Pray for this Conflict in the Middle East

Israel warns 300,000 people in Tehran to evacuate as Trump issues ominous message

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel warned hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate the middle of Iran’s capital as Israel’s air campaign on Tehran appeared to broaden on the fourth day of an intensifying conflict.

An Iranian television anchor fled her studio during a live broadcast as bombs fell on the headquarters of the country’s state-run TV station.

U.S. President Donald Trump posted an ominous message on his social media site later Monday calling for the immediate evacuation of Tehran.

“IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON,” Trump wrote, adding that “Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on social media shortly after Trump’s post that he was returning from the G7 summit in Canada a day early due to the intensifying conflict between. (According to a news article posted by the Associated Press)

Locations where Iran has struck Israel

Locations where Israel has struck Iran

This current escalation in the conflict between Israel and Iran finds one of its major catalysts in the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel. On that day, Hamas launched an unprecedented assault on southern Israel, killing over 1,000 civilians, injuring thousands more, and taking hostages into Gaza. The attack, which Israel described as its darkest day since the Holocaust, provoked a large-scale military response in Gaza and intensified regional tensions, drawing in other actors, including Hezbollah and Iran-backed militias.

The conflict further escalated on April 1, 2024, when Israel carried out an airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria., this attack killed 16 people, including senior commanders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). In retaliation, Iran launched a massive drone and missile attack against Israel on April 13, 2024, marking its first direct strike on Israeli territory from Iranian soil since the start of their decades-long proxy conflict, as reported by Al Jazeera.

Israel responded with retaliatory strikes on Iranian military sites on April 19, 2024. While the Israel-Iran conflict has traditionally involved covert operations and proxy forces in Lebanon, Syria, and elsewhere, these events in April marked a serious shift toward direct military confrontation.

This exchange of strikes has continued into June 2025, with Israel targeting Iranian nuclear and military facilities on June 13, 2025. In turn, Iran launched retaliatory attacks on Israeli targets. According to CNN, this tit-for-tat escalation has ushered in a sustained period of open hostilities, moving the regional conflict into a new and dangerous phase.

As I contemplate this current conflict in the Middle East, these verses come up in my heart:

Psalm 122:6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.

Psalm 121:4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

I have constructed a sample prayer guideline below. You can use it as a guide, if you like.

“Heavenly Father, I pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Let reconciliation, justice, and truth guide leaders and people throughout the Middle East, and the nations involved in this peace making effort. Fulfill Your promise to bless those who bless Israel, and help us walk as peacemakers in Your will. In Jesus Name. Amen.”

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