Global SITREP D10-19: IRAN

PMU Kata'ib Hezbollah Vehicle-mounted
Katyusha rocket launcher.

UPDATED 30 December 2019: "We must also use this opportunity to remind Iran's leaders that any attacks by them, or their proxies of any identity, that harm Americans, our allies, or our interests will be answered with a decisivie US response,"  This was the statement made by US SECSTATE Mike Pompeo on Friday, 13DEC19.

Following weeks of smaller yet consistent attacks on US-led CJTF-OIR forces based in Iraq, the Kata'ib Hezbollah (an Iranian PMU proxy militia of Shi's Iraqis) launched a much larger attack on the joint US-Iraqi CJTF-OIR K1 base northwest of Mosul. This weekend's attack involved a volley of two to three dozen Katyusha artillery rockets. The image above is the actual launch vehicle captured after the attack. In the attack one US civilian contractor was killed and several US Army soldiers were wounded. The Iranian enemy and it's PMU proxy forces should have heeded the SECSTATE'S explicit warning.

USAF F-15E Strike Eagle

Within 24-hours of the K1 attack the US response occurred against five Kata'ib Hezbollah rocket, command and control (C2) and munitions depot bases. Three of the bases were located near Al-Qaim in the western Anbar Province of Iraq, and the other two were in Deir Ezzor province in eastern Syria. A group of USAF F-15E 'Strike Eagles' obliterated those Kata'ib Hezbollah bases, killing more than two-dozen militiamen, and wounding forty others. The dead included three IRGC-QF rocket artillery officers who almost certainly planned the K1 Katyusha attack.

SECSTATE Pompeo and SECDEF Esper both briefed President Trump last night in Mar-A-Lago, Florida on the strike and the U.S. military planning should additional enemy strikes occur. Reports this morning from Iraq indicate that a mobilization of IRGC-QF-led PMU forces in Iraq and Syria is underway. With just two days left in 2019, this SITREP will likely continue into 2020 as "Global SITREP A1-20: IRAN - PART II." 

08 December 2019: This morning PM Netanyahu began his Cabinet meeting by discussing the threat posed by Iran. The Arutz Sheva (INN) report is linked here. The official Government of Israel report is here. 

To recap, the PM said that this past week's discussions with both US and Russian leaders (Trump, SECSTATE Pompeo and Putin) the topic of the Iranian threat was the central issue addressed. He also reiterated that Israel, with or without the consent of others powers (i.e. the EU) "Israel will not allow Iran - at any stage - to develop nuclear weapons." This position is 100 percent in agreement with President Trump's policy. 

PM Netanyahu also addressed the renewed rocket fire into Israel yesterday, and for which the IAF pummeled multiple locations inside Gaza. Netanyahu said the previous retaliatory bombing and artillery attacks into Gaza against HAMAS and the PIJ (Operation Black Belt) "were just for starters. I have instructed the Defense Minister and the IDF to prepare accordingly." 

The U.S. this past week launched an immediate and deadly counter-fire operation against the Iranian'led PMU forces which attacked Balad Air Base in Iraq with rockets. Those rocket launchers no logner exist.  

02 December 2019: The Shi'a Twelver regime in Iran appears to be ready to commence with mass public executions, many of them by hanging. Those to be executed number in the hundreds to a thousand or more. Independent word smuggled out of Iran puts the number of protestors taken prisoner by the regime all over the country at 12,000. 

The NCRI and MEK opposition groups are claiming to be a significant factor in this uprising against the Ayatollah and his totalitarian theocracy. On the 15 November 2019 the regime enacted gasoline price increase with the instantaneous response from the people being rioting in over 187 cities across the country. A map posted within SITREP D8-19:The Quickening illustrated the nationwide nature of these protests. The protests became a full-scale anti-regime uprising when regime forces began shooting protestors in the streets, some by head shot sniper fire.

Yesterday PM Netanyahu and President Trump spoke by telephone specifically about the unrest in Iran. There appears to be agreement that the Iranian attack on Saudi Aramco oil processing facilities in September was an attempt by the regime to draw attention away from the severe difficulties in the country caused by the ongoing collapse of the JCPOA, US withdrawal from it and the dire economic situation the re-imposing of sanctions have caused. 

At 02:50 EST this morning, the Prime Ministers Office released this video. It is a very strong indication of the discussion that took place between President Trump and PM Netanyahu. Mention of Iran's race to breakout a nuclear weapons capability highlights the principle concern; the warning to "stop now" is an imperative.

To be continued...

Global SITREP E1-19: Conflict in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea

TOP Image: Greek and Internationally recognized East Med EEZs
Bottom Image: Turkish unilaterally imposed East Med EEZs

UPDATE 28 December 2019: As noted in the last paragraph of theoriginal 3 December posting, there are significant issues to be addressed and they grow more critical day by day. 

On the front lines in the outskirts of Tripoli there are Turkish soldiers (supporting the GNA) in urban combat against Russian mercenaries of the ChVK Wagner Group (supporting the LNA). The Russians are the spearhead of the LNA offensive. 

The fighting has escalated in Tripoli and Misrata with the news that new deployments of Turkish Army troops, Turkomen militia from northwestern Syria, and ships of the Turkish Navy are enroute to join the battle. There they will oppose the Haftar-led LNA that has been buttressed by more Russian mercenaries, counter-drone technology, Egyptian armor and UAE UCAV aircraft. The Turkish military deployments are in response to the slow but steady advance of LNA forces westward. 

20 December 2019: Egyptian Navy has conducted exercises in the Mediterranean Sea that include submarine-launched Harpoon cruise missiles. The exercises simulate naval warfare against the Turkish Navy.

Egypt has also deployed T-72 tanks to Haftar's LNA Army for their offensive to liberate Tripoli and Sirte from GNA militias. The LNA has given a 72-hour ultimatum for the militias to withdraw from both cities. 

8 December 2019: On the sidelines of the NATO Summit in London last week, direct talks between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Greek President Kyriakos Mitsotakis failed to find a resolution to the Eastern Mediterranean Sea exclusive economic zone (EEZ) crisis. No great surprise here, as the Greeks have noted to the international community, there isn't a neighboring country on any Turkish border that is not in a bilateral conflict with Turkey. 

By way of publication in the Turkish Government's Official Gazette and ratification by the Turkish Parliament, the Istanbul Accord, a maritime exclusive economic zone agreement between Turkey and Libya's internationally recognized GNA government in Tripoli, Libya went into effect yesterday to divide the Eastern Mediterranean Sea between them. Erdogan also announced yesterday that accord has been delivered to the United Nations by Turkey.

Greece, which views the Accord as a violation of its sovereign rights and having no legal standing in international law, expelled the Libyan GNA Ambassador Mohamed Menfi. Ambassador Menfi has until Monday to depart from Greece. 

For his part, Greek President Mitsotakis said the Turkish move in denying Greek sovereignty over its many islands has placed Turkey in "unprecedented diplomatic isolation." Greece has announced it will use military force to immediately halt any Turkish oil or gas drilling in the sea southeast of Crete. The application of a European Union sanctions regime against Turkey is also imminent.

3 December 2019: Last week Turkey and the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli, Libya signed a military pact that essentially divides the whole Eastern Mediterranean Sea between them. Eschatology Today will refer to this pact as the 'Istanbul Accord.' 

As if the Middle East didn't need another point of conflict that could spark a war between two supposed NATO allies (Greece and Turkey), the Turkish government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan with a single stroke of their pen annexed a massive swath of the Greek economic zone. For their part the Greeks describe the Istanbul Accord as being "ridiculous." 

The Turkish action is noted in the Eschatology Today map above (click to enlarge). It is in the stripped fluorescent yellow portion. This map is based upon initial reports of the Istanbul Accord as none has as yet been published by Turkey or the GNA. The Turks claim their maritime border now extends from southwestern Turkey all the way across the Eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Libyan coast line of Derna (Darnah) and Tobruk (i.e. all of the Libyan coast to the Egyptian border).

The Istanbul Accord pretends as if the Greek island of Crete and hundreds of other Greek islands going back into antiquity simply no longer exist. Greek citizens inhabit all of those sovereign Greek islands. Eschatology Today would liken Erdogan's Istanbul Accord to that of Adolf Hitler's 1938 military annexation (invasion) of the Czechoslovakian Sudetenland. 

The Istanbul Accord also involves Israel and Cyprus who are, as we've discussed here before, in a military alliance with Greece. The Turkish move directly threatens the proposed gas and oil pipelines between Israel and Cyprus to the Greek mainland and European Union Markets. This move also occurred just prior to the NATO Summit of this week, and alliance fallout is likely to be severe against Turkey, not to mention European Union anger at what the Turks have done. Current levels of EU sanctions against Turkey stand a very good change of becoming far more harsh. Turkey's status within NATO is also in peril. 

Additionally, the Istanbul Accord tosses a wrench into the Berlin peace talks scheduled for January 2020 between the two governments in the Libyan Civil War. Most international recognition is with the GNA Tripoli government led by Fayez Sarraj, while an assortment of other nations, including Russia, Egypt and the UAE are militarily supporting the eastern Libyan National Army (LNA) in Benghazi under Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar's leadership (whom we've also discussed previously). There are approximately 1,500 Russian Wagner Group mercenaries that have intervened in the war to fight alongside Haftar's LNA. Armed UAE drones also routinely bomb the Tripoli airport. The Istanbul Accord is likely to cost the GNA in Tripoli dearly in terms of international recognition.

The prophetic implications are obvious and numerous, touching on the fulfillment of Scripture from Daniel through Ezekiel. The issues between Turkey and Russia alone stand out profoundly so that clearly major changes will have to occur for the Magog Confederation to materialize as many interpret Ezekiel 38/39 indicating Turkey being part of that confederation (also discussed in-depth previously on Eschatology Today).

Global SITREP D7-19: Missing Pieces (Jordan)

King Abdullah II, military staff and VIPs stand before a sand map
of the "Swords of Karama" exercise area opposite the Israeli border.

UPDATE 30 November 2018: As KenB noted in the comments section, the Royal Jordanian Army, with King Abdullah present, engaged in a large military exercise on its border with Israel north of the Dead Sea. The full Report was found on the MEMRI website. 

In the now three days since the report was published it has been studied in greater detail. Of note is the fact that the Netanyahu announcement concerning the annexation to Israel of the whole of the Jordan Valley undoubtedly resulted in the Jordanians launching this exercise billed as being defensive in nature, but it was certainly much more than that against the "occupier of Palestine" and the "occupying entity." 

To the contrary, this was an unambiguous message to Israel of Jordanian belligerence for the obvious fact that an exercise of this scale is totally unnecessary to cause the destruction of the Allenby Bridge connecting Israel and Jordan. The Jordanians are not folling anyone. 

Also, the town of al-Karameh, site of the 1968 battle for which the exercise was named, lies north and 1 mile east of the Israeli border. This town was the northern edge of the simulated battlefield. The southern edge of the battlefield was the historical pilgrimage site where John the Baptist conducted the baptismal of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Allenby Bridge lies between these two points. 

18 November 2019: This is will be a sort of continuation of the 'Missing Pieces' topic of Global SITREP D3-19, with an emphasis on Jordan. Eschatology Today long ago established a direct link between the fulfillment of Psalm 83 and Isaiah 11:14 (NKJV) as quoted below. 

"But they shall fly down upon the shoulder of the Philistines toward the west;
Together they shall plunder the people of the East;
They shall lay their hand on Edom and Moab;
And the people of Ammon shall obey them."

We've been keen on watching for Indications and Warnings (I&W) that the current status quo peace accord between Israel and Jordan was in danger. On November 12, 2019 that specific I&W appeared in a MEMRI report that was based on the Jordan Today TV program hosted by Ms. Rana Hmouz.

The program began by celebrating the recent transfer back to Jordanian sovereignty the areas of Baquora and Ghumar. The land transferred, but the Israeli farmers will remain tilling the soil for a while longer. But then Ms. Hmouz got around to expressing the real intent of the program. It doesn't get any clearer than this message to the Jordanian people:

"But our joy is not complete. We have more demands. We want to see a similar decision that will let us trample the peace accord underfoot. We want to see a similar decision that will let us trample the gas and water agreements underfoot. We want to see a similar decision that will let us trample the entire Zionist entity underfoot. We don't want their representatives defiling our land...After Baqoura, we want to gouge out the eyes of the Zionists and their [Arab] supporters. After Ghumar, we want [our hearts] to overflow with joy when we annul the peace agreement in support of the blood of our martyrs and the Arab identity of Palestine."

What can be seen here is the convergence of purpose of the entire Psalm 83 confederacy, from Lebanon, to the Arab street in Judea and Samaria, to the terrorist factions in Gaza, and now including Jordan. By looking at Isaiah 11:14 the Jordanian regions of Edom and Moab appear to be the center of what will occur, their being militarily seized by the IDF simultaneously with the conquest of Gaza. The Jordanian region of the capital in Amman will be subdued into what appears at this point to be a type of vassal state to the greater Israel. 

Note in the map above that the northern part of the ancient land of Moab contains the future burial site of Gog and his military confederation's soldiers following their destruction according to Ezekiel 39:11-16. The prophetic new city of 'Hamonah' will be very near to or the same location as the present day city seen on the map as 'Dibon' (Dhiban). This SITREP will be expanded or followed up as new material is located.

Global SITREP D8-19: The Quickening

Trochka (NATO Name: SS-21 Scarab) Battlefield Ballistic Missile

UPDATED 22 November 2019: As stated previously on Eschatology Today, virtually all of the unfulfilled pre-70th week prophecies have one of more of their specific aspects observable in the news of the day. This have been true for many months now. What Eschatology Today makes note of now is that many of these prophetic aspects are occurring simultaneously and in a quickening of their occurrences. What had been months between their occurrence was reduced to weeks. in the latter part of 2019 the observation is of days between occurrences. The prophecy of our Lord in Matthew 24:6-8 is staring us all in the face. And as Luke 21:13 says, this is our "occasion for testimony."

The first three days of this work week saw events of prophetic significance. The Syrian's launched the battlefield ballistic missile seen in the image above at a civilian refugee center in Idlib causing massive casualties among most women and children. Surely this has application to Jeremiah 49:23 as it occured precisely in the location noted by the prophet. For illustrative purpose, in the clickable map above one can locate the town of Idlib. South of Idlib is Hamath (Hama), and to the north is Arphad close to the Turkish border.

Iranian missile attack on Israel

The day prior the Iranian launched ballitic missiles assessed now to have been four of the Fateh-110 type Short Range Ballistic Missile (SRBM), each with a 500kg (1,100 lb) high explosive warhead. These Iranian SRBMs were destined for impact in central Israel to cause mass casualties and unprecedented damage. However, Israel's Iron Dome ABM systems brought them down to eliminate that threat. The map above illustrates where the incoming missile alerts were heard in northern Isrel and the Golan. Israel then went on the offensive with the launch of 40 cruise missiles causing very significant damage to Syrian air defenses and the IRGC-Qods Force infrastructure they are intended to defend. Reports and online video indicates that Syria launched S-300s and about half of of them immediately crashed as the Israeli missiles destroyed their controlling emitter antennas. Here we're referencing in-progress or leading into aspects of both Isaiah 17 and Jeremiah 49:23-27.

The earlier rocket fire from the PIJ in Gaza must be seen as being an integral part of the overarching Iranian war offensive against Israel. We have shown recently how the coming IDF ground offensive is tied directly to opeerations against the regions of anceint Edom and Moab in western Jordan according to Isaiah 11:14, echoed by Ezekiel 28:24-26, both of which are integral to the 'big picture' presented by Asaph's Psalm 83.

Iranian protests against Twelver regime November 2019

In Iran itself the nation-wide and inceasingly violent revolt (image above) of the people against the regime (the king and princes) is straight out of Jeremiah 49:34-39. Notice ancient Elam region.The people have taken and destroyed police stations but not before looting their armories. They are well armed now, and have been pulling memebers of the hated Basij off their motorcycles and pummeling them to their deaths in city streets all across the country. Again, these things are taking place simultaneously, concurrently and even at this pace we haven't seen anything yet, but as I&W for what is to come, well, we already know that part in detail per prophetic Scripture.

Valley of Hamon Gog (Multitude of Gog)

In many SITREPs the scripture of Ezekiel 39:11-16 has been referenced concerning the burial location of the vast army Gog of Magog will lead against Israel. Just in case this location has not been identified clearly as being land in present day western Jordan, east of the Dead Sea, this map and its shaded red area illustrates precisely where the Valley of the Passengers, henceforth to be known as the Valley of Hamon Gog (Valley of the Multitude of Gog), exists now and in that near-future time.

Marana'tha!

Global SITREP D6:19: A Syrian Precedent With Overtones of Ezekiel's Prophecy

U.S. Forces Secure Oil Fields in Eastern Syria

6 November 2019: For several months we've heard about the U.S. forces in Syria east of the Euphrates River were being brought out, only to find out that they stayed, built several bases and were defending the Kurds. Then in October we learn again that out troops were coming home, only to find out days later they were redeploying into Iraq, and days later that even heavier U.S. forces were moving into eastern Syria to defend a whole lot of oil fields that our forces supporting the Syrian Kurdish Forces (SDF) had captured in destroying the ISIS caliphate east of the Euphrates River. 

President Trump correctly decided that fighting over that desert was not in America's interest; that's it's been fought over for thousands of years by the groups of people still fighting over it right now, so our troops were going to have no part in that forever conflict. So American forces were not going to defend the Kurds after three years of fighting side by side with them. Then, in a real stunner, President Trump announced, "...but we have the oil." And within hours of that announcement we learn that significant U.S. armored forces were rolling into Syria from Iraq to seize the vast oil fields that cover the desert all along the Iraqi border. 

Let me ask something that might be of critical interest to us. Doesn't this remind us of what Ezekiel 38 has prophesied about the vast Magog military confederation which will one day soon swoop down upon a wealthy and secure Israel "to take plunder and to take booty"?  

Has the U.S. just now become engaged in taking plunder and taking booty from Syria's eastern oil fields? And then look at Iraq and realize that this taking of oil plunder and booty is exactly what Iran has been doing in Iraq for months that has the entire population of Sunni and Shi'a Iraqis in open revolt against the Iranian Ayatollah and his military forces?

Yes, there's a whole lot of plundering and booty-taking going on in Syria and Iraq. This appears to be setting a precedent for the prophetic future in Israel we've been studying and drilling down on in Ezekiel 38/39 for years now. Plundering and the taking of booty is no longer some obscure Old Testament language any more, it's right here, right now in our faces, and even the United States of America is participating in it! 

This realization hit me today out of the clear blue like a ton of bricks. What do you all think; what do you have to say about sudden new reality?

Global SITREP D5-19: Is the IDF Prepared to Plow Gaza?

IDF D9 Heavy Combat bulldozer

UPDATE 12 November 2019: The answer to the title question of this SITREP may well come in the coming hours. HAMAS and Islamic Jihad have launched another massive rocket barrage against the civilian population of Israel. Israel's Iron Dome defenses have intercepted rockets as far north as Tel Aviv. These are massive rocket barrages that target sectors of Israel as if a grid was being used for targeting purposes.

As this is being written the massive barrage continues with Red Alert sirens blaring in: Shokeda, Kfar Maimon and Tushia, Zimrat and Shuva, Nachal Oz, Sa'ad, Alumim, Be'eri,Beit HaGdi, Netivot, Eshbol, Zru'a, Yoshivia, Mabu'im, Pa'amei Tashaz, Klachim, Talmei Bilu, Tkuma and Havat Izra'am, Tkuma.

Current Red Alerts in Israel at 09:20 AM Israel time 12NOV19.

More to come...

3 November 2019: The focus has been to the north and east of Israel for most of the year because that's where the military action has been taking place, from Iran, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf to Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. Wherever the Iranian regime has reached out its bloody hands war has resulted. And as 2019 closes out it can be seen that many of those countries have had their fill of Iranian hegemony over their affairs. So much so that the population of Iraq, especially the Iraqi Shi'a, want the Iranians out of the country. Now even in Lebanon the Iranians and their proxy Hezbollah have created conditions under which revolt was the obvious recourse for the population, to the point where another civil war is possible.

Eschatology Today assesses that the rocket fire coming out of Gaza this weekend occurred due to a direct order to the PIJ from the IRGC-QF and MG Qassem Soleimani who needed something positive given the unrelenting unrest that been ongoing in Iraq and now Lebanon where his Quds Force and Iraqi Shi'a militias are supposed to reign supreme. Israel has expected the rocket fire to come from the north, so perhaps the PIJ action, for which HAMAS paid the price, was merely a diversion? We shall see.

In any event, HAMAS may have gotten the message when a squadron of the IDF's heavy combat D9 bulldozers (image above) suddenly appeared in enmass on the berms facing GAZA earlier this week. The message the D9's appearance conveys is that the IDF is well advanced preparations for a dynamic entry-in-force into Gaza. In other words, D9 bulldozers mean business. There is nothing in Gaza which can stop the D9's from erasing the current Gaza-Israel border. Israel knows this, and no so do the leaders of HAMAS and their other terrorists in the strip, and it's not as if they haven't been warned. And contrary to some Israeli media reports, this coming operation is not a dilemma for Israel, but one in which HAMAS sees itself in an existential threat.

Irregardless of that fact that the political factions in Israel have not been able to form a government, the threat of Iranian (and/or proxy) rocket attacks from Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Gaza should be a catalyst to set differences aside and form a coalition to meet the threat head-on. Surely Israel's leaders must be aware that they dodged a catastrophe had the family in the Sderot home not been in their shelter and been killed with the rocket making a direct hit on their home. Nearly 24 months of complete inaction in dealing conclusively with the terrorist threat in Gaza is wearing very thin on Israel's population. Israel's leadership, both Likud and Blue/White simply have to get their act together, less a messianic figure emerge to act decisively in their absence.

More to come, no doubt. Marana'tha!

Global SITREP D4-19: The Crisis That Isn't A Crisis

US Armor Moves into Syria for Oil Fields Defense

Update 3 November 2019: The decision by Presdient Trump has been to reverse the wholesale withdrawal of lightly armored American special forces from northern Syria. The reversal is the deployment into eastern Syria of a brigade or more of U.S. Army heavy armor and rapid mobility special forces armor that had previously been based in western Iraq. This armored force is for the defense of oil fields captured by the SDF and the US during the campaign that destroyed the territorial Caliphate of ISIS. 

U.S. High-Mobility Special Forces Armor moving into Syria

Some of the US armor is from the 30th ABCT of the South Carloina National Guard with their Abrams MBT, Bradley IFV and armored infantry troops. Other elements are U.S. Special Forces in the now familiar M-ATV SOCOM and the Armored Ground Mobility System (AGMS) which is a SOCOM-modified 6x6 Pandur APC (image above) used by Delta and the Stryker ICVs of 75th Ranger Regiment. This deployment was rapid as Iranian forces in Dier Ez-Zor Syria were seen to be preparing operations to seize the oil fields from Kurdish-Syrian SDF guarding them. The oil fields will remain in production providing revenue to the Kurds as well as funding US forces defending for the region.

US M-ATV SOCOM Force departs Syria for Iraq

21 October 2019: For two weeks Eschatology Today kept its keyboard idle while the rest of the world couldn't stand to wait to see what would come to pass and instead passed judgment from the instant the U.S. military withdrawal from northeastern Syria was announced by President Trump. And all of that judgment, including some from very prominent Christian leaders, was absolutely wrong. To his credit, Pastor Graham, reversed his earlier position to one of giving POTUS the benefit of the doubt. Smart move. 

In any case, it is Eschatology Today's view, as most should be well aware by now, that everything occurring in the present time is related one way or another to the ongoing fulfillment of prophecy. If you doubt it keep watching the news, it'll catch up with this SITREP in due course.

Prophetically, Syria is a house of cards, Isaiah 17 and Jeremiah 49:34-39 make that very clear. And pulling the U.S. card out of the top tier of Syria will have the ultimate effective of destabilizing the entire house that is Syria today. Look forward and ask if Syria and Bashar al-Assad without a real problem in its northeastern corner would then find itself free to finally concentrate on the governornates of Idlib and Hama, leaving Iran, Hezbollah and proxies free to make moves against Israel. 

Remember, just before the announced U.S. withdrawal from Syria, Israel was in high alert status for Iranian missile strikes. That alert has by no means diminished, and intermittent strikes on the Iranian forces in the Dier Ez-Zor region continue to be struck by stealthy aircraft, keeping them off-balance.

And getting back to the U.S. forces that just left Syria, they are now in Iraq where they'll continue to hunt ISIS and be a northern hammer for the other American anvil that will remain in Syria at Al-Tanf. They will also defend Iraq from Iranian encroachment. These two forces can strangle any Iranian military moves towards Israel. 

This is almost certainly what SECSTATE Pompeo and Israeli PM Netanyahu discussed a day ago or so. Meanwhile in Jordan, as we were informed recently, King Abdullah II gave some very direct advice to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The King told her to stop with her interfering in affairs that were none of her concern. Good advice.

Global SITREP D3-19: Missing Pieces for Prophetic Fulfillment

Jordan Valley

Update 6 October 2019: All the speculation about the revealing of the Trump Administration "Deal of the Century" is pretty much a moot point. We recall that it was to be revealed in full a few months ago. Avigdor Lieberman essentially put a stop to that ongoing process with his resignation as Defense Minister, a portfilio that PM Bibi Netanyahu continues to hold himself. Lieberman's resignation has since resulted in two elections, with possibly three or even four, national elections to come. And since the "Deal" was to be announced after the new Israeli was formed and stabilized, obvious the deal is in haiatus indefinitely. 

Curious thing we have here then. God is in complete control, and so no government, no leader, means no "Deal." And that means this plan to divide the land has not progressed any further than from the paper or computer program it has been written on. Eschatology Today is of the mind and believes at this point it is obvious that God is quite definitively expressing His will, the understanding being that His supremely appointed times are the determining factor not only on the non-formation of a new government for Israel, but also on the fact that the Trump Administration's "Deal" has been prevented on being brought forward in any meaningful way.

But this is not to say that there is no movement going on. The U.S. Ambassador is reported in a Times of Israel report today as saying that PM Netanyahu's previously announced plan to annex the Jordan Valley (image above) "does not preclude a political solution." The "Deal of the Century" is precisely that, a political solution. I suggest those with a keen interest read the linked ToI article and ask yourselves if it does not reflect the express will of God. 

A Netanyahu decision to enact Israeli sovereignty over the Jordan Valley could happen, probably will happen, now that the U.S. has made public it would be no obstacle. Recall that the Jordan Valley, and the political situation in Jordan (the expected "great upheaval), have been key SITREP topics every now and then for nearly 6 years, always looking for an expected breaking point. Keep an eye on this as well.

And it should not go without saying that Israel remains on very high alert for an Iranian attack. Also, do not be distracted by Iran's ongoing political destabilization of Iraq. The Iranian Shia (IRGC-QF in particular) are committing horrible crimes against humanity in Iraq as we speak. The Iraqi Shi'a who are not part of the pro-Iran militias are fully aware of the Iranian pilfering of multiple millions of dollars worth of Iraq's oil revenues, and that nearly five million Shi'a Iraqis live in abject poverty because of it. Iran's attempt to turn Iraq into another Lebanon will backfire.

2 October 2019: As the Israeli political situation continues to be sorted out, it occurrs that there is something to be said about the still missing pieces, or specific prophetic dominos, which have yet to fall into place.

1. The Islamic Republic of Iran (Parac according to the text of Ezekiel 38:5 and Daniel 6:28, Persia and Persian, respectively.)

The first and most apparent is the agressive role the Islamic Republic of Iran is playing accross the entire MIddle East. According to all of the prophetic texts that relate to the current pre-70th Week period of wars and rumors of wars, the Islamic Republic of Iran is absent from thos texts. What is present is a militarily reduced Iran of Ezekiel 38:5 in the company of other lesser military powers, namely Libya and Sudan, that are part of the larger Magog-led (Russian-led) military expedition that will move against Israel.

What does Ezekiel's prophecy relate? That Persia comes with "shield and helmet." Shields and helmets are the warfighting implements of foot soldiers. This is no further reference in this verse to the other common implements of modern warfare like armor, missiles and artillery. Footsoldiers. So this is is why Eschatology Today interprets Ezekiel 38:5 and referring to a militarily reducing iranian threat, and as we can all see today, Iran is currently the most heavily armed nation in this region. Therefore some kind of military engagement is necessary to reduce Iranian military power to the level of support it will provide to the Magog expedition. We believe this will be manifest in Jeremish 49:34-39 in the near term.

2. Libya and Sudan

Aslo, there are the other nations two named with Iran in Ezekiel 38:5. They are the modern-day Libya and Sudan. Libya is in the midst of its second civil war. Current speculation would follow that the Libyan National Army headquartered in Tobruk and Benghazi and led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, will emerge with a victory. Haftar's forces are aligned with and armed by with Putin's Russia. Sudan is also in the throes of civil war at present and the outcome will also be consistent with Ezekiel's prophecy.

3. The Fourth Beast (Physical Empire)

The third piece is often overlooked, but has been discussed here a couple of times previously, so an eschatological reminder is a good idea. Read Revelation 13:1-2. Eschatology Today interprets "the sea" in verse 1 as being the gentile nations of the earth. This is confirmed by verse 2 which is the focus of this item. 

"Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority."

As noted previously, the fourth beast constituent parts are here given in the reverse order of how they were originally prophesied to appear on the earth in Daniel 7. Originally the four empires were the Babylonian Empire, the Medo-Persian Empire, the Macedonian-Greek Empire and the Roman Empire. In Revelation 13:2 description of the reconstituted Roman Empire, the fourth beast, includes in reverse order the Macedonian-Greek, Medo-Persian and Babylonian Empires. 

Is this what we see in the world today? No, today we see the Persians ascendent in the Middle East as in ancient times. Persia (Iran) today again appears as a bear with three ribs in its mouth. Who are those three ribs in this modern era? Look at a map. They are Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. This is an undeniable fact.

So, for the appearance of the fourth beast as this prophecy (Revelation 13) from God, Jesus and John on Patmos there are some events that have to come to pass. What has been previously identified as the "eastern leg" needs to be subdued to become integral to the fourth and final beast empire. This may indicate yet another major war as we've also discussed here previously. The emergence of the little horn among the ten occurs as it is conquering and crushing to pieces as we read in Daniel 7:7-8. 

Marana'tha!

Global SITREP D2-19: RED ALERTS PART II

Hoveyzeh LACM

16 September 2016: This is the essential follow-up to Global SITREP C10-19.

Eschatology Today assesses the cruise missiles used in the attacks on Saudi Aramco facilities to be an improved version of the Soumar Land Attack Cruise Missile (LACM) noted previously. It is known as the Hoveyzeh LACM and has major improvements over the older Soviet-based Kh-55 Granat version known as the Soumar. The Hoveyzeh was first identified earlier this year as incorporating state-of-the-art advancements making it a stealthy, extremely accurate, terrain or sea-surface skimming cruise missile. The example apparently shot down or crashed in the Saudi desert appear to cnfirm this assessment, even though offical word ffrom the Saudi's of a shoot-down of at least one of the Hoveyzeh has not been forthcoming.

The most important news update comes in the Trump Administration decision to announce publicly the U. S. Intelligence Community's assessment that a dozen of these cruise missiles and nearly twice as many drones were launched by the IRGC-QF from Iranian territory and not from Iraqi territory as noted yesterday. President Trump has also strongly hinted that U.S. military counter-strikes ("locked and loaded") or coalition military counter-strikes on Iranian targets may be imminent. The potential for massive regional escalation cannot be over emphazied.

Updates as they are made available.

Global SITREP D1-19: Is Trump's "Deal of the Century" a Division of the Land or Not?

Israel's Politics

18 September 2019: The Lord has pointed something out that should not have been missed in the first place. And it took this repeat Israeli election to get the point across. It's really pretty simple too, so a slap upside the head for not realizing this sooner.

Israel at this time is a divided state. Divided between secular sides of the political right and political left. Divided between the religious sects and the no-so-much religious sects. There's also a divide along racial lines as Ethiopian Jews fled the Likud-voting block because of treatment they say they receive from their fellow Likudites. So, not much has changed for the Jews since they were last in the land a couple thousand years ago, right?

Well, almost right. Israel was united when the Lord began to bring them back from the diaspora, Europe in particular. They came from different European countries, speaking different languages (English, French, German, Polish, Russian, etc. etc.) and had to resurrect Hebrew as their new re-born language as a center of gravity for a newly reborn country in fulfillment of Isaiah 66:8 and also explicitly literal as prophesied in Isaiah 60:8-9. And then politics got in the way, secularism got in the way, and the Jews who claim to worship the same YHWH began to quarrel and bicker about how the new country would be governed.

So, here we are, the Bride of Christ, looking for the promised fulfillments of the ancient Hebrew prophets texts, and assuming many things (guilty as charged), and in so doing missing what the Lord has said. And this thing He has said was said through almost all of the ancient prophets: Ezekiel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, just name them all! They all pretty much repeat the theme of Aliyah, meaning to ascend up to His mount in Jerusalem, and in particular to ascend to Jerusalem for the major Feasts appointed by the Lord for them to observe. To ascend the mount to the Temple.

Is this not the central theme of a key prophetic chapter Eschatology Today has been highlighting of late Isaiah 11? (Jeremiah 49 repeats this!) Look at verse 11. Is this not the second (and final) regathering of His people back to the land from the four corners of the earth" (Jeremiah 23:3) and has it not been fulfilled absolutely in the most literal sense? (Yes, it has!) And this second regathering has been of the descendants of both ancient Israel and Judah, and figuratively, those making this Aliyah, are just as literally Judah and Ephraim, and they would become one people again. Is this the Israel we see today?

And that's the point, for to literally fulfill Isaiah 11:14, Israel will have to dispense with all the political bickering and divisions and truly become one nation under God. So, if Eschatology Today is correctly understanding what the Lord is pointing out, then a great revival of all Israel will soon have to take place. And now is that time for that to happen as Psalm 102:13 declares. And this is what may be the as yet unseen result of yesterday's election in Israel. God is in control; He will make it happen. 

15 September 2019: Above is the map of Judea and Samaria released early this morning (15SEP19) by Naftali Bennet and his Yamina Party which alleged to depict a division of the land as part of the Trump Administration's "Deal of the Century (DoC)." 

In this map the dark blue to the left represents the Jordan River Valley to be annexed directly by Israel after the Tuesday (17 September) election and assuming a Likud victory for PM/DM Bibi Netanyahu. The black area is to be the "Palestinian" state with islands of white within it representing settlements and urban areas also to be annexed to Israel as sovereign. Also clear in this map is a further division in the center of the "Palestinian" area making a the proposed "Palestinian" state roughly divided into two halves, with at least seven additional enclaves located within the would-be "Palestinian" state.

On the face of it, it occurs to Eschatology Today, that the PA would never accept such a "DoC" as this map protends it to be. War is inevitable according to Bible prophecy, but implementation of this map would guarantee it.

So, it's not surprising this morning that Likud and an anonymous U.S. official are ripping the publication of this map as "Fake News." This is a strange accusation to make because Netanyahu had said in very recent days all of these white areas would be part of the Trump "DoC" and essential to Israel's future security requirements. Quoting PM Netanyahu according to the Jerusalem Post, “The application of Israeli sovereignty will be to all the settlements in Judea and Samaria, including the blocs and the territory outside of the blocs, and other areas that are essential to our security and our heritage - these things will be part of [Trump’s] Deal of the Century, which will come out very soon after the elections."

It may be that Bennet and the Yamina Party have preemptively cut Netanyahu and Likud to the quick, or it is yet another last-minute twist and turn in a series of twists and turns as secular Israel struggles with all of the pressures surrounding it these days. Also, a major military operation in Gaza to effect a HAMAS regime change remains an active plan as both Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan and PM/DM Netanyahu stated a couple of days ago, with Erdan adding the coming Gaza operation was a necessity.

It is no exaggeration to say that Eschatology Today is watching more irons in the proverbial fire than can be accurately counted at this time.

Marana'tha!

Global SITREP C10-19: RED ALERTS

We Can Never Forget

UPDATED BELOW 11 September 2019: Today is Patriot Day, it's a day we can never forget. So we remember this day, and everything that came after it and which continues for the past 18 years. Nine-Eleven changed America in ways we're still discovering after 18 years of continuous war with desolations continuing just as the angel Gabriel prophesied to Daniel.

Many say we've seen this all before. And we have. Jesus prophesied that these days would be exactly as they have been - like birth pangs of increasing intensity and frequency of occurrence. But we have to take note of the increasing intensity that has become manifest in just the past 30 days. For example, Israel now routinely attacks the enemies in both central and western Iraq. Just yesterday, and for the first time, the enemy in Gaza attempted a decapitation strike against Israel's Prime Minister with a volley of fairly precise missiles. The Iron Dome systems quickly extrapolated the trajectory of the missiles and determined Netanyahu was the target. The missiles were shot out of the sky and the PM was hustled out of harms was by his security detail. HAMAS took advantage of a well publicized political event to strike at the PM because he was a target of opportunity.

The "quiet" now is foreshadowed by the knowledge that Iran, its Iraqi proxies, Hezbollah and the factions in Gaza are preparing a missile and rocket blitz against Israel. For its part, Israel is prepared to postpone an election a week away in order to prosecute a ground war in Gaza, as well as take on Hezbollah in Lebanon and the IRQG-QF and Iraqi proxy militias along with Syrian forces in Syria. This is what makes this time different because when these things take place they will alter the situation in the Middle East irreversibly. Its setting the stage, so to speak, for the advent of Israel's 70th Week of years and we're witness to all of it in near real-time.

13 September 2019: There are a lot of eyes, friendly and not so much, focused on next Tuesday's election in Israel. There's even some serious speculation that it may not take place as scheduled, but would be postponed until after a war against the terrorist factions in Gaza has been successfully completed. This rumor of war has not been dispelled by the Prime Ministers Office, in fact it has been enhanced by statements made to Israeli media. So, we'll see what takes place over the next 72 hours or so.

Whatever developments take place there are now statements coming from Jordan which place the peace agreement in serious jeopardy. Since last spring Jordan has been making its displeasure known over PM Netanyahu's comments regarding annexation of the Jordan Valley, Judea and Samaria. The Jordanian policy has always been in support of a two-state solution as the only viable alternative to war. 

It has long been assumed that Jordan would go to war with Israel over Jerusalem and issues related to the Temple Mount which it remains the religious custodian of. However, now it has become crystal clear that Jordan views all of Judea and Samaria as essential for the emergence of a Palestinian state. Eschatology Today believes this is very likely the reason why an Israel war with the Palestinian terror factions in Gaza would be directly tied to an Israeli war with Jordan, exactly as prophesied in Isaiah 11:14. Jordan is ready to militarily support Palestinians in Judea, Samaria and Gaza.

Jordan, as has been stated here before, is between Iraq and a hard place. After the war of Israel's independence in 1948, Jordan annexed the whole of the so-called West Bank plus eastern Jerusalem. Israel fixed that problem in the Six Day War that began on 5 June 1967. Jordanian forces attacked Israel on the first day of the war to fulfill a mutual defense pact with Egypt which it had signed on 30 May 1967. Fast forward to fifty-two years later and Jordan doesn't have Egyptian forces attacking Israel's southern front in support of its forces attacking Israel's eastern front. In 2019 Egypt has made it clear that Gaza is solely an Israeli problem; the Gaza Palestinians are on their own. That's where Jordan steps in and that's where Isaiah 11:14 finds its literal fulfillment. 

Saudi Aramco facility at Abqaiq attacked by iranian cruise missiles 14SEP19

14 September 2019: The photo above making the rounds in global media shows the fires that resulted from an Iranian cruise missile strike early this morning Saudi time. This strike made good on the Iranian threat that if its oil was embargoed from world markets by the sanctions regime imposed by the U.S., then other nations oil would also not make it to market. The full economic impact remain uncalculated, and it will be at least 48 hours before the next Aramco post-attack assessment is made public according to the Saudi Minister of Energy.

Just when some thought tensions with Iran were subsiding this attack occurred, and may be a final wake-up call to the threat that the 21st century regime most like the Nazi regime of the 20th century represents. U.S. government officials and some in the U.S. Congress were making the case for military action against Iran today as a direct result of this attack. President Trump has pledged full U.S. support to the Saudi's. 

Virtually concurrent was the discussion between President Trump and Israeli PM Netanyahu regarding a mutual defense treaty between the U.S. and Israel. How will this play out with Netanyahu's talk of annexation of Judea and Samaria if his Likud faction wins the election still scheduled for Tuesday, 17 September, is anyone's guess. Nevertheless, all of these news items are critical in their own right, and potentially monumental all together.

15 September 2019: Follow-up images.

IRGC-QF "Soumar" LACM in Saudi desert

IRGC-QF "Soumar" LACM intact

The Iranian Shi'a Twelver War Council

The top image is of the finned aft-end of an Iranian "Soumar" Land Attack Cruise Missile (LACM) found in the Saudi desert near the Saudi Aramco attack sites of Abqaiq and Khurais. Below it is the "Soumar" as it appears normally, with an auxillary rocket booster attached. 

This LACM is derived from the Russian Kh-55 'Granat' Iran clandestinely acquired from Ukraine with Russian assistance more than a decade ago. The Russian version was designed to carry to 200kt nuclear warhead and is the critically important reason why Iran can never develop and deploy its own nuclear warhead.

The bottom image is of the Iranian Shi'a Twelver War Council. To the left of the approaching Ayatollah Khamenei are his clerical underlings. To his right are Iraqi Shi'a cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani, commander of the IRGC-Qods (Jerusalem) Force, and Iranian Major General Hossein Salami, Chief of Staff of the IRGC. These are the men responsible for all acts of terror inthe MIddle East (and beyond), including yesterday's unprecedented military attack on Saudi Arabia's largest oil field and refining facility. Make no mistake, this attack is a game-changing Act of War.

This Global SITREP is continued above in Global SITREP D2-19: RED ALERTS PART II.

Marana'tha!