Spinning round and round in the circle game

“And They Wandered From One Kingdom to Another people” (1 Chronicles 16:20)

Avner Boskey

August 7, 2026

For forty years the sons and daughters of Israel plodded across the Sinai Desert, following their own tracks which disappeared quickly in the blowing sands. Moses’ Exodus journey should have taken one week, but it ended up taking over 2,000 weeks. Finally, Joshua’s Jewish feet splashed into the waters of the Jordan River.

In modern parlance, one could call this 40-year process a ‘40-year Redux’ (from the Latin reducere, ‘to bring back’) – ‘a re-doing’ or repetition of the Exodus. The Middle East has seen many such ‘circle games’ in recent days.

Lebanon Redux

Twenty years ago, on July 12, 2006 the Hezbollah terror group killed eight IDF soldiers and kidnapped two others on the Lebanese border. Simultaneously, Katyusha rockets were launched against Israeli communities, hitting 6,000 homes, displacing 300,000 residents and forcing more than a million Israelis to live in shelters. Almost a third of Israel’s population - over two million people - were directly exposed to this jihadi threat. More than a thousand rockets hit the Kiryat Shmona area, 808 rockets landed near Nahariya, 471 near Safed, 176 near Carmiel, 106 near Akko, 93 in the Haifa vicinity and 81 near Tiberias. 4,262 civilians were treated in hospitals for injuries. From July 12 until August 14, 2006, when a cease-fire went into effect, 43 Israeli civilians and 117 IDF soldiers were killed. This 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War also touched our immediate family: my two eldest sons served in the IDF on the northern border during that conflict.

The IDF was positively overwhelmed by the spontaneous and whole-hearted response of Israeli men and women rushing to the Lebanese front, mounting their tanks and APCs and manning their artillery positions. I was reminded at that time of the prophetic future described in Psalm 110:3: “Your people will volunteer freely on the day of Your power! In holy splendor, from the womb of the dawn, Your youth are to You as the dew.”

Over the next few weeks, every soldier in my son’s unit was injured, and one of his friends was killed by high-explosive, armor-piercing ammunition fired at close quarters from a Soviet anti-aircraft cannon. Yet in just under 30 days, American and French power brokers had forced Israel to withdraw, leaving Hezbollah terrorists armed and in place, as per UN Security Council Resolution 1701. I remember the agony and the anger I felt when this happened. Most Israelis realized that Western super-power pressure had merely postponed jihadi hostilities to a coming conflict, and that Iran’s Lebanese proxy would live to fight another day against the sons and daughters of Jacob.

This same ‘circle game dynamic’ – indecisive attacks on the enemy followed by inconclusive results – has raised its grizzled head over the decades for American troops in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan – and currently in the Gulf States and Iran. The IDF has been tangling with similar dynamics in Gaza’s ‘Hamastan’ and Lebanon’s Iranian proxy Hezbollah.

“Trust us! It will never happen again!”

‘Circle-game dynamics’ pop up from time to time like the weasel in the child’s nursery rhyme, as the West attempts to bulldoze impossible peace scenarios into existence between Israel and its jihadi neighbors. The latest such example comes from senior US officials on Thursday July 30, 2026 as they attempt to transfer Hamas’ jihadi weapons to the terror gangs of the PLO/PA: “When we met with Prime Minister Netanyahu and his team,” said these US officials, “we said, ‘We . . . need to also make sure that this [the October 7 massacre] never happens again.”

Some Israelis had high hopes in July 2006 when IDF tanks rolled into Lebanon. Today some American diplomats are similarly declaring “Certainly this time we’re going to succeed in blunting the forces of both Hamas and Hezbollah!” But Ezekiel’s prophetic rebuke echoes down the corridors of time: “It is definitely because they have misled My people by saying, ‘Peace!’ when there is no peace. And when anyone builds a wall, behold, they plaster it over with whitewash!” (Ezekiel 13:10).

Wars and rumors of war – but the end is not yet

Messiah Yeshua reminds us that, as we near the Last Battle, we “will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end” (Matthew 24:6). The Rapture may not be the next item on the world’s prophetic timeline. But let’s remember that one can never go wrong by concentrating on YHVH’s priority focus: the full restoration of the Jewish people to their God and to their Promised Land. Satan’s frantic anti-Semitic thrashings are a clear and present indication to us all of how near the fulfilment is for these restoration promises to Israel.

The collapse of the West

In J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘Ring Trilogy,’ (Lord of the Rings’ Two Towers), King Théoden utters his sobering soliloquy just before the Battle of Helm’s Deep: “The days have gone down in the West, behind the hills, into shadow. How did it come to this?” As the light fades in the West, as the world totters on the cusp of darkness, it is imperative that we understand the times and be prepared for the challenges coming quickly down the pike. It was said of the warriors in Issachar’s ancient tribe, that they were “men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do” (1 Chronicles 12:32). So should we also be.

As some rage against the dying of the light, Gandalf’s words of wisdom come to mind:

“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo. “So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us” (J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring, page 50).

To reject the Jewish people is to reject the Bible and the Messiah

Over 2,700 years ago, Isaiah prophesied: “The earth is also defiled by its inhabitants, for they violated laws, altered statutes, and broke the everlasting covenant. Therefore, a curse devours the earth, and those who live on it suffer for their guilt” (Isaiah 24:5-6).

Today media talking-heads like Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens crassly reject YHVH’s calling on Israel and His abiding love for that people (see Romans 11:28-29; Jeremiah 2:2-3; Isaiah 63:9). They despise the God of Jacob’s calling on the descendants of Isaac (Genesis 26:1-5) and dishonor the Jewish people. In doing so, they are bringing upon themselves the curse of the Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 12:3). They have missed the biblical mark, and have rejected God’s strategic love for Israel. As well, they have failed to proactively discern Satan’s demonic hatred for Jacob’s seed. Anti-Jew is anti-Christ!

This has left much of the West defenseless and exposed to the influence of Islamist hatred, to Muslim Replacement Theology, and to genocidal Sunni and Shi’ite strategies against Israel. Their burning desire is to destroy the ongoing restoration of the Jewish people to their Promised Homeland. Without a solid grasp of these biblical realities, the supposedly ‘Christian West’ is moving toward a hardline opposition to the restoration of Jacob’s seed back to Abraham’s land.

During the first half of the 20^th century, the UK and the US adamantly opposed the establishment of a Jewish state. Now that Tel Aviv, Haifa and a united Jerusalem have managed to survive and even to thrive, Western opposition has turned its focus (in a ‘circle game’ dynamic) to opposing international recognition of Jewish sovereignty in East Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, Gaza and the rest of YHVH’s biblically mandated borders. This perspective – which does not recognize the hand of God in preserving and restoring Israel, or give credit to the One who accomplishes these things – was recently inadvertently exposed when US POTUS spoke from the heart on Air Force One this past Monday, July 26, 2026:

“You know who wouldn’t survive without us? Israel! If I didn’t get involved, and I didn’t blow up those nuclear, essentially, soon to be nuclear weapons to dust, Israel would have been terminated months ago.”

Rioting anti-Semitism exploded only one day after October 7, 2023 and has since spread like prairie fire throughout the world – staggering proof of how Satan is multi-tasking his Jew-hatred as his end draws closer.

International Jihad crushes Post-Christian blindness

From the 1930’s to the 1970’s, Russia-based Communism made significant inroads into the Western world in general, and into American society in particular. ’Back in the USSR’ may have been a tongue-in-cheek song for the Beatles, but many Americans, Brits and Frenchmen were blind to this silent Stalinist threat. The same was true of Nazi influence in the 1930’s and 1940’s in the West. Today a significant portion of the West has bowed the knee to ‘woke-ism’ and has jettisoned biblically rooted faith, spurning scriptural morality and sexuality. This has also led to a denial of the biblical teachings about the gifts and calling Jacob’s people, and to a significant rapprochement with Islamo-positive perspectives which target Israel the people and Israel the state.

When diplomatic spectacles find themselves getting filmy with smudged petroleum, Western diplomats start focusing on ‘memoranda of understanding’ to be signed with jihadi terrorists from Iran, Qatar, Syria and Gaza. Top American politicians begin to morph into apologeticists for those who would hold the US back from battlefield victories, As the Islamist rubber hits the Post-Christian road, one can see how the West is quickly transforming into a ‘dhimmi’ (slave-like) society.

The question can be asked with justification: “What kind of government makes peace treaties with jihadis? POTUS Trump recently declared that the Iranians “always want to talk, but they break their word so often. And they’ll go out and they’ll say, ‘We never discussed nuclear.’ And I say why, why do they say that? All they do is make me angry. You know, they just make me angry.” It’s true that the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps break their word as a matter of pride. But the truth here is made of sterner stuff. The real question here is” Why does the West refuse to take jihadi strategies seriously, and why does it continually act surprised by Iran’s and Qatar’s duplicity.

The current world news-cycle reminds us once again of ‘the circle game’ dynamic. What follows are six quick takes on how various countries appraise the current situation in the Persian Gulf.

US strategies

Trump’s Iran strategy over the past months has involved repeated ‘circle games’ – threats of massive attack against the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and their armed forces, followed by short skirmishes lasting for a few days. Then temporary stand-downs have been proclaimed to discuss potential though imaginary ceasefires. In recent weeks there have been two major moves toward a highly coordinated military face-off (in cooperation with the IDF) against Iran, both of which were called off at the very last minute. The on-again-off-again nature of these clashes has created uncertainty among pro-Western Gulf States and disquiet among Israeli leaders. What conclusions can be drawn from these ‘circle games’ regarding American intentions? The following perspectives are being discussed behind the closed doors of Western world forums.

Washington has assessed that diplomatic moves have failed and will fail to produce hoped-for results. The Strait of Hormuz will not be successfully re-opened by American forces any time soon, and Iran’s drive to obtain nuclear weapons will not be successfully blocked by US strategic policies – at least, not by the strategies now being pursued.

US Armed forces have not achieved the decisive results they had planned for. It is not that the combination of air and missile strikes have exhausted their abilities or target banks, but rather that American decisions have been made to adopt a ‘hands off’ policy, a strategic choice not to target or degrade Iranian energy infrastructure – oil, electricity or water grids. Direct action against Iran’s nuclear program itself has halted, leaving indecisive results. The Strait of Hormuz has yet to see a resolute Western offensive against Iranian capabilities – the full destruction of anti-ship missile batteries, the IRGC Navy’s fast-attack craft and mine stocks, and coastal radar and drone sites. The American conclusion seems to be that, within some months, another significant military confrontation will be required if the goal of soundly defeating Iranian forces is to be achieved. Israel’s participation will be a much-needed necessity for such a decisive victory to take place.

But President Trump has domestic considerations to deal with as well: He wants to avoid a rise in U.S. gasoline prices above $4 a gallon at the pump, as well as to avoid the political fallout of a potential global energy crisis. A retriggering of a war with Iran – a broad confrontation or a sharp deterioration in the fighting – would be unpopular among a significant percentage of American voters, especially coming just before the U.S. midterm elections in early November. For opposite polling results, though, see McLaughlin & Associates.

There is also a military calculation: available missile-interceptor inventories have fallen to dangerous levels. According to CNN and Reuters, close to 80% of total US interceptors for its THAAD anti-ballistic missile defense system and approximately 50% of its Patriot interceptors have been fired. US Army’s surface-to-surface weapons, known as Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM) have been virtually exhausted. A little over half of US global Tomahawk missiles inventories are still available. Though the military slack could be taken up by using more manned warplanes, a breathing space for munitions resupply would be strategically helpful for the US Armed Forces. Further preparations for an upcoming wider confrontation with Iran are a pressing priority. For now, the White House is pursuing a limited maritime and economic blockade, which it sees as a real threat to the Iranian regime’s ability to govern and supply its population’s basic needs.

POTUS Trump has posted a few times on his Truth Social site that that he has “agreed to a request from Tehran and other Middle Eastern countries” asking him to refrain from planned large-scale attacks, provided that a deal can be reached quickly. “The country of Israel joins me in this commitment,” he wrote, though Israel released no official comment.

At present, US strategy seems to involve a multi-faceted approach – saber rattling, gunboat diplomacy, calling off strikes and brinksmanship.

Similar ‘circle game’ dynamics have happened before in US history. POTUS Lyndon B. Johnson and Israeli Ambassador Abba Eban faced them just before the Six-Day War in June 1967, when the POTUS struggled between honoring the Rogers Plan American diplomatic agreements with Israel, and the pressures of upcoming elections. POTUS Nixon faced similar electoral unrest during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, when Watergate disclosures and Arab oil embargoes were exploding on the front pages of US newspapers. Nixon’s bravery revealed itself in Operation Nickel Grass, where the POTUS stood with his Israeli ally, facing down the combined forces of the USSR, Egypt and Syria.

Iranian strategies

U.S. intelligence officials note that Iran’s military and IRGC have been unable to pay salaries for several months because of falling oil revenues. The country is also experiencing repeated power outages as the Iranian rial continues to fall against the dollar. Signs of civil unrest are already visible, including a hunger strike by about 1,500 death-row prisoners at a Tehran-area jail, and protest gatherings by taxi drivers and merchants, the Iranian social strata considered to be bellweathers of national stability. A recent acceleration in executions of participants who took part in the recent January 2026 Iran-wide popular protests has also raised public anger.

Iran has just released Mafia-like threats to be carried out by Iranian precision missiles, calling out specific potential targets located in neighboring Gulf States – unless these principalities bow low and kiss the hand of the Persian Godfather:

Saudi Arabia - Ghawar oil field, Abqaiq and Khurais processing plants
United Arab Emirates - Ruwais refinery and Zakum offshore field
Kuwait - Burgan oil field
Bahrain - Sitra refinery and Ma’ameer facilities
Qatar - North Field gas reserve and Ras Laffan LNG terminal
Israel - Leviathan and Tamar offshore natural gas fields

Iran’s current strategies include draining US interceptor stocks, attacking Gulf and US bases, and deepening the region’s energy and refugee crisis. On July 24, 2026, Al-Khanadeq, a Lebanese website affiliated with Hezbollah, published an article titled ‘The American Electricity Network in the Crosshairs of the Confrontation,’ warning that the U.S. military’s reliance on civilian power grids is a critical vulnerability affecting bases both on the U.S. mainland and in the Persian Gulf region. The US has concluded that intense American military action would likely allow the Iranian regime to divert Iranian public attention from domestic hardship. America’s leadership now prefers the course of maintaining and expanding the economic blockade against Iran, even if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed in the meantime. The Iranians have discerned this American tactic and are attempting to drag the US into a wider confrontation, based on the assumption that U.S. military casualties and higher gasoline prices will force Trump to accept a ceasefire on Tehran’s terms. Iran is also activating its proxies in the region, including Yemen’s Houthis and Iraq’s Kata’eb Hezbollah Shiite militias.

Popular Iranian perspectives

Iranian Crown Prince-in-exile Reza Pahlavi announced on July 26, 2026: “Thousands of Iranians have recently been killed,” he said, referring to the recent violent suppression of protests in the Islamic Republic. “They did not die so that a strait would remain open or for the sake of a nuclear deal. They died for freedom.”

Sunni leadership perspectives

America’s biggest partners in the Arabian Gulf (including the Saudis) have privately expressed that they fear Iran more than they trust America. Israeli commentator Ya’akov Bardugo of Channel 14 notes:

“These same sources made it clear that their countries are not prepared to pay the price of an Iranian response, and that they are not convinced that the United States can protect them or shape a new regional reality the day after. This also explains the pressure being exerted on President Donald Trump. The Gulf states have made it clear to him that they are not prepared to absorb Tehran’s response in the name of an American attack. They fear the missiles, the drones, and the possibility that the campaign will quickly slide towards their energy facilities and cities.”

Some Western Evangelical-charismatic perspectives

From time to time, I run into comments from Evangelical and charismatics, emphasizing that the War of Gog and Magog and the Rapture seem to be only moments away. Though it may be true that these events are imminent, it is also true that an obsessive focus on such prophetic events can have the effect of drawing attention away from the main thing that the God of Israel is focusing on right now – restoring the Jewish people to their land, raising up the Ezekiel 37 army, and preparing to bring judgment on the nations who embrace the latest virulent form a satanic anti-Semitism.

As the tremblings of WWIII come upon us, let us stay balanced in our focus, aware of these Last Days birthpangs, and tracking with all that the God of Jacob is accomplishing!

Israeli strategies

Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been focusing on some important matters

World anti-Semitic dynamics, as has happened throughout much of Jewish history, are spinning out of control. This includes virulent anti-Jewish social and political movements in both America and the West. We say in Hebrew ‘Kol ha’olam negdenu’ ('All the world is against us')
Remember that by and large the world is not kindly disposed either to Israel or to the Jewish people. Prepare accordingly
Do not ignore the enemy, Contain him and degrade his forces. Respond pre-emptively to your enemies with first strikes whenever possible (remember the June 1967 Six Day War)
Active deterrence is essential, while passivity and the ignoring of incoming threats (in Hebrew: havlaga) are unacceptable and intolerable behavior

How shall we then pray?

Pray for the political and military leaders of America and Israel, that their discernment courage and boldness would be attenuated and sharpened

Pray that the God of Israel will activate believers everywhere to discern the Satanic weapon of anti-semitism and receive divine pro-active downloads on how to oppose it

Pray for the entire people of Israel to be protected and preserved from their enemies (see Luke 1:68-75), and that they would seek and find salvation in Messiah Yeshua