Iran launched its most brazen attack on Israel yet, bombarding Israel with over 300 drones and missiles Saturday night. Israel intercepted 99 percent of them, preventing major damage. But don’t let the incredible performance of Israel’s technology disguise the magnitude of Iran’s strike.

The Iranians have been hurting Israel for years. They fund Hamas and Hezbollah. The Wall Street Journal reported that Iran helped plan the October 7 attack, trained Hamas fighters, and gave the go-ahead.

But this time, they didn’t hide behind any proxies. They were bold enough to strike Israel themselves.

Nor was Israel the only target. This was a clear message to the rest of the region: We could send hundreds of missiles and drones raining down on you—and you don’t have Iron Dome to protect you.

What gave Iran the confidence to come out from behind this screen of anonymity? The United States has spent the months since October 7 trying to stop Israel from fighting back.

Remember the horror of the October 7 attack. The number of casualties relative to Israel’s population made it comparatively far more devastating than 9/11. Over a hundred hostages, including women and children, have not been returned. Yet Joe Biden has repeatedly criticized Israel, saying it has “not done enough to protect aid workers,” and “urged Israel to deconflict their military operations against Hamas.”

Unusually, the U.S. withdrew its protection for Israel at the United Nations, allowing the Security Council to pass a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza that was not linked to Hamas releasing Israeli hostages. This was more than a symbolic gesture. It sent the message to Hamas they didn’t need to negotiate with Israel on hostage release: If they simply waited, the world would pressure Israel into a ceasefire regardless. Hamas got the message. Within hours of the resolution passing, they pulled out of negotiations.

Iran knows that if Israel tries to strike back with force, America will try to stop them. Joe Biden may have said that he stands with Israel, just like he did just after October 7. But if Israel actually deals with the problem, that support will vanish.

But this attack on Israel was enabled by the U.S. in an even more practical way.

Barack Obama’s nuclear deal gradually lifted sanctions on Iran, supposedly in exchange for Iran dismantling its nuclear program. Mr. Obama promised that if Iran failed to live up to its part of the bargain, the sanctions would automatically “snap back.”

Lifting these sanctions has empowered Iran over the last nine years. The final sanctions expired on October 18 last year. These had prevented Iran from buying or selling drone and missile technology. They had also prohibited developing, testing or military use of this technology.

The U.S. imposed its own sanctions—meaning Iran could not buy drones from the U.S. But the Biden administration could have triggered the snapback process to prevent the UN sanctions being lifted. Any party to the Iran nuclear deal (the jcpoa) could trigger snapback simply by formally stating, accurately, that Iran had failed to stick to its side of the deal. The U.S. withdrew from the jcpoa in 2018, but it could have pushed its European partners to make the declaration.

But it didn’t. The U.S. signed a separate, joint statement saying Iran hadn’t taken the “necessary steps” to dismantle its nuclear program. But it did nothing to keep the UN sanctions in place.

Russia and China did not have the power to veto the snapback process. The U.S. could have kept these sanctions in place. It chose not to.

Iran’s attack is a direct result of the Iran deal and America’s failure to confront Iran.

“This deal does not make the world safer—it is a disaster for the world!” wrote Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry in 2016. Israel is bearing the brunt of this failure.

This attack on Israel is not a tragic side effect of the jcpoa, nor the consequence of a misguided attempt at peace. Barack Obama is deliberately trying to hurt Israel—and so he worked to shift America’s whole Middle East foreign policy in favor of Iran. With Joe Biden in the White House, Obama has continued to push this policy behind the scenes.

It is hard to make logical sense of such policies. But the Bible reveals they are the result of unseen spiritual forces. Barack Obama is being used to bring down the United States and Israel. In the process, he is also empowering enemies like Iran.

The result will be pushier Iranian foreign policy. A critical prophecy in Daniel 11 says that Iran will keep pushing. Israel will not completely neutralize this threat. Then Iran will make the mistake of pushing against a German-led Europe.

Right now, Europe looks as spineless as the U.S. In making this push, Iran clearly will not expect much of a response. Instead, this European “king of the north” will respond with fury.

All these events are setting up a critical clash that will lead to World War iii. But the Bible tells us how it will start. God emphasizes that though things may look dark, He is ultimately in control. This imminent war will lead to the whole world coming to know God.

To understand more about Iran’s vital role in end-time events, read our free booklet The King of the South.