Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that Israel will open a “new front” focused on protecting Christian communities facing persecution in Nigeria and other parts of Africa and the Middle East.
Netanyahu
In a New Year message published on his official YouTube channel and addressed to an audience of Christian Zionists, Netanyahu said Israel was expanding its engagement beyond conventional military confrontations to address what he described as growing global threats to Judeo-Christian values.
He recalled that Israel had recently fought what he called a “seven-front war” and said the country had emerged largely victorious but added that a fresh challenge had now arisen in the sphere of public opinion, particularly among young people, which he framed as a battle for “hearts and minds.”
“I see the battle against us and the battle against our Judeo-Christian tradition basically being waged around the globe,” Netanyahu said, warning that the contest was no longer limited to physical battlegrounds but had extended into ideas, culture and information spaces.
The Israeli leader identified “radical Shiite Islam and radical Sunni Islam” as the main forces he believes are driving this battle, naming Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood as leading what he described as opposing axes that nonetheless share hostility to Israel and Western-aligned values.
“That means the axis that is led by Iran, much battered, admittedly, but still there, and the Sunni axis led by the Muslim Brotherhood, which permeates everything,” he said.
According to him, these ideological currents are not confined to the Middle East but have spread into Europe, the United States, Africa and Nigeria. He specifically referenced the situation of Christian communities in parts of the Middle East and Africa, listing Syria, Lebanon, Nigeria and Turkey among places where, in his view, Christians are being persecuted.
“They go to Europe, the United States, Africa and Nigeria. And we are conscious of the fact that Christians are being persecuted — across the Middle East, in Syria, in Lebanon, in Nigeria, in Turkey and beyond,” he said.
Netanyahu asserted that Israel is “unique” in the region for protecting Christian communities and enabling them to live, grow and worship in safety, and presented the new initiative as an extension of that role to vulnerable Christian populations abroad.
He disclosed that Israel is working with like‑minded partners to establish what he likened to a coalition or framework similar to the United Nations, dedicated to supporting Christian communities around the world, particularly those under threat from extremist violence or systemic discrimination.
The Israeli Prime Minister described the move as a form of reciprocity to Christian allies who have stood by Israel diplomatically and morally over the years.
“Just as you are helping us, we want to help back, and we’re capable of doing this,” he said, indicating that Israel intends to deploy intelligence capabilities in Africa and other tools in the Middle East to back up its new commitment.
“In Africa, with intel, in the Middle East, with a lot of means that I won’t itemise. This is what our agenda is; it’s a main part of our agenda,” Netanyahu added.
The announcement is expected to draw keen interest in Nigeria, where church leaders and advocates have repeatedly raised concerns about attacks on Christian communities in some parts of the country, and where Israel enjoys strong support among many Christian groups.
RaveNewsOnline reports that Netanyahu framed the “new front” not as a conventional military theatre but as an organised international effort to protect Christian minorities and to contest narratives he believes are hostile to Israel and the Judeo‑Christian heritage.
