Update (Day 896) Swords of Iron-Lion’s Roar “Jerusalem Old City Bombed!”

Shabbat shalom. My heart breaks as I hear sirens and explosions near the Western Wall—the closest place to where our Temple stood, the holiest place for our people, where God placed His name, and right where their “holy al Aqsa mosque” is located. Do the IRGC—the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps—or their proxies care? They don’t. They seek to maximize civilian injury and death, indifferent of where that happens.

Look at what just happened in Rehovot, near where I grew up: eight people wounded, including a couple in their 70s, after cluster munitions struck a home. Thank God that in one house, the residents were in a bomb shelter and survived. Shrapnel also hit a nearby soccer field—children had just evacuated moments before.

The irony is stark. They use cluster munitions to kill civilians, while Israel does everything possible to warn people: evacuate, move away from launch sites, leave areas in Gaza or southern Lebanon where rockets are fired at our civilians. Flyers, messages, broadcasts—we do it all. Yet the world remains largely silent about these deliberate war crimes.

These forces must be stopped—and they will be. We are fighting in southern Lebanon. We are confronting Iran. In recent weeks, about 2,300 homes have been destroyed beyond repair, around 4,000 people injured, and 3,500 displaced by rockets from Iran and its proxies. Damage reports exceed 12,800 incidents. Entire neighborhoods are shaken—but Israel stands strong.

After hundreds of rockets and cluster munitions, we mourn every life lost, yet we also recognize extraordinary protection. Even now, as I speak, I hear another boom.

One of their key propagandists, a spokesman spreading hatred and calls for death, has been eliminated.

For 47 years, this regime has fueled terror: hostages in 1979, bombings of Israeli and American embassies in Beirut, Buenos Aires, and beyond; attacks killing Americans, Israelis, and many others; militias across Gaza, Yemen, and Lebanon; destabilization across the Middle East and globally. They have brought chaos—”balagan”—to nations worldwide and suffering even to their own people.

Enough is enough.

Now, as the United States and Israel act to stop them, some still question the urgency. The real question is: why did it take so long to wake up?

Isaiah 31:5 says, “the Lord Almighty will shield Jerusalem; He will shield it and deliver it.”

We hold onto that promise.

Thank you for standing with us—for helping provide what our soldiers need. In battle, there is wear on the body and the soul. Equipment breaks down. Proper gear matters. With the right tools, soldiers can fight more safely and effectively. Your support helps replace worn uniforms and provide essential protection.

You are making a real difference. Thank you for standing with us—for Israel, for freedom, and for victory.