VFI News Trump and Israel Call Off Iran Attack as Hormuz Deal Nears; Iranian Hackers Target US Water Systems

Iranian hackers targeted 30+ US water systems across Michigan and Minnesota — and more states were hit. Here's what the FBI is saying right now about the cyberattack campaign.

This is Monday, August 3, 2026 — and the news cycle is moving fast. Trump confirmed the US and Israel called off a major Iran strike after receiving framework assurances on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and halting Iran's nuclear programme. Meanwhile, Iranian hackers are targeting critical US infrastructure, and antisemitic conspiracy theories about the Spain migrant crisis reached 100 million people in 72 hours.

We cover all of this through the lens of prayer and Scripture — because these events matter for Israel, the nations, and the Body of Messiah worldwide.

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#Israel #Iran #MiddleEast #BreakingNews #Hormuz

US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday, August 2, that he has called off a major attack on Iran after receiving assurances from Tehran and other Middle Eastern countries that the framework of a deal to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the Iranian nuclear threat has been reached. Trump added that Israel is on board with holding off on a major strike against the Islamic Republic. The announcement came in a post on his Truth Social platform.

“The USA is locked and loaded and ready to go against the Islamic Republic of Iran, at levels of military terror, strength and Power not seen since World War II,” Trump wrote. “Despite this, we have just been asked by Iran, and other Middle Eastern countries to hold off any attack in that the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to.” The agreement, he stated, would include “the Immediate, complete, and total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT and an end to Iran’s nuclear threat.”

Trump said that based on this request he agreed, “for the future benefit of the WORLD and, likewise, the survival of a successful and prosperous Iran,” to cancel the attack, subject to a deal being made rapidly. He made clear that the cancellation stands only so long as an agreement comes together quickly. “The country of Israel joins me in this commitment. Get to work, everybody, and get it DONE,” he concluded.

(TOI/VFI News)

“Dear Lord, we thank You for holding back the outbreak of a wider war, and we pray in Yeshua’s Name that any agreement reached will bring true and lasting security to Israel and the entire region. Please grant wisdom to the leaders of the United States and Israel as they navigate these negotiations, and let no deception prosper against Your people. We ask that You break the power of the Iranian regime’s threats, open the seas for peaceful passage, and establish Your peace over the nations.”

The state of Michigan reported on Saturday, August 1, that cyberattacks had targeted nine of its water systems, joining Minnesota, where more than 30 water systems were targeted earlier in the week of July 27. Officials stressed that all systems continued to operate safely, while US law enforcement is treating Iran as the leading suspect in the attacks. At least five additional, unidentified states have also been targeted.

The Michigan disclosures came after the state received a federal cyber alert on Tuesday, July 28, warning of attempts to tamper with operational technology at water systems. Soon after the alert, the state received a small number of reports from Michigan communities describing activity consistent with the federal warnings. “All systems continued to operate safely, issues were addressed by local operators, and there are no known impacts that posed a public health concern,” said Dale George, communications director at Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.

The FBI is investigating and has not publicly named a culprit, though federal officials consider Iran the chief suspect. The FBI, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and other agencies warned in an advisory issued in late July that Iranian hackers have been targeting water and wastewater systems along with the operational controls of other critical infrastructure sectors. “The FBI and our interagency partners are fully engaged to protect critical infrastructure, and we remain well-equipped to protect against cyber threats of all varieties,” the bureau stated on Saturday, August 1.

(TOI/VFI News)

“But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.” – Nehemiah 4:9

Antisemitic conspiracy theories blaming Israel and the Jewish people for the massive migrant surge into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta reached an estimated audience of more than 100 million people on X within 72 hours, the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) revealed in a new report published Sunday, August 2. Between 50,000 and 60,000 migrants crossed into Ceuta on Thursday, July 30, prompting Spain to declare a state of emergency.

An analysis by CAM’s Antisemitism Research Center found that 173 posts from 119 influencer accounts recast the border crisis as a Jewish plot, generating 57.5 million views, an estimated reach of 103.1 million people, 1.9 million likes, and more than 368,000 shares. The migrant influx followed a Spanish domestic legal ruling and came amid tensions between Spain and Morocco, as well as years of pressure on Europe’s asylum system, yet conspiracy theories claiming Israel had orchestrated the events rapidly gained traction. The analysis focused exclusively on named, monetized influencer accounts, many of which held paid verification that gives their content greater visibility.

“A humanitarian emergency at Europe’s border was turned into a global antisemitic campaign in under 72 hours, and X did nothing to slow it down,” said CAM CEO Sacha Roytman Dratwa, adding that the platform’s design rewards the fastest and most inflammatory explanation available. CAM called on X to introduce algorithmic safeguards for keywords associated with established antisemitic tropes during humanitarian emergencies, to remove accounts spreading such content from advertising and verification benefits, and to deploy expert Community Notes providing historical context in real time.

(INN/VFI News)

“Dear God, we pray in Yeshua’s Name against every lie and conspiracy spoken over Israel and the Jewish people. We ask You to expose falsehood wherever it spreads, to protect Jewish communities from the hatred these lies incite, and to give courage and success to all who labor to combat antisemitism. Please turn the hearts of those who spread and believe these slanders, and let truth prevail across every platform and nation.”

Israeli forward Dor Turgeman delivered the perfect answer to antisemitic abuse on Saturday night, August 1, when Montreal fans targeted him with hostile chants during a match between the New England Revolution and CF Montreal. Throughout the game, Montreal supporters directed chants of “Death to Israel” and “Free Palestine” at the Revolution’s Israeli striker.

The Ashdod native responded in the best way he could: by scoring a humiliating goal against the Canadian team, raising New England’s lead to 2-0. Immediately after the goal, Turgeman celebrated by lifting his arms and holding a hand to his ear toward the hostile crowd. The fans answered by throwing projectiles onto the field, and Montreal goalkeeper Sebastian Breza shoved him to the ground, an assault that drew a yellow card from the referee.

Montreal and Canada in general have seen rising antisemitism in recent years. The incident at the soccer match came mere hours after an overnight suspected arson attack caused severe damage to Nöam, a prominent kosher eatery located in Montreal’s Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough.

(INN/VFI News)

“The Lord is with me; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” – Psalm 118:6

Immerse yourself in the powerful worship song 'Kumi Ori (Arise Shine)' by Barry and Batya Segal. This song is directly inspired by Isaiah 60:1: 'Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.'

American Airlines has extended the cancellation of all flights to Israel’s Ben-Gurion Airport until at least March 2027, Israeli media revealed on Sunday, August 2. The US carrier has not operated its route from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to Tel Aviv since October 2023, following the Hamas-led October 7 massacre.

No one-way flights are currently available on the route until at least March 2027, with availability appearing to return at the beginning of April 2027. A waiver remains in place for all passengers affected by the cancellations, with options available for free changes or full refunds. The airline has also canceled its flights to Doha, Qatar, until at least January 2027, citing regional unrest, with similar options offered to affected passengers. In October 2025, the carrier had announced plans to resume flights to Israel in March 2026, including a planned Los Angeles–Tel Aviv route, but the operations never materialized.

Competing US carriers Delta Air Lines and United Airlines have also canceled their Israel flights, though both are expected to return before the end of 2026, having operated the routes intermittently since the October 7 attacks. American Airlines previously operated a Miami–Tel Aviv route, which was canceled before October 2023 for operational reasons, leaving Israeli carrier El Al as the only operator on that route.

(JPost/VFI News)

“Our Heavenly Father, we pray in Yeshua’s Name for the full restoration of travel to and from Israel. Please watch over Ben-Gurion Airport and every passenger flying to the land, protect Israel’s skies from every threat, and move the hearts of the world’s airlines to return quickly. We ask that families be reunited, that tourists and visitors stream back to Jerusalem, and that Israel’s connection to the nations grow stronger than ever.”

Israeli society offers Arab Christians a combination of “freedom, opportunity, and belonging,” which is why many of them “are proud to be Israeli,” Israel’s ambassador to the Christian World, George Deek, declared in remarks published Thursday, July 23. Deek pointed to a May public opinion survey of Arab citizens of Israel published by Tel Aviv University’s Konrad Adenauer Program for Jewish-Arab Cooperation, in which Israeli identity was the component most commonly cited by Christian Arab respondents as the most important part of their personal identity.

The survey found that 37.8% of Christian Arab respondents named their Israeli identity as most important to them, while 33.4% chose their Arab identity, 24.9% their Palestinian identity, and 3.9% their Christian identity. “Israel has succeeded where much of the region has failed: it has created a society in which Arab Christians can preserve their faith and identity while participating fully in the life of the state,” Deek stated. “Christians in Israel worship freely, receive a strong education, build successful careers, and serve in medicine, law, diplomacy, academia, business, and public life.”

Deek cautioned that “pride should never be taken for granted,” calling on Israel to invest in Christian towns and institutions, confront crime and discrimination, protect Christian holy sites, and respond firmly to every act of harassment or religious hatred. He added that Arab Christians should have a stronger and more consistent role in shaping the country’s policy and representing Israel internationally. “Israel is at its best when its citizens can be all three, confidently and without apology,” he said of being Arab, Christian, and Israeli.

(JPost/VFI News)

“For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.” – Ephesians 2:14

A team of Israeli pediatric cardiac surgeons, nurses, and anesthesiologists helped save the life of 9-year-old Richard Mbimbi, who traveled more than 600 miles with his father from a remote village in northwest Zambia to undergo heart surgery at the National Heart Hospital in Lusaka on Monday, July 13. Richard suffered from rheumatic heart disease, an incapacitating condition that developed after a routine strep throat infection went untreated due to his family’s lack of access to antibiotics, damaging two of his heart valves.

The medical team from Save a Child’s Heart (SACH) at the Sylvan Adams Children’s Hospital at Wolfson Medical Center in the central Israeli city of Holon assisted in 10 pediatric open-heart surgeries during a week-long mission at the Lusaka hospital, while mentoring the hospital’s pediatric cardiac unit staff as well as several doctors who joined the mission from neighboring Tanzania. “My son is good,” Richard’s father, Robert Mbimbi, said after the surgery. “The Zambian and Israeli doctors helped save the life of my child.”

During the mission, the team also unveiled a new $200,000 LivaNova S-5 heart-lung machine, which temporarily takes over the work of a child’s heart and lungs during surgery. Donated by the American Jewish Committee and the Bergman Family Charitable Foundation, it is only the second such machine in the country of 22.5 million people, which once lacked a single pediatric cardiac surgeon.

(TOI/VFI News)

“Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” – Matthew 5:16

Israel’s women’s lacrosse team captured the bronze medal on Sunday, August 2, at the World Lacrosse Women’s Championship in Tokyo, defeating the Haudenosaunee 7-4 to secure a third-place finish at the tournament in Japan.

The result is the best-ever finish for both Israel and the Haudenosaunee, who are also known as the Iroquois Confederacy. The victory gives Israel its first-ever medal in women’s lacrosse.

Canada and the United States faced off for the gold medal later on Sunday, August 2, closing out the championship.

(TOI/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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