VFI News Fri, June 16 — The World Needs to Stand Up to Iran | VFI News

Stay updated with the latest news from the Holy Land. Discover the potential military confrontation between Israel and Iran, the implications of an "informal" agreement, and Israel's efforts to build on diplomatic relations.

Explore the record-breaking Israeli exports, including defense equipment and life-saving innovations. Learn about the IDF Home Front Command's preparations for potential conflict and VFI's urgent project to provide shelters for at-risk communities.

Stay informed on Iranian President Raisi's Latin American tour and the concerning rise of anti-Israel sentiment on college campuses.

A senior source in Israel responded to the concern of the diplomatic and security echelons following reports that Iran and the West may reach an agreement on a nuclear deal. Speaking to Israeli media, the source said, "Iran knows that if it breaks out uranium enrichment to 90%, there will be an Israeli attack."

He added that the US and the West know that Israel's red line is 90% enrichment. In a series of conversations Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held in European capitals at the beginning of his term, he told the leaders of Germany, Italy, France, and Britain that 90% enrichment would be a red line from Israel's perspective.

The Israeli source also estimated that despite great efforts on the part of the US to reach agreements with Iran, there will not be any such agreements, since Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is not interested in them. However, after the source made his statements, Khamenei spoke in favor of a limited agreement with the West.

MK Benny Gantz also addressed the AJC Global Forum 2023 on Tuesday, June 13, “Should a responsible, necessary, and determined action be needed against Iran, and as a party leader in the opposition, I will provide my full support to the government. Unfortunately, we are closer than we have ever been in the past in needing this act and I truly hope that the world will act before that time comes.”

Meanwhile, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė said earlier on Sunday that her nation stands with Israel in stemming the threat posed by Iran’s growing nuclear capability and promised her country would do its part to keep Iran’s nuclear ambitions in check. (INN / VFI News)

“God, we pray that You will stop Iran from reaching 90% enrichment of its uranium and that a nuclear war will be prevented. We ask that You help all other nations realize the magnitude of Iran’s threats and act in unison as soon as possible.”

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.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid said on Sunday, June 11, that the specter of a nuclear Iran was an existential threat not just to Israel but the entire Middle East. Speaking with Ted Deutch, CEO of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) during the opening session of AJC Global Forum in Tel Aviv, Lapid warned the US not to sign any agreement with Iran, the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism, and curtail Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

“On this there is no coalition or opposition in Israel. Everybody's on the same note, telling the American administration: Do not sign a bad deal. We saw what happened last time you did it.”

“Right now, Iran a couple of months ago has enriched uranium to 84 percent. When they were asked about it, they said it was by mistake. I think I'm on the details of what it is and there's no way of enriching 84 percent by mistake,” he said.

“This needs to be part of a global mission. This needs to be orchestrated and the Americans are the ones who need to orchestrate it, and just signing “less for less” or some sort of a new version of JCPOA is not good enough,” added Lapid.

He also made comments about democracy in Israel: “Israel was founded as a democracy. This is the source of our power. It amazes me that there's so many people who do not understand the fact that there is a reason why it is the only democracy in the Middle East, it’s also the most successful country in the Middle East.” (INN / VFI News)

“Though they plot evil against you and devise wicked schemes, they cannot succeed.” - Psalm 21:11

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Sunday, June 11, that the world could not stop his country from obtaining nuclear weapons if it chose to pursue such a goal, but that Tehran doesn’t want them for religious reasons.

He also urged cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog while warning against succumbing to “bullying” based on “unfounded claims.”

Khamenei made the remarks as he met with scientists, technicians, and officials of Iran’s nuclear industry. “Talks about Tehran’s nuclear weapons are a lie and they [the West] know it,” he said, and reiterated that the stance was in keeping with “our Islamic principles.”

“Otherwise they would not have been able to stop it,” he continued, “just as they have not been able to stop our nuclear progress until now.”

“The nuclear industry is important both in terms of the progress and capabilities of the country in the technical, economic, and health fields — which gives prestige to the country and makes life better for the people — and in terms of its global and international political weight,” Khamenei said according to Iranian media. (TOI / VFI News)

“God, we ask that You protect the residents of the Middle East and that You prevent the development of any nuclear weapons in our region. We trust that Israel together with our allies is capable of rising against any opponent and man-made weapon.”

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is heading to South America for what the country is billing as an important tour of Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua. Iran’s President is heading to Latin America after speaking with France’s president.

Iranian media profiled the trip noting that Iran’s president believes that the countries of South America want to pursue an “independent” policy. Meaning that they want to be independent of the US.

Iran would like to cultivate ties with more countries, such as Brazil and Columbia, and perhaps Argentina as well. Iran is highlighting its ties with Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. These are countries whose leadership has been hostile to the US.

In addition, these countries work with Russia, China, and sometimes Turkey as well. Tehran sees them as prime candidates for drone sales, trade in energy, and also as part of its overall agenda to threaten the West.

Iran wants to get around sanctions and has in the past sought to exploit South America by using proxies like Hezbollah and others to engage in drug trade and other illicit activities.

Furthermore, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani visited the UAE and met with key European counterparts, he noted in a tweet, “Following diplomatic consultations with regional and extra-regional parties, we met with our German, French and English counterparts in Abu Dhabi and discussed a range of issues and mutual concerns.” (JPost / VFI News)

“The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.” - Proverbs 12:26

Listen as Barry tells his father’s story. As a soldier in WWII, Barry’s father served as part of the Allied forces. He opened up about his memories from the war later in life. Enjoy this story and happy Father’s Day!

Another college student at a publicly funded school spewed antisemitic hate during her recent commencement speech, critics say — and the university even touted part of her talk on Twitter.

El Camino Community College student Jana Abulaban, 18, accused Israel of “killing and torturing Palestinians as we speak’’ during her address at the school’s graduation in Torrance, California, on Friday, June 9.

The college, which describes its graduates as “Warriors!’’ on its website, later tweeted out a photo touting Abulaban speaking at the graduation — but included a much more mild quote from her address.

“If I was told 7 years ago, as a Palestinian refugee stepping foot for the first time in this country, that one day I’ll be standing on this stage — I would not have believed it. I’m extremely thankful to have gotten to this point,’’ said the tweet quoting Abulaban.

The student was never actually a Palestinian refugee, although her grandmother was, and Abulaban “identifies as a Palestinian woman,” according to an article in the school’s newspaper. The teen was born in Jordan and emigrated to the US from there with her family in 2016 at age 12, the article said.

The group stopantisemitism.org tweeted Sunday, “Yet another graduation speech is hijacked with false antisemitic rhetoric, this time at El Camino Community College, CA. El Camino received approx. $150 million in federal, state, and local tax dollars for the 2022-2023 school year according to its budget,’’ the tweet said. (NYP / VFI News)

“Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me. I am forced to restore what I did not steal.” - Psalm 69:4

Israel’s National Air Drone Initiative (INDI) launched a number of drone flight tests across Israel last week, in preparation for the advancement of flight vehicles, according to a press release published on Monday, June 4.

INDI partnered with the Transportation Ministry, the Israel Innovation Authority, Ayalon Highways, and the Civil Aviation Authority of Israel (CAAI). The project has been operating since 2019 and over the last three years, more than 19,000 flight exercises have been conducted.

NIS 60 million has been invested to fund test flights for the next two years. The flights will carry both people and goods.

One of the companies operating drones carried out the first test flight of an eVTOL autonomous electric aircraft with long-range capabilities. The test was done in a managed urban airspace and carried heavy cargo loads.

In another first, Dronery flew from the Pal-Yam landing pad in Caesarea with EHANG's innovative EH216-S aircraft. This craft can carry two passengers with a total of up to 220 kilograms, and fly a distance of 30 kilometers.

This was considered a particular accomplishment, despite the comparatively shorter flight distance, as the craft can be flown completely autonomously with no pilot onboard. This was made possible through the use of EHANG’s intelligent command-and-control system. (JPost / VFI News)

A cream that treats the severe side effects of targeted treatment in cancer patients and can significantly improve their quality of life has been developed by researchers at the Hebrew University and Hadassah University Medical Center in Jerusalem.

A new study led by Dr. Sharon Merims, a dermatologist and head of the dermato-oncology clinic at the hospital, and Prof. Ofra Benny of HU’s School of Pharmacy has now been published under the title “Preventing skin toxicities induced by EGFR inhibitors by topically blocking drug-receptor interactions.”

Current oncology treatments use on-target strategies that are meant to block a specific receptor on the tumor, leading to a delay in the cancer cells’ growth and a regression of the disease. Since this specific receptor is also found in healthy skin cells, skin toxicity is a known side effect of targeted cancer treatment.

The result is that while the targeted therapy can be effective in treating cancer, 90% of the patients will develop skin toxicity with severe facial rashes.

Prof. Benny noted that “as a result of this new drug, we can continue treating the cancer on the one hand, but on the other hand, we can prevent the negative side effect of the rashes so the patients’ quality of life is maintained while they are being treated for the cancer.” (JPost / VFI News)

“God, we thank You for giving us noble and brilliant scientists that are able to not only treat the most incapacitating illnesses but also improve our most vulnerable quality of life at all levels.”

An Israeli startup that developed a novel artificial intelligence-powered robot to clean and inspect the exteriors of high-rise buildings signed an agreement in Hong Kong amounting to $5.6 million.

Verbotics is the first company to provide a robot cleaning output ten times the capacity of the traditional cleaning performed by humans.

Using computer vision and AI, the robot climbs Spider-Man-style the height and width of a skyscraper. The cleaning is dry mechanical and does not use liquid or chemicals. It attaches to the building using a smart nest allowing simple installation.

The robot also collects and analyzes visual data giving it the ability to offer important maintenance information such as detecting cracks, heat leaks, and degradation of materials.

Founder and CEO Ido Ganosar explained what sparked the idea behind the innovative technology, "I managed the innovation field in the company for a period of time and one of the things that occupied me the most was how the cleaning work is done as it was 100 years ago with the same infrastructure and the same method."

"Together, we developed a system that is independent and does not rely on the infrastructure of the buildings, a system that is plug and play, easy to operate and move, compared to the existing systems weighing hundreds of kilograms. We are talking about a market of tens of billions which is in constant growth of demand." (JPost / 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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