Israel attacked Iran on Friday, June 13, targeting Iran’s nuclear resources and killing a number of the country’s top military leaders. The strike has caused some to worry that World War III is imminent, as well as for some Christians to consider these events in light of the end times.
“This is a very serious matter, and Bible students should be paying close attention. The regime in Iran has long supported terrorism around the world—especially against Israel,” said Greg Laurie, pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California. “They have been developing a nuclear weapons [sic] for some time now, and their leaders have repeatedly threatened to use it to ‘wipe Israel off the face of the Earth.’”
“We must be in prayer, and we must walk closely with the Lord,” said Laurie. “These are perilous times, and we need spiritual discernment, courage, and faith more than ever.”
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Israel Attacks Iran; Iran Retaliates
Some of Iran’s top generals were killed in strikes Israel launched against Iran Friday. The attacks targeting Iran’s nuclear efforts included a strike against Natanz, the main facility where Iran enriches uranium.
Killed in the attacks were Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces; Gen. Hossein Salami, head of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard; Gen. Gholamali Rashid, the ranking commander in the Revolutionary Guard; Fereidoun Abbasi, former head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran; and Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of the Revolutionary Guard’s missile program. The strikes also killed two key nuclear scientists.
Natanz is not Iran’s only nuclear facility. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) noted several nuclear sites in Iran were not targeted in Israel’s attack.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that plans for the attack against Iran were initiated in November 2024, and he acknowledged that Israel had targeted Iran’s top officials, Natanz, and Iran’s ballistic missile program. Israel has said the attack is “the first stage” of a broader plan and that it was “preemptive” due to concern that Iran was close to being able to launch a nuclear attack.
Israel’s offensive is called “Operation Rising Lion,” and Netanyahu said that Israel’s goal is to “roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival.” The prime minister further said that Israel will continue attacking Iran for “as many days as it takes to remove this threat.”
Notably, on Thursday, June 12, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said Iran was not complying with nuclear non-proliferation agreements. Iran responded by saying it planned to create a new enrichment facility “in a secure location” and that “other measures are also being planned.”
In retrospect, another notable event that occurred Thursday was that Netanyahu put a note on the Western Wall of Jerusalem that quoted Numbers 23:24, which says, “The people rise like a lioness; they rouse themselves like a lion that does not rest till it devours its prey and drinks the blood of its victims.”
