured

A bird flu outbreak in northern Israel has killed at least 5,200 migratory cranes and forced farmers to slaughter hundreds of thousands of chickens as authorities try to contain what they say is the deadliest wildlife disaster in the nation's history.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met his national security adviser and other experts to discuss efforts to contain the outbreak and prevent this 'mass disaster' from passing into humans.

So far no human transmission has been reported, Bennett's office said.

Many of the birds are dead in the middle of the water body so it's difficult for them to be taken out.' Uri Naveh, a senior scientist at the Israel Parks and Nature Authority, said while also noting the situation is not yet under control.

Wildlife officials in Israel said it is believed that the cranes were infected by smaller birds that had contact with farms suffering from outbreaks.

Environmental Protection Minister Tamar Zandberg called the crisis 'the most serious damage to wildlife in the history of the country.' 'The extent of the damage is still unclear,' she tweeted.

Bird flu, or avian influenza, is a virus that primarily infects birds, but can also infect humans. The virus often spreads in the fall and winter months as birds migrate across the world. An infected bird will often carry the flu with them, introducing it to a new part of the world, and infecting animals there.

The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention warns that a person can contract the virus by being around or touching an infected bird. If virus particles get into a person's eyes, nose or mouth they could be infected. (DM / VFI News)

Multinational business information company Dun & Bradstreet said Monday, December 27, that Israel’s economy grew by 7% in 2021, beating out a global average of 5.9%. According to the study, India’s economy grew by 9.5% and China’s by 8%.

The Dun & Bradstreet report noted that although Israel’s economy was showing significant improvement, driven by a strong tech sector and booming real estate activity, several industries such as tourism, restaurants, and entertainment continued to suffer in 2021.

The report noted the continued uncertainty surrounding the Omicron strain of the virus but said that Israel was showing resilience so far during the pandemic, especially due to the widespread vaccine rollout.

Meanwhile, unemployment has dropped throughout the year with the lifting of various pandemic-related restrictions.

The report said that while approximately 46,000 businesses closed in Israel in 2021, around 63,000 had opened or returned to operation. The report said that as of the end of 2021, there were around 620,000 active businesses, of which around 96.5% (about 600,000) were defined as small businesses.

“The entire global economy, and the Israeli economy in particular, showed an improvement in economic and business indices in 2021, after in 2020 it, like many local economies, was significantly affected by the coronavirus crisis,” said Efrat Segev, vice president of data and analysis at Dun & Bradstreet Israel. (TOI / VFI News)

“God, we ask you to continue to strengthen Israel in every way possible."

Some time ago, a team of divers from the Antiquities Authority’s (IAA) Marine Archaeology Unit was surveying an area just outside the harbor of Caesarea, as they routinely do off the entire coast of Israel.

“We spotted a broken metal anchor and decided to see if there was more in the area,” said archaeologist Jacob Sharvit. “We soon started to find many other artifacts.”

That diving led to the discovery of an incredible underwater treasure, from two ancient ships dating back to the third and 14th centuries CE that wrecked in the same spot just meters off the coast – over 1,000 years apart, as the IAA revealed Wednesday, December 22. The treasures included hundreds of coins and some unique jewelry.

First established in the fourth century BCE, in the first century, Caesarea was selected by Herod to build a port city. The city remained an important center throughout Roman and Byzantine times.

The artifacts from the Roman period included silver and bronze coins – which allowed the expert to date the findings – a precious gemstone with a lyre carved on the surface, bronze bells, an eagle figurine, a symbol of the Roman rule, another figurine shaped like a dancer wearing a comic mask, and pottery vessels.

Perhaps the most extraordinary find, however, was the gold ring. Thick and shaped as an octagon, the ring carried a green stone with the figure of a young shepherd wrapped in a tunic and carrying a lamb on his shoulders engraved on it. The “good shepherd” is one of the earliest expressions to refer to Jesus, used multiple times in the Gospels.

“I am the good shepherd,” reads a verse in John. “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11)

“We know that similar images were found in the Christian catacombs in Rome,” said Helena Sokolov, a curator at the IAA Coin Department.

Caesarea was home to an important early Christian community and it is mentioned several times in the New Testament. (TOI / VFI News)

For inquire, please, of bygone ages, and consider what the fathers have searched out. For we are but of yesterday and know nothing, for our days on earth are a shadow. Will they not teach you and tell you and utter words out of their understanding? - Job 8:8-10

Mohammad was the most popular name overall given to newborns in Israel in 2020, Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) reported this week.

The name was given to 2,394 Israeli-Arab babies in 2020. Yosef or Yusef, a name given to both Jews and Muslims, came in second with 1,176 Jewish boys and 656 Muslim boys receiving it.

The third most popular name following Mohammad was the unisex Ariel, with 1,223 Jewish boys and 579 Jewish girls given the name. Ahmad and Adam were also rising in popularity among Muslim boys.

The most popular girl’s name among Muslims was Maryam.

Among Jewish newborn girls, the most popular names were Tamar and Maya, followed by Abigail, Noa, Sarah, Ayalah, Adele, Yael, Shira, and Esther. Israeli-Arab Christians opted for George, Charbel, Jude, Niel, Elias, and Liam for boys and Maria, Lin, Sama, Celine, and Leah for girls. (BB / VFI News)

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.