Will Coronavirus Tempt Iran To Target Israel?   

With the chaos of the coronavirus (COVID-19), will Iran take advantage of Israel's perceived weakened state to attack through proxies? 

Iran may perceive Israel's military as being unable to call up masses of reserves or send large groups of civilians into close quarters in rocket shelters due to coronavirus restrictions. Will Iran attack?

This was one of the questions posed in a conference call hosted by the Jewish Institute of National Security for America (JINSA) on the security implications of the coronavirus for Iran and the Middle East. The call featured JINSA Fellow Yaakov Amdiror, Israel's former Israeli National Security Adviser, and also JINSA Fellow Itai Shapira, former deputy head of the Research and Analysis Division (RAD) in the Israel Defense Forces. According to Amidror, the extent of the disease in Iran is not really known. "It is clear the Iranians are not telling the truth and are hiding the real situation," he said. "We know that the numbers are growing and are much greater than those announced by the authorities. As far as can be judged from the outside, without having the real information, everything is out of control." He said Iran made a huge mistake in the beginning, allowing flights between Iran, China and Lebanon. "Iran is the center of spreading the virus around the Middle East because people are flying between Beirut and Tehran," he said.

On Tuesday, the spokesperson for the Iranian Health Ministry announced a total of 988 deaths as a result of COVID-19, with nearly 15,000 infected, according to reports. As of Friday, the number of infected had risen to 19,644. In terms of stopping activities in the Middle East, Amidror said this is not going to happen. "Iran will try to continue with the pressure [against the United States], especially in Iraq, where it has Shi'ite militias."

"Iran will not stop," he stressed. "There are more questions than answers with regard to Iran. It is very complicated."

'A regional phenomena' Shapira said we should think of the effect of the coronavirus as "a regional phenomena" and predicted the possibility of another wave of instability that could sweep the Middle East, not unlike the "Arab Spring" protests that began in 2010.

Regarding Iran specifically, he said, "this is now one of the biggest challenges Iran has faced since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. This could not have come at a worse time for Iran, after the maximum pressure policy placed on it by the U.S., after the sanctions, after the protests a few months ago, after the downing of a Ukrainian airliner, and now the low oil prices. This is a unique challenge for the regime." Shapira said that the so-called "moderate" camp, including President Hassan Rouhani, in Iran is growing weaker as a result of the virus. "We see it in the streets. This is a president who is considered a failure. He is not succeeding in providing economic relief, not succeeding with the JCPOA, not lowering gas prices, and now failing with the coronavirus crisis," he said. "The IRGC and military are becoming stronger and more dominant," he warned.

However, Shapira said he does believe that the absence of former IRGC commander Qassem Soleimani, assassinated in a U.S. drone strike in January, "dramatically reduces the capability of the IRGC and the Quds force." "With the absence of Soleimani and his less charismatic and less connected successor [Esmail Ghaani], I wonder if this Iranian 'alliance' with the Shi'ite militias in Iraq and the militias in Syria, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Houthis in Yemen, is still as centralized and controlled by Iran as it was in the days of Soleimani," he posed.

Shapira said that with or without the virus, "the issue of a Western presence in the Middle East, specifically in Iraq, is something that bothers [Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali] Khamenei, and the Iranian military and the IRGC, no less than the virus disturbs them at the moment." Whether or not Iran will indeed make any moves against Western forces in the region, he said, "I am not sure they will now be less hesitant or more capable or more willing to act externally, but since they are at such a dramatic strategic crisis, they might consider some actions in the Gulf. They understand the U.S. administration is a red line. They might consider some actions such as cyber warfare or directing proxies, if they are under extreme distress."

With regard to Iran's proxies and the possibility of them opening a front against Israel, Amidror said, "for sure, Hezbollah will be very, very cautious. They know the situation in Lebanon," which is $90 billion in debt and just defaulted on a $1.2 billion bond. "The crisis in Lebanon is only the beginning," said Amidror. "Everyone in Lebanon sees Hezbollah as responsible since they decide who is in the government and who has influence in the government. Hezbollah leader Nasrallah will be very cautious." Amidror thinks that Iran will not "push themselves into another corner" when it has such huge internal problems. "The last thing Iran wants to see right now," he said, "is 400 Israeli airplanes above Tehran."

Did an Italian Priest Really Give Up His Respirator for a Younger Patient?

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — An elderly Italian priest who contracted the coronavirus reportedly offered his respirator to a younger patient and died due to the illness late on Sunday (March 22).

It’s a story that’s made headlines around the world and been shared on social media as an example of living out the teachings of Jesus.

But so far, no one can confirm that the story is true.

Neither the hospital nor a colleague from the priest’s parish could confirm the news account.

The Rev. Giuseppe Berardelli, 72, was a priest at the Parish of San Giovanni Battista in northern Italy since 2006. He died this week, one of a growing number of Italians who’ve succumbed to COVID-19.

His town, Bergamo, is among the epicenters of the pandemic, which has already claimed the lives of 6,820 people in the country and infected over 69,000 people.

“He died as a priest,” an unnamed health professional who works at the retirement home of San Giuseppe in Casnigo, the small town where Berardelli died, told the local paper Araberara.

“I am deeply moved by the fact that the archpriest of Casnigo, Don Giuseppe Berardelli — for whom the parish community had bought a respirator — gave it up of his own volition to hand it to someone younger than he,” the health professional said, according to published accounts.

The custodian of the Arcipresbiterial church of San Giovanni Battista told Religion News Service on Tuesday that even though he can’t confirm or deny the act allegedly made by Berardelli, it wouldn’t be out of character.

“Father Giuseppe is someone who always gave his life for others,” said Giuseppe Foresti in the phone interview with RNS. “The gesture, which we don’t know for sure if he did, is a reflection of his life.

“In his everyday life, Father Giuseppe always gave everything to the community,” Foresti said, adding that the priest had a special dedication to the Sanctuary of Mary D’Erbia in Casnigo.

The Hospital of Lovere, where Berardelli died, told RNS that it didn’t have the authority to reveal personal information about its patients. The hospital neither confirmed nor denied whether the priest actually donated his respirator.

“I am not personally aware of the matter,” a spokesman from the hospital told RNS by phone Tuesday. “Even if I did, we wouldn’t share this information even with the police.”

Regardless of whether Berardelli donated his respirator or not, Berardelli is now among the over 30 priests who have died in Italy as a result of the coronavirus. Many of the priests who died were from the city of Bergamo.

“I received the news that in these days, a number of doctors and priests have died. I don’t know if there were a few nurses. They were infected … because they were serving the sick. Let’s pray for them, for their families,” Pope Francis said during his livestreamed morning Mass on Tuesday at Domus Sanctae Marthae, where he lives.

“I thank God for the example of heroism they give us in caring for the sick.”

'God Is Bigger than the Coronavirus': America, it's Time to Pray!

If you would have told me a few days ago that markets would be depleted and that we could not hold church services on Sunday, I would have thought that you were an alarmist. And if you would have added that it would be best for me to “self-quarantine” because I am one of the “vulnerable” to COVID-19 (I’m 67) three weeks ago, I would have thought that you had lost your mind.

Well, it’s happened. What a difference a few days make.

The President has declared a national emergency and America is in an absolute panic.

I’m not quite sure why so many people have emptied the store shelves of toilet paper though. It has become so valuable that we may start using it as currency!
“How much for that coffee? Will two squares of toilet paper do?”
All joking aside, you can see the fear on peoples’ faces. They are alarmed and feel as though they don’t have control, because the truth is, they don’t.

Folks, this is a wake-up call from God Almighty if I have ever seen one. It’s time to pray.

I don’t mean casual prayer. I am talking about fervent, storm-the-gates-of-Heaven type of prayer that calls out to God in desperation and urgency.

We need God in America today. We need him to eradicate what President Trump has called, “An invisible enemy.”

In the Bible, prayer stopped storms, calmed waves, healed the sick, raised the dead and even stopped time. Scripture reminds us, “With God, all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26)

We need to turn our panic into prayer. At this time, the sources we often turn to for comfort cannot do anything for us.

Hollywood can’t save us. There is no blockbuster film or actor that will get us out of this.

Technology can’t save us either. Our smartphones and computer screens just feed us a barrage of information that heightens our stress and anxiety.

Our lawmakers in Washington can’t save us from this pandemic. They will hopefully work together and do what they can, but the outcome is outside of their control.

Even the President of the United States can’t save us. He has put together an excellent task force to deal with the coronavirus, but they can’t fix this for us. We should, however, take their advice seriously.

That is why the President wisely called for a National Day of Prayer.

In his proclamation, he stated:

“As your President, I ask you to pray for the health and well-being of your fellow Americans and to remember that no problem is too big for God to handle. We should all take to heart the holy words found in 1 Peter 5:7: ‘Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you.’ Let us pray that all those affected by the virus will feel the presence of our Lord’s protection and love during this time.  With God’s help, we will overcome this threat.”

We need to keep praying, because the worst of this virus may still be coming.

But remember this: God is bigger than the coronavirus. He is bigger than any problem you may be facing right now.
The Bible says, “You do not have, because you do not ask” (James 4:2c ESV). And the Lord promises “‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know’” (Jeremiah 33:3 NKJV)

The Old Testament tells us the story of a man named Jehoshaphat. He was in big trouble. Three armies were marching toward him bent on destroying the King of Israel and his people. This terrified Jehoshaphat, and he asked everyone to fast and pray.

He prayed, “O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.” (2 Chronicles 20:12 NLT).

And guess what happened?
God answered their prayers and their enemies turned on each other.

There is a spiritual element to every problem. And this is a time to pray.

Here is a promise from God: “If I ever shut off the supply of rain from the skies or order the locusts to eat the crops or send a plague on my people, and my people, my God-defined people, respond by humbling themselves, praying, seeking my presence, and turning their backs on their wicked lives, I’ll be there ready for you: I’ll listen from heaven, forgive their sins, and restore their land to health” (2 Chronicles 7:14 MSG).

God says we need to humble ourselves, pray, seek His presence and turn our backs on our wicked lives. If we do that, the Lord promises to hear our prayers, forgive our sins and restore our land to health.

God keeps His promises.

Let’s keep praying.