An eight-year-old sermon by Rabbi Nir Ben Artzi, in which the popular mystic predicted that an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear program would obliterate the facilities “and nothing will happen to the Air Force,” resurfaced on social media over the weekend — just hours after Israel confirmed a major strike on Iranian military and atomic sites.

The 2017 video shows Ben Artzi telling congregants that if Israel chose to bomb Tehran’s reactors “no trace will remain” of the plants and that the Israel Defense Forces would emerge unscathed. He added that the IDF would “succeed in every operation in Lebanon or Iran,” crediting coming “miracles and wonders” and declaring that the arrival of the Messiah “son of David” was imminent.

On Friday, the rabbi released a new video that supporters are circulating as a follow-up to his earlier remarks. Standing before a Torah ark, Ben Artzi thanked God for granting Israel “air, sea and land forces” capable of carrying out the pre-dawn strike, calling Iran “almost a super-power” yet powerless against divine protection.

“See the strength the Holy One gave His children and soldiers,” he said.

“There are miracles and wonders for the IDF… Hamas will be afraid even to tweet.”

He argued that Israel’s show of force would not only deter Hamas but also “advance the return of the hostages home,” a reference to the 53 Israelis still held in Gaza since the October 7 massacre.

Prophecy, politics and a long public record

Ben Artzi, 63, delivers weekly sermons that mix Torah with apocalyptic forecasts and has often courted controversy. In 2019 he drew criticism for claiming that natural disasters in the United States were punishment for pressuring Israel over West Bank policy; in 2022 he predicted that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would end “the rule of Esau” and usher in redemption.

While many mainstream rabbis distance themselves from his analyses, Ben Artzi commands a sizable following among traditional Israelis who share clips of his teachings in WhatsApp groups. Within hours of Israel’s strike on Friday, the 2017 clip spread widely on X, with users calling it proof of “prophetic accuracy.” Critics countered that the rabbi’s language is often vague enough to fit any regional flare-up.