All posts tagged: Israel Defense Forces

Israeli attacks on Christians and Christianity demand answers

Israeli attacks on Christians and Christianity demand answers

Published by Sam Flores

(RNS) — The Israeli government has been working overtime to address the rage resulting from a documented video showing an Israeli soldier destroying a statue of the crucified Jesus that had fallen from a cross in a Lebanese village. In a photo, the soldier is seen taking a sledgehammer to the head of the Jesus statue. Israel’s military reportedly pulled the soldier from combat duty and gave him a 30-day jail sentence, an acknowledgment of the harm internationally that the incident caused. Unfortunately, this is not a one-off incident. The Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land issued a statement condemning the desecration and insisted that “this was not an isolated incident,” citing previous reports of desecration. It demanded immediate disciplinary action and assurances against future acts. Catholics and other Christians know from experience that continued failure of accountability and impunity are part of a pattern in Israel. Weeks earlier, a priest was killed in Lebanon, and during Palm Sunday the Latin Patriarch was denied entry to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in …

Iran ‘repairing missile bunkers within hours’

Iran ‘repairing missile bunkers within hours’

Published by Sam Flores

Iran is returning missile bunkers to operation within hours of them being struck by American and Israeli bombs, according to intelligence reports. The reduction in Iranian drones and missile attacks since the war began has been cited by the White House as proof that it is eliminating Tehran’s ability to strike targets in the Gulf. However, US intelligence reports published in The New York Times now say that Iran has retained a significant number of its missiles and mobile launchers and is repairing facilities damaged by air strikes quickly. Analysts told The Telegraph earlier this week that a plateau in strike attempts suggested Iran was adapting and could be getting better at hiding launchers after firing them. Israel is still being struck by Iranian missiles as intelligence reports say the Tehran regime is getting better at hiding launchers – Erik Marmor/Getty American officials also said that the regime wished to retain as much of its missile launch capacity as possible, so it could continue to apply pressure if the war dragged on, or could threaten …