It's Tuesday, September 24, 2024.

I'm Albert Moeller, and this is the briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview.

Over the weekend, Israel and Hezbollah,

the terrorist organization, mostly located in Lebanon,

came closer and closer to something like a total war.

And this is a big and ominous development in the Middle East and particularly ominous for Israel.

Now the very first thing we need to recognize that this underlines Israel's unique predicament in the world.

Israel is surrounded by enemies in one sense. That doesn't mean that every nation around

it is an enemy in terms of direct threat.

Think for example of Egypt, but Egypt has been a military opponent of Israel,

and Egypt had joined in the effort to try to eliminate Israel shortly after the nation was declared.

But it is surrounded by nations that want to bring about its non-existence.

The one exception to this might well be Jordan, but Jordan also has a very large Palestinian population that tends, understandably, to take the Palestinian side in so many of these issues.

But as you're looking at terrorist groups, just

consider the fact that Israel has been at war with Hamas after the brutal surprise

attack by Hamas that was so murderous back in October 7 of

2023, but then you look also at Hezbollah.

Now Hezbollah is Shiite, whereas Hamas is Sunni

in terms of Muslim identity.

Hezbollah is, however, a patron of Iran and so in another sense is Hamas.

But we're also looking at the fact that when you look at Hezbollah you are looking at an organization

which is an organized militia and is if anything far

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