[Today's Prayer] Israel Expands Front...Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and Now Yemen

Israel's strikes against key facilities of the pro-Iranian Yemeni Houthi rebels on Saturday (Nov. 26) are seen as a step toward intensifying pressure on the so-called “axis of resistance.

After neutralizing the pro-Iranian Palestinian militant group Hamas and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, and seeing an opportunity to expand its influence in Syria after the fall of Bashar Assad's regime, Israel is now targeting the Houthis to eliminate Iranian proxies.

“Now emboldened, Israel is turning its attention to the Houthis,” the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) wrote in an analysis of the attack.

With Hamas and Hezbollah virtually incapacitated and Assad's regime ousted, Israel is moving toward a new goal of crushing the Houthis, who have become an eyesore.

Since the Gaza war last October, the Houthis have carried out a series of provocations in the Red Sea and elsewhere in support of Hamas.

In recent weeks, it has threatened Israel with ballistic missiles and drones almost every night.

On July 21, the Houthis fired a missile into Tel Aviv, Israel, injuring 16 residents.

In response, Israel's warnings to the Houthis have gotten tougher.

On March 23, Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz warned that Israel would “strike the Houthis hard and behead their leadership,” just as it did Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

“The Houthis will learn what Hamas and Hezbollah and the Assad regime and other forces have learned,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on May 25, adding that ”the whole Middle East will understand this lesson, even if it takes time.”

“We are determined to cut off the arms of the terrorists of the 'axis of evil' in Iran,” Netanyahu also said that day, adding that ”we will continue this work until we accomplish our mission.”

Officials told the WSJ that the Israeli strikes were intended to contain the “last pro-Iranian group” that posed a direct threat to their country.

Still, experts say Israel's campaign against the Houthis could face some challenges.

Unlike Gaza and Lebanon, which are close to Israel, Yemen is more than 1,600 kilometers away and may require a different approach than the war against Hamas and Hezbollah.

Another challenge is that the Houthis are a relatively “new adversary” that Israeli intelligence has not focused on, experts say.

The Houthis have vowed to retaliate against Israel.

The Houthis said on their al-Masirah TV channel that they were ready to respond “to escalation with escalation.”

Indeed, the Houthis fired another missile at Israel.

The Israeli military said in a statement on July 27 that it shot down a missile fired from Yemen outside Israel's borders.

The international community has been deeply concerned by the escalating conflict between Israel and the Houthis.

In a statement issued through his spokesperson, UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the escalation of tensions between Israel and the Houthis and called on all parties to cease military action and exercise restraint.

Airstrikes on ports and airports pose a serious risk to humanitarian operations, he said, adding that international law must always be respected.

Earlier in the day, Israeli warplanes bombed the airport and power plant in Yemen's capital Sanaa, as well as military infrastructure on the western coast, including Hodeidah and Salif-Ras Kanatib.

The Houthi-run Sabah news agency reported that the strikes killed six people, three at Sanaa airport and three in Hodeidah, and wounded 40 others.

(emphasis added)

Source: Yonhap News Agency

He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:20)

God, we feel more and more that we are in the end times, when the whole world is groaning under the pain of war and death, and we feel the need for the world church to pray more and more until the end, especially as we see the news of this never-ending war between Israel and all the surrounding Middle Eastern countries and peoples surrounding Israel.

Please have mercy on the people of Israel, who have suffered for so long from these seemingly endless conflicts between Hamas and Hezbollah and the Houthis in Syria and Yemen.

We also ask that the Houthis in Yemen, who continue to fan the flames of war by risking their lives for nothing more than vanity, may now come to know Jesus, the one true God, and turn to You.

Lord, may the day come quickly when Israel, a nation of priests to all the nations, is now fully restored to its identity as You have called it. We pray that the gospel will now be preached more powerfully in Israel, where many struggle like sheep without a shepherd because they do not know Jesus Christ, the true Savior of Israel.

Send those who will go forth with Your Gospel in the midst of Israel and Yemen, so that Your disciples may now arise in multitudes, strong and valiant in the midst of the land!

Through them, may the nations of Israel and Yemen be raised up as a people who long and cry out, “Maranatha, Lord Jesus, come quickly,” and prepare the way for Your return with their lives in these last days!