Dear Friend of Israel,

In the pre-dawn hours of June 13, Israel launched a major, well-planned attack on Iran’s military and nuclear program named Operation Rising Lion. The name comes from Balaam’s prophecy in Numbers 23:24 in which God declared Israel would rise up like a lion and utterly destroy her enemies. Iran has responded to Israel’s attack by sending waves of ballistic missiles at civilian targets, chasing Israelis into missile shelters and leading to destruction of homes, injury, and death.

Years of attempts to diplomatically persuade Iran to end its nuclear weapon development program, most recently by the Trump administration, have failed. Iran has mastered the art of dragging out negotiations before ultimately neglecting its commitments. Earlier in the week, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) charged Iran with failure to abide by its agreement to restrict the development of its nuclear weapons.

Iran’s leadership brazenly responded to the IAEA charges by declaring its sovereign right to develop nuclear weapons and promising to accelerate its pace of enriching plutonium to create nuclear missiles. Iran bragged that Israel’s annihilation was very close, and it conspired with its proxies to launch a multi-front attack on the nation soon.

It is a shame that many Western nations that will benefit from the demolition of Iran’s nuclear weapons program have left Israel to destroy it alone, rather than joining the Jewish state. Israel had no choice but to act or face another potential holocaust. Thankfully, the United States is supporting Israel with weapons and helping to intercept Iranian missiles and drone attacks.

We don’t know how long this conflict will last. Israel has warned it could take many days or weeks to complete its objective of preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

Please pray for our field workers in Israel, especially as several serve in the military or have children serving. Also, please pray for the young men and women and Friends of Israel staff currently on mission with our ORIGINS volunteer program. They arrived in Israel just hours before Operation Rising Lion began.

Israel critically needs your support! This is a time to stand shoulder to shoulder with Israel against evil. Please continue to pray that God will fight for Israel and give her a complete victory over her enemies. Psalm 122 commands us to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem” (v. 6).

I invite you to prayerfully consider a gift to the Stand With Israel Fund. This is an opportunity to tangibly express your love for and solidarity with the people of Israel in their hour of need. Your gift boldly declares that you stand with this tiny yet resilient nation, helping her withstand deadly threats through our compassionate outreach and life-changing programs.

You can make a lasting difference for God’s uniquely Chosen People. Please help with a gift today as the Lord enables you to bless the apple of His eye (Zech. 2:8).

Burdened for Israel,

Jim Showers, DMin
President & CEO