Day 4 - Israel and Iran at War

Today is Day 4 — Israel and Iran are at war! The people of Israel are on high alert and have not been sleeping much as they have been told to go to their safe rooms or bomb shelters.

How did all of this erupt? Iran has been threatening to annihilate Israel with a nuclear attack. This threat was not just once but has been building up as Iran continued to enrich its uranium, which poses an imminent threat to Israel. Therefore, Israel did a pre-emptive strike on Iran, killing many of their leaders and destroying many of their nuclear facilities. Their goal is to eliminate all nuclear facilities and leaders in order to create a regime change.

Iran retaliated with ballistic missiles, and Israel has experienced some direct hits around the country. The casualty number is climbing (at least 10), with hundreds injured. Yesterday, an Arab family of five who live in the north experienced a hit on their residential home. Three girls and their mother were killed, leaving the father. This was an Arab Christian family. The Christian population in Israel is very small.

Iran mainly attacks at night, but during the day, one can only find essential businesses open.

Currently, there are no outbound flights from Tel Aviv. I was in Israel just a few weeks ago on an archaeological dig. Even then, volunteers were having difficulty getting into the country and now it is impossible to fly out. Many are chartering buses into Jordan and taking flights from Jordan to Egypt, or other creative ways to get home.

While in Israel (before the attack on Iran), we still lived through many sirens and bomb shelter visits, but it still felt safe to be there. Most of the missiles are taken down by the Iron Dome. Israel is used to war and what needs to happen during the crisis. It’s not fun, but it is what needs to be done when there is an existential threat to their existence.

Please continue to pray for those living in Israel and for those trying to get home. Pray for a quick outcome to this war as Israel only wants to take out the main leaders and the nuclear plants. They are very strategic with direct hits,  and protecting the civilians of Iran.