For the first time in a modern war against Israel, Old City Jerusalem is under attack. And not just the Old City, but more specifically, the holy sites of Christianity and even Islam. Iran is violating the rules of warfare against targeting civilians and religious sites.
Earlier this month, Iranian missile shrapnel fell on the rooftop of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, mere steps from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, one of the most important sites in Christianity. Iranian missile debris also hit and damaged a road leading to the Western Wall.
Therefore, during what would normally be the busiest of seasons for crowds—with hundreds of thousands of people packed into the Old City to observe Ramadan, Lent, Passover, Holy Week, and Easter—Israel’s Home Front Command gave careful instructions to protect human life. Because major loss of life can be caused by Iran’s half-ton ballistic missiles and their falling shrapnel, people are instructed to not put their safety in jeopardy by assembling in places without quick access to fortified shelters. Only residents and business owners can enter the Old City, on-food shops are closed, and street fairs and plaza events are not permitted.
For protection, the Al Aqsa Mosque—where tens of thousands of men kneeling prostrate on their prayer rugs would have nowhere to run and no time to hide and shelter in an attack—was closed for Ramadan. Smaller mosques all remained open for gatherings of 50 people or less. The Western Wall—where throngs of Jewish people come every day to pray, and numbers swell to tens of thousands crammed together at Passover—has been closed. It will open for Passover for a special ceremony for 50 people. All synagogues and Jewish community centers remain open.
Although the Church of the Holy Sepulcher was also closed and the Palm Sunday processional was cancelled due to security risks for people who would be open to missile fire without adequate shelter, Holy Week and Easter celebrations at churches are still allowed for 50 people each service. All local churches and congregations remain open.
Rami Asakrieh, a Catholic priest in Jerusalem, said this situation should remind us that faith comes internally from the heart, not from external actions. “We are celebrating resurrection . . . ” he observed. “ . . . resurrection is from death and winning the pain and the war. It will not come by having fear, but by having faith.”
Pray for Christians in Israel and all around the world to remember that true freedom is of the heart, no matter what circumstances. Pray that news media outlets and social media would not be able to disperse falsehoods about Israel. Pray for wisdom for police, military, and leaders in Israel as they try to protect people while still allowing religious freedom..
On Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson reported the successful elimination of Ali Hassan Shaib in a strike in southern Lebanon. Although Lebanese news outlets decried the strike on a “journalist,” Israel military reports revealed that Shaib was a Hezbollah combatant embedded in a media role.
Shaib used the guise of journalism at the Al-Manar television network as an operational cover for his role as an elite Hezbollah Radwan Force operative: exposing locations of Israeli troops, maintaining contact with Hezbollah operatives, and serving as a propaganda arm for the terror organization during the war.
Pray for continued effectiveness of IDF intelligence to expose terrorists, whether in media, “Doctor’s Without Borders,” or other groups. Pray for the safety of IDF soldiers who are in harm’s way every day, and that Israel—and the conflict with Iran and its proxies—would be truthfully represented in media.
Despite the fact that the United States, Israel, and other regional partners have successfully intercepted over 90% of Iran’s attacks from missiles and drones, a new report reveals that a shortage of interceptors, coupled with the Iranian Regime’s use of cluster warheads on missiles, may threaten future defense response as the war progresses.
A report published by the Gemunder Center for Defense and Strategy of the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA) claims that air defenses against Iran are eroding, especially due to Iran’s strategic attacks caused to create shortages in air defense systems.
Since the war’s onset, the Islamic Regime has prioritized striking and destroying the architecture enabling aerial defense, such as major radar systems, satellite dishes, and their communications links to interceptor batteries, carrier strike groups, and fighter aircraft. This has not only eroded the detection and warning network needed to carry out successful defense but also exposed the sensor layer as the most vulnerable feature of the United States’ multi-layer aerial defense. Iran has sent over 3,000 attack drones—immune to electronic warfare jamming, with first-person-view drones for precision strikes against point targets—and approximately 1000 half-ton ballistic missiles against US bases and defense sites in the Middle East including Quatar, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Kuwait.
For Israel, every single incoming threat—whether missile or drone—must be handled by firing multiple interceptors to have a high rate of success, so interceptors deplete faster than missiles or drones. With a continual barrage of attacks from the Iranian Regime, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, posing a significant danger to civilians, Israel’s Iron Dome and other aerial defense systems are constantly on-call. A unique challenge for defense systems are the cluster munition ballistic missiles, often packed with 24-80 submunitions that scatter over several miles. Over half of the missiles fired against Israel by Iran are of this sort, despite violating international law.
Please pray for wisdom and protection for Israel, the US, and other allies, and pray for disruption of the attacks from the Iranian regime. Pray for the spiritual salvation of all involved.
There is an underground shelter where people are living and sleeping. They live too far to be able to run to a shelter, so they have brought mattresses, blankets, even tents, and they set up a sleeping area underground. One of our missionaries, who also took shelter here, writes the following:
One morning, I met a woman in the restroom. She was applying hair products, face cream, and makeup. It looked so out of place in the midst of living in an underground shelter. I told her that it was wonderful, and that she can continue her grooming and application of beauty products. She declared, “I have to! I can’t let them take that away from me!”
I replied, “Yeah, I totally understand.” I explained to her that every morning, I wake up and take a seat in a quiet corner to be able to have a few moments before the day takes off. I pray, read the Scriptures, and think about the Lord. I need to take care of my insides, my soul, and my faith, and I do that by reading the Bible and praying.
She replied, “Wow, in all my life I never thought about my inside. I never thought about my soul.” This led to a conversation about faith and having a relationship with God that takes care of your soul, your outlook on life, your actions, and your words.
Please pray that this dear lady and others like her would consider their soul and salvation found in Jesus the Messiah! Pray for us as we minister to people even while dealing with the turmoil ourselves.
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Emergency responders at the scene of an Iranian ballistic missile strike in the southern city of Dimona that wounded nearly 40 people, March 21, 2026. (Photo: Israel Defense Forces)
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