Nearly 2,500 years ago, the demonic Prince of Persia (see Daniel 10:12-21) stirred up murderous rage in the heart of a top Iranian diplomat (see Esther 3:5-6) – “Haman sought to annihilate all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, who were found throughout the kingdom of Ahasuerus.” His plan involved a state-sponsored pogrom of mass murder, plunder and rapine – one similar to the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on peaceful Jewish farms and kibbutzim – where over 1,200 Israelis were tortured, raped and massacred, and over 250 were kidnapped to dank tunnels in Gaza’s Hamastan. The October 7 attack was planned and enabled with the consultation and strategic help of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s jihadi terrorists.
Haman’s planned attack at the time of Queen Esther was preceded by a seal of approval – Ahasuerus’ stamped signet ring (see Genesis 41:42). That gave Haman royal approval to commit genocide against the entire people of Israel. It is important to remember that, at that time, nearly all of the world’s Jewish population was under the domination of the Persian empire:
- Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom. Their laws are different from those of all other people and they do not comply with the king’s laws, so it is not in the king’s interest to let them remain. If it is pleasing to the king, let it be decreed that they be eliminated, and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who carry out the king’s business, to put into the king’s treasuries.” Then the king took his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. And the king said to Haman, “The silver is yours, and the people also, to do with them as you please.”
- Then the king’s scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and it was written just as Haman commanded to the king’s satraps, to the governors who were over each province and to the officials of each people, each province according to its script, each people according to its language, being written in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed with the king’s signet ring. Letters were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces to annihilate, kill, and destroy all the Jews, both young and old, women and children, in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month (which is the month Adar) and to seize their possessions as plunder. A copy of the edict to be issued as law in every province was published to all the peoples so that they would be ready for this day. The couriers went out, speeded by the king’s order while the decree was issued at the citadel in Susa. And while the king and Haman sat down to drink, the city of Susa was agitated. (Esther 3:8-15)
In today’s Middle East, days of old intersect with modern times. The demonic overlords of Iran are once again making headlines, stirring up their Hamanic hatred across the globe.
The Middle East is still an unfriendly neighborhood
YHVH is a good judge of character. He shares His insights with Moses about Jacob’s neighbors, explaining that the Jewish people should not be surprised when surrounding countries attack Israel, wanting to destroy it: “And when you go to war in your land against the enemy who attacks you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, so that you will be remembered by YHVH your God, and be saved from your enemies” (Numbers 10:9).
At least five hundred years later, the Psalmist echoes that same perspective: a Jewish state living in the Middle East will find itself still surrounded by bloodthirsty enemies:
- “Many times they have attacked me from my youth up,” let Israel say. “Many times they have attacked me from my youth up – yet they have not prevailed against me. The plowers plowed upon my back! They lengthened their furrows!” YHVH is righteous – He has cut up the ropes of the wicked. May all who hate Zion be put to shame and turned backward! May they be like grass upon the housetops, which withers before it grows up – with which the harvester does not fill his hand, or the binder of sheaves his arms” (Psalm 129:1-7).
At the same time, the God of Israel makes a decisive promise to Israel: the Jewish people will ultimately defeat their enemies and thus be vindicated in the eyes of the whole world:
- “If anyone fiercely attacks you, it will not be from Me. Whoever attacks you will fall because of you. Behold, I Myself have created the smith who blows on the fire of coals and produces a weapon for its work. And I have created the destroyer to inflict ruin. No weapon that is formed against you will succeed! And you will condemn every tongue that accuses you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of YHVH, and their vindication is from Me, declares YHVH” (Isaiah 54:15-18).
With those promises in mind, let’s consider recent threats coming against the Jewish state from the Shi’ite jihadi terror base known today as Iran – biblical Persia.
Ballistic missile attacks – Iran’s historical record
Operation Martyr Soleimani – January 8, 2020
On January 8, 2020, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched Operation Martyr Soleimani. Between 0120 and 0135 hours, at least 13 ballistic missiles targeted the second-largest U.S. military airbase in Iraq at the time – al-Asad Airbase in al-Anbar Governorate, western Iraq – as well as another U.S. airbase in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. These missile attacks were in response to the assassination of IRGC Major-General Qasem Soleimani by a United States drone strike. Iran informed the Iraqi government and Swiss mediators of an imminent attack shortly beforehand, with the understanding that this would allow the American forces to take pre-emptive defensive measures. The Iranian strike was the largest ballistic missile attack ever against U.S. forces abroad. The U.S. Department of Defense ultimately said that 110 U.S. service members were diagnosed and treated for traumatic brain injuries (mainly concussions) from the attack.
Operation True Promise – April 13, 2024
On April 13, 2024, the IRGC-Aerospace Force launched air attacks against Israel from Iran, Iraq and Yemen consisting of approximately 221 ‘Shahad 136’ drones, over 30 ‘Shahad 238’ and ‘Quds’ cruise missiles, and more than 110 ballistic missiles (the ‘Ghader,’ the “Imad,’ and the ‘Khaibar Shikan’). The attack was codenamed Operation True Promise, and was declared to be in retaliation for the April 1, 2024 IDF bombing of a housing annex in Damascus next to the Iranian embassy. In that attack three Iranian generals were eliminated, including Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Qods Force commander in Syria and Lebanon Mohammad Reza Zahedi – the most senior IRGC general to have been killed since the U.S. assassination of Qasem Soleimani in January 2020.
Official Iranian authorities provided a clue as to the strategic value of this target two days later, on April 3, 2024. The Iranian Coalition Council of Islamic Revolution Forces (headed by Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel, advisor to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as well as father-in-law to Khamenei’s son Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei) published a notice of mourning and appreciation for General Zahedi: “The strategic role of the martyr Zahedi . . . in the planning and execution of ‘al-Aqsa Flood’ [Tufan al-Aqsa – the Arabic name for the Hamas massacres of October 7, 2023] is part of the great pride that will transform the quiet efforts of the great commander into the eternal history of the struggle against the occupation by the Zionist regime.”
- This statement was an official admission of Iran’s involvement in both the planning and the execution of the October 7 Hamas jihadi terror attack on Israeli civilians bordering Gaza. General Zahedi had planned and overseen the murder of over 1,200 Israelis on October 7, 2023 – atrocities planned down to the last detail, including mass rapes, torture, horrific murders and kidnappings. The God of Israel gives His perspective on the judgment coming to such a man: “Rejoice, you nations, with His people! For He will avenge the blood of His servants, and will return vengeance on His adversaries, and will atone for His land and His people” (Deuteronomy 32:43).
Iran’s April 13, 2024 strike was its first direct attack on Israel. Their attack was also the largest attempted drone strike in history, as well as a clear attempt to overwhelm and penetrate Israel’s anti-aircraft defenses. It was the first time since Saddam Hussein’s January-February 1991 SCUD missiles strikes that Israel was directly attacked by the military of another state.
On April 13, 2024, the night of Iran’s massive attack, the IDF used home-grown Arrow 3 and David’s Sling anti-ballistic missile systems to shoot down most of the incoming weapons. American, British and French air forces (who also participated in the defensive coalition codenamed ‘Iron Shield’) helped in interdicting Iranian missiles and drones. Jordanian air forces (and perhaps Saudi planes as well) took a lower profile, saying their role was limited to intercepting objects flying into their airspace “in order to protect their own citizens.” Israel and the coalition destroyed probably between 80-86% of the incoming weapons, and specialists conclude that, as a result, 99% of the threats did not reach their targets. At least four ballistic missiles struck two IAF airbases, causing minor damage. Perhaps 20 Iranian ballistic missiles in total hit Israeli soil. Amina al-Hasoni, a 7-year old Israeli Bedouin girl, was severely injured by falling debris from an intercepted missile, while 31 Israelis were slightly injured while running to their sheltered rooms.
Five days later, on April 18, 2024 Israel retaliated against Iran (having consulted with American leadership), carrying out limited strikes on Shekari airbase near Isfahan (according to U.S. and Iranian officials), where Iranian anti-aircraft radar defenses are stationed which guard the Natanz nuclear facility. A U.S. official told CBS News that the Israeli objective of the strike was to communicate Israel’s capabilities to Iran without escalating tensions further. The Israeli reprisal was a mild slap on the wrist to Iran, and its notable restraint came in light of strong American pressure on the Jewish state.
In a recent newsletter ‘Shootout at the Orient Bazaar: Part One of Three’ of April 17, 2024, behind-the-scenes evidence is presented of American collusion with Iran regarding setting the terms and extent of Iran’s April 13, 2024 attack on Israel. The same dynamics were involved in negotiations between Iran and the USA regarding Iran’s January 8, 2020 ballistic missile strike on US troops stationed at the Ayn al-Asad and Erbil Airbases in Iraq. It is worth going back to that newsletter and re-examining the details involved there, since the same dynamics were repeated on April 13, 2024 (and also on October 1, 2024; see below). Here is one of the conclusions from that article:
- “It is jolting to see that the U.S. State Department, the POTUS, the U.S. intelligence community and military – all were involved in negotiating with the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding its upcoming attack on American ally Israel – the extent of the attack, the weapons to be used, and the projected casualties. As is the case in such circumstances (see the case of Jonathan Pollard, where the U.S. concealed intelligence information from Israel regarding Saddam Hussein’s chemical warfare program targeting the Jewish state, and denied its existence to its ally Israel), the U.S. did not seriously block or threaten Iran over the projected attack, but manipulated the situation for its own Middle Eastern strategic goals.”
Operation True Promise 2 – The mother of all ballistic missile attacks
On October 1, 2024, the largest ballistic missile attack in world history took place when the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force of Iran fired approximately 200 rocket-boosted ballistic missiles at the Jewish state of Israel. The attack was codenamed Operation True Promise 2. Iran has tweaked its strategy since April 13, 2024, abandoning slower drone attacks (eight hours warning time) and solely using ballistic missiles (twelve minutes). Approximately 20 of these 200 Iranian missiles were either intercepted or degraded by U.S., British or Jordanian airforces before entering Israeli airspace. Approximately 180 Iranian missiles (of the ‘Fattah’ or ‘Khaibar Shikan’ class – though Iranian Mehr News Agency refers also to Ghadr and Emad missiles) crossed into Israeli territory, where they were either intercepted or hit the ground (impacted). Almost ten million Israelis huddled in bomb shelters as missiles and interceptors exploded over their heads.
According to the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal and AP, based on satellite imagery, videos and interviews with ballistics experts, 32 Iranian missiles made identified hits on the Nevatim Airbase near Beersheva in the Negev desert. Though no fighter aircraft were damaged, the missiles hit open areas, the roofs of an aircraft hangar and a row of buildings near a runway, and surrounding fields. Three Iranian missiles struck the IAF’s Tel Nof airbase in central Israel and surrounding areas, and at least two missiles landed near the Mossad intelligence HQ next to Cinema City in Glilot. Sameh al-Asali, a 37 year-old Palestinian worker from Jabaliya in the Gaza Strip, was killed in Nu’eima near Jericho, when falling fuselage from a destroyed Iranian rocket landed on him.
Considering the high cost of Israeli Arrow 3 ($3.5 million) and David’s Sling ($1 million) interceptors, it is likely that the IAF decided to ignore some of these Iranian ballistic missiles. Retired USAF General Tim Ray, who once commanded the U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command, noted that the Israelis “are brilliant at prioritizing and protecting the things that have to be protected. They may have looked at [Nevatim] and said, ‘This is acceptable, I still have to prioritize Tel Aviv, I have to prioritize my critical infrastructure. There is no way to stop everything.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated at the start of his Security Cabinet meeting on the night of the attack:
- “Iran made a big mistake tonight – and it will pay for it. The regime in Iran does not understand our determination to defend ourselves and our determination to retaliate against our enemies. Sinwar and Deif did not understand this, Nasrallah and Mohsen did not understand this, and there are probably those in Tehran who do not understand this. They will understand. We will stand by the rule that we have established: Whoever attacks us – we will attack him. This is true wherever we fight the axis of evil. This is true for Judea and Samaria, it is true for Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria – and it is also true for Iran. We fight the axis of evil everywhere”
Breathing out threats
The Islamic Republic of Iran has been breathing out murderous threats against the Jewish state for many years:
- On September 9, 2015, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei addressed Israel on Twitter: “You will not see next 25 years. Insh’Allah, there will be nothing as Zionist regime by next 25 years.”
- On April 20, 2018 the vice commander of the IRGC Hossein Salami wrote on Twitter: “If there’s a war, the result will be your complete elimination.”
- On April 21, 2018, the Commander of Iran’s Army Major-General Abdolrahim Mousavi declared: “When the arrogant powers create a sanctuary for the Zionist regime to continue survival, we shouldn’t allow one day to be added to the ominous and illegitimate life of this regime. The Army will move hand in hand with the IRGC so that the arrogant system will collapse and the Zionist regime will be annihilated.”
- On October 20, 2023, Gholamreza Soleimani, the head of Iran’s Basij Organization emphasized that the “ultimate achievement in this conflict’s second phase will be the disappearance of Israel.”
- On May 9, 2024, Kamal Kharazi, former Iranian Foreign Minister and at present an advisor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, stated in an interview with Qatar’s al-Jazeera Mubasher network: “Should Iran face an existential threat, we will have no choice but to change our nuclear doctrine. Military officials have also declared if Israel decides to attack the nuclear installations, Iran renouncing its previous considerations is likely and conceivable.”
- On June 29, 2024 the Iran Mission to the UN declared on Twitter: “Albeit Iran deems as psychological warfare the Zionist regime’s propaganda about intending to attack Lebanon, should it embark on full-scale military aggression, an obliterating war will ensue.”
- On October 24, 2024, IRGC Hossein Salami declared, “You cannot win this conflict. We will destroy you!”
Two helpful articles are available here:
- ‘How Iran Plans to Destroy Israel,’ by Nicholas Carl and Brian Carter; Critical Threats Project, May 23, 2024
- ‘Growing Concern Over Iran’s Nuclear Program,’ Sima Shine and Eldad Shavit; The Institute for National Security Studies, No. 1868, June 23, 2024
‘Operation Days of Repentance’ – Israel’s response on October 26
Close to 0153 hours on Saturday October 26, 2024, three waves of at least 100 IAF jets attacked Iran in Operation Days of Repentance (Hebrew: ‘Yimei Tshuvah’). The bombing were directed against ballistic missile factories and storehouses, ground-to-air and ground-to-ground missiles and stockpiles, as well as against other aerial capabilities. At least 20 sites were targeted in three waves of aircraft, including sites in or near Tehran, Esfahan, Shiraz, Mashhad and Qom. According to Sky News Arabia, Russia supplied intelligence information to Iran hours ahead of the attack regarding Israeli and U.S. military movements, based on Russia’s “military cooperation with Iran, in order to lower escalation in the region” (YnetNews in Hebrew). No civilian casualties have as yet been reported by Iran.
A senior US State Department official stated that Israel had been encouraged “to conduct a response that was targeted and proportional with low risk of civilian harm. That appears to have been precisely what transpired this evening . . . This should be the end of this direct exchange of fire between Israel and Iran . . . Accordingly, we will call on all countries of influence to press Iran to stop these attacks against Israel so that we can move beyond this direct cycle of attacks over the coming days.”
The Scroll of Esther is a historical witness that, in His timing, God takes the signet ring off of the gnarled fingers of Haman (the Persian enemy of Israel) and places it instead on Mordecai, the defender of the Jewish people:
- “[Mordecai] wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus, and sealed it with the king’s signet ring, and sent letters by couriers on horses, riding on royal relay horses, offspring of racing mares. In the letters the king granted the Jews who were in each and every city the right to assemble and to defend their lives, to destroy, kill, and eliminate the entire army of any people or province which was going to attack them, including children and women, and to plunder their spoils, on one day in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month (that is, the month Adar)” (Esther 8:10-12)
How should we then pray?
- Pray for the God of Jacob to grant revelatory war strategies to Israel’s leadership, as did Elisha in his day (2 Kings 6:8-13)
- Pray for the annulling of Iranian war strategies and counter-attacks, and for the blocking and frustration of Hezbollah and Iranian jihad plans against Israel, the apple of God’s eye (Zechariah 2:8)
- Pray for the physical rescue of the approximately 44 to 50 living Israeli hostages (including babies) kidnapped by Hamas, Islamic Jihad and PFLP/PLO. At this moment some of these hostages are being tortured, raped and starved (this based on testimonies of recently released hostages). Sadly, over 100 of all Israeli hostages are dead; Hamas is holding on to their corpses as cold storage bargaining chips
- Pray for the raising up of Ezekiel’s prophetic Jewish army throughout the earth
Your prayers and support hold up our arms and are the very practical enablement of God to us in the work He has called us to do.
In Messiah Yeshua,
Avner Boskey
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