VFI News Report: Christians Killed and Unwanted in Syria; Warning for Possible Jailbreak of 50,000 ISIS Prisoners

Report: Christians Killed and Unwanted in Syria; Warning for Possible Jailbreak of 50,000 ISIS Prisoners . . .

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/z9KKMP1FmpM

Will there now be an ethnic cleansing of Christians in Syria as there was in Iraq during the reign of the Islamic State? It is a distinct possibility. “When you meet the unbelievers, strike the necks.” (Qur’an 47:4) 

Paul Antonopoulos wrote for Greek media on Monday, December 16, “Two Greek Orthodox Christians in Wadi al-Nasara (Valley of the Christians) were murdered in their home during a reported ‘burglary.’ Samaan Satme and Helena Khashouf from the village al-Jamasliyye in Syria’s Homs province were brutally murdered in their home.”      

“Although the murder was initially reported as a burglary gone wrong, it later emerged that Samaan was beheaded and Helena shot, indicating that there were other motives.”

Murdered on December 13, their funeral procession began the next day in the Church of Saint Simeon Stylites, Haba. According to local reports, “random murders” in Homs and the coast continue, often fitting the pattern of assailants entering a house to murder the victims.  

At the same time, a video is circulating on social media of a Lebanese Christian woman in Syria saying her brother living in Latakia with her mother was attacked by neighbors upon rebels’ arrival, telling him: “You’re Christians, leave the house, we don’t want you here!” (JW / VFI News)

“Our Heavenly Father, we pray for all our Christian brothers and sisters currently residing in Syria. We pray in Yeshua’s name that You protect them from the enemies and help them remain and prosper in their country or find safe permanent residence elsewhere. We also pray that You comfort the families of Samaan Satme and Helena Khashouf and that the latter will be resurrected with the righteous at Your appointed time. May You cause all peoples to know You, repent, realize Your unfailing love, and worship You alone.”

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.

According to Sen. Lindsey Graham, there are old threats, new threats, and growing threats to America that must be addressed as soon as possible. “We are playing Russian roulette with our national security if we delay securing our broken border.”

“Now with the turmoil in Syria, the jihadist groups threatening America are growing in capability and numbers. While the recent collapse of the Assad regime in Syria was a big loss for Russia and Iran, the chaos it brings to the region can present a direct threat to the United States.”

“First, the radical group that toppled the Assad regime has been associated with Al Qaeda in the past and its leader is a former detainee who was captured on the battlefield in Iraq and was also associated with Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, the founder of ISIS.”

“Second, Turkey views the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, a primarily Kurdish force that is guarding more than 50,000 ISIS prisoners, as a terrorist entity. These Kurdish forces helped the United States destroy the ISIS Caliphate and if they are compromised, there could be an ISIS prisoner jailbreak.”

“That would be a nightmare for America and the rest of the world. In case anyone forgot, ISIS is responsible for and inspired some of the worst terrorist attacks the world has ever seen.”

“On November 13, 2015, Paris, France was attacked in multiple locations, including the Bataclan Theater, resulting in the death of 130 people. In 2016, 49 Americans were killed at a nightclub in Florida in an ISIS-inspired shooting. The next year, 22 people were killed in Manchester, UK, at a concert arena.” (FN/VFI News)

“Dear God, we pray for all the people who have been afflicted or are currently being threatened by ISIS terrorists. We pray for their mental health and sense of security, and we ask in Yeshua’s name that You do not let the horrors that this terror group has inflicted repeat. We ask that the terrorists either repent or be eliminated so they can harm no one. Please, protect Your children and help us persevere during this earthly life amidst the chaos.”

“Colossal” explosions have filled the skies in Syria as Israeli strikes are said to have targeted military sites in “the heaviest strikes” in the area for more than a decade - with blasts registered on earthquake sensors.  

A war monitor group said that Israeli strikes had targeted military sites in Syria’s coastal Tartus region. “Israeli warplanes launched strikes” targeting a series of sites including air defense units and “surface-to-surface missile depots,” said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, in what it said were “the heaviest strikes in Syria's coastal region since the start of strikes in 2012.”  

It has been claimed that the explosion was so large, it measured as a magnitude 3.0 on seismic sensors. Tartus has been the location of one of Russia’s two military bases in Syria and was used as a naval base, as well as an ammunition depot.

The huge explosion and the secondary explosions may indicate the presence of a large volume of stored armaments. (DM/VFI News)

“And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.” - Romans 1:28-32

Israeli media correspondent Amichai Stein reported on Sunday evening, December 15, that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump conveyed a message to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he will focus on the Iranian issue and that the application of Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria is not on his agenda.  

According to Stein, Trump and his team conveyed that they see multiple issues as more important and pressing than the question of Israeli sovereignty.  

In addition, Republican officials have told Israeli officials that despite assertions by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich that next year will be the “year of sovereignty,” attempting to do so would be harmful to Israel in the current international climate. 

Meanwhile, there have also been requests by the Biden administration that asked Israel to approve U.S. military aid to the Palestinian Authority for a wide-ranging operation by its security forces in Judea and Samaria, Israeli media reported citing PA, US, and Israeli officials.  

According to the report, the ongoing operation is aimed at a local armed group in Jenin that includes terrorists affiliated with both Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas. It was launched due to a fear that the terrorists may attempt to overthrow the PA inspired by the toppling of the Assad regime in Syria. (INN /VFI News) 

“If you see the oppression of the poor, and the violent perversion of justice and righteousness in a province, do not marvel at the matter; for high official watches over high official, and higher officials are over them.” - Ecclesiastes 5:8

Over the past year, Vision for Israel has made a significant impact by providing hope, security, and relief to countless families across Israel. In response to the tragic events of October 7th, we installed safety shelters in the north and south, equipped emergency response teams with essential gear to protect communities, and much more. Through vital aid such as food, blankets, and gift cards, we ensured thousands of families could celebrate holidays with dignity and have their everyday needs met. Our heartfelt initiatives include hosting joyful events for Holocaust survivors, fostering connection, and uplifting spirits. As we approach year-end, we invite you to support this vital mission and make a tangible difference in the lives of those affected by the ongoing conflict.

The Gaza Health Ministry’s widely cited casualty figures, which claim over 44,000 deaths since the start of Israel’s military response to Hamas’s October 7 attacks, have come under scrutiny for being significantly inflated and misleading.  

Research by the Henry Jackson Society (HJS) and the Fifty Research Group, published on Saturday, December 14, reveals systematic manipulation of these numbers, contributing to a distorted conflict narrative.  

The HJS report accuses the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry of inflating its figures by including natural deaths, combatant deaths, and even fatalities predating the war. 

In addition, in its study, the Fifty Research Group analyzed 1,378 articles from major global media outlets and found that 98% relied on casualty figures provided by the Gaza Health Ministry, while only 5% cited data from Israeli or U.S. intelligence sources. 

The research notes, “This overwhelming reliance on Hamas-controlled data has created a narrative that disproportionately portrays Israel as targeting civilians.” 

The findings also challenge claims that most of the casualties in Gaza are civilians. Israeli and U.S. intelligence data, corroborated by the Henry Jackson Society, estimate that nearly 17,000 of the reported deaths are Hamas fighters. (JPost / VFI News)

“For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.” - Luke 8:17

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced on Sunday, December 15, that Israel will be shutting its embassy in Ireland, citing the “extreme anti-Israel policy of the Irish government.”

“The antisemitic actions and rhetoric that Ireland is taking against Israel are based on delegitimization and demonization of the Jewish state and on double standards,” said Sa’ar in a statement.

Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris called the decision “deeply regrettable.” “I utterly reject the assertion that Ireland is anti-Israel,” Harris wrote on X following Sa’ar’s announcement. “Ireland is pro-peace, pro-human rights and pro-international law.”

Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin said the two countries would maintain diplomatic relations and that there were no plans to close Ireland’s embassy in Israel.

Israel recalled its ambassador in May after Ireland became one of three EU countries that said they would unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state. Ireland has not recalled its envoy to Israel.

In November, the Irish parliament passed a nonbinding motion declaring that “genocide is being perpetrated before our eyes by Israel in Gaza.” (TOI/VFI News)

Switzerland’s government is preparing to ban public displays of the swastika and the Hitler salute as it moves to align with other countries in restricting the use of Nazi symbols, American media reported.

According to a government report, incidents classified as “severe” increased by 68% in some regions of the country after October 7. “Every single one of these occurrences contributes to shaking the sense of security, especially among the Jewish population in Switzerland,” the report stated.

To deter such actions, the government has proposed a fine of 200 francs for publicly displaying Nazi symbols. Additionally, officials plan to take further action by extending the ban to include other extremist and racist emblems.

Currently, Switzerland only punishes the use of Nazi symbols if it is accompanied by active promotion of the associated ideology. Merely displaying the symbols without that intent is not penalized.

By targeting this legal gap, Switzerland seeks to match the stricter regulations that have been in place in many European countries for decades. (INN/ VFI News)

“Open your mouth for the speechless, In the cause of all who are appointed to die. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.” - Proverbs 31:8-9

An Israeli company, Eco Wave Power, whose pioneering ocean wave energy technology has attracted interest from countries with which Israel currently has no diplomatic relations, including Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, has formally opened its demonstration project at the Jaffa Port with its significant strategic partner, EDF Renewables Israel.

The technology, designed to use existing infrastructure such as breakwaters, piers, and jetties, is mainly onshore or near shore. The only parts in contact with the water are large floaters, which move with the waves, setting in motion pistons and motors that turn electric generators.

This, according to founder and CEO Inna Braverman, sets the company apart from the vast majority of wave energy projects, which have been built out at sea, at a high cost, and with stationary infrastructure exposed to the punishing might of the waves.

“They have struggled to deploy because of the price and survivability,” she said. President Isaac Herzog attended the Jaffa Port project’s launch, which was delayed for over a year because Braverman and her partners thought a ceremony inappropriate at the height of a war.

With 100 kilowatts of installed capacity, capable of powering 100 homes, this is Israel’s first wave energy project to be connected to the grid. (TOI / VFI News)

“Lord, we thank You for gifting us intelligent and innovative people who use the gifts You so generously give them for the good of our people. We are grateful and in awe of Your Wisdom and the way You enable Your children to help each other survive and prosper. We pray that You continue to bless Your people and make Your face shine upon them, in Yeshua’s name.”

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

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