POLITICO reports tonight that four unnamed U.S. intelligence officials are warning of the increased risk of Lebanese Hezbollah militants striking Americans in the Middle East — and even potentially within the United States.
According to U.S. intelligence collections, the Iran-backed militant group would likely target diplomatic and military personnel in the Middle East first; however, the likelihood of an assault on U.S. soil is also growing as tensions in the region escalate.
U.S. troops in the Middle East have already been attacked by several Iranian proxy groups, including Harakat-al-Nujaba, an Iraqi paramilitary group. These militias have launched at least 127 attacks on American forces in Iraq and Syria since October 17, 2023. American military forces have struck back several times, including a January 4, 2024 drone strike in Baghdad that killed a senior militia member.
The POLITICO report may be read HERE.
My brothers and sisters, according to Andrew Tabler, a special envoy who served in the Trump Administration, “the Lebanon front is ready to kick off. And these Iranian militia are pounding the U.S. in eastern Syria and Iraq. It’s interesting that this is all going on in the background and people are focusing on the Gaza theater, but the war is actually much larger than that.”
What is undeniable are all of the ongoing and increasing attacks in the Red Sea and against U.S. assets in Iraq and elsewhere by Iranian-sponsored and influenced militias, such as Hezbollah and Qatar’s Houthis. On the heels of the Afghanistan debacle, the perception by some of a less than decisive and loyal U.S. federal government, the ongoing concerns about China’s desire to strike and reclaim Taiwan, the North Korean leader threatening the use of nuclear weapons against South Korea, the ongoing Hamas-Israel war (with the strong potential for it to quickly expand beyond Israel’s borders), and the continuing assault on Ukraine by Russian President Vladimir Putin, it bears warning (not warmongering, but warning) that the U.S. needs to be prepared for any contingency.
Let’s pray for the safety of our country and all of our allies, as so much of the world is in turmoil and is politically unstable at the moment. While supporting Israel is absolutely biblically sound, wisdom (see Proverbs 4:7) is understanding that even the right choices can have less than palatable outcomes in this fallen world.
This writer used to tell his coworkers that “if it was easy, anyone could do it.” The time is now to remember that “integrity” is doing the right thing, even when doing the right thing is difficult or no one is watching. You see, our Lord is all about integrity, as integrity requires honesty, faith (see Matthew 17:20) and trust.
All things are possible with God (see Matthew 19:26)! According to the bible, if we pray in the name of Jesus and seek God’s will, we can bind the plans of the enemy in this world and in our lives (see Matthew 18:18). We must learn to trust in the Lord for all of our needs, goals and desires – after all, He has a plan to give us a blessed future and a hope (see Jeremiah 29:11-12).
Let’s also remember how DEEPLY the Father loves us (see John 17:20-23). Spoiler Alert: He loves us just like He loves Jesus! Amen.
Here are the above-referenced scriptures:
Proverbs 4:7 (NKJV)
“Wisdom is the principal thing; [t]herefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.”
Matthew 17:20 (NKJV)
In speaking to the disciples, Jesus said “…if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘[m]ove from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”
Matthew 19:26 (NKJV)
“But Jesus looked at them and said to them, ‘[w]ith men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible [emphasis mine].’”
Matthew 18:18 (NKJV)
“Assuredly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Jeremiah 29:11-12 (NKJV)
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.”
And, we must never forget:
John 17:20-23 (NKJV)
Jesus Prays to the Father
“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me [emphasis mine].”
Praise Jesus forevermore!