Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Global SITREP A7-15: Look What Israel's EROS-B Satellite Found on an Iranian Launch Pad!

Update 27 January 2015:  I believe there is a near certainty that the above image and caption reflect what PM Bibi Netanyahu will say to a joint session of the U.S. Congress, and thus the American people, 36 days from now.  The report below on the Shahab-5 IRBM sitting on a launch pad near Tehran can be seen as the interim step necessary for Iran to take the final step prior to placing a Shahab-6 on that same launch pad. As discussed below, the Shahab-5 provides Iran with the delivery system necessary to strike any target in Europe with a nuclear warhead. The Shahab-6 will provide Iran with the delivery system to strike the continental United States with a nuclear warhead.  
 
I am of the opinion that it is this reality that PM Netanyahu will express to the American people that has the White House in such a clenched-jaws fury. So furious in fact that the White House has dispatched a crack team of five electioneers whose mission it is to ensure the political defeat of PM Netanyahu in the upcoming Israeli elections. Good luck with that Mr. President, especially if the LORD God has already determined He wants Bibi to remain right where he is, for it is the LORD God who is the Ultimate Authority on whose regime is changed and whose regime remains in power.


23 January 2015:  This past Wednesday Israel's Channel 2 TV aired a report which showed for the first time anywhere in the West a previously unknown and unseen Iranian ballistic missile on a launch pad near Tehran. The above screen-shot image from the Channel 2 TV report was taken by Israel's EROS-B (Earth Remote Observation System - B) commercial satellite. Shortly after the Channel 2 program aired The Times of Israel published this report. I would suggest everyone read the linked report.

Technically speaking (I know you techno geeks out there love this kind of stuff just as much as I do), the EROS-B "bird" captures images of objects on the earth's surface by a technique known as single-pass stereo imaging which is illustrated below.

On a single overhead pass the satellite optics payload takes two high resolution (70cm) images of the earth's surface in a swath that is nominally a 7km by 480 km rectangle. Unless there is cloud cover over the target area the image taken during that single pass is extremely well lit because EROS-B is in a Sun-synchronous orbit about 323 miles in altitude. That's how the image at the top has such clarity and precise measurements of the size of the objects in the image can be known, such as the missile's length being 27 meters (88.5 feet).

I have little doubt that some intelligent folks in Israel got wind that this missile of inter-continental range had been rolled out. In other words, the collection of this specific image of an operational Iranian launch pad sporting a never before seen IRBM upon it was not by accident. I also have little doubt that this image has caused quite a stir in the intelligence community. Iran has commercial satellite launch capabilities, but this missile has a purpose far beyond that.

As just noted, this missile is 88.5 feet in length. That means it is a full 24 feet longer than the Musudan BM-25 provided to Iran by North Korea. The BM-25 is based upon the Russian R-27 submarine-launched ballistic missile. This missile is known to the West as the Iranian Shahab-4. So, what I'm thinking is that this new, much larger and more capable missile has to be the nomenclatured but never before seen Iranian Shahab-5. Make no mistake, the Shahab-5 is a strategic weapon system that has been designed to deliver a high-yield nuclear warhead.

The Shahab-5 has long been assessed to be an under-development Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) that is in a class which includes the Red Chinese DF-4 (CSS-3) IRBM. In fact, this missile looks like a Chinese DF-4 in many respects, albeit much more technologically advanced than the 1980's era DF-4. This class of IRBM has a range of well over 2,900 miles and is designed to deliver a single 4,800 lb nuclear warhead. A warhead of that size would have a theoretic yield of approximately 2 Megatons. So, with this Shahab-5 IRBM launched from this pad near Tehran the Ayatollah could vaporize London, Madrid or any other selected major European capital city shortly after launch.

Interestingly enough, I have archived Western military assessments published during the mid-1990s Clinton era stating that Iran would achieve this capability not later than 2015. And here it is! While I can't hardly wait to hear what PM Netanyahu will say to the US Congress on March 3, I hope he doesn't wait much longer to do what needs to be done.

14 comments:

  1. Quick comment, for years I had a hard time believing bill salus that Saudi Arabia would be a part of psalm 83 because they seemed to be at peace with Isreal. Now with the leaders death, I think it's a kingship, that could suddenly be changed.

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  2. hartdawg,

    Yup, I'm saying it. In fact I'm inquiring of the Lord and digging deeper into the prophecy of Jeremiah 49:34-39 on a regular basis because I am convinced there is something more in the meaning of the words used by the inspired prophet than has been revealed thus far.

    I think Jeremiah was referring to, as Gesenius suggested in his lexicon, the whole of Persia beyond just the province of Elam, as also seen in the text of Isaiah 11:11 and 21:2.

    And the object that the Lord will break, the qesheth, is without doubt a primary weapon system which shoots projectiles (missiles) very long distances.

    Also, metaphorically, as I have long interpreted these prophetic verses, I have been reinforced to believe this prophecy also means that God will break or otherwise overturn the military strength and power of Iran.

    With respect to the passing of Saudi Arabian King Abdullah and the ascension of King Salman, the setting of the former Interior Minister, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, as the Crown Prince (next in the line of succession after Salman), there are many inherent problems, but also much potential good in the short-term.

    King Salman reportedly suffers from dementia (his overall mental acuity comes and goes). And Crown Prince Mohammed is particularly despised by fundamentalist Muslims (al Qaeda has attempted assassinations of his in recent years). But there are also positives in that Prince Mohammed will treat Al Qaeda, Islamic State and even Iran as the existential enemies they are. He will not hesitate to avail himself of any ally that will fight along his side - including Israel. For the Saudi Arabian people who by and large have great respect for Ibn Saud first born grandson, the best part is the potential longevity and stability that Crown Prince Mohammed brings to them because he is a relatively young and vigorous man of 55 years old.

    For these and other minute reasons to numerous to name here, I don't see this new Saudi Arabia being one of the Psalm 83 final engagement enemy forces. I would site Ezekiel 38:13 as prophetic Scripture supporting this view.

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  3. born again 6-25-11!!January 24, 2015 at 9:00 AM

    Sean, thanks so much for all your great work on this website. I check in to see what's new almost everyday.

    In your previous post you said "For these and other minute reasons to numerous to name here, I don't see this new Saudi Arabia being one of the Psalm 83 final engagement enemy forces. I would site Ezekiel 38:13 as prophetic Scripture supporting this view."

    Of course, I had to ask, can you please explain a bit further? To me it sounds like you're saying that you don't think that final fulfillment of Psalm 83 will happen with these new guys in leadership in Saudi Arabia? If that is the case, then what do you think needs to happen with the Saudi Arabia leadership before it's "ready" to be "one of the Psalm 83 final engagement enemy forces"?? Or am I misunderstanding you altogether in that statement? And how do you use Ezekiel 38:13 to support that: Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish with all its villages will say to you, ‘Have you come to capture spoil? Have you assembled your company to seize plunder, to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to capture great spoil?’”’

    thanks!

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  4. Born Again 6-25-11!!,

    All of the enemies listed in Psalm 83 are ethnically related to Israel and therefore lived in very close proximity to Israel. Of note here is that neither Egyptians, Babylonians of Persians are specifically named among this list of enemies.

    In the original Hebrew Psalm 83:6 names both the descendants of (Yishma`e'liy) Ishmael (the son of Abraham by Hagar) and the (Hagriy) Hagarites. Are these two distinct but related peoples? Are they both descendants of the sons of Hagar? However, Hagar was an Egyptian, so are the Hagriy to be considered as descended from Hagar and who became nomads of northwestern modern-day Jordan? So too would Ishmael descendants, but they came from Abraham's lineage which makes the Ishmaelites distinct except when we read in Genesis 21:21 that Ishmael's wife who gave birth to his 12 sons who became 12 tribes was also an Egyptian. Genetically Ishmael's sons were three-quarters Egyptian.

    The next question is how did the Ishmaelites become the Arabs of the Arabian peninsula? Or are they two distinct ethnic peoples? Genesis 10 and the "Table of Nations" through Genesis 25 becomes indispensable here.

    Following the genetic trail of the fathers of ancient nations we find that in the line of Shemites from Eber the lineage there splits into two branches: those descended from Abraham and those descended from Peleg and Joktan. The Arab tribes of the Arabian Peninsula are the descendants of Joktan who was the father of 13 sons who became distinct tribes in their own right.

    So how does all this tie in to Ezekiel 38:13?

    The tie in is that Sheba and Dedan are not descended from the Shemite lineage... they are descended from the line of Noah's son Ham, making them Hamites. The Genesis 10:7 lineage here is a very specific genetic identification in noting the line goes direct from Ham to Kuwsh to Ra'mah who had to sons: Sheba and Dedan.

    We know that Sheba settled in Arabia Felix (modern southern Arabian Peninsula, Yemen) and Dedan settled in the northern part known as Arabia Deserta (modern northern Arabian Peninsula from the northern Red Sea to the Gulf, Kuwait, Bahrain.

    We see in Ezekiel 39:13 Sheba and Dedan are aligned with the merchantile nations of the West (Europe: Britain, Spain, etc) and all their young lions (colonies principally located in the Western Hemisphere - US, Canada, Mexico, Central and South America).

    Clearly this verse indicates that Sheba and Dedan did not meet the fate as all of those named in the final and concluding engagement of Psalm 83 (see also Isaiah 11:12-14 and Ezekiel 28:24-26).

    Hope this helps how I've interpreted these prophecies.

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  5. That was an interesting note you made about the west.I heard some say tarshish is spain, so the young lions can't be the US, well,Columbus discovered America from Spain. I heard others say tarshish is Britain, and I seen good evidence to support that,so the young lions could only be the us.
    Have you ever heard the view that tarshish was all of Europe in general? That sounds like what you were saying in your last comment. I only heard that view from very few scholars. Tarshish is Europe and the young lion are the western nations of the U.S, Australia, central and south America. that's my view anyway.

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  6. hartdawg,

    I've always had the view that the (note the plural) "merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof" means the merchantile seafaring nations of Europe, which originated in the Mediterranean Sea, which originated with Javan.

    Javan was a son of Japheth, grandson of Noah, and has since very ancient antiquity been regarded as the father of the Hellenic sea faring peoples. Javan is the Greek name Ion from which comes the name for the lands of Ionia and the Ionian peoples a/k/a ethnic Greeks who colonized the Mediterranean from southern Italy to Spain and beyond.


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  7. You know, when I very first read Ezekiel 38:13 I instantly thought "that's a perfect depiction of Europe and America today, pledging support but doing nothing but talk, we don't have to be destroyed to fit that description, we already do" that was my first thought.
    Getting back to the original post, what are the chances that after finding all this info about Iran, the international community (sadly including Netanyahu) will still do nothing but talk? That's what my concern is.

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  8. Sean,

    Your newest SITREP made my blood boil to think that this WH thinks it can move Israel one iota from God's intended course.

    Then when I realize how out of touch these young fools all are, of course they think they are capable.

    My prayers and PETITIONS are in agreement with your statement and I kinda wonder if the radical reflex I just experienced has anything to do with the Holy Spirit's nudge. So many believers think along the Door Mat image of being a Christian and I really have major problems with some of that theology. One very good reason always pops up inside of me when I try to be the little dove.

    Remember the money changers scene? That rawhide whip that Jesus wove while he was observing the transactions of the day, was not a whimp whip! (I know I took liberties with the spelling of Wimp), but he was furious and I don't quit get the picture of a dove when he was dealing with the Religious Leaders of his day either.

    So, as a member of HIS Christian Army, I intend to summon great intervention from Heavenly Forces to stop this fraud in the WH of this nation.

    GG5/Shalom (to you and all who hold the Lord's name and promises near and dear to their hearts.)

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  9. Sean,

    I don't think this WH needs a reason to hate the Jewish state.

    They've shown their contempt time and time again for 6+ years now.

    It baffles me how so many American Jews can still support them.

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  10. To see the Democrats now balking on the Iran sanctions is just amazing to me. I know that God is in charge, and these arrogant, Israel-hating leftists are going to be left gasping when God moves and corrects the evil that is coming from Iran. Seems to me they are stalling to first hear Bibi..and he is going to enlighten the clueless.

    GG5-I love your post! You are so correct. Let us all continue to "summon great intervention from Heavenly Forces to stop this fraud in the WH". Amen sister.

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  11. How do you keep your blood from boiling at the arrogance of the guy who occupies the white house? I have a hard time keeping a cool head. Of obama really does interfere with the Israeli elections, I seriously hope he gets prosecuted. Tho I don't think the Republicans would ever go through with it. If he somehow succeeds in keeping Netanyahu out, then wouldn't it be great if someone with even more backbone gets in? Anyways, how to you keep from getting really ticked off at the administration?

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  12. Hartdawg,
    You just go with it if Obama ticks you off. No one ever said you had to bottle up all of that emotion and reflex to stupidity. When I was really young I tried to be Miss Cool but when I got home I absolutely tore to shreds hundreds of pillows. Back then they were filled with feathers or goose down.

    About on the last pillow, my dear mother said it was OK to be angry just don't let it rob you of your peace, joy and sleep. Then she explained those three states of emotional and Spiritual accommodations.

    We all live in dangerous times and God's word tells us it is going to get worse. But in the meantime, don't let anyone or anything rob you of your JOY , PEACE and SLEEP. JESUS paid a very dear price for all of them and God's word promises us that he desires for our sleep to be peaceful and sweet.

    GG5/Shalom

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  13. hartdawg,

    I am extremely fond of striking golf balls. Lot's of them, a hundred or more in a golf ball striking practice session. I strike each and every one of them as purely as I possibly can because an absolutely pure strike is a thing of beauty. With every ball strike a little bit of the outrage goes down range with that ball. By the time the session is over the rage is gone and I can sleep well at night, having praised God for being as Large and In-Charge as He is.

    I know without a doubt that Israel's government, it's national leadership even though still in disbelief for the most part, is one and the same with Jerusalem. Jerusalem is the City of David the same as it is the "city of our God (Psalm 48)." It is a city where the LORD God has thoroughly invested His Holy Name. (Daniel 9:16-19). It is the city where He placed the stumbling stone that is Jesus Christ our Messiah (Romans 9:33).

    I know that whomever comes against Jerusalem will be torn to pieces; those who fight against Jerusalem fight against Almighty God.

    I actually pity the arrogant one and his minions currently in the WH. They are on borrowed time.

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