Israel, Syria boost military presence along border

Escalating moves from both sides amid war warnings from Damascus' officials

----------------------------------------------------------

Posted: July 23, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Aaron Klein
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=56798

GOLAN HEIGHTS – Israel has visibly beefed up its military presence here in the Golan Heights while neighboring Syria reportedly has placed its army on high alert and – for the first time in 30 years – has opened a strategic border road to civilian traffic in a move some Israeli security officials worry could help facilitate guerilla attacks against Golani Jewish communities.

The escalating military moves on both sides come as a top official from Syrian President Bashar Assad's Baath party warned in an interview if Israel doesn't vacate the strategic Golan Heights by August or September, Syrian guerrillas will launch "resistance operations" against the Golan's Jewish communities.

The Golan Heights is strategic mountainous territory looking down on Israeli population centers captured by Israel after Syria twice used the territory to attack the Jewish state.

A tour of the Golan Heights yesterday found multiple Israeli army positions local residents and soldiers stationed here say were established within the past few weeks. More tanks have been patrolling the area, with several tanks setting up shop in strategic positions looking down on Syria. Makeshift military outposts have been erected and Golan checkpoints fortified.

Several old Israeli Defense Forces military installations in the Golan were reopened the last two months. According to local soldiers, the installations have been largely unused since the 1980s.

In several Golan positions near the Syrian border, IDF tractors cleared the way in recent weeks so that tanks can amass in the area if needed, said soldiers stationed here.

On the Syrian side of the Golan Heights, multiple moves have been made Israeli security officials say are "concerning."

The security officials confirmed the stepped-up military presence of Syrian troops deployed near the Syrian side of the Golan Heights with strengthened forces after carrying out increased training the past few months. The security officials said Syria recently increased production of rockets and acquired missiles capable of hitting central Israeli population centers.

Last month, Syria removed a series of military checkpoints blocking off a main Damascus-Golan road to the border town of Quneitra, opening the road to civilian traffic for the first time since the 1967 Six Day War.

The road, visible from the Israeli side of the border, remained open to civilians yesterday with no presence of the Syrian military.


At a ceremony at which the road was reopened for civilians, Quneitra's governor, Nawaf al-Faris, a member of Assad's Baath party, gave a speech explaining "resistance" works to restore land.

"The resistance is the guarantee to restore land, rights and facing challenges and pressures to which the Arab nation is exposed," al-Faris stated, according to Syria's SANA news agency.

Israeli security officials say they are concerned the road can be used by militants seeking to attack the border area. One tank yesterday was positioned on a hilltop directly facing the road.

Speaking to WND on condition of anonymity, a top Baath official said a new purported guerrilla group called the Committees for the Liberation of the Golan Heights has been training and is ready to attacks against Jewish communities in the Golan in August or September.

The official said the Quneitra road is one of "many" routes in which the Committees can infiltrate the Golan.

In an interview last week, the Baath official warned Syria was preparing for war:

"More and more of our units have undergone intensive trainings starting at 6 a.m. and finishing late into the evening. If the need arises, we are ready for a war," said the official.

The official said Syria "learned from the Hezbollah experience last summer and we can have hundreds of missiles hitting Tel Aviv that will overwhelm Israel's anti-missile batteries."

He claimed Syria has "proof" Israel is also readying for a war.

"We hear about special Israeli trainings to take Damascus. We see that Israel is re-establishing bases of the Israeli army in the Golan that are unusual and not needed except for war. We believe the Israeli government has an interest in confronting Syria to rehabilitate its image of losing to Hezbollah," he said.

He said Syrian war preparations are so specific, the Syrian government has given its officials and top contacts alternative phone numbers to key government ministries in case the Damascus phone system is knocked out during an Israeli aerial bombardment.

He warned Syria may launch eminent "resistance."

"Syria passed repeated messages to the U.S. that we demand the return of the Golan either through negotiations or through war. If the Golan is not in our hands by August or September, we will be poised to launch resistance, including raids and attacks against Jewish positions (in the Golan Heights)," the Baath official said.

Israel: Syrian war preparations serious

Israeli security officials confirmed Syria has been strengthening its forces and noted the movement of Syrian Scud missiles near the border with Israel.

The Syrian army has improved its fortifications, according to the Israeli security officials, and has received modern, Russian-made anti-tank missiles similar to the missiles that devastated Israeli tanks during the last Lebanon war, causing the highest number of Israeli troop casualties during the 34 days of military confrontations. Syria also received from Russia advanced anti-aircraft missiles.

The security officials said any conflict with Syria could degenerate into a larger war involving Hezbollah along Israel's northern border and Palestinian terror groups launching attacks from Gaza in the south and the West Bank toward the center of Israel.

The officials noted Syria stepped up the pace of weapons, including rockets, being shipped from the Syrian border to the Lebanese Hezbollah militia.

The security officials said the greatest threats Syria poses to the Jewish state are the country's missiles and rockets. They noted Syria recently test-fired two Scud-D surface-to-surface missiles, which have a range of about 250 miles, covering most Israeli territory. The officials said the Syrian missile test was coordinated with Iran and is believed to have been successful. It is not known what type of warhead the missiles had.

In addition to longer-range Scuds, Syria is in possession of shorter-range missiles such as 220 millimeter and 305 millimeter rockets, some of which have been passed on to Hezbollah.

Israel also has information Syria recently acquired and deployed Chinese-made C-802 missiles, which were successfully used against the Israeli navy during Israel's war against Hezbollah one year ago. The missiles were passed to Syria by Iran, Israeli security officials told WND.

Israeli security officials said Syria is indeed preparing for a summer war. But they said there was an argument within the Israeli intelligence community whether the military buildup is for an attack or is meant by Syria to pressure Israel into vacating the Golan Heights. Some officials said Syria estimates the U.S. or Israel will attack Iran, and Syria will be drawn into a larger military confrontation by opening up a front against northern Israel. Also, the officials said, Syria may believe Israel will attack first and its preparations are defensive in nature.

The Israeli army is not taking any chances. The Israel Defense Forces last month reportedly carried out a mock attack on a "Syrian" village during a major exercise in the Negev. The Israeli soldiers besieged and occupied the village, designed to be similar to towns on the Syrian side of the Golan. Similar war exercises were carried out in Israel the past few months, including a mock attack on Damascus.

According to security officials, recent U.S. intelligence estimates also predict a strong possibility of war between Israel and Syria in the coming months.

Ahmadinejad: It's going to be a 'hot' summer

The reports of preparations for possible confrontations also come as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned during a rare visit to Syria last week that this summer will be "hot" and will bring defeat for the "region's enemies."

"We hope that the hot weather of this summer would coincide with similar victories for the region's peoples, and with consequent defeat for the region‘s enemies," Ahmadinejad said, standing alongside Assad.

Ahmadinejad claimed unspecified "enemies of the region" have "plans to attack the interests of this region." He urges those enemies to abandon their war plans "or they would be burned by the wrath of the region's peoples."

He described Syrian-Iranian relations as "amicable, excellent and extremely deep," stating the two countries have common stands on regional issues and face common enemies.
.................................................benny

US, Iran in "heated exchange" in rare talks

Published: 7/24/2007
http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=186830

WASHINGTON - US charges that Iran was spurring on sectarian strife in Iraq and fuelling terrorism in the Middle East led to tension and heated debate in rare talks Tuesday between the two arch enemies.

"There were several heated exchanges in the course of the day," US ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker, who led to the US side to the talks in Baghdad, told Washington-based reporters by telephone.

Tehran's envoy Hassan Kazemi Qomi headed the Iranian delegation in the talks that was also attended by a delegation of Iraqi officials led by Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari.

Crocker said the heated arguments erupted when he accused Iran of providing direct support to extremist militias -- both training and actual weapons -- and that Washington "got the proof."

Qomi "took exception to that," Crocker said, adding that a "brief summary" of the evidence was provided by the United States at the talks.

"I said we are not here to proof something in a court of law. We are here to let them know we know what they are doing and it needs to stop," he said.

Tensions also filled the air when Crocker raised Iran's alleged support for terrorism throughout the region, including for Hezbollah and Hamas, to which "they took exception."

He said the meeting could not be described as a "shouting match throughout" but the United States was "real clear" over "problems about their behavior."

Summarizing the talks as "difficult discussions," Crocker said the difficulty stemmed from "the lack of clear action on the ground to back Iran's stated policy" that it wanted to see security normalized in Iraq.

Iraqi leaders, including Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, had put a positive spin on the the second face-to-face encounter between the three parties since May, hailing what they said was the creation of a tripartite security committee.

But US envoy Ryan Crocker had downplayed the importance of the panel, and insisted that Tehran should be judged by results on the battlefield.

The talks were hosted by Maliki in his offices inside Baghdad's fortified Green Zone -- and area which US commanders say is bombarded daily with Iranian-made shells. He began the meeting with a brief speech.

.................................................benny

July 25, 2007
Syria, Israel to Go Ballistic?
by Michael G. Mickey
(7-25-07)

IsraelNationalNews.com is reporting that an anonymous senior official in the Syrian Ministry of Defense told Defense News Weekly recently that Syria sees the next war with Israel as one that will involve missile attacks on civilian infrastructure and front-line guerilla warfare.

Recently I've dedicated several commentaries to the possibility that we may be on the verge of seeing a war break out in the Middle East, potentially between Syria and Israel, that could see the prophet Isaiah's vision of Damascus, Syria being destroyed become a reality here in a world that has forgotten its God.



Isaiah 17:1: The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
How, exactly, will Israel respond if Syria begins launching missiles into its civilian population given the fact Israel knows the Syrians have a vast chemical weapons stockpile that could literally threaten Israel's existence? The answer is a frightening one to consider but the harsh reality is that Israel may have to resort to utilizing a ballistic missile of its own - one that will carry a nuclear warhead into the heart of radical Islamic terrorism, leaving one of its greatest strongholds a ruinous heap.

If that should happen, will the world awaken to the truth that is the prophetic Word of God? Sadly, I believe the answer is no. Even in that scenario I believe many, most likely as a result of the liberal media's bias against Israel and the Bible-believing Christian, will come to think that evangelical Christians and Israel are somehow plotting to make Bible prophecy come true instead of believing what is actually true, which is that no one - and I do mean NO ONE - can stop the prophetic Word of God from being fulfilled precisely as written. Why? Because God has made known unto us, through His Word, the end from the very beginning!


Isaiah 46:9-10: Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
You'd think people could look around them and see how Bible prophecy - all of it - is on the verge of being literally fulfilled all the way to Armageddon and beyond but most can't. That's why I take my work on this website so seriously.

Someone has to sound the alert that Jesus Christ is coming soon! It may as well be me - and you too..................................................................................................................benny

Just as Jonah was told by God to warn the people....he ran from God thinking that they were underserving to be warned...but God still had his way with Jonah and the people. God always, as a loving father, whom wishes none to perish but have everlasting life, warns us ahead of time.
God tells us that NO WEAPON FORMED AGAINST US SHALL PROSPER...so who knows but GOD, their weapons of mass destruction may fall upon their own heads..or weather related may ulter the direction, there are so many possiblilities with God and how he will handle the enemies that come against Israel. He is mighty, and his glory will be seen, and an army of angels are around HIM.... but there will always be the stiff-necked people who deny the glory of God....who honor men instead of God...This would be an opportunity for some political figure to stand up and take credit.
I pray for the enemies to have a change of heart, to TURN to Jesus before it's too late. I also pray for all unbeleivers that don't acknowledge Jesus our LORD IS KING.
What is impossible with man IS POSSIBLE with GOD...Fear not what man can do to you, but fear the LIVING GOD. It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of our Mighty God. I pray for the salvation of the peoples whose hearts have been hardened by endless doctrines of deceit and hate towards mankind and God.

Bushehr power plant to be put into operation early in 2008-Russia
26.07.2007, 16.23

I find it interesting that Ahmadi (Persia) has lots of money to throw to Assad (Syria) to convince him to not negotiate with Israel... and yet he is bouncing his checks to Putin (Russia). So, Assad goes shopping in Russia for military equipment, with his Iranian money.

Perhaps there will be a skirmish here with Iran and Syria so as to bring about the peace needed in Israel -cuz "peace" needs to exist (or atleast pretend to exist) in order to bring about Ezek 38,39.

I have said for a while now that it looks like we will have a skirmish of Israel VS. syria..(that will fulfill Isiah 17-Damascus becomes a ruinous heap)...this will lead to a short "peace'' that ends with Iran attacking Israel...gog magog......one thing I dont understand is this:if Israel knocks out damascus, surely iran would respond .....what would keep iran from responding? anybody got any ideas?

Christian Group Warns: Iran Wants to Hit Israel First, U.S. Next

Friday, July 27, 2007
By Sharon Kehnemui Liss
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,291078,00.html

Editor's Note: This article is the first in a two-part series on the Christians United for Israel conference in Washington, D.C., and the impact of evangelical support on U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East.

Washington was inundated with thousands of Christians last week, but unlike their usual marches to protest abortion rights and other social issues, these Christians had something else in mind: U.S. Middle East policy.

In fact, many seemed not to notice the hot, humid, cloudy weather — a typical July day in Washington — as they prepared to lobby Congress. They had just been energized by the preaching of Pastor John Hagee, who delivered an impassioned speech the night before in support of Israel.

• Visit FOXNews.com's Mideast Center for more in-depth coverage.

While a quiet man of gentle disposition, Hagee, who leads the 19,000-strong Cornerstone Church in San Antonio and heads Christians United for Israel, can quickly whip up the faithful. His words, while rich in biblical citation and religious imagery, aren't minced.

Night to Honor Israel Turns Into 26-Year Project "It is clear that Israel is in the greatest danger she has faced since six Arab armies tried to strangle the Jewish state in the birth canal in 1948," Hagee told the crowd at the conference's Night to Honor Israel gala. The event also featured former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu among others.

"The head of the beast of radical Islam in the Middle East is Iran and its fanatical president, Ahmadinejad," he continued. "Ahmadinejad believes if he starts a world war, the Islamic messiah will mysteriously appear and produce a global Islamic theocratic dictatorship.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are reliving history. It's 1938 all over again," he said. "Iran is Germany. Ahmadinejad is Hitler and Ahmadinejad, just like Hitler, is talking about killing the Jews."

While concerns about Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are spread far and wide in the U.S. and Israel, perspectives vary on what to do about it. The United States has recently lifted its 27-year diplomatic freeze on Tehran by meeting with Iranian officials to discuss security in Iraq -- a move that has won both praise and criticism in Washington, D.C.

But those diplomatic talks are single-minded in nature, and when it comes to Israel, several Jewish organizations in the United States hold that U.S. officials must do everything in their power to persuade the international community to pressure Iran to stop its nuclear ambitions.

"U.S. policy toward Iran should be to try to martial the rest of the world to apply sanctions to Iran so the Iranians will stop trying to pursue their program of nuclear weapons," said Neil Goldstein, executive director of the American Jewish Congress. "Nothing should be taken off the table."

"If diplomatic options, economic sanctions could work they could only work if there is a threat of another alternative," said Abe Foxman, head of the Anti-Defamation League. Otherwise, there is "absolutely no incentive to Iran to agree to adjust its plan" for developing nuclear weapons.

Hagee's supporters agree that Iran is the biggest existential threat to Israel.

"An enemy of Israel is an enemy of ours. We feel our country is threatened," said Julie Wineinger, a registered nurse from Davis, Calif.

"We must get our governments at the state level, at the city level to not invest money, our pension funds, in the Iranian regime," said Greg Stephens, a pastor at Father's House Church in El Cajon, Calif. "Florida has passed a law. California just did — and I need to make sure that passes both sides of the California legislature because we have got to shut off the money to a guy who wants to wipe Israel off the face of the earth, who denies the Holocaust. It is the late 1930s again in America, in our world, except this guy will have the bomb."

Hitler analogies usually draw universal criticism from Jewish groups, who complain that the comparison is frequently misused. But Foxman, whose group spends its days trying to prevent defamation of Jews, said this time it works.

"As a Holocaust survivor, I can understand it," Foxman said of Hagee's rhetoric. "Since 1938 there has been no head of state who has threatened the annihilation of the Jewish state, a Jewish state. ... It is historically appropriate to compare. ... Some people say it's somewhat hysterical, I don't think so."

"It's appropriate," Goldstein added. "Ahmadinejad has called for wiping Israel off the map, which is taken to mean he has genocidal intentions toward Israel."

But pacifist group Tikkun, a liberal Jewish organization in Los Angeles that advocates direct dialogue with Iran, expressed alarm at Hagee's words.

"Any language that compares Hitler or a current regime to Nazis" is a "false analogy," said Nichola Torbett, Tikkun director of national programs. "As far as I know, Iran hasn't killed 6 million people. ... so, that comparison doesn't hold up. ... We don't love [Ahmadinejad] other than the way in which we love everyone. We try to differentiate the person and his actions."

For his part, Hagee is equally outspoken when it comes to working with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose Fatah Party has been engaged in factional fighting with terrorist-designated Hamas. Hamas now controls Gaza while Abbas tries to strengthen his hold on the West Bank.

It "is an absolute waste of time," Hagee told FOXNews.com. "Abbas is controlled by Hamas. Hamas is a terrorist organization. If Abbas does anything that really irritates those terrorists, they'll shoot him. ... Hamas controls him, and when a terrorist controls you, if we give to others, to Abbas, Hamas will use it for their benefit."

Dajani argued that Hagee's judgment is unfair, since Abbas has never had the room to succeed.

"We've never really given Abbas a chance to prove whether his actions are as sincere as his words," said Dajani. "He was elected as president on a very clear platform — basically the intifada was a mistake, or the militarization of the intifada was a mistake, violence will never achieve statehood."

But Abbas has little or no control over many of the economic tools he could use to win over Palestinians, Dajani argued.

"His being able to deliver is related to his power to be able to deliver. In terms of improving [his odds for success], a lot has to do with what Israel and the United States give him — deliverables. ... I think now there's a new urgency in the air to support him meaningfully," he said.

"It's a judgment, it's not a crazy judgment," Foxman said of Hagee's conclusions on the Palestinian Authority president.

He added that Israel must take responsibility for the coming successes or failures of working with Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen.

"That's a judgment that the state of Israel has to make first and foremost with the advice and support of the United States. ... And both have decided to try the option of strengthening Abu Mazen and the Palestinian Authority," Foxman said

At the end of the day, he said, for everyone's sake, he hopes Hagee is wrong. "God forbid if he's right."

No Ulterior Motives?

Hagee and his supporters acknowledge that Jewish skepticism of CUFI's intentions is not unwarranted. Christians have given Jews reason to worry in the past — about both their physical well-being and religious freedom, said Victor Styrsky, California director of Christians Standing With Israel and CUFI.

Dropping Hebrew and Yiddish into much of the discussion on Israel, Styrsky said he is not surprised by the suspicion he has encountered when he approaches Jews.

"Throughout history, the Jew has risen up in every circumstance he found himself only to be cast down by the goyim around him. Martin Luther, the patriarch of the Protestant faith, wrote: '[On] the Jews and Their Lies,'" he said.

But the evangelical community today is different from its historical Christian counterparts, Styrsky said, because evangelicals do not read the bible as a metaphor, and therefore must acknowledge Jews are the chosen people of God.

Styrsky and Hagee also emphasize that they are not interested in converting Jews, a position that puts them at odds with some other Christian faiths and has been part of the reason for Jewish skepticism throughout the centuries.

"Most people do not understand eschatology at all, period," Hagee said. "Many preachers do not understand it well enough to teach it, and there's nothing in the Bible that's more twisted than eschatology. But I can assure you that eschatology has nothing to do with our support for Israel."

"That is not Christian theology," Styrsky said. "That thought is nowhere in there."

Foxman, who has dedicated his life to securing Jews' civil and religious freedom, said Hagee has pledged time and time again that no strings are attached to his mission. Assuming Hagee is true to his word, Jews should be glad for the help.

"I think Israel needs friends and supporters. Certainly, it doesn't have it in Europe, it doesn't have it in Latin America, so any group that shows advocacy and support and embrace, we welcome ... as long as that embrace and support doesn't come with strings attached," he said.

He added that those Jews who are concerned about End of Days scenarios — that Christians just want Jews in Israel to fulfill the messianic prophecy — shouldn't worry so much. He compared the Christian-Jewish arrangement to politics, wherein candidates seek support of voters in exchange for representation of their positions.

"If they have an ulterior motive to have the second coming, they're entitled as long as they don't require us" to go along with it, Foxman said. "They are entitled as long as they don't make it conditioned to us to accept their other agenda, which is Christ."
__________________
............................................benny

Maybe Iran does respond but Iran doesn't have a nuclear warhead on a ballistic missile - maybe they'll just rain down conventional missiles on Isreal (hitting all the cities referred to as Aroer) - to which the 3 US Carriers in the Persian Gulf respond (and maybe thereby take out Iran's nuclear threat)

the result of which -maybe a peace treaty is signed... so as to bring some peace to Israel... so as to bring about Ez 38 and 39 (cuz we know Iran would remain really angry about their nuclear destructions).


Isa 17:1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
2 The cities of Aroer are forsaken: they shall be for flocks, which shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid.
3 The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria: they shall be as the glory of the children of Israel, saith the LORD of hosts.

QUOTE

Aroer: A town on the north bank of the Arnon (Deuteronomy 4:48; Judges 11:26)
(2 Kings 10:33) the southern boundary of the kingdom of Sihon
(Joshua 12:2) It is now called Arair, 13 miles west of the Dead Sea.

another defintion:
AROER
1. A city of the Amorites in the valley of the river Arnon, Deut. 4:48.
Conquered by Israelites, Deut. 2:36; 3:12; Judg. 11:26.
Taken by Hazael, 2 Kin. 10:33.
2. A city built, or, probably more correctly, rebuilt, by the Gadites, Num. 32:34; Josh. 13:25.
Jephthah kills the Ammonites at, Judg. 11:33.
3. A city in Judah, 1 Sam. 30:28.
Birthplace of two of David's heroes, 1 Chr. 11:44.

(this would make it Jordan though a Moab kind of thing)
Of course Wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aroer says:
Aroer (Hebrew: ערוער‎) is a town on the north bank of the River Arnon to the east of the Dead Sea.

The town was an ancient Moabite settlement, and is mentioned in the Bible.

"Aroer, which is on the edge of the valley of Arnon" (Deut. ii. 36), is probably represented by the present ruins of 'Arzā'ir on the north bank of the Arnon ravine, about eleven miles (18 kilometres) from the mouth of the river (Tristram, "Moab," pp. 129-131). The city was still standing in the time of Eusebius. This place was usually described by its situation, in order to distinguish it from other localities of the same name (Deut. iii. 12, iv. 48; Josh. xii. 2, xiii. 9; Judges xi. 26; II Sam. xxiv. 5).

'course maybe that is why vs 4-6 exist... those missiles fall on the valley of Rephaim v5 (sw of Jersalem)...

4 And in that day it shall come to pass, that the glory of Jacob shall be made thin, and the fatness of his flesh shall wax lean.
5 And it shall be as when the harvestman gathereth the corn, and reapeth the ears with his arm; and it shall be as he that gathereth ears in the valley of Rephaim.
6 Yet gleaning grapes shall be left in it, as the shaking of an olive tree, two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the outmost fruitful branches thereof, saith the LORD God of Israel.

the valley of Rephaim is probably part of the SW of Jerusalem today...

'course I haven't really thought about Iran having a neutron bomb... and sending it to rephaim...

sounds like a logical theory...Iran does respond but not with the magog invasion....doesnt sound like iran will use nukes at magog invasion...so maybe they dont have em then.....

July 27, 2007
The Brink of Damascus' Destruction
by Michael G. Mickey
(7-27-07)

Only two days ago I wrote on the topic of how Isaiah's prophecy of the destruction of Damascus may be on the verge of fulfillment but I feel I must revisit the issue yet again, in light of a World Tribune article brought to my attention by a reader of my site.

The headline of the story shows just how close we may be to the end of Damascus' reign as the world's longest continually-inhabited city:

"Hundreds of Syrian missiles poised for possible first strike against Israel"
The article opens as follows:
Despite appeals by United States, Syria has maintained its forward ballistic missile positions near Israel.

Israeli military sources said the Syrian military has positioned its Scud C and Scud D ballistic missile batteries in southern Syria. The sources said the missile batteries have maintained full combat readiness and could be launched at any time.

The sources said the Syrian missiles, including the SS-21, could reach virtually any part of the Jewish state.
The article indicates that, on July 24th, high-ranking members of the Israeli government were advised that Syria's heightened state of readiness may indicate that Syria is actively preparing to make a first strike on Israel.

The article further states that Israel is doing everything within its power to lower tensions but Syria is not responding. It is for this reason that I believe we may be at the very brink of Damascus' destruction as prophesied by the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 17:1:
The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
If this is the appointed season when that horrific event is going to take place, I pray that all those in Damascus who are receptive to the gospel of Jesus Christ will be led out of harm's way by the Lord and that God will bestow His mercy upon all who are worthy of avoiding that terrible day which we know is to come.

Even so Father, may thy will be done upon the earth as it is in heaven!

Maranatha! .........................................benny

Iran May Be Closer To Nukes Than Thought
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April 26, 2007
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(AP / CBS)


Quote

"The Israelis have long believed that Iran is closer than U.S. intelligence believes it is. If they now hear that the Americans think it's getting closer as well, it puts pressure on Israel to take its own action."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Former CIA officer Bruce Riedel


(CBS) CBS News has learned that a new intelligence report says Iran has overcome technical difficulties in enriching uranium and could have enough bomb-grade material for a single nuclear weapon in less than three years.

U.S. intelligence officials caution that before Iran could meet or beat that 2010 date, it would have to make further technical progress in operating a uranium enrichment plant now under construction, reports CBS News national security correspondent David Martin.

As a result, there is no change in the official estimate that it will take Iran until 2015 to become a nuclear power. But David Albright, a leading expert, thinks that doesn't give Iranian scientists enough credit.

"I think Iran can get enough highly enriched uranium for a nuclear weapon sooner than that," Albright says. "I think the 2015 number reflects too much skepticism about Iran's technical capabilities, and they are making progress."

Although U.S. intelligence still considers an Iranian nuclear weapon by 2010 as a worst-case scenario, Pentagon officials say the new report narrows the window in which Israel might launch a preemptive strike against Iran, as it did in 1981 against an Iraqi nuclear reactor.

Israel is the country most threatened by the prospect of an Iranian nuclear weapon. Former CIA officer Bruce Riedel says this latest intelligence would increase the chances of an Israeli strike launched with American-built warplanes.

"The Israelis have long believed that Iran is closer than U.S. intelligence believes it is," Riedel says. "If they now hear that the Americans think it's getting closer as well, it puts pressure on Israel to take its own action."

Riedel adds that an Israeli strike would be seen in Iran as no different from an American strike and could involve the U.S. in a war against a much tougher opponent than Iraq.

In Tehran, CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer reports the nuclear program is a matter of national pride.

A few weeks ago, president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gathered reporters at the main nuclear plant in Natanz to boast that his country now could enrich uranium on an industrial scale.

But what exactly does that mean?

In the enrichment process, scientists feed uranium gas into linked centrifuges. Iranian officials hint that they have 3,000 centrifuges working at Natanz. But international atomic energy commission inspectors — who toured the plant last month — are reported to have seen less than half that many working — 1,300 — and only a few had uranium gas in them.

Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only — to make fuel for power plants being built in Iran by the Russians.

Two years ago, Palmer and her CBS News crew were the first Western reporters to be shown the heavy water plant at Arak, which the Iranians say is for making medical radioactive isotopes.

The trouble is few world leaders are convinced and at the moment there is no surefire way of checking until — perhaps — it's too late.
.......................................benny

DEBKA Reports: Iran buys 250 long-distance Sukhoi fighter-bombers, 20 fuel tankers, from Russia

July 27, 2007, 2:54 PM (GMT+02:00)





Tehran and the Russian Rosoboronexport arms group are about to sign a mammoth arms deal running into tens of billions of dollars for the sale to Tehran of 250 Su-30MKM warplanes and 20 IL-78 MKI fuel tankers. DEBKAfile’s military sources report Iran has stipulated delivery of the first aircraft before the end of 2007.

The transaction, Russia’s largest arms deal in 30 years, will endow Iran with a long-range aerial assault capability. The Sukhoi can sustain a four-and-a-half hour raid at its maximum range of 3,000 km against long-distance, marine and low-lying ground targets across the Persian Gulf and Middle East, including Israel and Lebanon.

The fuel tankers extends the Su-30MKM’s assault sustainability to 10 hours and its range to 8,000 km at altitudes of 11-13 km. The closest comparable plane in the West is the American F-15E fighter bomber. Iran’s acquisition of an exceptionally large fleet of the Russian fighter-bomber will elevate its air force to one of the two largest and most advanced in the region, alongside the Israeli Air Force.

Iranian air crews are already training on the new Sukhoi aircraft, ready to start flying them early next year with only a short delay after delivery. DEBKAfile’s sources report that Moscow is selling Tehran the same Sukhoi model as India received earlier this year. The Iranians leaned hard on New Delhi to let them have the Israeli avionics and electronics the Indian Air Force had installed in the Russian craft. India refused.

Russia began delivering the same craft in June to Malaysia, which also sought Israeli avionics without success. The Su-20MKM has won the nickname of “Islamic Version of Sukhoi.”

Its two-member crew shares the workload. The first pilot flies the aircraft, controls weapons and maneuvers the plane in a dogfight. The co-pilot employs BVR air-to-air and air-to-ground guided weapons in long-range engagements, sweeps the arena for enemy craft or missiles and performs as command-and-control in group missions.

Some of the plane’s systems are products of the French Thales Airborne Systems company. Moscow’s contract with Tehran for the sale of the Su-30MKM must therefore be cleared with Paris.

There is no decision in Jerusalem about asking Paris to withhold its consent to a deal which would substantially upgrade the long-range air assault capabilities of the Islamic Republic whose leaders want to wipe Israel off the map. However, President Nicolas Sarkozy is in mid-momentum of a diplomatic drive in the Arab and Muslim world and unlikely to be receptive to an Israeli approach. The only chance of aborting the Russian sale would be to route the approach through Washington.
............................................benny

DEBKAfile Exclusive: USS Enterprise Strike Group passes through Suez Canal early Saturday after joint maneuver with French Charles De Gaulle carrier in Mediterranean

July 27, 2007, 11:10 PM (GMT+02:00)


French Rafale M fighter takes off from USS Enterprise deck


Egyptian forces were deployed to secure the waterway for the passage of USS nuclear carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65), en route for the Persian Gulf. Monday, July 23, the group entered the Mediterranean for joint maneuvers with the French Charles De Gaulle carrier.

Rafale M fighters took off from its deck, touched down briefly on Enterprise runways and returned to the parent ship. This is the first time ever that French fighter-bombers have landed on an American carrier and used its facilities.

DEBKAfile’s Middle East and Washington sources say that the closely integrated maneuver is part of the growing cooperation between the Bush administration and the new Nicolas Sarkozy presidency on burning Middle East issues.

DEBKAfile’s sources have previously pointed to a dramatic opening-up of interchanges between Paris, Tehran and Hizballah. They now affirm that this new track was launched with tacit approval from Washington.

Friday, July 27, on the heels of the joint naval-aerial exercise, French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner arrived in Beirut for a visit prepared by France’s former ambassador in Damascus, Jean-Claude Cousseran. Early next week, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrive in Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Rice will also visit Jerusalem and Ramallah.

The contours are thus emerging of a division of labor whereby the United States concentrates on Iraq, the Persian Gulf and the Israel-Palestinian dispute, leaving France to deal directly with Iran, Syria and Lebanon. Sarkozy and his emissaries move into position as the potential go-between for Washington and Tehran, while Britain’s Tony Blair acts for the Quartet to mold Palestinian institutions of government.

The gambit on which Washington and Paris have embarked together takes into account Iran’s elevated standing as a topnotch Middle East power. This partnership and the new horizon opening up were explored in detail in the latest DEBKA-Net-Weekly out this Friday.

The evolving Washington-Paris track has a negative potential for Israel, which the Olmert government has been slow to appreciate.

.........................................benny

WAR - Latest Bruce Beach 7/28 and 7/29

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The week started off so slow
that by mid-week
I thought I might not even
write a newsletter.

The 9th of AV
turned out to be
the 9th of 'nuthin'.

The Syrian fortifications
are still of course in place -
and they have still opened the roads
towards the Golan Heights -
where the Israelis have now concentrated
a lot military power.

But what was that thing -
about all the Syrians getting out
of Lebanon,
but now returning.
One plot tied it into the sinking
of the North Korean ship
carrying nuclear materials to Iran.
Story line says that
they were to make a stop in Beirut -
and demonstrate their nuke stuff.

Not likely.
But the US Navy sunk them anyhow -
killed some sailors
rescued some others
and sent divers down to the ship -
so who knows what it was all about.
I haven't heard anyone in
North Korea
Iran or
Syria complaining -
so maybe there was something to it.

And then there was that BIG
Nazarallah exclusive on AlJeezra.
Another BIG flop for my part.
Same old -
same old
shout, shout, shout -
and nothing happened.

So many, many, many times
down through the years -
events have seemed to portend ....
well you know what -
but then nothing -
like at the ends of Ramadan
or many other special dates.

So -
the week was seemingly a flop -
when a number of news items
flipped onto the scene.

Debka came out with a story
about a 250 plane purchase
by Iran from Russia

http://tinyurl.com/3ana6z

Tehran and the Russian Rosoboronexport arms group are about to sign a
mammoth arms deal running into tens of billions of dollars for the sale to
Tehran of 250 Su-30MKM warplanes and 20 IL-78 MKI fuel tankers. DEBKAfile's
military sources report Iran has stipulated delivery of the first aircraft
before the end of 2007.

I don't think so.
I think someone is
stirring the pot.

If it were true -
then these are very powerful planes
and would cause a major shift
among the Middle East countries
military powers.

I don't think Israel
would let it happen -
but then I didn't think
that Israel would let
the Russian TORs be delivered
to Iran -
but they were.

----------

Still Russia and Iran
are not on that good a footing
at this moment.

http://tinyurl.com/2erxrx

Moscow's decision to postpone the completion of a 1,000-megawatt reactor in
Bushehr, Iran, has shocked Tehran and is bound to bring Russia-Iran
relations to a crisis point, this at a time when neither country can afford
to have such a negative impact on their geostrategic considerations.

----------
And not only that:

http://tinyurl.com/2jcux7

As neighbors who share only maritime borders in the Caspian Sea, Russia and
Iran are also at odds over the division of the water and its resources.
Marathon negotiations among the littoral states over a new legal regime for
the Caspian have been deadlocked for many years and, certainly, the
worsening political climate due to the nuclear rift will further complicate
this matter.

President Vladimir Putin has not hesitated in flexing Russia's naval might
in the Caspian to coerce the Iranians on the contested issue of Caspian
ownership and, with alarming signs of a full-fledged crisis in Iran-Russia
relations, he (and his successor) may be inclined to make more use of that
leverage.

----------
So -
I doubt Debka on this one -
about their getting new planes
from Russia.

Yep,
make a big down payment
and hope -
like they are hoping
for their nuclear reactor.

Iran is having lots of problems.
(Just as is
US
Russia
China
Europe
and most anyone else you can name.

In Iran however -

"A decline in oil production, economic sanctions preventing the country from
importing gasoline, an unemployment rate of over 30%, an inflation rate of
over 20%, and the government having to resort to redenomination. All of
which give Iran's clergymen two choices as the next course of action: either
they content themselves with what the future holds, i.e. the same fallout as
the USSR, or they can turn to adventurism. They are, of course, pursuing the
latter by investing money and arms in Shiaa allies from Basra through
Beirut, with some Sunni "customers" getting the same special treatment, such
as Hamas and the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine.

For Iran, it is only a matter of time. Sparked by Ahmadinejad's decision to
impose fuel rationing, protests and riots have broken out in a number of
cities in Iran. In some, protesters set petrol stations and government-owned
banks on fire in an angry backlash against the decision. Iran hasn't
witnessed such violent protests since the 1999 student riots. These riots
have compelled Ahmadinejad to declare states of emergency in 22 cities and
to deploy thousands of police officers and security forces in the country's
major cities in order to suppress the violence.

http://tinyurl.com/2omw9d

Okay -
so just like with the Debka article -
you have to consider the source
of the above viewpoint.

The source of that article
is the expatriates -
and things may not be really that glum
for Iran -
but even if they are -
then I am more likely to think
that it would lead to
the wag the dog scenario
rather than some peaceful resolution
for the US and Israel.

http://tinyurl.com/2jcux7

----------

As I have just said -
times are tough everywhere -
and now this from a source
for which you can take it as
the Gospel Truth.

Iraqi government in deepest crisis

US and Iraqi officials are trying to prevent complete disintegration.

http://tinyurl.com/23eq2n

Baghdad - Iraq is in the throes of its worst political crisis since the fall
of Saddam Hussein with the new democratic system, based on national
consensus among its ethnic and sectarian groups, appearing dangerously close
to collapsing, say several politicians and analysts.

This has brought paralysis to governmental institutions and has left
parliament unable to make headway on 18 benchmarks Washington is using to
measure progress in Iraq, including legislation on oil revenue sharing and
reforming security forces.

And the disconnect between Baghdad and Washington over the urgency for
solutions is growing. The Iraqi parliament is set for an August vacation as
the Bush administration faces pressure to show progress in time for a
September report to Congress.

At the moment, Iraqi politicians are simply trying to keep the government
from disintegrating.

----------

Yep,
it just gets better and better -
or hotter and hotter -
over there in the Middle East.

http://tinyurl.com/2zfry7

"More than 6,000 sailors and Marines with the Kearsarge Expeditionary Strike
Group will leave Naval Station Norfolk and Naval Amphibious Base Little
Creek next week, bound for the Middle East.

They are taking with them:

1. The USS Kearsarge, an amphibious assault ship;

2. the Ponce, an amphibious transport ship;

3. the Gunston Hall, a dock landing ship,

4. the Porter, a guided-missile destroyer,

5. the Carr, a guided-missile frigate,

6. an attack submarine from Connecticut

7. a guided-missile cruiser from Florida

8. the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit,

9. a helicopter squadron

10. and a combat logistics battalion.

----------

So,
when they get there -
to join the four carriers -
each with their supporting fleets -
and the additional FOUR strike forces
that are already hovering in the area
they will find that
the Iraqi Congress will be on vacation.

But no matter -
so will the US Congress be on vacation
from August 6 - September 3

I guess we are just sending the boys off to camp -
while the elders are away
on vacation.

----------

Lots of firsts taking place.

July 26,

The USS nuclear carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65), en route for the Persian
Gulf, entered the Mediterranean Sea Monday July 23 for joint maneuvers with
the French Charles De Gaulle carrier. Rafale M fighters took off from its
deck, touched down briefly on Enterprise runways and returned to the parent
ship. This is the first time ever that French fighter-bombers have landed on
an American carrier and used its facilities.

http://tinyurl.com/2b6397

----------

Last week I told you
that the upcoming LARGEST ever exercise
by the Indian Navy -
with its carriers
will be a combined exercise
with the US Navy
which is bring in a special US carrier
from the Pacific.

When you add up all the major carriers
plus the task force carriers
which handle short takeoff aircraft
and helicopters -
and the carriers of the other nations
there must be more than a dozen
converging on the Middle East
for the boys' summer camp activities.

Adding to that the hundreds of other
support ships -
they are having trouble
not running into each other -
and that is not an exaggeration.

----------

I have no idea
whether there is anything
up for August or September -
but obviously -
a lot of powerful involved people
are going on vacation -
and not worrying about it.

I am sure
that a lot of the US troops
who are getting extended duty over there
would like to take a break
and go on vacation also -
and if there is nothing that important happening -
I don't see why they shouldn't be given one.

May not be anything happening
over in the Middle East -
but LOTS is happening at Ark Two.
When I thought that I wasn't going to have
anything else to write about -
then I thought if I was going to write
that I would write about that.

Well,
maybe next week will be a quiet week -
and I will have a chance
to talk about all that then.

But -
I wouldn't count on it.
Even the stock market could make news.

Peace and love,
Bruce
DawnSayer@webpal.org
................................................benny

http://www.hallindsey.org/ ......video about temple priests,and red heifer............................benny

The Next Mid-East War
There is much talk of war in the Middle East brewing just beneath the surface of international diplomacy these days. This is right in line with all the other signals of where we likely stand on God’s prophetic timeline.

There is one active war between the U.S., Iraq , and some coalition nation forces versus the terrorists that mainstream media call “insurgents,” militants,” and other softball names--thus, to attempt to get their readers, viewers, and listeners to infer that George W. Bush is waging war against indigenous patriots.

Jesus said there will be wars and rumors of wars, along with the many other birthpang-like convulsions going on just before He intervenes into the madness mankind has created on Planet Earth. That conflict, as troubling as it is, pales in comparison to the war that is rumored on its way to erupting at any moment. Certainly, we have wars and rumors of wars in the Mid-East region. From Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Iran, and Lebanon, to Israel, Egypt and most others of the region come rumors of a war that might be unstoppable, once begun.

The war in Iraq that is the nucleus, for the moment, of the war on terrorism worldwide, despite those who claim there is no such threat as global terrorism, is, these charge, nothing less than Bush’s attempt to inflict America’s hegemony over the oil-producing nations of the region.

The seriousness of the rumors of other, more ominous, wars are punctuated by the swift movement of Tony Blair directly into the new position of mediator/negotiator for the “Quartet.” There are good reasons for their wanting to head off a major war between Israel and those terrorist-laden nations surrounding the Jewish state. Those hate-filled enemies once again threaten to attack the tiny state as in 1948, 1956, 1967, and 1974 –not to mention lesser assaults throughout the intervening history such as occurred last summer.

The desire to head off nuclear defensive strikes by Israel are central to the concerns of the powers elite. And, although many complex issues are involved in the brewing war, the honest observer must conclude that it is Middle East oil that is the biggest concern of the powers that be. The powers represented by the Quartet –the U.S., EU, Russia, and U.N.--must keep the oil pumping, the spigots open, and the channels of transport open at all costs.

The United States now imports far more oil than it produces. The environmentalist-socialist movements want no more drilling, for what good reasons, no one can explain. But, lawmakers seem oblivious to America’s need to become energy independent. And, they are obviously cowed by the senseless call for the nation to become totally global in thinking –including the call to hurt ourselves so the have-not countries can catch up. An insane idea at best, a traitorous course of action at worst.

The European Union imports most of its oil from Russia, who is also dependent on others for its own oil –particularly petroleum from the Middle East. The U.N. is desperate to continue to dupe the world of diplomats that matter that they are relevant--that they still serve a purpose, particularly that of “peace-maker.” Without oil revenues from member countries –and the American taxpayer in large part--their income base for supporting their ruse will begin to dry quickly.

While the rumors of weapons stockpiling for a, perhaps, imminent attack from Israel’s enemies grow –and I get them in profusion every day from news sources around the world—pressures grow for Israel to give in to land for peace. This, despite history’s proof such transactions have not worked, except in a quasi-way when Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, and Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat came to a meeting of the minds in 1978. Even this ended in disaster for the Egyptian leader, who was murdered by fellow Islamics for his dealing with the greatly hated Israel.

Despite that history, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert seems to ignore the preparations for war at every point of the map north and east of Jerusalem. One news report presents in excerpts below matters involved in the proposal of giving more land for peace:

“Prime Minister Ehud Olmert confirmed Wednesday that he intends to engage in negotiations with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on the formation of a Palestinian state. Olmert was responding to a Haaretz report, according to which he offered to hold negotiations toward an 'Agreement of Principles' for the establishment of a Palestinian state comprised of the Gaza Strip and most of the West Bank…According to surveys, Olmert knows that the Israeli public is overwhelmingly supportive of a two-state solution, and that the current balance of power in the Knesset will allow him to rally a firm majority of 82 MKs behind such an agreement… The likely principles that Olmert will offer as part of the agreement will be the establishment of a Palestinian state comprising about 90 percent of the territory of the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip… The Palestinians will be able to declare Jerusalem their capital…” ("Arab ministers in Israel for land-for-peace talks" www.reuters.com, 7/25/07).

The Quartet’s intention is to calm raging hatreds and assert peace in the region so the oil can continue to flow. Israel wants only to survive and have its rightful place among the nation-states of the world. The antagonist Arab-Islamic nations want Israel and every Jew gone, PERIOD. Peace and safety, because of this last point, can’t happen before the true peacemaker –the Prince of Peace-- comes to earth.

Some form of acquiescence to the pressures brought to bear upon God’s chosen nation in the last days will take place. Here’s God’s Word on that coming to pass, and the terrible judgment associated with its fulfillment: “I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land” (Joel 3:2).

Here’s what will happen someday when Israel gives in to its enemies and allows God’s land to be divided, according to Bible prophecy:

“For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape” (1Thess. 5:3).

War is brewing, although at the moment, it's only a very troubling rumor. There will be a “next” war; that is a prophetically guaranteed matter –as good as already accomplished. Whether the next major conflict is the one that will move the world into tribulation we will perhaps know soon. If it is the time of the peace made with death and hell (Isaiah, Chapter 28) Christians will watch it from the portals of heaven.

--Terry

...........................................benny

Monday, July 30, 2007
RUSSIA'S NEW ARMS DEAL WITH IRAN



UPDATED: Russia and Iran continue to strengthen their military ties, while Vladimir Putin and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad continue to draw closer as strategic allies....in December 2005, Russia sold Iran $1 billion worth of missiles, after years of selling submarines and other advanced weapons systems to the radical Islamic regime....the latest reports indicate that "Russia plans to sell 250 advanced long-range Sukhoi-30 fighter jets to Iran in an unprecedented billion-dollar deal"....what's more, the Jerusalem Post reports that "in addition to the fighter jets, Teheran also plans to purchase a number of aerial fuel tankers that are compatible with the Sukhoi and capable of extending its range by thousands of kilometers"....Israeli defense officials say the deal will give the radical Iranian regime enhanced "long-range offensive capabilities"....the U.S., meanwhile, has offered Israel some $30 billion in new weapons over the next ten years, an increase in military aid from $2.4 billion to $3 billion a year....Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice says the U.S. is also offering military aid packages to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and several Gulf states (the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman) to "bolster forces of moderation and support a broader strategy to counter the negative influences of Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, Syria, and Iran" she said....Israeli officials, however, are concerned by the U.S. offer of $20 billion in weapons to the Saudis....they note that should there be an overthrow of the current Saudi regime, such advanced weaponry could fall into the hands of radical Islamic jihadists....Russia's arms sales to Iran should raise alarms inside the White House and among Congressional leaders. Russia under Putin's leadership has joined the "Axis of Evil," selling dangerous weapons systems not just to Iran but to North Korea in recent years as well. But is something else happening, too?...as we explain in the new Epicenter DVD, a growing number of evangelicals are concerned that the intensifying military and political alliance between Russia and Iran could be a sign of the approaching fulfillment of the prophecies found in Ezekiel 38-39, what Bible scholars describe as the "War of Gog and Magog"....after all, Ezekiel 36-37 foretold the rebirth of the State of Israel in the "last days," the Jewish people returning to the Holy Land after centuries of exile, and the rebuilding of the ancient ruins in the Promised Land....sure enough, all of this has come true in the past six decades, raising the possibility that Ezekiel 38-39 could come true in our lifetime as well....let me be clear: I believe that it is too soon to draw such a definitive conclusion that the fulfillment of these prophecies is imminent....still, it is true that until now, Russia and Iran have not had an alliance of the sort the Bible foretold in the 2,500 years since Ezekiel wrote the prophecies....it is also true that this alliance is heating up quite quickly now....it is not surprising, therefore, that interest in these prophecies are growing....it's a story worth watching closely.
HEADLINES TO TRACK:
* EPICENTER DVD now 30% off at Barnes & Noble
* WSJ op-ed: Don Putin To understand today's Russia, read "The Godfather"
* Gorbachev defends Putin's methods: Last Soviet leader says Russia's president, authoritarian at times, is trying to save the country for a democratic future
* Russia Announces Delay in Completion of Iranian Nuclear Plant
* Abbas to seek Putin's support in Moscow talks
* Hamas to Show an Improved Hand: Organization Aims to Capitalize On Intelligence Gains From Gaza Takeover
* Peres says Ahmadinejad worships bomb over God
* Iran denies arms deal with Syria
* Novak: Pentagon's plan to keep Turkey from invading Iraq
* Olmert approval rating at only 8%
* Nearly 5,000 evangelicals gather in D.C. to stand with Israel
* Left-wing blogger blasts Rev. John Hagee's efforts to stand with Israel

posted by Joel C. Rosenberg @ 12:59 PM
.................................................benny

JPost.com » Middle East » Article


Aug. 1, 2007 9:00 | Updated Aug. 1, 2007 9:02
Assad: We won't bargain even for a crumb of land
By JPOST.COM STAFF
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Syria wants to retrieve the Golan Heights to the "last crumb of earth," President Bashar Assad wrote in a missive to his military, Israel Radio reported Wednesday.

Assad said Syria would not bargain for its land, and that the country was now stronger militarily and "not afraid of any country's threats."

The Syrian president's statements, written Tuesday, contrast with statements made concurrently by his foreign minister, Walid al Moallem, who said Syria was ready to take part in a US-sponsored international Mideast peace conference to be held later this year.

Moallem said Syria would join the conference despite the country's stance that Washington's upgrading of its arms sales to Israel is causing instability in the Middle East.Print Subscribe
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..............................................benny

August 1, 2007
More than half of Syrians want peace?
by Michael G. Mickey
(8-1-07)

As soon as I read the following headline, I started digging for the punch line as I knew there had to be one: Poll: 51% of Syrians favor peace with Israel for Golan pullout. Needless to say, it didn't take long for me to find it.

Even though 51% of those polled say they favor peace with Israel in return for getting the Golan Heights, "the poll also revealed that three-fourths of Syrians support financial assistance for Iraqi fighters, the Palestinian groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad, as well as the militant group Hezbollah which Israel fought in Lebanon last summer."

So, do 51% of Syrians want peace with Israel or do 75% of them want to see Israel eventually destroyed after a brief hudna, the Muslim equivalent of a cease-fire?

Psalm 83:1-4: Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God. For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head. They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones. They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.

Today, as in times of old, the enemies of Israel are gathered in confederacy against the Father. Sadly, this isn't going to change regardless of how many promises of peace are made.

As Matthew Henry once put it, those who surround Israel today are "against the Israel of God, and so, in effect, against the God of Israel." They're picking a fight they can't possibly win.

Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

...........................................benny

USS Enterprise arrives in Mideast as Navy scales down Gulf presence

The Associated Press
August 1, 2007

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/...lf-US-Navy.php

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates: The USS Enterprise aircraft carrier group arrived in the Middle East on Wednesday, replacing two carriers that had left the Gulf after a monthslong deployment aimed at sending a signal of strength to Iran.

The U.S. 5th Fleet's headquarters in Bahrain confirmed that the USS John C. Stennis and the USS Nimitz carriers were returning to their home ports of Bremerton, Washington, and San Diego, California.
Nimitz was the last of the two carriers to leave the Middle East's restless waters in mid-July, the Navy said.

After a much publicized U.S. military buildup in the Persian Gulf, where the Navy kept a two carrier presence since February, there was at least a week with no U.S. carrier patrolling the area, although there were other Navy vessels in the theater during that week.

"We still had enough ships and air forces available during a weeklong absence of the carrier, so our response capabilities were not diminished," Navy spokeswoman Lt. Denise Garcia said in Manama, Bahrain.

Today in Africa & Middle East
Mugabe's decree on prices puts Zimbabwe economy in a tailspinSaudis consider diplomatic engagement with IsraelBombs kill dozens in Baghdad
Rear Adm. Daniel Holloway, Enterprise's commander, said Wednesday that the Navy remains "committed to demonstrate our nation's resolve to maintain security and stability to the region."

But the arrival of USS Enterprise, with its fleet of 5,500 sailors and Marines, 70 attack, fighter and detection planes, as well as four helicopters, reflects that the Navy is scaling down its Gulf presence, as the ship group will be the lone carrier for at least three months, until USS Harry S. Truman is deployed in the fall.

The Nimitz and John C. Stennis with 15,000 sailors and Marines between them have since February conducted two major exercises off Iran's coast.

The war games were clear U.S. muscle flexing at a time when Tehran increasingly came at loggerheads with the international community over its disputed nuclear program and threatened to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz for oil transporters in case of a U.S. military strike on Iran.

When Enterprise set sail for the Mideast in early July from its homeport of Norfolk, Virginia, Pentagon officials declined to say whether the reduction in carriers in the Gulf was due to scheduling or funding — but pointed out that the norm is for one carrier to be deployed here.

Vice Adm. Kevin J. Cosgriff, 5th Fleet commander, said earlier this month that Enterprise will provide "power to counter the assertive, disruptive and coercive behavior of some countries, as well as support for our soldiers" in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Cosgriff did not identify the countries, but said that the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier will "ensure the free flow of commerce in the region."

The United States maintains nearly 40,000 troops in Gulf countries other than Iraq, including about 25,000 in Kuwait, 6,500 in Qatar, 3,000 in Bahrain, 1,300 in the United Arab Emirates and a few hundred in Oman and Saudi Arabia, according to figures from the Dubai-based Gulf Research Center.

...............................................benny

Syria plans war of attrition in the Golan Heights


Assad encouraging army officers to settle in Syrian side of disputed region in preparation for possible confrontation. ‘We have an answer in case Israel attacks our cities,’ says senior official in Damascus

Smadar Peri Published: 08.02.07, 09:50 / Israel News




In a secret message relayed to Jerusalem, Syria warned the Israeli government that should it continue to reject Damascus’ peace overtures, a war of attrition may break out in the Golan Heights, according to a report published Thursday.



Yedioth Ahronot has learned that in recent days Israel received reports of increased Syrian presence on its side of the Golan Heights in preparation for a possible war.

Mixed Messages

Syria conflicted over war, peace / Roee Nahmias

Syrian President addresses military saying country committed to restoring hold on Golan. Meanwhile Syrian FM says 'Syria will take part in any International peace conference'
Full Story





During the past year the Syrian government has encouraged its citizens to settle in the Syrian side of the Golan Heights; Israel has recently learned that many of those who have made the Golan their new home were officers in active or reserve army duty who had lost their jobs following Syria’s withdrawal from Lebanon in 2005.



Should a military conflict erupt in the region, these officers are expected to spearhead acts of attrition against Israel.



'Syria unpleasantly surprised'

For dozens of years Syrians wishing to visit the Golan Heights were required to apply for special entry permits, but in recent months citizens have been allowed to pass freely to the city of Quneitra and other towns in the region.




In addition, soldiers enlisted in Syria’s reserve units have been forbidden to leave the country to ensure that they could be called up quickly in the event of a military confrontation with Israel.



Such a confrontation would divert global attention from the international tribunal investigating Damascus’ responsibility for the murder of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri.



“Syria has an answer in case Israel attacks its cities,” a senior official in Damascus said recently, adding the President Bashar Assad’s regime was “unpleasantly surprised” by the messages relayed by the Israeli government in the past few days, according to which it refuses to return to the negotiating table.



On Wednesday Assad said Syria was “determined to retrieve every grain of land in the Golan Heights. We are stronger than we have been in the past. Syria will not succumb to pressure or be deterred by threats.”

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However, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moualem stated that Syria would be willing to take part in a US-sponsored peace conference, saying "Syria will support and participate in any international conference for peace. The objectives, participants and grounds for such an initiative must be made clear.

.............................................benny

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FROM WND'S JERUSALEM BUREAU
Israeli media reports Syria prepping for war
Moves by Damascus revealed nearly 1 year ago by WND

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Posted: August 2, 2007
2:25 p.m. Eastern


By Aaron Klein
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

JERUSALEM – Israeli media today reported on a series of Syrian military moves aimed at preparing for a confrontation with the Jewish state – all of which were first exclusively reported by WND, in some cases almost one year ago.

In a secret message relayed to Jerusalem through diplomatic channels, Syria warned it will launch imminent "resistance" against Jewish communities in the Golan Heights if Israel doesn't soon evacuate the strategic territory, according to what was deemed an "exclusive" report today in Israel's leading Yediot Aharonot daily.

The Golan Heights is mountainous territory looking down on Israeli population centers twice used by Syria to mount ground invasions into the Jewish state.

WND broke the story last month Syria warned it will launch guerrilla operations against the Golan's Jewish communities if Israel doesn't retreat from the territory in August or September.

(Story continues below)


According to today's Yediot report, which was quoted widely by other Israeli media outlets, Israeli security officials received reports in recent days of an increased Syrian presence on its side of the Golan Heights in preparation for a possible war.

WND first reported from the Golan two weeks ago an increased Syrian military presence and quoted Israeli security officials warning of a stepped-up military deployment of Syrian troops near the Syrian side of the Golan Heights with strengthened forces after carrying out increased training the past few months. The Israeli security officials said Syria recently also increased production of rockets and acquired missiles capable of hitting central Israeli population centers.

Yediot today reported Syrian government officials have been encouraging their citizens to settle on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights. Yediot said Israeli security officials recently learned many of the Syrians who have made the Golan their new home were officers in active or reserve army duty placed there in the event of confrontations with Israel.

WND first broke the story in September 2006 that top members of Syrian President Bashar Assad's Baath Party and other Syrians were advised in a private briefing to purchase real estate in the Golan Heights to be used for possible "resistance" against Israel.

For dozens of years, Syrians wishing to visit the Golan Heights were required to apply for special entry permits. But Yediot and other Israeli outlets reported today Syria suddenly has been allowing its citizens to pass freely to the city of Quneitra, which borders the Golan, and other towns in the region.

WND broke the story two weeks ago that Syria for the first time in 30 years has opened a strategic border road at Quneitra to civilian traffic in a move some Israeli security officials worry could help facilitate guerrilla attacks against Golani Jewish communities.

Yediot today said Syria warned it would launch a war of attrition against Jewish communities in the Golan and quoted Israeli security officials expecting groups on the Syrian side of the Golan border to spearhead guerrilla operations against Israel.

WND broke the story in September 2006 that Syrian officials claimed in an interview a new guerrilla group, the Committees for the Liberation of the Golan, was formed to launch "resistance" against Israeli troop positions and Jewish communities in the Golan Heights.

Speaking to WND on condition of anonymity, a top Baath official said the Committees has been training and is ready to attack Jewish communities in the Golan in August or September. He said the Committees for the Liberation of the Golan is modeling itself after the Lebanese Hezbollah militia

One Baath party official said Syria learned from Hezbollah's military campaign against Israel last summer that "fighting" is more effective than peace negotiations with regard to gaining territory."

Hezbollah claims its goal is to liberate the Shebaa Farms, a small, 12-square-mile bloc situated between Syria, Lebanon and Israel. The cease-fire resolution accepted by Israel to end its military campaign in Lebanon one year ago called for negotiations leading to Israel's relinquishing of the Shebaa Farms.

The Baath official told WND Syria's new Committees for the Liberation of the Golan Heights consists of Syrian volunteers, many from the Syrian border with Turkey and from Palestinian refugee camps near Damascus. He said Syria held registration for volunteers to join the Committees last June.

Syrian official: We're preparing for war

In an interview last month, a top Baath official warned Syria was preparing for war.

"More and more of our units have undergone intensive trainings starting at 6 a.m. and finishing late into the evening. If the need arises, we are ready for a war," said the official.

The official said Syria "learned from the Hezbollah experience last summer and we can have hundreds of missiles hitting Tel Aviv that will overwhelm Israel's anti-missile batteries."

He claimed Syria has "proof" Israel is also readying for a war.

"We hear about special Israeli trainings to take Damascus. We see that Israel is re-establishing bases of the Israeli army in the Golan that are unusual and not needed except for war. We believe the Israeli government has an interest in confronting Syria to rehabilitate its image of losing to Hezbollah," he said.

He said Syrian war preparations are so specific, the Syrian government has given its officials and top contacts alternative phone numbers to key government ministries in case the Damascus phone system is knocked out during an Israeli aerial bombardment.

Israel: Syrian war preparations serious

Israeli security officials confirmed Syria has been strengthening its forces and noted the movement of Syrian Scud missiles near the border with Israel.

The Syrian army has improved its fortifications, according to the Israeli security officials, and has received modern, Russian-made anti-tank missiles similar to the missiles that devastated Israeli tanks during the last Lebanon war, causing the highest number of Israeli troop casualties during the 34 days of military confrontations. Syria also received from Russia advanced anti-aircraft missiles.

The security officials said any conflict with Syria could degenerate into a larger war involving Hezbollah along Israel's northern border and Palestinian terror groups launching attacks from Gaza in the south and the West Bank toward the center of Israel.

The officials noted Syria stepped up the pace of weapons, including rockets, being shipped from the Syrian border to the Lebanese Hezbollah militia.

The security officials said the greatest threats Syria poses to the Jewish state are the country's missiles and rockets. They noted Syria recently test-fired two Scud-D surface-to-surface missiles, which have a range of about 250 miles, covering most Israeli territory. The officials said the Syrian missile test was coordinated with Iran and is believed to have been successful. It is not known what type of warhead the missiles had.

In addition to longer-range Scuds, Syria is in possession of shorter-range missiles such as 220 millimeter and 305 millimeter rockets, some of which have been passed on to Hezbollah.

Israel also has information Syria recently acquired and deployed Chinese-made C-802 missiles, which were successfully used against the Israeli navy during Israel's war against Hezbollah one year ago. The missiles were passed to Syria by Iran, Israeli security officials told WND.

Israeli security officials said Syria is indeed preparing for a summer war. But they said there was an argument within the Israeli intelligence community whether the military buildup is for an attack or is meant by Syria to pressure Israel into vacating the Golan Heights. Some officials said Syria estimates the U.S. or Israel will attack Iran, and Syria will be drawn into a larger military confrontation by opening up a front against northern Israel. Also, the officials said, Syria might believe Israel will attack first and its preparations are defensive in nature.

..........................................benny

August 6, 2007
Russia Preparing for Gog-Magog

by Michael G. Mickey
(8-6-07)

In the 38th & 39th chapters of the book of Ezekiel, we're told a military invasion attempt will take place in the prophetic future against the nation of Israel. Those the Bible says will participate in this surprise attack are believed by most to be as follows:

Magog - Most agree this is a reference to Russia.
Meshech - Most associate this with modern day Turkey, ancient Anatolia, but some say it refers to the Moscow area.
Tubal - Most associate this with modern day Turkey, ancient Anatolia.
Persia - modern Iran
Ethiopia
Libya
Gomer - eastern Europe or Turkey
Togarmah - southeastern Europe or Turkey
Bearing the above in mind, consider the following excerpts from a Ynetnews.com article:
For first time since fall of Iron Curtain, Russia plans to build permanent bases on Syrian soil as part of large arms deal between two countries. Defense establishment officials fear Russian ships may try to spy on Israel's weapon systems.
And....
Rumors on the growing Russian activity in the Mediterranean began spreading following a statement by Russian Navy commander, Admiral Vladimir Masorin, as he visited the Russian Navy base in the Sebastopol port in Ukraine. Being present in the Mediterranean is very important for our Navy in the Black Sea," the admiral said.

The Qatar-based television network al-Jazeera quoted a senior Russian Defense Ministry official over the weekend, who declared that Russia must be permanently present in the Mediterranean again.
Amid signs all around us that the return of Christ is drawing near, Russia's interest in the Mediterranean region, not to mention its support of all of Israel's enemies, is peaking.

The prophet Ezekiel, as recorded in chapters 38 & 39 of the book of the Bible bearing his name, saw that the military alliances we presently see forming and, in some cases, strengthening today were going to form THOUSANDS of years ago.

Those of us warning a world that has forgotten its God of its need to return to His favor through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord aren't following cunningly devised fables. Our God has made known the end from the beginning.

The end of this world, at least as it is presently known is, is demonstrably drawing near. It is clearly seen, believe it or not, in Russia's renewed interest in allying itself with the enemies of Israel in preparation of Ezekiel 38 & 39's fulfillment.

Skeptics of the Word of God take heed to the words of Ezekiel 38:7-8:
Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them. After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
The latter years spoken of in Bible prophecy, as I am continuing to document here on a near-daily basis, are here.

Are you ready? .................................benny

Russian ambitions on Mediterranean stir Cold War chill
By Adrian Blomfield
LONDON DAILY TELEGRAPH
August 4, 2007

Vladimir Masorin

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MOSCOW — Russia stirred memories of the Cold War yesterday when the head of the country's navy called for the establishment of a permanent naval base in the Mediterranean for the first time since the Soviet era.

Announced a day after an audacious mission to the North Pole to bolster Russia's territorial claims in the Arctic, Moscow's renewed naval ambitions are likely to spread further unease in NATO capitals.

"The Mediterranean Sea is very important strategically," Adm. Vladimir Masorin said on a tour of the Russian navy's Black Sea base in the Crimean port of Sevastopol. "I propose that, with the involvement of the Northern and Baltic fleets, the Russian navy should restore its permanent presence there."

His remarks raise doubts about the Kremlin's denial last year of a newspaper claim that new moorings were being built in the Syrian port of Tartus.

Ivan Safronov, the journalist who died in a mysterious fall from a building in Moscow earlier this year, said Russia also had begun expanding the port at Latakia, also in Syria.

President Vladimir Putin has been eager to restore Moscow's influence in the Middle East, signing contentious arms deals with Syria and Iran that have upset the United States and Israel.

If the port plan proceeds, Russian vessels and warships from the U.S. 6th Fleet, based in Italy, would face each other in the Mediterranean for the first time since the Cold War, when the Soviet navy was based in Tartus.

Russia maintains a symbolic and largely empty logistical facility at Tartus — its only military base outside the former Soviet Union.

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Monday, August 06, 2007 by Staff Writer

Russia reestablishes naval bases in Syria

Russia will soon reestablish two Cold War-era permanent naval bases in Syria, according to numerous media reports this week.

The bases will give Russia a permanent naval presence in the Mediterranean Sea.

Damascus agreed to let the Russians move back in as part of a deal to cover $11 billion in debt Syria has accumulated while arming itself with the latest Russian weapons.

Israeli defense officials told Ynet they fear the new Russian bases will be used to spy on the Jewish state, which is involved in several missile shield projects with the United States.
...............................................benny

Isaiah 17: Destruction of Damascus


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In the last days, the Bible tells us of a horrible series of events that will take place in the lands of Israel and Syria. One of these events is the disappearance of Damascus as one of the premiere cities in the world. The oldest continuously inhabited city on the planet, Damascus has witnessed at least 5,000 years of human history, and some historians believe the city actually dates back to the seventh millennium BC. In fact, Paul was on the road to Damascus when Christ first appeared to Him, an event that transformed not only his life, but the course of human history.

In the very near future, Damascus will once again play a major role in human events. The prophet Isaiah provides us with God’s commentary on a future conflict between Damascus and Israel, and in so doing, he reveals certain prophecies which have been partially fulfilled in the past. However, the ultimate fulfillment of Isaiah 17 remains in the future. The current existence of Damascus, which will one day cease to be a city, as well as the historical absence of the coalition of nations prophesied to attack Israel and be destroyed by God, is proof that Isaiah 17 prophesies events yet future.

This is what God revealed to the prophet Isaiah:

“This message came to me concerning Damascus: ‘Look, Damascus will disappear! It will become a heap of ruins. The cities of Aroer will be deserted. Sheep will graze in the streets and lie down unafraid. There will be no one to chase them away. The fortified cities of Israel will also be destroyed, and the power of Damascus will end. The few left in Aram will share the fate of Israel’s departed glory,’ says the Lord Almighty.” Isaiah 17:1-3 (NLT)

These opening verses paint a bleak picture. The city of Damascus will become a heap of ruins, utterly destroyed. Few, if any, buildings will be left standing. The once great city will be devoid of human life and will become home to all manner of wildlife in the absence of humans to chase them away.

According to these verses, the cities of Aroer, which are located on the northern bank of the Arnon River just east of the Dead Sea, will also be deserted. However, the passage doesn’t say they will be destroyed in the same manner as Damascus, just that they will be deserted. It may be that people simply flee these cities out of fear.

In addition, many of the fortified cities in northern Israel will also be destroyed. Those few who remain in Aram, 38 miles south southeast of Damascus, will share the fate of these northern Israeli cities.

“‘In that day the glory of Israel will be very dim, for poverty will stalk the land. Israel will be abandoned like the grain fields in the valley of Rephaim after the harvest. Only a few of its people will be left, like the stray olives left on the tree after the harvest. Only two or three remain in the highest branches, four or five out on the tips of the limbs. Yes, Israel will be stripped bare of people,’ says the Lord, the God of Israel.” Isaiah 17:4-6 (NLT)

The breadth and scope of destruction is clearly illustrated as God describes the Israeli landscape as stripped bare of people. Only a small fraction of people either choose to stay in the land or else survive what is a massive holocaust, leaving only a few inhabitants who struggle in poverty.

“Then at last the people will think of their Creator and have respect for the Holy One of Israel. They will no longer ask their idols for help or worship what their own hands have made. They will never again bow down to their Asherah poles or burn incense on the altars they built.” Isaiah 17:7-8 (NLT)

As a result of this event, the people of Israel will once again turn to God Almighty. Currently, the nation of Israel is predominantly secular in nature. Other biblical passages infer that this will change as the prophesied rebuilding of the Temple in the last days indicates a spiritual resurgence among the Jews of Israel. Nevertheless, this passage clearly indicates the people of Israel will turn away from all false idols and gods.

Knowing that this will happen, we must ask: why does it happen? The answer is found in the verses that follow:

“Their largest cities will be as deserted as overgrown thickets. They will become like the cities the Amorites abandoned when the Israelites came here so long ago. Why? Because you have turned from the God who can save you – the Rock who can hide you. You may plant the finest imported grapevines, and they may grow so well that they blossom on the very morning you plant them, but you will never pick any grapes from them. Your only harvest will be a load of grief and incurable pain.” Isaiah 17:9-11 (NLT)

The devastation that overshadows Israel will come about because Israel has “turned from the God who can save them.” All the hard work performed prior to this event will be lost. Those who have been distracted by the things of this world will be disappointed, for they have forgotten God, and by putting faith in the things of this world, they will ultimately be disappointed. Their only harvest will be “a load of grief and incurable pain.” This grief will be brought to a climax when, in the midst of their suffering, the nation of Israel faces an imminent invasion:

“Look! The armies rush forward like waves thundering toward the shore. But though they roar like breakers on a beach, God will silence them. They will flee like chaff scattered by the wind or like dust whirling before a storm. In the evening Israel waits in terror, but by dawn its enemies are dead. This is the just reward of those who plunder and destroy the people of God.” Isaiah 17:12-14 (NLT)

While Syria and Israel lie in ruin, the enemies of Israel will view her suffering as an opportunity to invade, their ultimate goal to destroy her forever. However, God has a different plan in mind, and He will destroy these invaders Himself. A more in depth illustration of this attack is foreseen in Psalm 83:

“O God, don’t sit idly by, silent and inactive! Don’t you hear the tumult of your enemies? Don’t you see what your arrogant enemies are doing? They devise crafty schemes against your people, laying plans against your precious ones. ‘Come,’ they say, ‘let us wipe out Israel as a nation. We will destroy the very memory of its existence.’ This was their unanimous decision. They signed a treaty as allies against you – these Edomites and Ishmaelites, Moabites and Hagrites, Gebalites, Ammonites, and Amalekites, and people from Philistia and Tyre. Assyria has joined them, too, and is allied with the descendants of Lot. Do to them as you did to the Midianites or as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the Kishon River. They were destroyed at Endor, and their decaying corpses fertilized the soil. Let their mighty nobles die as Oreb and Zeeb did. Let all their princes die like Zebah and Zalmunna, for they said, ‘Let us seize for our own use these pasturelands of God!’ O my God, blow them away like whirling dust, like chaff before the wind! As a fire roars through a forest and as a flame sets mountains ablaze, chase them with your fierce storms; terrify them with your tempests. Utterly disgrace them until they submit to your name, O Lord. Let them be ashamed and terrified forever. Make them failures in everything they do, until they learn that you alone are called the Lord, that you alone are the Most High, supreme over all the earth.” Psalm 83 (NLT)

So how do we know that Psalm 83 describes the same scene envisioned in Isaiah 17? Let’s compare the two. Here’s how the intentions of Israel’s enemies are described:

Plunder & Destruction
“This is the just reward of those who plunder and destroy the people of God.” Isaiah 17:14 (NLT)

Destruction
“They devise crafty schemes against your people, laying plans against your precious ones. ‘Come,’ they say, ‘let us wipe out Israel as a nation. We will destroy the very memory of its existence.’ This was their unanimous decision.” Psalm 83:3-5 (NLT)

Plunder
“for they said, ‘Let us seize for our own use these pasturelands of God!” Psalm 83:12 (NLT)

Here’s how the fate of Israel’s enemies are described:

“They will flee like chaff scattered by the wind or like dust whirling before a storm.” Isaiah 17:13 (NLT)

“O my God, blow them away like whirling dust, like chaff before the wind!” Psalm 83:13 (NLT)

From the description of their fate alone, it is reasonable to conclude that the armies of Isaiah 17:12 are the same nations who sign a treaty against the Lord in Psalm 83:5-8. Below is a list of those nations and their modern geographical equivalents:

Edomites = Jordan / Parts of the West Bank
Ishmaelites = The Arab people
Moabites = Jordan / Parts of the West Bank
Hagrites = Jordan / The Arab people
Gebalites = Lebanon
Ammonites = Jordan
Amalekites = Southern Israel / Gaza
Philistia = Gaza
Tyre = Lebanon
Assyria = Syria / Parts of Turkey and Iraq
The Descendants of Lot = Jordan


By studying the geographical history of these ancient people and places, we can uncover which nations they currently compose. According to Psalm 83, in the aftermath of the destruction of northern Israel and Damascus, Israel will be invaded by armies from Jordan, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza. All of these locations are heavily populated by the enemies of Israel today.

An Expanding War?
But are the nations cited in Psalm 83 the only nations involved in this attack? It’s quite possible that additional conspirators are named in the Book of Ezekiel. Isaiah 17 and Psalm 83 might well foreshadow the war of Gog and Magog.

In Ezekiel 38-39, an enormous coalition of nations, “a vast and awesome horde” – will roll down on Israel “like a storm and cover the land like a cloud” Ezekiel 38:9 (NLT). This prophesied future war in Ezekiel has many similarities to Isaiah 17:12-14. Both prophets foresee a time when enemy armies rush toward Israel while she awaits unprepared. Both prophets foresee God’s instantaneous destruction of Israel’s enemies. And in both scenarios, the marching armies intend to plunder and destroy the people of Israel:

Destruction
“You will say, ‘Israel is an unprotected land filled with unwalled villages! I will march against her and destroy these people who live in such confidence!” Ezekiel 38:11 (NLT)

Plunder
“But Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish will ask, ‘Who are you to rob them of silver and gold? Who are you to drive away their cattle and seize their goods and make them poor?’” Ezekiel 38:13 (NLT)

Plunder & Destruction
“This is the just reward of those who plunder and destroy the people of God.” Isaiah 17:14 (NLT)

Could the events predicted in Isaiah 17 and Psalm 83 be a catalyst for the war of Gog and Magog prophesied in Ezekiel 38-39? Although it is not a certainty, the possibility can not be completely ruled out.

Today’s Headlines

Looking at today’s geopolitical landscape, it’s not difficult to envision the scenario outlined in Isaiah 17 and Psalm 83. Syria has been adamant in its demand that Israel surrender the Golan Heights, threatening war if Israel fails to comply. Meanwhile, the summer 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah has apparently convinced leaders in Damascus that Syria can be victorious in a conflict with Israel by simply overwhelming the tiny nation with rocket attacks. From a greater perspective, it has convinced the entire Islamic world that Israel isn’t the militarily invincible nation they once thought.

Syria’s rocket technology is far more advanced than that deployed by Hezbollah, and Syria is known to possess chemical weapons, including the highly lethal VX and Sarin gases. If Syria miscalculates and attacks Israel with these weapons, the Israeli response will be swift and devastating. Israel is armed with nuclear weapons, and if its survival is put in question, it will not hesitate to use them.

If this happens, a mortally wounded Israel will become an irresistible target for her enemies. The surrounding Muslim nations will see an opportunity to destroy her, while Russia will see an opportunity to seize the upper hand in the oil rich Middle East.

Today, the most virulent enemies of Israel reside in the very places named in Psalm 83 – Hamas in Gaza, the Palestinians in the West Bank and Jordan, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Syria leadership and its Axis of Evil partners in the city of Damascus.

As of this writing, the conditions are ripe for the fulfillment of Isaiah 17 and Psalm 83, paving the way for the rapture of the church and t