Displaying items by tag: USA

US extends national emergency for Lebanon citing Hezbollah 'threat'

The order, renewed by every president since 2007, alleges that Hezbollah remains an 'extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy' of the US

US President Donald Trump has renewed a 13-year national emergency order over the political situation in Lebanon, citing Iran's "ongoing" weapons transfers to Hezbollah.

The order ensures the legal grounds for the US president to levy sanctions and "to deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States" due to Hezbollah's presence in Lebanon, a statement released by the White House on Wednesday said.

The administration said "certain persons" - alluding to members of Hezbollah and its allies - were seeking to undermine the Lebanese government.

Lebanon has been dealing with several crises during the past year, from the coronavirus pandemic to a plummeting economy and recent skirmishes with the Israeli army on its southern border.

Hezbollah, an Iran-backed group, is a major political party in Lebanon and consolidated its influence in the state's affairs in 2018 after winning, along with its allies, a small majority in national elections. The US designated Hezbollah a "foreign terrorist group" in 1997.

Despite Hezbollah's growing influence within the Lebanese government, the White House's order alleged "certain persons" were deliberately working to "break down" the rule of law in Lebanon "through politically motivated violence and intimidation".

"Certain ongoing activities, such as Iran's continuing arms transfers to Hizballah - which include increasingly sophisticated weapons systems - serve to undermine Lebanese sovereignty, contribute to political and economic instability in the region, and continue to constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to [US] national security and foreign policy," the White House said. 

Washington is particularly concerned by those allegedly seeking to "reassert Syrian control or contribute to Syrian interference in Lebanon", the order said.

The annual move, entitled "Continuation of National Emergency with Respect to Lebanon", has been renewed every year since it was declared by former President George W Bush in 2007.

Bush's order said the United States would freeze the property and assets of anyone trying to undermine Lebanon’s democratically elected government. The order, renewed by every presidential administration since, was seen as a sharp warning to Hezbollah and its allies in Syria.

Wednesday's order reiterates the same concerns the Bush administration issued 13 years ago, with an increased concern over Iran, given its recent tensions with Washington. 

The US currently has 35 ongoing "national emergencies", seven of which have been declared by Trump. The orders range from sanctions against foreign entities and governments, to the White House's emergency declaration at the US southern border.  At least nine of the orders name specific countries or groups in the Middle East and North Africa.

Hezbollah says all-out war with Israel is unlikely in coming months despite rising tensions https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/hezbollah-dismisses-prospect-all-out-conflict-israel-despite-increasing-tensions

More at: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-extends-national-emergency-for-lebanon-citing-hezbollah-threat

We are asked to pray for the Prime Minister and all Ministers in Lebanese Government at this critical time and for the nation.  Here are some guidelines provided by our colleagues at Prayer Strategy as to what we can pray for

1. Pray for their salvation.
2. Pray for them for pure lives and good wisdom.
3. Pray that God reveals His truth and opens their eyes to run this nation with integrity and respect.
4. Pray to Break the strongholds of the Evil One in politics and in individual’s lives.
5. Pray that leaders will realise that they were appointed by God and that He gave them authority so that they will act responsibly and that they will they will have to
give account to God of everything that they do.

Many of the ministers are listed here, with brief profiles: https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/who-are-the-ministers-in-lebanons-new-government-1.69174412  

California ordered a ban on indoor singing in places of worship, so a worship leader and an outreach ministry leader have proclaimed that ‘the Church has left the building.’ Sean Feucht, who recently led a crowd of nearly 1,000 in worship songs facing the ocean in Huntington Beach, said they were going out on the bridge between church and community: ‘We’re going to meet in parks. We’re not restricted to the four walls. We can still be the church even if we’re not in our buildings.’ A newspaper article supports the claim of ‘revival’ with its headline, In Huntington Beach, a revival with church at the ocean’s edge, photos of baptism, and testimony from attenders. An Instagram video post captured by this reporter shows Feucht leading the crowd at the event: see

Last week you prayed for South Asia’s humanitarian crisis with 9.6 million people affected by monsoon floods (three times more deaths than last year). This week floods took a turn for the worse in Nepal. In China relentless heavy rains have pummelled areas for a month. Yangtze River areas are overwhelmed, causing anxiety along the world's largest hydroelectric power plant, the 2.3-km Three Gorges Dam Already, 40 million people have been uprooted and 400+ rivers have overflowed. The dam, 300 km west of Wuhan, threatens to flood the first city to have been hit by coronavirus. In Texas, Hurricane Hanna has left some areas ‘totally under water’ and knocked out power across a region already reeling from a surge in coronavirus cases. Pray for communities with strained health care systems caused by coronavirus now airlifting patients to larger cities or areas away from floods.

Florida’s hurricane season also has the complication of coronavirus this year. Two million residents live in evacuation zones with 82 permanent shelters provided, but after months of instructions to stay home and observe social distancing, will residents evacuate and risk an atmosphere conducive for virus transferral? Tropical Storm Isaias is approaching, so coronavirus testing centres have closed. When the mayor puts out the evacuation order, will the risk of catching coronavirus keep people from leaving homes in areas where they should get out? Pray for successful distancing preparations in shelters, and for the spirit of fear to be replaced with serenity. In Paraguay, violent protests broke out after the government put part of the country back into lockdown. Shops were looted and lorries set on fire, and a number of police were injured. Paraguay borders Brazil, the country with the second-highest number of infections worldwide, and is heavily reliant on cross-border trade. Pray for Latin Americans facing poverty violence and sickness.

Harry Dunn died in hospital after his motorbike was involved in a crash outside RAF Croughton, but the driver of the car that hit him was able to claim diplomatic immunity and return to the USA rather than face a court case in the United Kingdom. On 22 July the UK and the US agreed to amend an ‘anomaly’ that allowed the suspect, Anne Sacoolas, to claim diplomatic immunity because she was the wife of a diplomat. She was able to use a ‘secret agreement’ between the two countries even though she has been accused of killing by dangerous driving. Mr Dunn's mother said the change, which is not thought to be retrospective, was a ‘huge step in the right direction’.

Iran intends to build a military base in the Indian Ocean to protect fishing and commercial vessels from piracy and ‘foreign ships’ (referring to the US-led multinational naval task force currently protecting Gulf shipping from Iranian interference). A new agreement will give China access to Iranian ports. China is reportedly planning to build a new military base near Iran’s Chabahar port to enable the Chinese navy to monitor the activities of the US navy, which protects shipping passing through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important economic waterways. Any expansion in Iranian and Chinese military activity in the region would impact on the jointly-administered US / UK base on the island of Diego Garcia, one of the most important US military assets in the region. Tehran also plans to sign a $400 billion trade deal with China, which includes closer military cooperation between them to counter ‘Washington's dominance’.

In response to US parents not knowing what to do with their children who had been sent home from closed schools, Verses for Zion (VfZ)was born, a biblically-rooted project connecting Christian children to Israel, as an opportunity to engage them in a multigenerational project with parents and grandparents. Now, as summer is starting and schools that had opened are closing again, it offers parents a way to add meaning and substance to their children's extended vacation. VfZ, the brainchild of an Orthodox Israeli Jew and an evangelical Christian pastor in Texas, aims to give children the opportunity to learn more about God, His Word and His people. One mother said, ‘It entrenches children’s faith and deepens their understanding of God, the Bible and how that relates to us today through Israel.’

Six Asian countries have competing claims on the South China Sea, but only China has backed its claims with artificial island-building, military bases and naval patrols. The USA has not taken sides in the territorial dispute, but sends military ships and planes near disputed islands, for ‘freedom of navigation’ operations to help key shipping and air routes. Both countries have accused each other of ‘militarising’ the area, and have long been at odds over maritime freedom. US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has now called China's pursuit of offshore resources ‘completely unlawful’, condemning Beijing's ‘campaign of bullying to control’ disputed waters that are potentially energy-rich with reserves of natural resources around them in a shipping route and major fishing ground. There are fears that the area is becoming a flashpoint, with potentially serious global consequences of a military response. See https://www.foxnews.com/world/china-accuses-us-confrontation-south-china-sea

November 2020 will be the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the Pilgrim Fathers from Plymouth, England, to Plymouth, Massachusetts. They left England to escape religious persecution and establish the freedom of self-government, in the New World. The Declaration of Independence and the constitution were laid down by the founding fathers. The USA became a blessing to desperate and hopeful people from the nations, because of the culture of freedom and faith in God. American missionaries invested their lives in the spiritual restoration of the Old Continent, and until now have continued to impact the nations of Europe with the Kingdom of God. However, the strategy of the enemy is to destabilise, create conflicts in society, and gain control of governments. In 2020 the tragic death of George Floyd, BLM riots, and an out-of-control pandemic are threatening a divided electorate prior to November’s elections and the 400th anniversary of God’s freedom in the new world.

45 days before the first coronavirus case was announced, a global health security index was published, showing how prepared countries were to tackle a serious pandemic outbreak. The USA was ranked best out of 195 nations. Days before Trump’s inauguration, the Obama administration urged his team to get ready for a pandemic that could be the worst since 1918. Warning of possible ventilator shortages, it stressed the importance of a coordinated response. However, the Trump team, ignoring the advice, shut down the White House office devoted to pandemic preparedness set up by Obama. On 18 January health secretary Alex Azar, a practising Christian, warned Trump of potential danger from the virus, but Trump called him an ‘alarmist’, saying it was just one person coming in from China. See