Communication devices belonging to members of Iranian proxy Hezbollah blew up for a second day, and more than 30 people were reported killed and 450 wounded on Wednesday. One blast was heard during the funeral of some killed the previous day,

On Tuesday, pagers exploded, wounding thousands, The next day, it was mainly walkie-talkies. The terrifying wave of explosions has brought Lebanon to a standstill.

Hezbollah blamed Israel for the explosions and pledged the Jewish nation would pay. Hashem Safieddine of Hezbollah's Executive Council declared, "This punishment is surely coming, by the will of God Almighty."

Iranian Plot to Assassinate Israel's Leaders

In the aftermath of the Lebanon explosions, Israel announced it had thwarted an Iranian plot to assassinate top Israeli leaders.

The police and the Shin Bet security agency released a joint statement Thursday revealing they had arrested an Israeli citizen who Iran had recruited to promote the assassinations of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, along with other senior figures.

The would-be assassin was allegedly smuggled twice into Iran and received payment for carrying out missions.

Israel Shifts Military Focus to Hezbollah

Israeli leaders now insist it's time to concentrate on fighting Hezbollah and end its near-daily attacks that have forced more than 60,000 northern Israel residents from their homes.

"We will return the residents of the north securely to their homes," Netanyahu stated, while Gallant indicated, "We are diverting forces, resources, energy toward the north."

On CBN's Faith Nation, Middle East analyst David Daoud contended that diplomatic efforts have failed to end Hezbollah's threat, so Israel's military must do the job.

"What seems to remain is some kind of military action to push Hezbollah back from the border, to degrade its military capabilities," Daoud said, "And I think we're starting to see the Israelis shift into that posture."

As the Israel Defense Forces' focus transitions from Gaza to Lebanon, families of the hostages held in Gaza worry if Hamas will ever free them.

Jonathan Dekel-Chen, the father of an American hostage, admitted, "Our greatest fear is that our loved ones—whether those that still might be alive or those who have already been murdered—will never come home."

UN Votes to Oust Israel from Biblical Lands of Judea and Samaria

The United Nations is making its presence felt in the Middle East as well. In New York, the UNGeneral Assembly overwhelmingly passed a resolution Wednesday demanding that Israel leave its Biblical home of Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) and eastern Jerusalem, within the next 12 months. The vote was 124-14.

If enacted the resolution would force more than 500,000 Jewish Israelis from their homes on land the Bible says God gave them thousands of years ago.

Most Israeli Jews don't believe they are illegally occupying places such as Shiloh, Bethel, Hebron, Kiryat Arba, and the Old City of Jerusalem, where the two Jewish Temples once stood. Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

Julie Stahl is a correspondent for CBN News in the Middle East.

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