The flames of Iranian military power and Islamic extremism threaten to engulf Israel in the inferno of a wide-scale war.
Iran’s Ayatollah Khomenei and Islamic religious leaders are on a warpath to make Israel pay a heavy price for the recent assassination of Hamas’s top political leader, Ismail Haniyeh – something for which Israel has yet to officially claim responsibility. Haniyeh’s shocking death, which occurred in the Iranian capital of Tehran, has caused a virulent uproar in the region – raising the ire of Iran and its Shiite Muslim allies. Together, they form a “crescent of fire” – a geographic arc of Iranian dominance that spans from Lebanon in the north to Yemen in the south.
The flames of Iranian military power and Shiite Muslim extremism have swept west ward across the deserts of Iraq and Syria – burning through the capitals of Baghdad and Damascus, and scorching a path to the Lebanese coast of the Mediterranean. Through its terror proxy, Hezbollah, in southern Lebanon, Iran’s “crescent of fire” has now reached the borders of Israel, and threatens to engulf the Jewish state in the inferno of a wide-scale war.
Ismail Haniyeh, who had lived in self-imposed exile from Gaza since 2019, made his base of operations in Doha, the luxurious capital of Qatar. However, he often traveled to Iran and other locations across the region to develop strategic alliances against Israel while seeking financial support for Hamas’s terror network in Gaza.
Media outlets often presented Haniyeh as the moderate face of Hamas, but he was no “moderate.” Immediately following the October 7 cross-border massacre by Hamas against Israel in which more than 1,200 were murdered, tortured, raped, or taken hostage to Gaza, Haniyeh praised the attack. Hours later, he was caught on video leading prayers with other Hamas officials giving thanks to Allah for its success.
In May of this year, Haniyeh had traveled to Iran to speak at the funeral of late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. In his speech, he said the following:
“The Al-Aqsa flood [Hamas’ code name for the October 7 massacre] was an earthquake that struck the heart of the Zionist entity and has made major changes at the world level … We will continue the resistance against this enemy [Israel] until we liberate our land, all our land.”
Last month, Haniyeh once again returned to Tehran – this time for the Iranian presidential inauguration. As a guest of state, he was housed in a large compound known as Neshat in an upscale neighborhood in the capital. The facility is routinely used for visiting dignitaries and is heavily guarded by Iran’s elite forces – the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC). Despite intense security, the IRGC was unable to protect Haniyeh, who was killed in the middle of the night by a remotely-detonated explosive device likely planted inside his guesthouse several weeks or months earlier.
On the night of Haniyeh’s death, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was awakened and told that the Hamas leader had been killed. That very morning, by 7 o’clock, the Ayatollah had called the members of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council to an emergency meeting at his compound during which he issued an order to strike Israel in retaliation.
However, the order was not immediately carried out, and reports indicate the first priority was for a humiliated IRGC to initiate a swift and harsh internal investigation to root out any potential Iranian collaborators who may have worked covertly with foreign operatives [thought to be Israeli Mossad agents] in the assassination of Haniyeh.
According to credible sources, there has been considerable internal debate among Iran’s governmental and religious leaders over the timing and type of retaliation against Israel. Pragmatic leaders within Iran are deeply concerned that another direct Iranian attack on Israel may spur a devastating military response by Israel, America, and the West that could decimate critical Iranian infrastructure and further cripple an already teetering Iranian economy.
But Iran’s Islamic religious leaders are desirous of making a strong statement against “the Zionist entity,” who they see as a cancer and an obstruction to their grand expansionist plan to capture Jerusalem, control the entire region, and implement strict Shia Islam throughout the Middle East and beyond.
Iran’s Ayatollah Khomenei and Islamic religious leaders are on a warpath to make Israel pay a heavy price for the recent assassination of Hamas’s top political leader, Ismail Haniyeh – something for which Israel has yet to officially claim responsibility. Haniyeh’s shocking death, which occurred in the Iranian capital of Tehran, has caused a virulent uproar in the region – raising the ire of Iran and its Shiite Muslim allies. Together, they form a “crescent of fire” – a geographic arc of Iranian dominance that spans from Lebanon in the north to Yemen in the south.
The flames of Iranian military power and Shiite Muslim extremism have swept west ward across the deserts of Iraq and Syria – burning through the capitals of Baghdad and Damascus, and scorching a path to the Lebanese coast of the Mediterranean. Through its terror proxy, Hezbollah, in southern Lebanon, Iran’s “crescent of fire” has now reached the borders of Israel, and threatens to engulf the Jewish state in the inferno of a wide-scale war.
Ismail Haniyeh, who had lived in self-imposed exile from Gaza since 2019, made his base of operations in Doha, the luxurious capital of Qatar. However, he often traveled to Iran and other locations across the region to develop strategic alliances against Israel while seeking financial support for Hamas’s terror network in Gaza.
Media outlets often presented Haniyeh as the moderate face of Hamas, but he was no “moderate.” Immediately following the October 7 cross-border massacre by Hamas against Israel in which more than 1,200 were murdered, tortured, raped, or taken hostage to Gaza, Haniyeh praised the attack. Hours later, he was caught on video leading prayers with other Hamas officials giving thanks to Allah for its success.
In May of this year, Haniyeh had traveled to Iran to speak at the funeral of late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. In his speech, he said the following:
“The Al-Aqsa flood [Hamas’ code name for the October 7 massacre] was an earthquake that struck the heart of the Zionist entity and has made major changes at the world level … We will continue the resistance against this enemy [Israel] until we liberate our land, all our land.”
Last month, Haniyeh once again returned to Tehran – this time for the Iranian presidential inauguration. As a guest of state, he was housed in a large compound known as Neshat in an upscale neighborhood in the capital. The facility is routinely used for visiting dignitaries and is heavily guarded by Iran’s elite forces – the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC). Despite intense security, the IRGC was unable to protect Haniyeh, who was killed in the middle of the night by a remotely-detonated explosive device likely planted inside his guesthouse several weeks or months earlier.
On the night of Haniyeh’s death, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was awakened and told that the Hamas leader had been killed. That very morning, by 7 o’clock, the Ayatollah had called the members of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council to an emergency meeting at his compound during which he issued an order to strike Israel in retaliation.
However, the order was not immediately carried out, and reports indicate the first priority was for a humiliated IRGC to initiate a swift and harsh internal investigation to root out any potential Iranian collaborators who may have worked covertly with foreign operatives [thought to be Israeli Mossad agents] in the assassination of Haniyeh.
According to credible sources, there has been considerable internal debate among Iran’s governmental and religious leaders over the timing and type of retaliation against Israel. Pragmatic leaders within Iran are deeply concerned that another direct Iranian attack on Israel may spur a devastating military response by Israel, America, and the West that could decimate critical Iranian infrastructure and further cripple an already teetering Iranian economy.
But Iran’s Islamic religious leaders are desirous of making a strong statement against “the Zionist entity,” who they see as a cancer and an obstruction to their grand expansionist plan to capture Jerusalem, control the entire region, and implement strict Shia Islam throughout the Middle East and beyond.
More than five years ago, I wrote:
"Iranian leaders are seeking to distract their people from societal ills, government corruption, lack of freedom, and an imploding economy by casting blame on Israel, spewing venomous rhetoric, and calling for her destruction.
And yet, Iran, which changed its name from Persia in 1935, isn’t satisfied with sabre rattling. As the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism, the Shiite Muslim nation has actively implemented an aggressive strategy to re-establish the power of the Persian Empire. This objective necessitates the conquest of land that includes vast areas of the Middle East …
Iran’s aggressions, however, cannot simply be quantified by its desire to amass power. Its preoccupation with Israel and its compulsion to destroy the Jewish State goes far deeper. In fact, it would not be an overstatement to say it emanates from the pit of Hell itself. Iran’s obsession is part of a much larger spiritual war raging between God and Satan for kingship of Earth. And the future King will be enthroned in Jerusalem (Psalm 2:6).
Iran’s obsession with Jerusalem is evidenced by the fact that its premiere clandestine military unit (which operates under Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corp) is named “Quds Force.” Al Quds is an Arabic name used for Jerusalem. This name wasn’t chosen by Iran out of respect for Israel’s capital, but as a reminder of its longstanding desire to recapture the Jewish Holy City."
"Iranian leaders are seeking to distract their people from societal ills, government corruption, lack of freedom, and an imploding economy by casting blame on Israel, spewing venomous rhetoric, and calling for her destruction.
And yet, Iran, which changed its name from Persia in 1935, isn’t satisfied with sabre rattling. As the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism, the Shiite Muslim nation has actively implemented an aggressive strategy to re-establish the power of the Persian Empire. This objective necessitates the conquest of land that includes vast areas of the Middle East …
Iran’s aggressions, however, cannot simply be quantified by its desire to amass power. Its preoccupation with Israel and its compulsion to destroy the Jewish State goes far deeper. In fact, it would not be an overstatement to say it emanates from the pit of Hell itself. Iran’s obsession is part of a much larger spiritual war raging between God and Satan for kingship of Earth. And the future King will be enthroned in Jerusalem (Psalm 2:6).
Iran’s obsession with Jerusalem is evidenced by the fact that its premiere clandestine military unit (which operates under Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corp) is named “Quds Force.” Al Quds is an Arabic name used for Jerusalem. This name wasn’t chosen by Iran out of respect for Israel’s capital, but as a reminder of its longstanding desire to recapture the Jewish Holy City."
At the time of my writing, the Middle East stands at the brink of a potential war the likes of which has not been seen in modern history. The stakes are enormously high. An Iranian-dominated crescent of fire threatens to consume Israel in the current standoff. On one side are the Iranians and their Shiite Muslim allies – backed by Russia and China. On the other are the Israelis – backed by the United States and a few nations from Western Europe.
Further complicating the dire situation is the fact that no one knows with certainty how far Iran has progressed toward the development of nuclear weapons. Most reports indicate it is nearing completion. Of one crucial fact, however, there can be no doubt: If Iran were to succeed in its nuclear ambitions, the largest state sponsor of terrorism on Earth would possess an arsenal of weapons with which it could obliterate entire nations and blackmail the world.
These thoughts are sobering, but as faithful followers of Christ and students of Scripture, they should not surprise us. The Bible reveals that in the Last Days, wars will rage and chaos will ensue (Matthew 24:6; Mark 13:7). Things are going to get very bad on Earth before they become wondrously good. In light of these things, I encourage you to watch and “pray fervently for the peace of Jerusalem.” But as you pray, remember that Jerusalem will only experience true and lasting peace when “the Prince of Peace,” Yeshua HaMashiach, returns as King to reign over the earth from the Holy City (Isaiah 9:6, 7; Luke 1:31-33). Even so come, Lord Jesus!
Further complicating the dire situation is the fact that no one knows with certainty how far Iran has progressed toward the development of nuclear weapons. Most reports indicate it is nearing completion. Of one crucial fact, however, there can be no doubt: If Iran were to succeed in its nuclear ambitions, the largest state sponsor of terrorism on Earth would possess an arsenal of weapons with which it could obliterate entire nations and blackmail the world.
These thoughts are sobering, but as faithful followers of Christ and students of Scripture, they should not surprise us. The Bible reveals that in the Last Days, wars will rage and chaos will ensue (Matthew 24:6; Mark 13:7). Things are going to get very bad on Earth before they become wondrously good. In light of these things, I encourage you to watch and “pray fervently for the peace of Jerusalem.” But as you pray, remember that Jerusalem will only experience true and lasting peace when “the Prince of Peace,” Yeshua HaMashiach, returns as King to reign over the earth from the Holy City (Isaiah 9:6, 7; Luke 1:31-33). Even so come, Lord Jesus!
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