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Drone Strikes!

Iranian Troops in Crimea, backing Russian Drone Strikes on Ukraine.

The White House are reporting that Iranian troops are "directly engaged on the ground" in Crimea as they support Russian drone attacks on the Ukraine power stations and many other key infrastructure. They claim that they have troubling evidence of Tehran's role by assisting Russia as it brings much suffering on Ukrainian civilians just before the cold weather begins.

John Kirby National Security Council spokesman told reporters that Iran sent a "relatively small number" of troops to Crimea, a part of Ukraine that was independently annexed by Russia in violation of international law in 2014, to help Russian troops in launching Iranian made drones on Ukraine.

The members from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps were dispatched to Crimea to help the Russian forces, according to the British government.

The U.S. intelligence's eye opening find comes as the Biden administration looks to put international pressure on Tehran to step back from helping Russia as it bombs Ukrainian civilian targets with the drones.

The Russians recently have increasingly been using the Iranian supplied drones, as well as Kalibr and Iskander cruise missiles, to carry out a bombardment on Ukrainian infrastructure on non-military targets. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this past week that Russian Troops have destroyed 30% of Ukraine's power since early October. Kirby said, "The information we have is that the Iranians have put trainers and tech support in Crimea, but it's the Russians who are doing the piloting."

He also added that the Biden administration was looking at imposing new sanctions on Tehran and would continue to look for new ways to make it harder for Iran to sell such weapons to Russia.

The U.S. first mentioned this past summer that Russia was buying Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles to launch against Ukraine. Iran has dismissed that they are selling its arms to Russia.

White House officials are saying that international sanctions, including export controls, have put the Russians in a hard place as they are trying to restock their ammunition and precision guided arms stock that have been totally exhausted during the nearly eight months of war. Because of this, Russia has been forced to look to Iran and also North Korea for weapons.

Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder of the U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon press secretary, said that military officials "wouldn't be surprised" if the Russians asked for more drones from Iran "given their situation."

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said, "These cowardly drone strikes are an act of desperation. By enabling these strikes, these individuals and a manufacturer have caused the people of Ukraine untold suffering. We will ensure that they are held to account for their actions."

Praying for Jerusalem!

Annual Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem Day has inspired Christians and Jews

Earlier this month in Jerusalem, Christians and Jewish people worldwide came together in Israel's capital where they followed a Biblical command: "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem."

The event opened, the sounds of cheering people and the Shofar were heard as the celebration kicked off the annual International Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem, which started 18 years ago.

Bishop Robert Stearns of Eagles Wings Ministries helped start the event in 2004. Robert said the purpose is "to fulfill the mandate of Psalm 122:6: 'Pray for the peace of Jerusalem,' acknowledging that peace in Jerusalem represents peace for the world. So, the day of prayer gathers and empowers Christians around the world to stand in alliance with the promise of God."

Robert believes Jerusalem is the centre of God's plans for the world. He said, "Jerusalem is a plumb line. Jerusalem is a place of covenantal alignment. As goes Jerusalem, as goes Israel, so goes much of our world. And so when we focus in this moment, which is both filled with difficulty and promise, let's look at this. We have increased negative attacking rhetoric from Iran, from Syria. We've got all kinds of problems there but through the Abraham Accords we have amazing new opportunities for peace. So, we have to pray that humanity moves in the direction of peace that has been promised to this land and to this region."

The day of prayer brings Christians and Jews together, and Josh Reinstein of Israel's Knesset Christian Allies Caucus calls it a very important day for all to remember on the calendar. Josh said, "It codifies the blessing and command to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. What Eagles Wings has done by adding another holiday into the Christian calendar is really unbelievable and here in Jerusalem we celebrate it together with our Christian brothers."

Robert sees that a younger generation is now seeing the importance of prayer for the city that the Lord calls His "footstool."

Chris Granzow, with

Christian Agency for

Israel, belongs to that generation. He said, "Being a younger man myself, I'm just excited to inspire others to come and see what is happening here in Israel, to not only come and view it but take an active role in it. We want to loudly and proudly tell the world that we want to stand with Israel. We want to stand with God in seeing the peace come about here in the Land."

Jerusalem Prayer Leader Rick Ridings said, "It's always intense here, but right now with the threats, very existential threats coming from Iran, and the relationships that seem to be developing between Iran and Russia, there's a real serious need for prayer for the peace of Jerusalem and of Israel."

Rick observed that the prayer for Jerusalem sends a strong message to the Jewish people that they are not alone.