[Today’s Prayer] Imminent Escalation of War in the Middle East… Israel Approves Plan to Attack Lebanon
Fears of all-out war with Hezbollah are growing.
A series of armed clashes after the outbreak of war in Gaza
Hezbollah’s military power is stronger than Hamas
Estimated to have 60,000 troops and 150,000 missiles
The United States dispatched special envoys to both countries... paying close attention to the situation
Tensions in the Middle East are rising as Israel approved a plan to attack Hezbollah, a Lebanese armed faction that has been engaged in armed warfare since the outbreak of war in the Gaza Strip in Palestine last year. With the war in the Gaza Strip continuing for more than eight months, there are concerns that the aftermath of the war could be greater if Israel clashes with Hezbollah, which is stronger than the Palestinian armed political group Hamas.
On the 18th (local time), the Israeli military issued a statement saying, “Northern Commander Major General Ori Godin and Operational Staff Major General Oded Basiuk held a war situation assessment meeting and approved an operational plan for attacking Lebanon.”
Hezbollah, which is supported by Iran, declared support for Hamas and has engaged in hostilities with Israel since the war in the Gaza Strip broke out in October last year. The conflict between the two sides intensified on the 11th when the highest-ranking Hezbollah commander, Taleb Sami Abdullah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike. Hezbollah vowed revenge and launched a series of rocket and drone attacks toward northern Israel over the course of two days until the 13th.
If an all-out war breaks out between Israel and Hezbollah, large-scale damage is inevitable. Hezbollah is the most powerful military and political organization in Lebanon and possesses a higher level of military power than the Lebanese army. Hezbollah was founded with support from Iran in the early to mid 1980s with the purpose of resisting the United States and Israel. It carried out terrorist activities targeting the United States and Israel in the 1980s and 1990s. Although the exact size of the force is unknown, the Dubai-based Gulf Research Institute estimates that Hezbollah consists of 1,000 regular members and 6,000 to 10,000 volunteers. Nicholas Blandford, known as a Hezbollah expert, estimated the size of Hezbollah's troops, including active duty and reserve forces, at 60,000 and the number of missiles in its possession at about 150,000.
The New York Times (NYT) said, “Unlike Hamas, the militia fighting Israel in the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah has battle-hardened fighters and long-range precision-guided missiles that can hit targets deep inside Israel.” He explained.
The United States watched this situation closely and urgently took action to put out the fire. US President Joe Biden has dispatched Middle East envoy Amos Hochstein to Israel and Lebanon. Special Envoy Hochstein emphasized in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, “The armed conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has continued long enough,” and that “it is in everyone’s interest to resolve this conflict diplomatically as soon as possible.”
Clashes are continuing between the Biden administration, which is burdened by war ahead of the November presidential election, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is facing the worst political crisis, including the dissolution of the war cabinet and the spread of anti-government protests.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said in a video message on the 19th that U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken had pledged to lift restrictions on U.S. arms supply, saying, “The situation in which the U.S. has withheld the supply of arms and ammunition to Israel in recent months is unimaginable.” White House spokeswoman Carine Jean-Pierre refuted this a few hours later, saying, “I don’t know what he (Prime Minister Netanyahu) is talking about.”
Meanwhile, analysis suggests that the war in Gaza has entered the final stage, unlike in Lebanon, where conflict is escalating. The Washington Post (WP), citing Israeli officials and analysts, reported that Israel has almost achieved the elimination of Hamas, the final goal of the war in the Palestinian Gaza Strip.
WP pointed out that six weeks after Israel’s continued its attack on Rafah, the southern tip of the Gaza Strip, despite the opposition of the United States and the international community, the attack shifted from high intensity to low intensity. However, the end of the ground operation does not mean the war will completely end as small groups of Hamas in the Gaza Strip are still continuing attacks, such as launching rockets targeting Israeli troops.
3 The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish. 4 Then I called on the name of the Lord: “O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!” 5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; our God is merciful. (Psalm 116:3-5)
We hear that Israel has approved its attack on Lebanon.
Our God who is merciful!
Please have mercy on these people who are groaning in war and pain and bound by the snares of of death!
We ask in the name of the Lord. Father, please deliver and save the people in suffering.
May these people turn and seek not to an empty god, but to our righteous and merciful God.
Lord, you know the pain of these people.
Even in the midst of numerous conflicts and difficulties, may you raise up countless people who only seek You.
Please raise up those who will be victorious in the name of Yeshua, not in a war of flesh and blood, but in a war against the rulers of power in the air!
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