It’s been a horrible couple of weeks — well, twelve days to be precise, and Israelis have been confined to bomb shelters for much of the time. It’s been a very hard couple of years and in many ways, the war is not over. There are still 50 hostages in Gaza, and we just lost more young soldiers there. It’s a lot quieter now though, and for now, Israel can be relatively sure that there will be no more bombs coming our way.

As we look back at the aftermath of the “Rising Lion” war and Operation Narnia, Israel has been pummeled in ways we haven’t seen since the invention of the Iron Dome. But now we might be entering a season of peace like we haven’t previously known. Iran and all its proxies have been “de-neutered” as President Trump would say. A trail of destruction lies in the wake of this war, but is there light at the end of the tunnel?

The aftermath: looking back at what happened

Within just 12 days of war with Iran — a war within a war — we lost 28 people, all but one of whom were civilians. Over 3,230 people were hospitalized, and more than 15,000 have been made homeless. The toll on Israel’s infrastructure has been considerable, but it’s truly been a miracle — not one miracle, but multiple miracles — that less than 30 people lost their lives given the firepower that has been pounding Israel day after day.

Iran fired 568 ballistic missiles at Israel, but the vast majority, approximately 90%, were intercepted. Israel’s defense systems, the Iron Dome, the Arrow, and David’s Sling all cost millions and are not infinitely expendable. Sadly, 61 missiles hit their targets, nearly all of which were civilian, including residential areas and a hospital.

Many of Iran’s missiles weighed over a ton and were the size of a bus – between 30-60 feet long, and came hurtling towards Israel at 1000 km per hour.

Meanwhile, more than 400 Israeli strikes hit around 100 targets in Iran, destroying nuclear facilities and decimating the IRGC forces. The IDF took out more than 30 key leaders and scientists responsible for the nuclear program in what became codenamed “Operation Narnia”.

“We removed two existential threats,” Prime Minister Netanyahu said. “The threat of annihilation by nuclear weapons and the threat of annihilation by 20,000 ballistic missiles.” Explaining the need to act with speed, he said, “Had we not acted now, the State of Israel would have soon faced the danger of annihilation… But this did not happen because at the decisive moment, we rose up and stood like lions, and our roar shook Tehran and echoed around the world.”

Crushing the head of the octopus

Shortly before his death, Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani told Iran’s army chiefs, “I have assembled for you six armies outside Iran and I have created a corridor 1,500 kilometers long and 1,000 kilometers wide, all the way to the shores of the Mediterranean.”

Soleimani declared: “Any enemy that decides to fight against the Islamic Revolution, and against the sacred regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran, will have to go through these six armies. It won’t be able to do so.”¹

But God.

The six armies were Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, Islamic Jihad, Assad’s regime in Syria and Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units.

After October 7, Israel has been systematically dismantling the military capabilities of Hamas and Hezbollah, along with Islamic Jihad in Gaza and the West Bank. The Assad regime fell independently and now it’s only the Houthis and the faction in Iraq that are still capable of fighting. With the fire power and air defenses of their proxies now cut back, defeating Iran suddenly became eminently plausible. Israel had also taken the opportunity to remove Iran’s own air defenses in response to the barrages fired in previous episodes, so the way was clear.

“At 4:30 AM on Friday 13 June, without warning and without visible operators, Mossad’s pre-assembled missiles came alive. Iranian air defense systems, and the sense of security that came with them, were erased in seconds… Next, Iran’s top military brass and nuclear scientists were assassinated, many within the first 15 minutes. Most of them were taken out at home or in their offices. Next came a wave of precision bombings against the country’s air defenses, rocket launchers, rockets, and key units. Within a few hours, Israel delivered the kinds of blows previous armies took years to achieve, if ever.” (Amir Mizroch, Israel Tech Insider)

Israel gained control of Iran’s airspace in a matter of hours. Operation Narnia quickly took out key nuclear scientists and military leaders, as well as hundreds of IRGC soldiers. Bases belonging to the feared Basij militia-style police were crushed. Significantly, the doomsday clock declaring the end of the Zionist regime was destroyed, and the doors were blown off the infamous Evin Prison where many Christians, journalists, and dissidents have been held and tortured for years. Now the conditions are ripe for revolution.

We have seen feats of bravery and ingenious battle plans, we’ve seen great endurance and skill from the IDF, the intelligence forces, and almighty equipment used by the US after some courageous decisions, but we have to concede — this battle was won thanks to God. Thank you for your prayers! He has protected us in amazing ways.

The lion has roared

Since October 7, 2023, Israel has suffered 1,922 casualties (872 soldiers, 1,050 civilians) and 28,747 have been injured. More than 143,000 have been evacuated from their homes, some never to return again. An incredible 37,000 missiles, rockets and drones have been fired at Israel from five fronts: Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iran. There have been 9,096 terror attacks including shootings, ramming attacks, and stone throwing in Judea and Samaria and Jerusalem, some of which were thwarted. Importantly, there are still 50 hostages held in Gaza, 20 of whom are assumed to be alive.³

But when Hezbollah refused to lift a finger to help Iran, it was clear that Iran’s proxy war was over. The head of the octopus has been crushed.

Has the nuclear threat really gone?

CNN has reported that “someone in the Pentagon” had doubts that the nuclear facilities were destroyed but the veracity of that claim is not clear. It was quickly picked up by the BBC and others, but an official White House communication has categorically refuted the suggestion, denouncing the claims as fake news.⁴ President Trump said, “It was obliteration… I believe they didn’t have a chance to get anything out because we acted fast.”  Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also maintained, “They landed precisely where they were supposed to. It was a flawless mission… it was devastation underneath Fordow.” Hegseth added that he believed the rumors to the contrary were politically motivated.

.@POTUS: “We hear it was obliteration… I believe they didn’t have a chance to get anything out because we acted fast.”@SecDef: “They landed precisely where they were supposed to. It was a flawless mission… it was devastation underneath Fordow.” pic.twitter.com/29AT9hj8w7

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 25, 2025

There were also naysayers after Israel bombed the nuclear reactors in Iraq and in Syria in the past, with skeptics declaring the attacks would only set them back a few months. They have, very happily, been proved wrong. It’s more than likely that this operation – Operation Narnia – will also prove to have been a great success .

The exiled son of the Shah, Prince Reza Pahlavi has declared: “This is our Berlin Wall moment. The regime is collapsing. The people are united. And I am here—not for power—but to serve.” God only knows what comes next, but we are earnestly praying for regime change and freedom for the Iranian people.

Operation Narnia: Aslan is on the move

For now the ring of fire around Israel described in Psalm 83 has been more or less extinguished, but the ashes are still smoldering. The hostages are still languishing in Hamas tunnels, and we are still seeing haunting pictures of young people killed in battle as the fighting in Gaza goes on.

We also know that according to biblical prophecy Israel’s troubles are not over. Ezekiel 38 and 39 describe an outer ring of enemies from the north, likely including countries such as Iran, Turkey, Russia and China. However, the Bible says that before that more serious war comes, there will be a time of peace in the latter days when Israel’s defenses come down.

“Therefore, son of man, prophesy, and say to Gog, Thus says the Lord God: On that day when my people Israel are dwelling securely, will you not know it? You will come from your place out of the uttermost parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great host, a mighty army. You will come up against my people Israel, like a cloud covering the land. In the latter days I will bring you against my land, that the nations may know me, when through you, O Gog, I vindicate my holiness before their eyes.” (Ezekiel 38:14-16)

It’s not simple to decipher these prophecies, and we all need a good deal of humility in trying to do so, but it does appear to say that there will be a significant time of peace before a serious military attack from the north. At that point the Lion of the tribe of Judah, Israel’s Messiah, will be the one to come to the rescue: the only One who can save.

However, it seems that at least for now we may have a season of “dwelling securely” before the troops regroup. The Abraham Accords are likely to soon expand to include Saudi Arabia and others, and a new agreement may bring hope for the hostages. If there is a regime change in Iran, we may even see the Cyrus Accords come to pass, enabling Iranian brothers and sisters who have left Islam to come and visit Israel, bringing the good news with them. We may see Muslim background believers from Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Iran and beyond, coming to fellowship with us here in the Holy Land, and we could go there too. This could be a time of good news. Get your gospel shoes ready and buckle up.

How beautiful upon the mountains
    are the feet of him who brings good news,
who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,
    who publishes salvation,
    who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”
(Isaiah 52:7)