Global SITREP C9-19: Crisis Point to War

Hassan Nasrallah speaks to Hezbollah from a hidden location

UPDATES BELOW 27 August 2019: From crisis point to war. Israel has been acting in its own self-desfense for the past 45 days in an attempt to ward off a concerted effort by Iran and its proxies in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Gaza and even in Judea and Samaria to attack the Jewish state with suicide drones and artillery rockets. In recent days government officials to militia commanders have made declarations of war against Israel from all of these places.

Eschatology Today notes that these enemies are those named in prophecies given through Asaph (Psalm 83), Isaiah (Isaiah 11 and 17), Jeremiah (49:23-27 and 34-39), and Ezekiel (28:24-26). These prophecies are nothing new to readers here; they have been discussed in-depth for the past ten years on this blog. This SITREP will carry forward as the current situation develops further.

28 August 2019: The situation remains the same in the north and south of Israel, with just one possible exception. A Gaza terrorist posted a video of what was ostensibly a pair of chemcial agent balloon bombs that floated out over Israel. No word yet on what the 'toxic death' liquid mixture may have been.

Here's something noticed earlier today which had not been noticed previously. Isaiah 17 is focused on Syria; and Joshua 13 is focused on Lebanon. Psalm 83 covers the enemies of Israel all around, north to south, and Ezekiel 28:24-26 parallels the neutralization of these all around Israel enemies, as does Jeremiah 49 names them, plus Iran. What I noticed is that Isaiah 11:14 deals specifically with Gaza and Jordan. No mention of Syria, Lebaon or Iran. 

In all its modern wars, from 1948 to 1973, Israel has fought its enemies in a type of piecemeal fashion, The IDF went after northen enemies like Syria and Iraq, then wheeled around and went after the southern enemy in Egypt, then wheeled around again against the Jordanians in the east. 

My question is: Are the previous wars Israel fought in the 20th century a kind of "Past as Prologue" for the coming wars of the 21st century? Will Israel take on each of these enemies one at a time, as Isaiah 11:14 has caused to be considered? It's an intriguing set of questions, but also appears to be partof the current IDF planning for war on multiple fronts fought in series as the previous wars were. We'll see - maybe. 

Screen capture of the initial Hezbollah ATGM attack
on IDF convoy in Avivim, Israel, 1 September 2019.

1 September 2019: Here we go. Nearly two hours ago (4:15 PM Israel Time) Hezbollah attacked an IDF convoy of APCs in the area of Avivim, northern Israel on the border with Lebanon, with Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGM). Israel initiated artillery counter-fires on the ATGM firing location. IAF aircraft of many types took to the skies and have been striking Hezbollah targets in souther Lebanon. The UNFIL began pleading for calm and for both sides to stand down.

PM Netanyahu held an emergency conference call with IDF CoS LTG Aviv Kochavi, the Shin Bet cief and his security cabinet regarding the fighting on the northern border. Israel overnight had directed preemptive artillery fire and illumination flares at Hezbollah forces attempting to invade Israel through a wooded area. The area caught fire as a result of the shelling.

At present the IAF is pressing air operations in southern Lebanon. Palestinians in Judea and Samaria are celebrating the Hezbollah attack on the IDF and rumors of IDF casualties. At least two IDF troopers were medevaced to hospital from the initial attack in Avivim. There may be no official Israeli government public discussion until midnight Israel time (about 6 hours from now).

We watch to see if this develops further...

9 September 2019: And develop it has. No one should be surprised at how this has developed. Israel is now militarily engaged, albeit low intensity at the moment, against all of the enemies identified by the prophet Asaph in Psalm 83. In my last comment of yesterday, the final enemy - the one from Asshur - which Eschatology Today years ago identified as Iraq, in the region known today as the "Sunni Triangle" north of Baghdad, was engaged by Israel in Syria! This has been confirmed today by Israel's Arutz Sheva 7.

None of the Biblical prophets make any distinctions about the sects of Islam, be they Sunni, Shi'a or Alawi. Those prophets of old noted the geographic region these enemies would come from. And for Asaph's reference to Asshur, this is exactly correct. The Sunni Arabs have been militarily subdued since 2015 and today are under military occupation by the Shi'a militias (Popular Mobilization Units or PMU) loyal to the Iranian Ayatollah. The PMU and IRGC-QF are the enemies Israel attacked a handful of times in that same region beginning in July. 

On Sunday Israel attacked their forward most developing base in Al-Bukamal, Syria, and near the Iraqi border town Al-Qaim. Al Qaim was also the location of another strike on PMU and IRGC-QF forces as they were moving Iranian Zelzal-2 rockets into Syria for deployment in Al-Bukamal. In response the enemy from Asshur, the PMU, attempted to strike Israel with rockets fired from the region around Damascus, but those rockets impacted well short of their targets in Israel. (We know very well why those rockets fell short!) And, once again as has occurred before, Israel responded to that attempted attack by warning Syria (Isaiah 17, Jeremiah 49:23-27) that the government in Damascus would be held responsible for any attacks against Israel originating from its territory.

And then there's Gaza. Egyptian Intelligence officers passed along specific warning to HAMAS that Israel would postpone an election and all its political parties would unite in order to prosecute a ground war against all Islamist factions in Gaza. As for the government of Lebanon, it has received the same warning as Syria, but with respect to the Iranian-proxy Hezbollah that controls the country as well as the Lebanese Army. As stated before, Israel will strike a jointly operated IRGC-QF/Hezbollah precision missile factory in Lebanon's Beqaa Valley very soon. IAF strike aircraft have been flying sorties up and down the Beqaa as late as yesterday thereby keeping the enemy guessing and testing its defenses.

Global SITREP C10-19 is coming next. We already know its content, don't we?