GNITN - Special Edition

Israel At War – Day 227

More Antisemitism Happening

Iranian President Confirmed Dead

As I reported in our last podcast, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was thought to have perished in a helicopter crash yesterday. Now his dying is confirmed as we see in an article from CBN.com:

Iranian state TV confirmed Monday that Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash on Sunday.

His death shocks the Iranian regime while its proxies are at war with Israel.

As the Netanyahu government interprets what his death will mean in the war with those proxies, the prime minister is being challenged by protests and political rivals at home.

A new president was selected:

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei appointed First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber as the country's acting president after Raisi's death.

The country's cabinet also announced it would continue the policies of Raisi.

More details of the crash was given:

According to state television reports, Raisi's helicopter crashed in bad weather after returning from inaugurating a dam in Iran's East Azerbaijan province.

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Abdollahian also died in the crash.

The crash occurred after months of war between Iran's proxies Hamas and Hezbollah, along with Iran's unprecedented drone and missile attack against Israel in April.

The former president of Iran was known to rule with an iron hand and he wasn’t a friend of Israel:

Raisi was known as the "Butcher of Tehran" for his involvement in sentencing thousands of political opponents to death in the 1980s after the Islamic revolution.

During his term as president, he suppressed massive protests against the regime.

He also oversaw Iran's nuclear program as it got closer than ever before to creating weapons-grade uranium.

He was also an implacable foe of Israel, yet Israel is denying any involvement in his death.

There is talk that the crash wasn’t an accident and that Israel was involved, but so far, Israel denies having anything to do with it as we read in a report from The Jerusalem Post:

Israel was not involved in the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash that also killed several members of his entourage, an Israeli official told Reuters on Monday.

"It wasn't us," said the official, who requested anonymity.

Rumors circulated throughout social media Sunday night into Monday morning alleging Mossad involvement in the helicopter crash.

The question does remain concerning how this will affect Iran’s support of the war against Israel. At this moment it appears that little will change from a policy standpoint, but only time will tell.

IDF Successfully Evacuates Rafah

Although a great deal of concern and criticism surrounded any operation in Rafah because of the danger of hurting civilians, Israel did move them as promised as we see in a report from i24news.tv:

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have successfully evacuated approximately 950,000 Palestinian civilians from Rafah in the Gaza Strip in just two weeks since May 6, the military revealed on Monday.

This large-scale evacuation was part of the ongoing Israeli military operations aimed at dismantling Hamas' control in the region.

According to the IDF, around 30 to 40 percent of Rafah is now under IDF control, while 60 to 70 percent of the city has been completely evacuated. The remaining civilians, estimated at 300,000-400,000, are concentrated near the Tel al-Sultan area along the Gaza coast.

The accomplishment was not thought to be doable:

This evacuation was achieved despite earlier U.S. predictions that such a large-scale movement could not be accomplished without significant casualties or a lengthy timeframe of about four months. The majority of those evacuated have relocated to the northwest region of al-Muwasi, with smaller numbers moving to central Gaza and Khan Yunis.

The IDF has reported significant progress in its military operations.

So far, the Rafah offensive has gone according to plan:

Despite facing resistance from the four Hamas battalions in Rafah, Israeli forces have managed to take them by surprise.

Initial resistance was more unified, but it appears that the battalions are now either dispersing, fleeing, or preparing for guerrilla warfare at a later stage. There is a possibility that Hamas may mount stronger resistance in the Tel al-Sultan area.

Additionally, the IDF has gained control over most of the Philadelphi Corridor along the Egyptian border, a crucial area for Hamas' weapons smuggling operations. Many cross-border tunnels have been destroyed, although the exact number of remaining tunnels is still unknown.

Egypt isn’t pleased with the mission:

Despite Egypt's dissatisfaction with the Rafah operation and the closure of the Rafah Crossing for humanitarian aid, military relations between Israel and Egypt remain stable.

There have been no violent incidents between the two sides, and only a minimal number of Palestinians have crossed into Egypt, addressing one of Cairo's primary concerns.

The hostages and Sinwar may have also left Rafah:

The IDF has also noted that no significant updates are available regarding the hostages held in Rafah or the whereabouts of Gaza Chief Yahya Sinwar. It is possible that the hostages and Sinwar may have been moved out of Rafah amidst the large civilian exodus.

International Criminals Now

The International Criminal Court in the Hague is seeking arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. They are also wanting to arrest Hamas leaders as well for acts of extermination, using humanitarian aid as weapons to kill civilians and intentionally targeting civilians in the conflict. Adding the Hamas leaders to the list of warrants requested appears to be a way of making Israel look to be just as bad as terrorists. As would be expected, Netanyahu and really a bipartisan group of Israeli politicians are not pleased as seen in an article from The Times Of Israel:

In a video statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that the “absurd and false” warrant from the International Criminal Court chief prosecutor is “directed against the entire State of Israel.”

“It is directed against the IDF soldiers, who are fighting with supreme heroism against the vile Hamas murderers,” he says.

It must be pointed out that the arrest warrants haven’t been issued, but only sought for:

ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan has not issued arrest warrants but, rather, announced his intention earlier today to seek them from the court for Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, alongside Hamas’s three top leaders.

The PM didn’t mince words on being seen in the same light as terrorists:

“With what chutzpah do you dare compare the monsters of Hamas to the soldiers of the IDF, the most moral army in the world?” Netanyahu asks. “With what audacity do you compare between the Hamas that murdered, burned, butchered, raped, and kidnapped our brothers and sisters, and the IDF soldiers who are fighting a just war that is unparalleled, with a morality that is unmatched?”

He sees such charges as more proof of the growing wave of antisemitism in the world:

Netanyahu says he rejects “with disgust” Khan’s ostensible comparison, calling it “an utter distortion of the reality,” and says it is an example of “the new antisemitism” that has moved from college campuses to The Hague.

If issued, Netanyahu assured Israelis that the war efforts will not be impeded by them:

The premier promises the Israeli public that the ICC’s “effort to tie our hands will fail,” that no international forum will “prevent us from hitting those who seek our destruction,” and that Israel will topple Hamas and achieve “total victory.”

As the politics of hating Jews continues, we need to remember that Jesus told His Jewish followers that just before He returned they would experience great persecution, even worse than in any previous time in their history. Unfortunately, even Bible-believing Christians are piling on now as they, too see Israel as committing war crimes. I for one will continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem as commanded to in the Scriptures and while I don’t see Israel as perfect, I do see God’s hand on her to bless the world as He said they would.