The Feast of Trumpets is almost upon us. It is good to reflect on God’s guidance and ultimate victory. The world is so far away from the righteous decency that He has laid out for us it’s hard to know where to start. In spite of that, we can still be thankful for His truth, His word and the tremendous blessings we still enjoy.

This is all the more poignant as we reflect on the events of 9/11/2001. Most of us can remember where we were that day. My grandfather was actually airborne when the attack took place, en route to a reunion. His plane was grounded. Instead of continuing on his trip he returned home to be able to address the situation on TV and in print. As far away as that day seems at times the effects are still with us. In many ways it was a pivotal moment.

It is not insignificant that we still find ourselves embroiled in the turmoils of the Middle East. However most people may feel about our conflict with Iran, there is no doubt that they would inflict that and more on us again if given the chance.

Things got hot around Hormuz again this week. The announcement that the former passageway was clear of mine prompted Iran to try and launch more from shore, which is not exactly the ideal method. It has escalated from there, with attacks and reprisals rippling across the region.

The idea that oil and goods were flowing again essentially spells doom for Iran. Control of the Strait is leverage they need to retain relevance and their grip on power. Analysts debate how much oil is currently flowing. Ships transiting with their transponders on are few and far between, but this does not tell the whole tale. Most switch off and proceed with escort, and pipelines bypassing the strait have contributed a great deal.

This is why we see the Houthis on full offense over the last days, seizing an important island, with the encouragement and backing of Iran. Added pressure in the Red Sea keeps the trouble alive, and has indeed contributed to a spike in oil prices this week. Iraqi militias also struck a major Saudi pipeline. The Saudis have asked the US to intervene, but the feeling is we would prefer to have them step up and do their own dirty work. Time will tell.

There is plenty to be on alert about but we can thank God for the opportunity to pause on this double Sabbath Day and look forward to the time when all of these problems will be behind us.

-Michael

The post Weekly Update by Michael Armstrong – September 11, 2026 first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly called US President Trump twice Thursday and urged him to launch strikes against the Houthi rebels in Yemen, the Axios outlet reported, citing two US officials.

Trump rejected the request, and US officials said the administration does not intend to take direct military action against the Houthis at this time, the Friday report said.

It was published hours before AFP reported, citing a local government official and eyewitnesses, that the Houthis have taken over a Red Sea island that is located in the middle of the Bab al-Mandeb shipping lane, causing the Yemeni government’s military to withdraw and completing the rebels’ push to control the area.

Continue reading HERE

Source: https://www.timesofisrael.com/trump-said-to-reject-saudi-request-for-strikes-on-houthis-as-they-seize-red-sea-island/?fbclid=IwY2xjawUXtuFwZG9mAWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR69cm_-HfVhU3midLb1P-5u6GbEHiJMJEgu0n5j3_rnV2arKQvAiV4rcqirkA_aem_GZh_O2fgXjx5GGSHHDYKbA

The post Trump said to reject Saudi request for strikes on Houthis, as they complete Bab el-Mandeb takeover first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Saudi Arabia stated that Houthi missile and drone attacks struck energy infrastructure and civilian sites in its southern border region near Yemen on Sept. 8, temporarily disrupting operations, sparking fires, and injuring 73 civilians.

The Iran-aligned Houthi terrorist organization claimed responsibility and vowed further attacks. The attacks targeted facilities in Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan, and Najran, according to Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki, a spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen.

The Red Sea port city of Jazan is home to one of Saudi Arabia’s largest oil refineries, Aramco, which processes 400,000 barrels of crude oil per day.

Continue reading HERE

Source: https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/houthi-attacks-injure-73-disrupt-energy-facilities-saudi-arabia-6084498?fbclid=IwY2xjawUXtllwZG9mAWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR7H5SHKbE2Ir-1Rc4eHKu-hDjlRfMYkATFx1trVu9obLf2qpNPz2S2xu9v1oQ_aem_nyTEpL7Vhlni8x-RYy4HGA

The post Houthi Attacks Injure 73, Disrupt Energy Facilities: Saudi Arabia first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

The Houthis have threatened to shut down another key trade route, with the world economy already reeling from Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran and the U.S. have meanwhile stepped up their attacks as they vie for control of the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and gas transited in peacetime, setting off a scramble for alternative routes.

As the U.S. carried out a 12th night of strikes across Iran, President Donald Trump threatened “major military punishment” against the Houthis if their attacks on ships continue.

Continue reading HERE

Source: https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-hormuz-strait-war-60d46bf8c83c43a8f2268b7b87627c55?fbclid=IwY2xjawTPSiFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeuZ1Lq2rDtiyR1dhQXh4d-X_zsuMMqtEntnSP8iRO6WTLYBvh-1iqVXhS2pc_aem_nGzQB1qm2sBC-rlaO2veHA

The post Yemen’s Houthis attack Saudi tankers in the Red Sea, threatening to widen Iran war first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

The post Yemen airstrikes show national security is red line that Saudi Arabia won’t let UAE cross -analysis first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

The Israeli military said it had targeted an energy infrastructure site that was used by the Iran-aligned Houthis south of the Yemeni capital Sanaa early on Sunday, with Israeli media saying the Haziz power station had been hit.

A military statement said Israeli forces “struck… deep inside Yemen, targeting an energy infrastructure site that served the Houthi terrorist regime” in the area of Yemen’s rebel-held capital Sanaa, without naming the site.

The Houthis’ Al-Masirah TV, citing a civil defence source, reported “an aggression targeting the Haziz power plant” south of Sanaa.

Continue reading HERE

Source: https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20250817-israel-says-it-carried-out-strike-on-huthi-energy-facility-in-yemen

The post Israel says it carried out strike on Houthi energy facility in Yemen first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Armed Houthi intelligence officers reportedly raided the homes and offices of nine U.N. employees, plus three people who work for a U.S.-funded group called the National Democracy Institute (NDI) and three others who work for a local human rights organization. The nine detained U.N. employees work for the offices of human rights and humanitarian affairs.

In addition to the detentions, Houthi operatives confiscated computers and phones from their targets.

Continue reading HERE

Source: https://www.breitbart.com/middle-east/2024/06/07/iran-backed-houthis-abduct-u-n-workers-in-yemen/

The post Iran-Backed Houthis Abduct U.N. Workers in Yemen first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

March 6 (UPI) — A Houthi attack on a merchant vessel in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday killed two and injured six, according to U.S. officials.

The attack on the Barbados-flagged M/V True Confidence marked the first time the Houthi attacks have claimed lives, U.S. officials told the BBC and CNN. Two crewmen were killed and six injured in the attack, which occurred at about 11:30 a.m. local time.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center said the ship was“reported to have been hit and has suffered damage” about 54 nautical miles southwest of Aden, Yemen.

Continue reading HERE

Source: https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2024/03/06/yemen-red-sea-attacks/6261709726961/

The post Houthi attack on merchant vessel kills 2, injures 6 first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

The U.S. airstrikes targeted Houthi military sites, including a missile site. The site housed ballistic missiles that U.S. officials said posed a threat to U.S. Navy ships and merchant vessels.

The Houthis earlier had warned of further attacks in response to airstrikes by American and British warplanes in recent days.

Continue reading HERE

Source: https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2024/01/16/Yemen-Houthis-conducted-Gibraltar-Eagle-missile-strike/7921705397859/

The post U.S. launches third airstrike against Houthis in Yemen first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

They tell us protest is what the United States is built upon.  We’ve seen “protests” go wrong, ending up in mass looting events, with no effort to put a stop to it. Protesters have free reign, because they’ve got arguments!  Police have to suppress any feelings and put up with their antics. 

Well now there are protests from the other side. Nothing is being stolen, but…traffic is backed up. Apparently the farmers in Europe have had just about enough of the government’s high and mighty rules and regulations. This is happening in Germany and all over Europe. There are details in the demands, but you get the picture. They say it’s all about government subsidies. I think it’s about global warming mandates.  

The concept of protest is the darling of the left. They can be so self righteous in their insistence that something is unfair. What happens when the tables are turned? Have you seen the pictures of the tractors at the Brandenburg Gate? All this lecturing, contrary to common sense, has gotten old.

There are big meetings going on and about to go on in Europe. They talk about the “transition to green energy” as if it’s an article of faith. But there’s a huge wild card, unspoken. You know who. If he should defy all the odds, win the legal cases, all their pie in the sky speeches may mean nothing.

Finally America has struck back against the Houthis. We’ve bombed them high and low, and hope they’ve gotten the message. They’ve been menacing world shipping in the Red Sea for a while now, and that’s a big deal. Much was made of the fact that nothing had been done to make them stop, but finally the U.S. hit them with dozens of airstrikes. Mind you, they are “coalition” air strikes, that way they have to take revenge on lots of us. Many nations have stayed out of the fray, hoping they won’t become a target.  

As much as I’ve enjoyed the scandals of Fani Willis, dare not go into it here.  You’ll have to look on your own if interested.  I don’t think they’re banking on losing to Trump’s lawyers, but it may turn out that way, assuming the judges aren’t swayed by the common logic.  But they may be.  They’ve tried to ban Trump from the ballot, on the pretext that he caused “an insurrection.” Colorado ruled against allowing him to participate based on their own conclusions, borne of kindergarten talk.  Other states have gone down this road, to no avail.  

Meanwhile everybody’s worried about our “democracy.” They think democracy is fine, as long as the authoritarians get to tell us what’s up.

Texas Governor Gregg Abbott has apparently decided that the flood of illegal immigrants has gone far enough. He sent the Texas National Guard to replace federal border agents, taking control of significant acreage comprising a state park in Eagle Pass.  (Why didn’t this happen about 10 million ago?)  He sent in the state’s national guard to dislodge the federal agents who are choreographing the invasion. And wouldn’t you know it.  The Biden regime is suing!  You’re going to love their statement. “Texas’ new actions demonstrate an escalation of the State’s measures to block Border Patrol’s ability to patrol or even to surveil the border and be in a position to respond to emergencies.” It seems that we already have an emergency, that the feds are facilitating.  Just a personal observation.

If they over-run Texas, and end up being able to vote, we’re done. Texas has been a bulwark for conservatism. If this state gets over-run, it may well be a harbinger of things to come.  

Mark

The post Weekly Update by Mark Armstrong – January 12, 2024 first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.