Steve Conover: Welcome to The Friends of Israel Today. I'm Steve Conover, and with me is our host and teacher, Chris Katulka. Last week, Israel began a multi-targeted attack in Iran called Operation Rising Lion. Soon after, Iran began firing hundreds of ballistic missiles into Israel, mainly in civilian areas. By the grace of God, the casualty count is much lower than it might've been, and we ask that you continue to pray for the people in Israel. In times like this, we need trustworthy information looking through the lens of scripture in God's never-changing sovereign plan. So today we're preempting our scheduled programming to bring you a special report on the war between Israel and Iran. I'm turning the tables on Chris today and asking him questions about Israel and the war with Iran.

Chris Katulka: Steve, before we get to your questions, I just want to say to our listeners, this is your moment to stand with Israel, both in prayer and through financial giving. Right now you can go to foi.org/standwithisrael, and when you go there, the support that you give will actually go to help build bomb shelters and place bomb shelters in sensitive areas in Israel, as Iran continues to launch ballistic missiles toward the Jewish state. You'll be supporting organizations like Operation LifeShield and also providing ambulances during this time of emergency with Magen David Adom. Again, to help Israel during this incredible time of need, go to foi.org/standwithisrael.

Steve Conover: And we'll get to our interview in just a moment. But first in the news, according to the Wall Street Journal, Iran has been signaling that it seeks an end to hostilities and resumption of negotiations over its nuclear programs, sending messages to Israel and the US via Arab intermediaries.

Chris Katulka: Well, Steve, here's my take. Before all the Western nations get excited about a deal between Israel and Iran. Let's just take a step back for a moment and remember that Iran has been terrorizing Israel through proxies for decades. The Ayatollah’s theocracy is crumbling down around him and regime change is in the air. Maximizing pressure on Iran now would not only grant Israel greater security, but also potentially grant freedom for Iranians longing for liberty.

Steve Conover: A little over a week ago, Israel attacked Iran in several strategic locations. They targeted nuclear facilities, they targeted key leadership, and they also targeted Iran's ability to respond to Israel. But before we talk about Iran's response, what do we know now about this operation, Chris?

Chris Katulka: Yeah, so this operation is called Operation Rising Lion. It actually launched early Friday, June 13th, and it was Israel's military and Mossad, Steve, something we have to talk about that carried out this large scale preemptive operation targeting Iran's nuclear facilities, specifically Natanz and Isfahan and all their ballistic military sites across the country as well to attempt to eliminate as many ballistic military sites. Not only are they targeting those areas, but they also targeted high value Iranians in the IRGC, that's the Iranian Republic Guard. And so these strikes were to kill these Iranian leaders and scientists that were helping push forward this nuclear agenda that they had, and they were able to really wipe out a lot of these top tier leadership of the IRGC. Also, the destruction of Air Defense forces. The Israelis were able to strike dozens of radars surface to air battery installations across Western Iran, which crippled a lot of the air defense systems that they had, and allowed Israel to gain operational air superiority, which gave Israel really an amazing opportunity to have control over the skies of Iran, Steve.

Steve Conover: I have to ask myself, “Why now?” We've talked about Iran's capabilities, nuclear capabilities, in particular, for years on this program. Why did Israel choose to respond now?

Chris Katulka: You and I had talked about this a few days ago, and it's kind of the “big moment” we had talked about. Israel's big moment. And there's been a lot of times over Israel's history where they could have had that big moment, but really I think all the pieces were in just the right place for Israel to do this preemptive strike against Iran. First, I want to share about the proxies of Iran. Israel since October 7th has been busy destroying, dismantling, suffocating Hamas and Hezbollah. Those are proxies of Iran. Typically, if this kind of situation were taking place, and Hamas and Hezbollah were still in place, Iran would just activate Hamas and Hezbollah to target Israel and keep Israel busy locally. But because of October 7th, Hamas has been dismantled. Hezbollah has been dismantled. Also Syria because of what was going on with Hezbollah, Syria fell and Syria was controlled by the Assad family.

Assad was a pro-Iranian leader in Syria, and with him out of the picture now, really Syria has been the bridge that connects Iran to its proxies, cutting that umbilical cord basically separated Iran's proxies from their host. And so Iran and the Ayatollahs, I should say, are really isolated right now, which created a problem for them, but an opportunity for Israel. And then finally, the big thing is that I believe Israel, and according to all the data that we're getting from the IAEA and from Israel itself, from their intelligence, Iran was only a few weeks away, if that, from having the enriched uranium to be able to build a nuclear weapon that they could put on one of those ballistic missiles that we've seen coming from Iran over to Israel. Those ballistic missiles can carry a thousand pound payload over to Israel. All they have to do is take whatever is on that ballistic missile currently and put a nuclear weapon on it and launch it over to the tiny country of Israel to inflict mass casualty.

So Israel, knowing the opportunity that they had presented them with this moment to be able to strike. I want to mention too that Israel has been striking specific precise targets. They're not going into neighborhoods, they're not going into the suburbs of Tehran or targeting innocent people. They're going specifically after leadership. They're going specifically toward the nuclear facilities that are enriching uranium and other important strategic locations with no desire to harm the Iranians. We'll talk about the response from Iran in a moment. But finally, I want to add this, this is the biggest thing that could happen to Netanyahu, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The biggest thing that could happen to him was the fact that he has a president in the United States who would give him the greenlight to do this. I think if we had any other president, I don't care what side of the party we're talking on, if we would've had any other president right now, I genuinely don't know if they would've permitted Israel to go in and given the greenlight for this to happen.

This is one of the biggest accomplishments that Netanyahu has ever had in his political career in Israel, and that is getting the greenlight from President Trump to go in and to dismantle all of these nuclear facilities through its attack, to go take out key leadership. I believe that Washington and Jerusalem were working in tandem together in many ways to make sure this was accomplished properly. But getting that greenlight, Steve, was incredibly important to make this a reality. I really don't know of any other president that would have allowed this to happen. And so fortunately because of the leadership, not only in Jerusalem with Netanyahu, but also the leadership here in Washington DC through the Trump administration, that was another big greenlight for why Israel is doing what they're doing right now.

Steve Conover: To this point, we haven't seen the proxies respond like we would've expected in years past. So it does prove your point that that has been severed. That ability to work through the proxies has been diminished. But then you think of Iran, they can only use ballistic missiles now to reach Israel. They're not going to bring a Navy or an army over to Israel. So the drones were ineffective largely. So the ballistic missiles is really the only way they can reach them.

Chris Katulka: That's right. And the question is what kind of arsenal do they have with those ballistic missiles? We can't ignore the fact that Iran has been successful in creating a lot of terror in Israel right now. I believe the numbers that I have are that there's been more than 370 as we're recording this right now on Monday, June 16th, that there's actually been more than 370 ballistic missiles that have been launched from Iran. 24 Israelis have died, several hundred have been injured. The goal of Iran is to overburden Israel's defense systems, the Iron Dome, and they are anti-ballistic missile systems that go beyond Iron Dome like the David Sling and things of that nature. And so we have to be real. Iran is doing the best that they possibly can to overwhelm Israel's defense systems, and they are coming through and they are specifically hitting major cities like Tel Aviv, like Haifa, like Bat Yam, and so there are Israelis who are dying and being injured as a result of Iran's response.

I do know from reports that right now more than a third of the ballistic missiles and launching systems that they have have been demolished by Israel in Iran, but that still means that there's two thirds of them that are still available to be used. And so I'm sure as Israel continues its operation in Iran, as this continues on, I am confident that we're going to see more and more of those ballistic missile systems targeted and hopefully wiped out so that there can be some moment for Israel's defense systems and people to recoup their energy and to get ready for what could come next.

Steve Conover: I noticed too that Israel is making sure to give citizens of Tehran ample notice to get out. They're being careful about the people living there.

Chris Katulka: According to, again, some of the reports that I'm seeing on social media and through X with pictures is that Tehran's highways are flooded right now with citizens that are leaving the city. The big thing to see, Steve, is that the regime is falling apart. And when I talk about, I'm not talking about the Iranian people, when we talk about Iran, I think oftentimes our mind can go to the country. I believe there's a lot of Iranian people that do not want the Ayatollahs around anymore. They do not want to be controlled by a theocracy, an Islamic theocracy. And I believe that more and more and more, there's this desire for freedom when really the Ayatollahs and the religious leaders are oppressing the people. And so this really, the big question is the regime change. Is there a regime change coming to Iran? This will be the big thing that we need to be thinking about in the future.

Steve Conover: Some estimates that I've seen are that 80% of the people are against the Iranian regime.

Chris Katulka: And some of the things I've been seeing is that they're celebrating, the Iranians are celebrating, as Israel's coming in and targeting specifically, I was even reading one particular Iranian person's letter or email to a family member that said, “I actually feel very safe here in Tehran. Israel is being very specific in targeting locations that have to do with key leadership and the nuclear facilities. So as a citizen of Iran, I don't feel any threat by Israel. There's only a sense of celebration that this could be a turning point in Iran's history.”

Steve Conover: A strategic attack like this didn't happen overnight. This had to be in the works for quite some time.

Chris Katulka: Yeah, and one of the reasons that we know that is because of the Mossad. The Mossad was already active for more than a year in Iran setting up strategic locations for drones to be able to go in as Israel is coming in on June 13th, that Friday, as Israel was coming in, there were already Mossad agents on the ground preparing so that Iran's anti-ballistic missile systems and defense systems would be canceled out, would be erased, they wouldn't be able to respond to Israel. And because of what Mossad has done and because of Israel's Air Force, really Israel controls the skies in Iran right now. Iran has not been able to suppress the response from Israel. Israel has a go ahead from Israel all the way over to Iran. And again, another reason for that is that Syria no longer has any power to control the skies.

So it's a direct highway for Israel to get those jets from Israel over to Iran. Before, Israeli jets could never fly through Syrian airspace. But now because Assad is out of the picture and the people that are in power in Syria are not fans of Iran at all, Israel has a highway to fly from their country to Iran without anybody stopping them. And so this, again, is one of those reasons why, if now we're going to do it, if we're going to strike now, now's the time to do it. Steve, something else I would just want to mention really quick is that I read a report that said 56% of Israelis have no safe places to go. That's bomb shelters. They have no safe places to go while they're in Israel, 56% as these ballistic missiles are coming down, and this is an opportunity for our listeners right now, if you're sitting there, you're driving in your car, you're listening on the podcast, and you're thinking, how can I help Israel right now?

Well, we want to be able to give you that opportunity to help through our Stand with Israel Fund. This is an opportunity for you to actually buy a bomb shelter. That's right. You can be a part of Christians from all around the world who are helping support Israel, standing with Israel by buying bomb shelters, helping with Magen David Adom, which is Israel's Red Cross, during these times of emergency. To think about the fact that 56% of Israelis do not have a safe place to go when these ballistic missiles are coming. This is your opportunity to step in right now and to make a contribution to help the Jewish people in Israel. Here's what I want you to do. I want you to go to FOI as in Friends of Israel foi.org/standwithisrael. Again, that's foi dot org forward slash stand with Israel. When you stand with Israel, you're helping the Jewish people right now who are under threat by Iran. We'd like you to go to foi.org/standwithisrael to give, to help make sure the Israeli people are safe from the constant threat of Iran.

Steve Conover: I'm glad you brought that up, Chris, because now would be a good time to talk about how Iran has indiscriminately sent hundreds of ballistic missiles into Israel. What can we expect moving forward? They've done this. Will they run out of missiles? Do we expect anything from the proxies? If you could forecast, what would you expect?

Chris Katulka: I think Iran is running out of resources. I think they know they're cornered now as much as their propaganda machine is doing the best they can to show how much damage they've done to Israel. Really, Iran I think is cornered. We're already seeing, as we've covered in the news earlier, that Iran wants to come to the table now. I think they know regime change, I think the Ayatollahs and the leaders of Israel know that regime change is in the air. Not only from within internally as Iranians are longing for freedom, but at the same time from outward sources, from external sources like Israel who are coming in and showing them that they have control over the skies, they're dismantling their nuclear systems, and key leadership is gone. And so when I see the future, I mean, I can't tell you for certain, Steve, I don't know how many more rockets will come over.

I don't know how many more casualties there'll be in Israel. But here's what I do know, I believe that the Iranian regime, the Ayatollahs, that theocracy is crumbling before our very eyes. And I think they realize it from their propaganda machine all the way up to the key leader himself, Ayatollah Khomeini. I think that they are all feeling the pressure, and that is the reason why there's rumors that Iran would like to talk to Israel and set negotiations. This is the big question though. Does Israel stop or do they push just a little bit more to finally end this regime? Ending the regime will give the actual freedom and security that I believe Israel needs to feel. And not only Israel, the rest of the Middle East, because nobody in the Middle East likes the Ayatollahs, and the world. Remember Israel…they say, “Death to Israel, but they also say “Death to America.” And so that doesn't come from the average Iranian, that comes from the key leadership at the top, which are the Ayatollahs that control the entire theocracy.

Steve Conover: Are you a new listener to our program? If you are, welcome. We're glad you're here. The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry exists to fuel your passion for the Word which should overflow to a compassion for God's Chosen People, the Jewish people.

Chris Katulka: Whether you're new to our program or have listened for years, we want to encourage you with our resources to help you see why God called us to support the Jewish people in Israel and worldwide. We have a free download, a digital version of our booklet, Whose Land is it Anyway? that we'd like to send you free today. Whose Land is it Anyway? takes the Jewish and Arab claims to the land and helps make sense of the common arguments surrounding the struggle. Whose Land is it Anyway? is an easy-to-read apologetic that will give you a clear answer as you think about Israel's right to the land.

Steve Conover: To get your free digital copy of Whose Land is it Anyway?, visit foiradio.org. Again, that's foiradio.org.

Here at the Friends of Israel, our hearts are especially concerned for our friends of Israel family, our workers in Israel, our Jewish friends in Israel. And right now we have a group of volunteers that are in Israel, and Israel is under a state of emergency. What update can you give us on the volunteers that are there, Chris?

Chris Katulka: Yeah, Steve. We have a group called ORIGINS, which means Our Resolve Is Giving Israel Never-ending Support. It's our young adult trip that volunteers in Israel. They volunteer at a hospital, Kaplan Medical Center, not too far outside of Tel Aviv. Our team has been over there. The moment they landed, that's when Israel went into Iran. We just received a video from a young lady who's over there, and in the video she said what touched her the most as she was at our church planter's home is that they took an opportunity as a team to pray for Israel, but they also took an opportunity to pray for Israel's enemies, to pray for them. And she said that was the most touching moment because in a world where I'm sure a lot of Israelis feel angry and frustrated and disappointed and scared, there were Israeli believers who were stopping and saying, we're going to pray for our enemies as well, not only for the safety of our country.

And so it touched the heart of this young woman along with the rest of the team that's over there who's still looking to serve. They have a heart to serve, they talk to each other, they talk to their families, and they said, “we want to be here as long as we can to be able to serve the people of Israel, to pray with them, to volunteer at the hospital if that opens up as well.” And so, so far they've been there, they're safe, and they are trying to find ways to bless Israel and the Jewish people. Of course, they're scared. They let us know certain nights they hear rockets go up, they hear the Iron Dome system launch rockets up. But there is a sense of comradery and solidarity that they feel with the Israelis and wanting to be able to minister the truth of God's Word to them through their actions. And so this is our ORIGINS team, young adults, 18 to 28 who are in Israel. And if our listeners could be praying for them, that would be superb.

Steve Conover: Yeah. Pray for our ORIGINS team, that the Lord would give wisdom and all that's ahead of them. Chris, as we wrap up, I want to take a moment to talk about how we view the news through Scripture here at the Friends of Israel. We want to be careful not to interpret the Bible based on the news, but to actually look through the lens of Scripture at the news. So in these big moments, how do we see everything clearly when it seems very foggy?

Chris Katulka: There are two mantras in the Middle East right now. We've heard them for a long time. The one mantra comes from one side of the Middle East in Iran, which was screaming, “Death to Israel.” But there's another mantra that comes out of Israel on the other side of the Middle East, which is “Am Yisrael Chai”, the people of Israel live. That is a very biblical notion. It's a very biblical slogan, a mantra, a statement. The people of Israel live. Because it's grounded in Ezekiel chapter 37, which is the dry bones passage. When these dry bones are put back together, they form a body and they all stand there, and God says in Ezekiel chapter 37, “Son of man, these bones are the nation of Israel, and they're coming back to life.” Am Yisrael Chai. The dead bones have come back to life. And they have seen extraordinary things over the last hundred years.

Actually, that phrase, Am Yisrael Chai, was spoken by a British chaplain who was Jewish. When he went to a concentration camp after the Holocaust ended and saw all of these weakened, emaciated Jewish people who had survived the Holocaust. And he's looking at them and he says, “Am Yisrael Chai”, the people of Israel live. So even in the midst of all of the ashes that we've seen from the Holocaust, to the rockets that are coming over to Tel Aviv from Iran, and to Israel, we say, Am Yisrael Chai. Because the Bible has a promise to Israel and the Jewish people that can't be broken, it's unbreakable, as we've seen throughout history, that God would bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you in speaking to Israel. So when I see what's going on biblically, there's a lot of events that we could look at. But one thing that remains true is this, is that God's hand is on Israel. Whether in its darkest moments or in its moments of great joy, God's hand is on his people and they are here today to say, Am Yisrael Chai, the people of Israel live. Why? Because God values life over death. And so that is where our heart is right now as we bless Israel. And again, we want our listeners to bless Israel by going to our Stand With Israel website at foi.org/standwithisrael.

Steve Conover: We are so grateful that you chose to join us for today's special episode of The Friends of Israel Today.

Chris Katulka: Hey, and just to our listeners, one more time, if you'd like to give to help Israel during this time of emergency, as ballistic missiles are coming in to the Jewish state, please go to foi.org/standwithisrael to show your support to Israel and the Jewish people today.

Steve Conover: Today's program was engineered by Bob Beebe. Edited by Jeremy Strong, who also composed and performs our theme music. Lisa Small is our executive producer. Sarah Fern is our associate producer. Our host and teacher is Chris Katulka. And I'm Steve Conover, executive director of The Friends of Israel. The Friends of Israel Today is a production of The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry. Passion for God's Word. Compassion for God's Chosen People.