Shalom, everyone, I'm Monte Judah with Lion and Lamb Ministries, bringing you the latest Messianic World Update. Today's date is Friday, July 24th of the year 2026.
The Middle East is moving through another sobering and potentially consequential week. As we have been reporting, the conflict involving Iran has continued to widen, and the questions before the United States, Israel, and the nations of the region are becoming more serious by the day. In this update, I want to look at the military situation, the danger posed by Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Israel’s work in Lebanon and Gaza, and the spiritual responsibility of believers in these turbulent times.
Let me begin with an important word of caution. Much of what we discuss in a fast-moving war comes from military reporting, intelligence assessments, public statements, and events that may develop further. We should watch carefully, pray earnestly, and refuse the temptation to react in fear or repeat propaganda. The Lord has not called us to panic; He has called us to discern the times, stand with truth, and pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
The United States has continued its campaign against Iranian military capabilities along the Persian Gulf. The reported targets include drone-launch sites, missile launchers, radar systems, sensors, and supply points. The concern is clear: while negotiations were being discussed, Iran appears to have continued rebuilding and repositioning military assets. That is why we are now hearing of a large number of targets being struck and why the possibility of a further escalation is being openly considered.
One of the central strategic concerns is the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has used islands and coastal positions to observe maritime traffic and to threaten shipping with drones and missiles. The movement of American naval and ground resources closer to the region signals that the United States is preparing for options beyond air strikes alone. Whether those options are ever exercised remains to be seen, but Iran is clearly preparing for the possibility of a land-based or amphibious operation.
At the same time, the conflict has not been without cost. Reports of attacks on U.S. positions and personnel should remind us that the men and women serving in uniform are not abstractions. They are sons, daughters, husbands, wives, fathers, and mothers. We should pray for their protection, for wisdom among commanders and national leaders, and for a just conclusion that limits further loss of life.
The issue drawing the greatest attention is Iran’s continued nuclear potential. Israeli reporting has focused on a hardened underground facility near Natanz known as Pickaxe Mountain. According to the concerns being raised, Iran may be attempting to concentrate centrifuges, nuclear material, and technical personnel within a deeply buried and heavily protected location. If that assessment is accurate, it would represent a serious attempt to preserve or advance a nuclear-weapons capability despite the destruction of earlier sites.
The difficulty is not merely finding such a facility; it is the question of how to defeat it. A deeply buried complex inside solid granite is not easily removed by conventional means. Military analysts have discussed techniques such as sequential or “chain” strikes, in which one weapon opens a path for the next. Even then, success is not guaranteed. The more difficult the target, the greater the pressure on leaders to consider actions that would carry enormous military, diplomatic, and moral consequences.
This is also why Israel’s posture matters. Israel has lived for decades with threats from regimes and terror organizations that openly deny its right to exist. Its security leaders do not have the luxury of treating a possible Iranian nuclear weapon as an academic question. The reported deployment of Israel’s Dolphin-class submarines is a reminder that Israel retains a powerful deterrent and that the consequences of a wider war could reach far beyond any single battlefield.
We should not want a wider war. We should not desire destruction for the Iranian people, who themselves have suffered under a brutal regime. But neither should we be naïve about the nature of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, its support for terror organizations, or its repeated threats against Israel, the United States, and the nations of the Gulf. Scripture teaches us to seek peace, but it never asks us to call evil good or to pretend that those committed to violence will be restrained by wishful thinking alone.
In Lebanon, there are also signs worth watching carefully. Israel’s effort against Hezbollah has long had a defensive purpose: to prevent northern Israel from being held hostage by rockets, infiltration, and Iranian-backed terror. The reported cooperation between Israel and elements of the Lebanese government and army offers a small but meaningful possibility for a different future. Israel does not need to occupy Lebanon; it needs a secure northern border and a Lebanon no longer controlled by Hezbollah.
The discovery of disguised weapons shipments moving toward Hezbollah is a reminder that Iran continues to work through proxies. When the flow of arms is interrupted, the opportunity for stability increases. When those networks are allowed to rebuild, the threat returns. We should pray that the Lebanese people will be free to build a nation not dominated by an armed terrorist force and that Israel’s border communities will live without daily fear.
Gaza remains another painful and difficult arena. Israel continues to seek those responsible for the October 7 attack and to prevent Hamas from reconstituting itself. The world has been flooded with accusations, images, slogans, and selective reporting. But believers must insist on truth. Hamas deliberately embeds among civilians, uses civilian infrastructure for military purposes, and has used propaganda as a weapon. Israel, like every nation defending its people from terror, faces terrible choices in an urban war. It is wrong to dismiss the suffering of civilians, but it is equally wrong to erase the responsibility of the terror organizations that initiated and perpetuate the conflict.
The conversation around Israel is often marked by a double standard. People who speak carelessly of “genocide” are frequently unwilling to condemn Hamas’s massacre of Israeli civilians, Hezbollah’s rocket attacks, or Iran’s threats against entire populations. A moral standard that applies only to Israel is not moral clarity; it is prejudice. We must speak the truth in love, care for innocent life, reject hatred, and refuse to join the chorus of slander against the Jewish state.
This past week also included Tisha B’Av, the ninth of Av. It is a day of mourning in the Jewish calendar, remembering the destruction of both Temples and other calamities in Jewish history. The thousands who went to the Temple Mount to pray were participating in a question that has not gone away: what is the future of Jerusalem, the Temple Mount, and the worship of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jaco
For Messianic believers, these matters are not merely political. We understand that the God of Israel keeps His covenant, that the Jewish people remain central to the story of redemption, and that Jerusalem is not an ordinary city in the purposes of God. We do not claim to know every detail of how current events will unfold, but we do know the instruction of Psalm 122: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” That prayer should be on our lips continually.
As we watch the decisions being made in Washington, Jerusalem, Tehran, and the capitals of the Middle East, let us keep our spiritual priorities in order. Pray for Israel. Pray for the United States. Pray for the innocent who are caught in violence. Pray for the grieving. Pray for those serving in the armed forces. Pray for leaders to have courage, restraint, clarity, and wisdom. And pray that the God of Israel will expose lies, frustrate the plans of the wicked, and open hearts to the truth of Messiah.
I also want to thank all of you who pray for and support Lion and Lamb Ministries. Your partnership enables us to teach the Scriptures, encourage the brethren, serve Messianic believers in prison, and provide resources to congregations and families around the world. We are grateful for the opportunity to minister to believers who are turning their lives toward the Lord even while incarcerated, and we are grateful that you stand with us in that work.
Stay informed, remain sober-minded, and keep your eyes on the Lord.
Shabbat Shalom to all of you!