Further drawing back the curtain on the shadow conflict between Israel and Iran, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a Rosh Hashanah toast with workers at the Prime Minister’s Office Tuesday evening that “We defend our borders and we also deal with threats when they are farther away and have not yet reached us, within the framework of ‘foreseeing ‘what is coming,’ – preempting evil. We do that.” Analysts surmised he was making a reference to recent reports that Iran is deploying ballistic missiles to positions occupied by its Shi’ite militia allies in Iraq, placing them in range of Israel, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman said Tuesday evening that the Trump Administration has “slayed the sacred cow of the calcified thinking that has held back progress on the Palestinian front…since 1994, the United States has thrown more than $10 billion in humanitarian aid to Palestinians. Without minimizing the importance of medical treatment and quality education for children – and we don’t, not even for a minute – we found that these expenditures were bringing the region no closer to peace or stability, not even by a millimeter.”

A state news agency tied to Syria’s Assad regime on Tuesday accused Israel of carrying out air strikes on regime “military positions in the provinces of Tartous and Hama” while an opposition group reported that explosions had been observed at an Iranian-run military facility in the vicinity of Hama City. The IDF declined to comment on the reports, in line with standard procedure. Meanwhile, Russian and Assad regime aircraft were observed making heavy strikes Tuesday on rebel positions in Idlib Province, near the Turkish border.

US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Joseph Dunford said Tuesday that he is looking for ways to increase US military presence in Greece. “If you look at geography, and you look at current operations in Libya, and you look at current operations in Syria, you look at potential other operations in the eastern Mediterranean, the geography of Greece and the opportunities here are pretty significant,” he said.

Yahya Sinwar, a senior official with the Islamist terror militia Hamas, said during a press conference Tuesday that the “March of Return” demonstrations on the border with Israel over recent months were a ploy to divert attention from internal Palestinian political maneuvering. “After the reconciliation efforts (between Hamas and Fatah) reached an impasse, a number of factions planned to cause an internal explosion in the Gaza Strip, but the Marches of Return thwarted the plan,” he said. “Palestinian officials collaborated with Israeli intelligence in order to sabotage the reconciliation efforts.”

The country is entering a unique “only-in-Israel” period. Israel alone celebrates the New Year according to the Jewish calendar. It is the start of a month of religious holidays. It is hard to describe just how special this period in the Jewish calendar is in Israel. We are free as a people to blow our own horn – the ram’s horn: The shofar. It is a majestic, awakening sound with which to herald in our new year: the Jewish New Year. May it be a good, sweet and peaceful one.

In recent years Hezbollah has come under increased international scrutiny. In 2013 the European Union blacklisted its military wing and the Gulf Cooperation Council designated the entire organization a terrorist group. And yet the group continues to operate around the world. Even after the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA, or Iran deal), when one might have thought that Hezbollah’s patrons in Tehran would be less likely to promote international terrorism, Hezbollah operatives continue to engage in a wide range of activities around the world.

Reaching out in many languages through video, radio, print and email, the ICEJ educates Christians all over the world about Israel’s unique calling, political situation and social challenges. From our Jerusalem headquarters a team of journalists, academics and theologians produce a constant stream of statements, articles and papers tackling these complex issues from a mature biblical standpoint.