VFI News Israel Retaliates Against Houthis, October 7 Mastermind Mohammed Deif Might Be Dead

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Israel Retaliates Against Houthis, October 7 Mastermind Mohammed Deif Might Be Dead . . .

Israeli fighter jets for the first time attacked Yemen Saturday, July 20, retaliating on the Houthi stronghold days after the Iran-backed group attacked the former US Embassy in Tel Aviv, in a drone strike that killed one person.

Saturday’s military operation targeted the western Yemen city of al-Hudaydah, Israeli media reported. The bombs destroyed fuel repositories and oil refineries. Earlier reports suggested that the US and UK had also sent jets as part of the mission, but the Israeli news outlet reported that Israeli jets alone carried out the strikes.

The IDF confirmed the retributive strikes, saying it was a response to the hundreds of attacks the Houthis have aimed at Israel in recent months. The group has joined Iran in efforts to punish Israel for its war in Gaza.

Meanwhile, Israeli military officials said there is “increasing” evidence that last weekend’s major airstrike on Gaza did in fact kill Mohammed Deif, the Hamas leader thought to have masterminded the Oct. 7 terror attacks.

IDF Spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Hamas is concealing what happened to Deif on July 13, when IDF forces dropped five 2,000-pound bombs in the al-Mawasi area, taking out Hamas commander Rafa’a Salameh. Hagari claims Salameh and Deif “were next to each other at the time” of the bombings, and confirmed Salameh was “definitely eliminated” in the attack.

Word of Deif’s likely demise came on the heels of IDF’s strikes Saturday on a building linked to a company that allegedly funds the terrorist group’s atrocities. In other developments, Israeli bombings on Saturday reportedly claimed the lives of nearly 30 Palestinians while peace talks continue at a sluggish pace. However, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he believes a cease-fire agreement is imminent. (NYP / VFI News)

“Lord, we ask that You continue to deliver the evil terrorists and masterminds into our hands. We pray for long-lasting peace in Yeshua’s name and for the elimination of all terrorist entities currently wreaking havoc throughout the Middle East. We also pray for all the people who have been tormented during the last 9 months of the war to be relieved and be able to finally rebuild their lives.”

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.

The IDF on Sunday, July 21, revealed the full story of how the Houthis’s Samad 3 drone traveled 2,600 kilometers and penetrated Israel’s multi-tiered air defense system, killing one person and wounding around a dozen in Tel Aviv on Friday.

According to the IDF, the drone left Yemen, flying west toward Sudan. It then turned north, flying through Sudan for an extended period until reaching southern Egypt. From southern Egypt, it continued to fly north, all the way until it reached the Sinai, and then cut east into the Mediterranean Sea.

From the Mediterranean Sea, the Houthi drone continued to travel east, cutting slightly south to strike Tel Aviv when it got closer to the Israeli coastline.

Although Yemen is nominally 1,800 kilometers from Israel, the deceptive path that the Houthis selected for the drone led it to travel much farther, at 2,600 kilometers for around 16 hours. The IDF said that Iran and the Houthis replaced the original standard engine of the Samad 3 to allow it to travel the extra distance and better deceive Israel with its trajectory.

When it was relatively far out over the Mediterranean from Tel Aviv, a portion of Israel’s radar defenses picked it up as a blip on the air defense screen. However, the soldier observing that monitor either missed the blip entirely or dismissed it as a mere blip, given the numerous false blips over the past nine months.

In addition, the IDF said that a drone attacking from Israel’s opposite eastern border appeared on the same radar screen around the same time, suggesting that the Houthis might have set the radar operator up with a simultaneous distraction.

Although the IDF did not provide an exact explanation for the radar operator’s failure, it made it clear that it was not considered a significantly unprofessional miss, but rather a low-grade error that, given the circumstances, could have happened to almost any operator. Moving forward, the IDF did say that it was doubling the number of radar operators. (JPost / VFI News)

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” - 1 Peter 5:8

The combat teams of the 3rd Brigade, the 8th Brigade, the Commando Brigade, and the Multidimensional Unit operated under the command of the 99th Division in the heart of Gaza City, the IDF stated Saturday, July 20.

IDF soldiers raided Hamas infrastructure used for building up terror operations located inside UNRWA headquarters and also carried out additional searches in the area, the IDF noted.

During operations, with intelligence support, IDF soldiers raided buildings where Hamas terrorists were staying, including a building in a civilian neighborhood where Hamas terrorists were entrenched and a high-rise building in Gaza City.

In these buildings, IDF soldiers found weapons, cartridges, equipment of the Hamas naval commando, tactical vests, intelligence materials, and various weapons and firearms. According to IDF reports, over the last weeks, IDF soldiers have eliminated more than 150 terrorists, including Hamas military intelligence officer Adel Hamdiya, destroyed over 100 terrorist infrastructures, and uncovered an underground terrorist workshop.

American media reported that 13 people were killed in strikes in the area of the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, citing hospital officials. Residents in the area told the news outlet that a residential block south of Nuseirat was struck and the outlet quoted the IDF as stating, “Overnight, the IDF struck terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip, including terrorists and terror infrastructure sites in the area of Nuseirat.”

The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry stated in response to IDF operations on Saturday that 37 Palestinians had been killed and 54 injured who arrived at hospitals in the past day. The number has not been independently verified, and the ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its toll. (JPost / VFI News)

“Do not envy the violent or choose any of their ways. For the Lord detests the perverse but takes the upright into His confidence.” - Proverbs 3:31-32

This weekend, reconciliation talks between Fatah and Hamas representatives were reported to take place in Beijing under the auspices of the Chinese regime in an attempt to end the division between the Palestinian factions.

A London-based Qatari newspaper reported, based on Palestinian sources, that the Chinese authorities pressured the Palestinian leadership to hold the meeting now, despite Fatah requesting to postpone it by a month.

Husam Badran, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, said Hamas is ready and approaches positively and with national responsibility any invitation to dialogue that will promote the end of the split in the Palestinian people, especially in light of the Al-Aqsa Flood operation - the Palestinian name for the October 7 attack.

Faiz Abu Shamala, considered close to Hamas leadership in the Gaza Strip, called on Palestinian organizations to reach national reconciliation in talks in China to unite ranks against the Israeli enemy, which he says aims to expel the Palestinian people from their land.

In an article in Hamas’s official newspaper, Abu Shamala wrote that “the Israeli enemy views these meetings from a different perspective, knowing that achieving national reconciliation would be like mountains of fire standing between it and the realization of its goals.” (INN / VFI News)

“Our Heavenly Father, we pray for protection from the enemies’ plans and weapons. You are faithful and You protect the ones who love You so that no weapon formed against them shall prosper. We thank You for constantly comforting us through Your Word and for reminding us of Your faithfulness and love. We trust and pray in Yeshua’s name that Your Will be done and that terrorists will not be allowed to further their wicked plans and harm civilians any further.”

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Palestinian terror groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad call on the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization to withdraw its recognition of Israel in retaliation for a resolution approved by the Knesset rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state.

The two groups made the announcement late on Thursday night, July 18, following a meeting in the Gulf nation of Qatar between Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and Islamic Jihad chief Ziad Nakhaleh and his deputy Mohammed al-Hindi, according to a Hamas statement.

The two groups say the Palestinian people have the right to set up their own independent state with Jerusalem as its capital. (TOI / VFI News)

“‘I will return to Jerusalem with mercy, and there My house will be rebuilt. And the measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem,’ declares the Lord Almighty. “Proclaim further: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘My towns will again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord will again comfort Zion and choose Jerusalem.’” - Zechariah 1:16-17

The United States sent a private warning to Iran last month expressing serious concerns about Iranian research and development activities that could be used for the production of a nuclear weapon, American media reported on Wednesday, July 17.

Both Israel and the US have detected suspicious nuclear activities by Iranian scientists in recent months and fear that Tehran could be using the period in the run-up to the US elections for a covert push to nuclear weaponization, according to the American news outlet, which cited three unnamed US and Israeli officials.

Several months ago, US and Israeli intelligence services obtained information that showed Iranian scientists engaging in computer modeling and metallurgical research that could be used for the development of nuclear weapons, the news outlet said.

The report added that the US used both direct and third-party channels to send their concerns to Iran. The Iranians responded by clarifying their activities and telling the Americans there had been no change in Iran’s official policy.

The American media outlet reported that the Iranian response “somewhat eased anxieties” among Israeli and US officials over the Iranian research and development activities. “We do not see indications that Iran is currently undertaking the key activities that would be necessary to produce a testable nuclear device,” a US official said. (TOI / VFI News)

“God, we thank You for protecting us from Iran and for halting its nuclear plans. We pray that they will never enrich their uranium to the point of producing nuclear weapons and that a nuclear war will not erupt either in the Middle East or worldwide. In Yeshua’s name, we pray, amen.”

Israeli business will be contending with the fallout of the months-long war with the Hamas terror group through at least the end of the year, which is expected to see as many as 60,000 businesses shut down in 2024, according to business information company CofaceBDI.

The bleak prediction comes as in the nine months since the outbreak of the war with Hamas following the brutal October 7 onslaught by the terror group, a total of 46,000 businesses had to already close as they struggled to stay afloat, with many hurt by a high interest rate environment, more expensive financing costs, a shortage of manpower, a sharp decline in turnover and operations, logistic and supply disruptions, and insufficient government assistance.

In comparison, a record 76,000 enterprises were forced to close during the pandemic in 2020, while in a regular, routine year, about 40,000 businesses a year are shutting down. “There is effectively no sector in the economy that is immune to the repercussions of the ongoing war,” CofaceBDI CEO Yoel Amir told Israeli media.

“Businesses are coping with a very complex reality: fear about an escalation of the war coupled with uncertainty about when the fighting will end alongside continued challenges such as staff shortage, low demand, growing financing needs, an increase in procurement costs, and logistical issues, and most recently the export ban by Turkey are all making it increasingly difficult for Israeli businesses to survive this period.” (TOI / VFI News)

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” - Matthew 6:26-27

Google is in advanced talks to acquire Israeli cybersecurity start-up Wiz for $23 billion, according to an American media report on Sunday, July 14.

The report noted that the deal would be made with Google’s parent company, Alphabet, and would be the largest acquisition in its history.

It also noted that the deal could materialize soon should the negotiations remain intact. The American news outlet noted that the acquisition would propel Alphabet as a leader in cloud computing, which it has apparently lagged behind competitors in recent years.

Wiz is a cloud security start-up founded in 2020 by Israelis Assaf Rappaport, Yinon Costica, Roy Reznik, and Ami Luttwak. Its headquarters are in New York City, though it has offices in the US and Israel.

The company’s valuation has sharply risen since its founding, and the American news outlet stated that it raised $1 billion earlier in 2024 at a valuation of $12 billion. The report also listed some of the venture capitalist firms funding Wiz, including Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Index Ventures, and Lightspeed Venture Partners. (JPost / VFI News)

“The meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity.” - Psalm 37:11

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

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