Global SITREP A4-25: Playing With Fire

Playing With Fire

UPDATED February 17, 2024: Today is Day 500 of the war which began on 7 October 2023 with the barbaric jihadist invasion of southern Israel to the east of the Gaza Strip. 

During this past weekend's visit to Israel by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio he warned the enemies of Israel that they were "playing with fire." This, of course, was a rephrasing of what U.S. President Donald Trump, and subsequently Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, had warned about "all hell breaking loose" during the prior week should the jihadists in Gaza stand by their pronouncement to permanently end the release of Israeli hostages by high noon on Saturday, 15 February 2024. As we now know the Gaza jihadists capitulated from their threat by releasing three male hostages one hour prior to the noon deadline. This release of captives was in keeping with the previously agreed upon temporary ceasefire (hudna).

While the warning to Israel's enemies that they are "playing with fire" is very serious and indeed specific, Eschatology Today would note that the nations of the world are engaged in much the same type of folly. Such is the inherent nature of these "last days" as our unambiguous Scriptures plainly state. The "Late, Great Planet Earth" indeed simply because a great mass of humanity ignores the most important aspects of the prophetic Word of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

At the present time there is full agreement, intent of purpose and iron-clad mechanisms of across-the-board support between the American and Israeli governments, so much so that the Arab nations have cancelled two major summits that were to convene in the coming days. In short, Sheba and Dedan are sitting up and taking notice. Eschatology Today being ahead of the curve as usual and by design we'll pause briefly at this point and allow things to catch up.

IDF Buffer Zone Positions in Lebanon

The above map shows the five IDF high ground locations inside Lebanon. These are the posts that will be maintained until the LNA demonstrates firm control of the land south of the Litani River and Hezbollah is kept to the north of the river. 

There are no illusions that Hezbollah won't wear LNA uniforms and move south of the Litani. For this reason, the IDF will maintain many heavy (armored) brigades along the border. Detection of truce violations will be dealt with powerfully.

ARIEL, SHIRI and KFIR BIBAS

UPDATE February 23, 2025: A lot has taken place virtually overnight, so we'll try to get to all of it into this SITREP update.

IAF F35I and F-15I over Beirut today

As thousands gathered in Beirut this morning for Hassan Nasrallah's delayed funeral, the masses included Iranian IRGC-QF commanders and Hezbollah pager blast amputees, heavily armed IAF strike aircraft buzzed the funeral procession at low altitude. Message sent and unquestionably received. This flyover warning occurred as other IAF strike packages arrived at locations where rocket launchers and other weapons were being re-deployed to new sites in Lebanon from Syria. These locations are in Baalbek, northeastern Lebanon and south of the Litani River where Hezbollah under the agreement's terms should have no presence whatsoever. As usual for the IAF today's strikes were highly combat effective. The war in Lebanon, as noted here months ago, is nowhere near being concluded.

IDF Merkava MBT maneuvering

Operation Iron Wall which began on January 21st in Judea and Samaria has seen the introduction platoons of Merkava main battle tanks dispatched from Armored Brigade 188 now grinding up turf and roads in Jenin, Tulkarem and Nur Shams. This is the first occasion in 23 years that IDF armor has conducted combat operations in Judea and Samaria. The objective is to remain for a year or more to cleanse the region of terrorists and their infrastructure. Additionally, upwards of 40,000 Arabs have been evicted from "refugee camps" in and around Jenin, Tulkarem and Nur Shams. These camps are now completely emptied, the former residents will not be allowed to return and all UNRWA activities have become nonexistent. This procedure will be carried out in numerous other locations throughout Judea and Samaria where Iranian operations have been attempting to create an "eastern front." Speaking of the Operation Iron Wall mission objectives Defense Minister Israel Katz stated this morning that Israel "will not return to the reality that was in the past."

As a direct result of HAMAS and PIJ conduct in the staged, propagandistic release of the hostages, as well as the cold-blooded murder of Shiri Bibas and her two innocent babes and other repeated violations of the hudna agreement the 620 terrorists that were to be released yesterday have been returned to their prison cells. There will be no further release of terrorists until the next scheduled hostage release has taken place without the "humiliating ceremonies."

Map of Syrian Governorates

Gaza and Syria Breaking News

PM Netanyahu speaking from Israel's overwhelming position of military strength made a pair of statements within the past hour.

1.) The IDF is prepared and has operational plans in place to immediately resume intense combat operations in Gaza to completely demilitarize the strip and eliminate all terrorists groups therein.

2.) Israel demands the full demilitarization of southern Syria from troops of the new Syrian regime in the Quneitra, Daraa and Suweyda provinces. (This means any Syrian military presence south of the Damascus provincial border (heavy blue line within the above map) will not be tolerated by the IDF.) Note: Quneitra governorate is already 90% the sovereign territory of Israel (i.e. the Golan Heights), and only a tiny sliver adjacent to the Daraa Governorate is not occupied by the IDF.

Those who've followed Eschatology Today over the past few years will inherently understand what this means. No need to again state the obvious.

Marana'tha!

Global SITREP A1-24: The Regional War Zone

 

The War Zone

FINAL UPDATE 27 January 2024: In the nine days since Pakistan launched retaliatory strikes deep into Iranian territory there's been only one OSINT analysis that carries any water. 

To begin with, why did Iran initiate hostilities with a nuclear-armed Pakistan? Was it to signal the world powers that it was now nuclear-armed itself and had no fear of Pakistani nukes? It was Pakistan, in the person of the father of Pakistan's nuclear weapons program (A.Q. Khan, for those with recollection) who clandestinely put Iran and the IRGC on the fast track to nuclear weapons development. So why strike Pakistan which is neither an ally of Iran nor a full-fledged foe either. 

Consider that Iran has been attacked on its soil a great many times by Israel, much less its bases and operatives in Lebanon and Syria, and Iran has never once retaliated against nuclear-armed Israel in a reciprocal manner. Ditto for the USA, and the assassination of IRGC-QF MG Qassem Soleimani by the Trump Administration. Hajj Soleimani was a very, very close ally of Ayatollah Khamenei, a fact discussed previously on Eschatology Today. 

The fact remains Iran fears both Israel and the US (even with Biden at the helm, and albeit at different levels, so direct retaliation has not occurred, and likely will not occur at the present time. Therefore, Iran took the lesser risk and hit Baluchi separatist camps in Pakistan to vent its desire for vengeance. The mullahs assessed quasi-correctly that Pakistan would reciprocate in-kind; a diplomatic kerfuffle would ensue (it did) and that would be that. This is what took place, but lost in 99% of all discussion on this is the fact that Pakistan is the only nation on earth to attack the territory of Iran with ballistic missile strikes since the end of the Iran-Iraq War in 1988. 

This does not sit well with the mullahs in Tehran, and additional fall-out will surface soon, perhaps in a month's time in the coming election in Iran of the next Assembly of Experts. The new assembly will be far more radical as the days of the so-called "reformists" are over. It is also quite likely according to many observers of the Islamic Republic that the new Experts Assembly will elevate the current president, Ebrahim Raisi, to the office of Supreme Leader in place of the increasingly frail Ayatollah Khamenei. None in Iran today have more innocent blood on their hands than Raisi, and upon elevation he'll be more lethal than ever before. 

15 January 2024: At 03:00 this morning US and UK strike aircraft, supported by the Canadian, Dutch, Australian and Bahrani military forces, swarmed into Houthi-controlled Yemen to strike multiple Houthi military bases, launch pads, ordnance depots located in Sana'a, Hodeida port, Dhamar and their stronghold at Saada. A Houthi spokesman says the US and UK "will pay a heavy price for this blatant aggression." Once again, at Iranian Twelver instigation and outright arming with missiles and drones, Yemen has become a new front in the End Times "wars and rumors or war." 

It would seem logical that a campaign by the aforementioned Western allies for regime change in Houthi-controlled Yemen is the viable path to put an end to the ballistic missile and drone threats to commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait. This may seem wishful thinking given that a UK government official has stated that today's strikes in Houthi Yemen were "limited." What is obvious is that a war has been in progress at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula for some time now, and with these airstrikes that war has escalated once again with a necessary Western intervention. 

10 January 2024: The lead off SITREP for 2024 is to highlight the war zone where kinetic warfare is occurring, and anticipated, sooner or later, according to Bible prophecy which has been covered here for 15 years and counting. The archives are readily accessible for refresher reading. Eschatology Today assesses that now is the time to lean forward once again in anticipation of coming events. 

In this map Yemen, a currently active participant in the ongoing war against Israel, as well as Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Somalia are included because in ancient times they were inclusive of the Biblical land of Sheba to one extent or another. The land of Sheba is prominently referenced in the subsequent prophecy of Ezekiel 38/39. At this time it is not possible for Sheba in conjunction with the land of Dedan, to complain or protest the invasion attempt of Gog of Magog. Clearly it can be inferred that some major event will transform the current paradigm for Ezekiel's prophecy to occur as literally as it is written, which undoubtedly will be the future reality. Sudan is included as it is Kuwsh of Ezekiel 38/39. Egypt is included for both the current Israel-Gaza war and other prophetic events which will see Israel in control of all the land from the Nile River through the Sinai to the southern Negev border of the State of Israel. Libya, not specifically color-coded here is the land of Phut, also a participant of the Magog invasion.

Currently there are unconfirmed reports of IDF special forces operating along the Philadelphia corridor between Egypt and Gaza. This operation is designed to detect the remaining HAMAS leadership attempting to escape into Egypt with Israeli hostages through the extensive and currently active tunnel system underground there. These forces are also reportedly operating in Libya and Sudan for the same interdiction purposes.

The map above also illustrates in a single frame of reference the three critical maritime choke points of the Suez Canal, Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Strait of Hormuz. Blocking of one or more of these cannot be tolerated, particularly by the West, due to dire economic damage that can be done to the global economy with their closure.

The Philadelpi Corridor (image below) that will be in the news in the next few days as the IDF intends to take full control over it.

Global SITREP C10-23: War! By Air, Land and Sea

Gaza's Unprecedented Bombardment

UPDATED 27 October 2023: On the evening of the 21st day of the war IDF armor took up positions inside Gaza. This movement was preceded by the most intense bombardment to take place in Israel's 75 years. It came from the IAF, from Israeli naval forces offshore and from IDF tanks and mobile artillery. The IDF spokesman announced this expanded ground maneuver would take place as the IAF began pummeling the terrorist network of tunnels. With this action many are now watching to see if Hezbollah and IRGC-QF militias in Syria will join in full-scale warfare.

The Coming Northern Warzone

UPDATE 1 November 2023: Despite media reports to the contrary the Islamic Republic of Iran will set its proxy forces loose to open the northern front against Israel. These forces are composed of Hezbollah and IRGC-QF proxy Shi'a militias from Iraq. They are now staged near the front with Israel in a line that stretches from Quneitra to Nawa to Dara'a in southern Syria (see map above). The figurehead leader of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, is powerless to prevent the use of his rump nation, now a fully subjugated vassal state of the Iranian Twelvers in the assault upon northern Israel. 

Many should recall that an agreement between Russia, Syria and Jordan to not allow Iranian forces or their proxies to encroach upon Jordan's border or within a certain distance of the UNDOF Zone on the Golan frontier with Israel. Apparently Russia feels it is now free to ignore than agreement having given Iran tacit permission to stage thousands of its proxy troops and their advanced equipment on this front. Yesterday, the MEMRI website published its Special Dispatch 10920 which contains many details with abundant footnotes. It is obvious that precursory to the opening of the Syrian front the attacks against US Coalition bases in recent days, warned about here for the past few weeks, have now approached at least 30 rocket, missile and drone attacks. US retaliation has occurred and will almost certainly continue with the recent buttressing of US and Coalition military forces in the region. Hezbollah's Hassan Nasrallah has announced he will issue and address, most likely on Friday of this week.

Updates as they occur...

Global SITREP B4-23: Operation Shield and Arrow Continues

IDF Iron Dome Missile Defense Batteries imaged 9 May 2023
(Ronaldo Schemidt / AFP)

10 May 2023: As anticipated Red Alert sirens began sounding anew in southern Israeli towns today. First in Sderot, then Ashkelon, Ashdod and Lachish and others in the so-called "Gaza envelope" heard the warnings announcing inbound enemy rockets. 

The IAF response was both preemptive and immediate as the Iran-aligned Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) rocket launch sites and mortar positions were struck following IDF ISR (Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance) detected ground activity at those sites prior to any launches.  Those sites were promptly destroyed. Other sites were then identified as their ordnance became airborne and took incoming IAF airstrikes.

Just minutes ago enemy rockets, probably the more capable rockets fielded by HAMAS, were launched at Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan and Givatayim in central Israel. This is breaking news. updates as always...

 

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! 

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?

Global SITREP B7-19: A True SITREP

1 May 2019: This will be a SITREP of current events around the world, some with prophetic significance and some not so much, at least not yet (we're always looking forward).

The recent rocket fire coming out of Gaza was Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) doing Iran's bidding in an attempt to sabotage the current ceasefire. A handful of PIJ rockets were fired into the Mediterranean Sea to test their range, which roughly equates to central Israel being the eventual target for this class of missiles. A final PIJ rocket impacted the sea off of Ashkelon beach. This was the PIJ messaging Israel of an impending renewal of hostilities.

Israel responded with a message to all Gaza factions that it did not seek conflict with them, would respect the current status quo, but would not sit idle if attacks were launched against it. The factions then responded that Israel's failure to adhere to all demands which halted the recent hostilities would result in an escalation of hostilities against Israel.

Eschatology Today expects (it seems rather apparent) that these enemies, supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran, will not allow Israel's upcoming independence celebrations beginning on the evening of May 8 and concluding the evening of May 9, to occur in peace and relative safety. 

The crisis in Venezuela appears to have arrived at a point of no return. The pro-democracy forces of Juan Guaido, backed by the US and most nations of the world, except for Russia, Cuba, Iran and China who back the communist dictatorship of Nicolas Maduro. Guaido's OperacionLibertad began in earnest yesterday and will certainly continue today. 

In social media yesterday President Trump made clear that the participation of foreign military forces within Venezuela supporting the Maduro regime had better cease and desist from suppression of the will of the Venezuelan people. Those forces include an estimated 20,000+ Cuban soldiers, and approximately 300 Russian Wagner Group mercenaries and regular Russian army troops.

The pressure was such that at one point yesterday Maduro was prepared to flee the country, but Vladimir Putin intervened and convinced him to stay put. This should speak volumes to Israel. Putin supports the dictator al-Assad in Syria against his own people. Putin then invaded neighboring Ukraine, and now supports the communist dictator Maduro against his own people in Venezuela. Does this sound like a Russia which can or should be Israel's friend? Can Israel trust Russia which trains "Palestinian" terrorists in Syria for war against Israel? 

I was reading some material related to Gabriel's prophecy of the 70 weeks of years, Daniel 9:25 to be precise, and that beginning timeline caught my attention. We all know it's about the the time from the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem to the appearance of the Jesus Messiah would be 69 weeks of years. But it occurred to me there might be more information to that statement. As I dug deeper I found that Cyrus' command for the Jews to return to and rebuild Jerusalem was given in 538 BC. 

But the construction of the 2nd Temple, which is not mentioned in this prophecy, was not begun immediately as many teach, thereby leaving the impression that it took 23 years for the 2nd Temple to be completed. Temple construction actually began in 521 BC, at the God-sent urging of the prophet Haggai, and that occurred 17 years after Zerubbabel and the first wave of Judah's captives had returned to Judah from captivity. At that time Cyrus was gone, and Darius was on the Persian throne (Haggai 1:1 and Ezra 4:1-5). So, from 521 BC when it was begun the 2nd Temple wasn't completed until 6 years later, in 515 BC. It only took 6 years to build the 2nd Temple once God impressed its importance by the prophet Haggai. 

It will probably be not too far in the future when this type of Divine prodding will cause Israel of today to build the 3rd Temple, the 70th Week Temple, and they will do so very, very rapidly with all of the modern construction capabilities now available.

Speaking of not too far in the future...which in the twinkling of an eye could be an event in the past... Eschatology Today has come to a final conclusion on the era in which we live. This current dispensation, to so-called "church age" is very close to ending and Israel's 70th Week commencing. To this end the position taken in determining the true SITREP about what time it is falls on the determination of the year that Jesus' was crucified, died and was resurrrected, ascended into Heaven and also sent the Holy Spirit down (Pentecost) to indwell the Body of Christ. That year on our Western calendar was 30 AD.

If the current dispensation was determined long ago by our Father in Heaven to span 2,000 years, and include both the Church Age and Israel's very specifically alloted amount of time (i.e. 2,520 days) for the 70th Week, then the math is very simple, and it all would conclude in the year 2030. But the Body of Christ will not be on this earth for Israel's 70th Week, meaning the 70th week of years start date would be closer to the present time by those 7 years, or circa 2023. 

More simple math follows: 2023 is slightly less than four years from now. Since the day and the hour of the Harpazo of the bride of Christ is known only to the Father and is always the imminent blessed hope of this age, why is the Body of Christ so silent about the most important event since the Holy Spirit descended to be with us on this world on Pentecost one-thousand nine-hundred eighty-nine years ago? 

The next anniversary of Pentecost is Sunday, June 9, by our calendar. And here's the rub in all of this calculating... the Lord's calendar year is not like ours, but is one of 360 days as seen in the specifics about Israel's 70th week of years. Dizzy yet? Good, because at any instant all of this would be made moot by His shout in the voice of an archangel and the trumpet of God.

Psalm 27:5; Isaiah 26:19-21; Zephaniah 2:3, John 14:1-3 and i Thessalonians 4:13-17.  It is going to happen. Marana'tha!

Global SITREP B4-19: Another Look Ahead

UPDATED 6 April 2019: Within 48 hours the Trump Administration will have the U.S. declare the iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). The designation was accompanied by a warning to all US interests and military forces around the world to be prepared for retaliatory strikes or outright attacks by the IRGC or any of its proxies (i.e. Iraqi, Lebanese or Yemeni Shi'a militias).

The IRGC was founded by Iran's first Shi'a Twelver Ayatollah (literal meaning: "Sign of God") in 1979. The IRGC's purposes are to be the Ayatollah's personal army, to defend the Ayatollah and his regime from foreign or domestic enemies, and to export the Shi'a Twelver revolution globally in order to create the apocalyptic chaos necessary to thereby hasten the arrival of their mythical al-Mahdi. 

The IRGC, and its most notorious offshoot, the Qods (Jerusalem) Force (IRGC-QF), are actively involved in terrorist military and covert assassinations activity within Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, several nations in South America, (most notably Venezuela) as well as within the European Union. They do, in fact, operate in covertly on a global scale. 

The timing and rationale behind the IRGC FTO designation is not a stand-alone event, even though it is decades over due. It is part of the US-Israel commitment to contain, confront and roll back the Shi'a Twelver agenda as kinetically executed by the IRGC around the world. This means in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Afghaistan and, yes, Venezuela. 

Eschatologically, this US-Israeli alliance against the IRGC can be seen as part and parcel of the Jeremiah 49:34-39 prophecy. The US-Israeli alliance also has strategic partnerships with the EU nations as well as the Arab GCC nations. These are all nations directly referenced in the text of Ezekiel 38:13. 

It is also a fact that the rocket fired on March 25th by the terrorists in Gaza which indiscriminately struck a private civilian residence in Mishmeret, Israel, injuring 7 (including an infant), precipitated the current military crisis with Gaza. That rocket launch was an order by Iran to its terrorist proxy in Gaza. That rocket resulted in PM Netanyahu cutting short his meeting with POTUS Trump, but not before they agreed to coordinate to robustly act in-concert against Iran.

We now also know that the US sanctions regime re-imposed upon Iran after the unilateral US withdrawal from the 2015 JCPOA is having a devastating effect as a form of the economic war upon the Ayatolaah's regime. One of the most affected is Hezbollah, and this assists (blesses) Israel greatly. 

The effect has been manifested in Iran being forced to drastically cut its financial support to Hezbollah. Consider:

1.) Hezbollah's soldiers have not been paid regularly in the past three months, and what they have recieved is half of their normal salary. Same goes for Hezbollah's reserve soldiers.

2.)These Hezbollah soldiers have had their upscale apartments in Beirut's al-Dahieh al-Janubiya neighborhood taken away from them and their families because Iran can no longer afford to pay the rent. 

3.) Hezbollah's social engineering network, the backbone of its popular support in Lebanon, has been shut down due to the lack of Iranian funding.  

The next time someone tries to tell you that America is not blessing Israel as it should, tell them to read this and think again.

5 April 2019: In this update we do not have to look ahead to see what's coming. Instead we look at what a senior IDF source assesses to be the threats Israel is facing right now. We also must understand that since senior IDF leadership assesses this, then it's a fair assessment to make that some part of their senior civilian leadership assesses it as well.

The assessment is that Hezbollah and HAMAS are acting in concert to drag Israel deep into Lebanon and Gaza where an underground network of tunnels has created a spider web maze of direct links between homes, mosques, educational facilities and hospitals. IAF air power alone cannot defeat these terrorist armies or completely destroy the tunnel networks, so the insertion of significant ground forces in such a campaign would be essential. 

As the IDF would pass through these areas of Lebanon and Gaza then the enemy infantry in the tunnels below deployed to execute many ambushes with heavily-armed elite forces plus anti-tank rockets in order to kill IDF armor from their rear, as well as killing and capturing individual IDF soldiers. Therefore, the assessment continues, the IDF ground entry into this combat is something that would occur only under the most extreme circumstances. 

This precisely confirms my 6:59 AM comment on March 31 beneath SITREP B3-19: 

"Clearly, it will require a far more serious threat to Israel's national security than a largely unarmed mass of 40,000 Gazans and hundreds of small IEDs before Isaiah 11:14 is fulfilled. Not even a barrage of unguided rockets roughly aimed at civilian housing has been a triggering event. Yes, something of greater consequence will occur for this part of the Psalm 83 fulfillment to take place. Yet, it will happen at the appointed time."

The senior IDF assessment then continued to identify Iran, meaning Iran as forward deployed in the IRGC-QF, as the power directing the activities of Hezbollah in Lebanon and HAMAS in Gaza in drawing Israel into this combat scenario. And so accordingly, Israel is quite busy laying the groundwork for "the big war" and the day when the IDF actually will enter into Lebanon and Gaza. In military terms, Israel is busy right now preparing the battlefield and setting conditions favorable to the IDF emerging from it victorious. This may happen soon, or down the road a bit, but it will happen. Iran will be dealt with leaving Hezbollah and HAMAS, divided by some distance, to each fend for themselves against Israel's formidible military power. We know how this will conclude.

As students of Bible prophecy we have to recognize this IDF assessment as dovetailing very nicely with the pre-70th Week prophetic scenarios we see in Scripture, even if the IDF does not see this direct linkage at present, they will definitely see it in hindsight in the not too distant future. We see in the prophetic Scripture of Psalm 83 Gaza and HAMAS plotting together in direct from the text of Psalm 83. Only the Hashemites of Jordan need be added to the mix, and that, according to Psalm 83, Isaiah 11:12-14 and Ezekiel 28:24-26 is precisely what will take place. And Iran is taken care of to a great extent, and prior to Ezekiel 38/39, per Jeremiah 49:34-39. Syria, per Isaiah 17 and Jeremiah 49:23-27.  Eschatology Today will leave the issue of what occurred at the Russian Ministry of Defense a day ago to address the almost certain questions that will appear in the comments section below this SITREP.

3 April 2019: While we wait for Gaza's fate to be determined, there are a couple of items that should be addressed from the perspective of prophetic implications.

The first item regards the stunning turn of events in Ukraine where a popular comedian and TV actor (who has a role playing the president of Ukraine) could soon actually become elected to that office. Perhaps you've read about this or seen a news report on it in the past week. It certainly and immediately got my mind racing with the potential for possible prophetic implications. 

The actor, Volodymyr Zelensky, captured twice as many votes (30%) as the current Ukrainian president, Petro Poroshenko (16%) in the first round of the election. These two will face-off in the next round of voting on 21 April. The result is surprising as both Zelensky and Poroshenko have fairly similar views. Both are pro-NATO and pro-EU. Conventional wisdom would say that Poroshenko, as the incumbent, would be favored over Zelensky who has zero experience in this kind of arena. Yet, by 2:1 margin the Ukrainian people went for the comedian/actor. That result was despite the fact that Russia interferred in it with a massive disinformation campaign. My take is that Zelensky took 30% of the vote because Poroshenko has not been effective in countering an aggressive Vladimir Putin and his designs on the whole of Ukraine.

Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelensky

And there's the rub. If Zelensky wins the presidency of Ukraine it's a near certainty that Russia's Putin will pounce after him like a lioness getting after a gazelle. And what it is that Ezekiel tells us? God puts hooks in the jaws of the northern leader (Gog of Magog): "I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws and lead you out..." Gog of Magog will be busy with his army in one direction, when God hooks him up and turns him about face, with his military forces and allies, and leads them all into a great slaughter of the mountains of Israel. I'm not saying Ezekiel 38:4 will be fulfilled precisely in this manner, but if the election result places Zelensky in the Ukrainian presidency it may be too much of an opportunity for Russia to let pass. Oh, and not to forget, but did I mention than Zelensky is Jewish from parents who are both Jewish?

Among the signs our Lord has given as indicators of the end times are natural disasters. Floods are a big one and they are occurring all over the globe as a direct result of severe weather. We pray and open our wallets to assist those affected here in the US and abroad. One place where significant, even unprecedented flooding is taking place is in Iran. Of particular note is the flooding taking place in ancient Elam. Ancient Elam is today divided among a few modern provinces, three of which are known as Ilam, Lorestan and Khuzestan. These floods are even more of a disaster for the people because they're already hard pressed due to an economic form of war we refer to as sanctions that are intended to turn the Iranian government away from its nuclear weapons program. Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has been more direct in acknowledging the economic sanctions imposed upon Iran has severely hampered their ability to deal with the flooding, calling the sanctions "economic terrorism" in a recent social media post.

The provinces of Ilam and Lorestan have been ravaged by the floods and all of that water is moving south towards the gulf through Khuzestan. Khuzestan has a great many dams throughout it territory, but those dams are at 95% full and the water coming will easily overwhelm their capacity to hold it back. Disaster looms in a region where the population is mostly ethnic Arabs who aren't very happy with the clerical regime in Tehran to begin with. And these floods are not just occurring in Iran's southwest, the entire country is experiencing flooding, particularly since the middle of March. Roads are blocked, which brings land transport to a complete halt, which bring deliveries of essentials to a halt. Most locations are reachable only by rotary winged craft, helicopters, and Iran's antiquated fleet of choppers is simply not up to the task. 

Flooded Iran

So the people are very quick to blame the clerical regime which has spent, and continues to spend, billions upon billions on the wars in Iraq, Syria and far away Yemen. Iran already has a festering insurrection of its people as we have discussed previously. This is just another important aspect of what the prophet Jeremiah has forecast to occur in Iran. Eschatology Today's position on Iran has for ten years been that Iran will be greatly reduced by the time Ezekiel 38/39 is appointed to occur. We are seeing that reducing happening in real-time today, and there's much more to come.

Speaking of Ezekiel 38/39, and to some extent this will be a repeat of what has been written about on Eschatology Today before, the view here is that Saudi Arabia and the bulk of GCC (Sheba and Dedan) are clearly referenced as the allies of the West, and therefore allies of Israel in the pre-70th Week fulfillment of this prophecy. This strongly indicates that the emerging Israel-Saudi ties will not be broken in the series of conflicts we refer to as the Psalm 83 scenario. The Saudi's will have no qualms with the overthrow of the Jordanian monarchy as Asaph prophesies in Psalm 83. In this we need be aware that the al-Saud monarchy and the Hashemite monarchy of Jordan have long been bitter rivals, well over a millennia in fact.

As a segue into the probable next SITREP to follow, expect new IAF strikes on Iranian targets in both Syria and Lebanon following PM Netanyahu's meeting with Putin on Thursday, 4 April. Some Israeli media have reported the meeting was cancelled. To the contrary, it has not been cancelled.

Global SITREP B3-19: The Gaza Op and Syria Strike

The Chief of staff at the briefing for commanders and combatants in the Southern Conference area, Friday, 29 March 2019.

UPDATE 30 March 2019: The lines are all in battle array; orders given (image above). Warning from the factions in Gaza; Israel responding "Don't do it."  HAMAS had included in its final set of demands the Temple Mount and Jerusalem. Shots have been fired this morning and a critical head wound to a Gazan combatant occurred east of Jabalia in the northern part of the strip. Other injuries reported in other sectors as 1 PM Israel Daylight Time (IDT) approaches. High explosive/high yield IEDs were thrown at IDF troops. Heavy gunfire by IDF against groups of enemy combatats attempting to breach the security fence at Gaza and Rafah (northern and southern strip). Use this detailed map for location data.

Occasional volleys of tear gas are being used by IDF troops to keep Gazans from getting to close to the 20-foot tall security fence. The 300-meter no go zone adjacent to the fence in side Gaza is being strictly enforced. The level of violence on the border varies sector by sector.

With this as the current status, there will be near real-time updates during the day...

Screen capture of IAF strike on IRGC-QF depot near Aleppo 27MAR19

28 March 2019: SYRIA - As noted in real-time comments to this SITREP last evening, a major air strike was launched around midnight IST by Israel on an IRGC-QF weapons depot in an indistrial area northeast of Aleppo known as Sheikh Najjar. Reports vary claiming 7 to 10 Iranian soldiers were killed in the strike. The initial strike and secondary blasts of detonating ordnance rocked the entire region for hours afterwards, cut power to Aleppo city and caused general chaos according to Syrian rebel sources which recorded the event on cell phones and posted to social media in near-real time.

Immediately after the strike the airspace over the Golan Heights east of the Jordan River was closed when Israel issued a NOTAM to all air traffic above 5000 feet. This air region is part of the Tel Aviv FIR (Flight Information Region). Israel's air defenses are on full alert status.

GAZA - The terror coming out of Gaza continues unabated. IED-laden balloons, grenades and even IED-drones are being sent over the security fence into the Negev and Eshol Regional Council areas this morning. Reports (coming from Gaza) of an agreed upon truce are being taken with an enormous dose of salt; one would have to be mentally unstable to believe anything the Gaza jihadists have to say. The Egyptian shuttle diplomacy mission returned to Israel with the factions response to the Israeli ultimatum on total disarmament and inspections. No one is holding their breath, even as IDF forces continue to flow southwards.

This is the fourth "war" in the Gaza region since HAMAS' takeover of the strip in 2007. The Israeli public is overwhelmingly calling for a permanent resolution to the Gaza terror; Israeli civilians in this region are at the breaking point with their rage against the terror and inaction by the Natanyahu government. The Natanyahu government's continued existence hangs in the electoral balance in the voting scheduled for 9 April.  

IDF armored troops ready their Merkave Mk.IV 'Barak' Main Battle Tank
These AI-enhanced tanks were designed for urban insurgent combat in Gaza.

IDF armor in ready position at one point on the Gaza border today.

26 March 2019: This is as near to a real-time SITREP as has ever been done on Eschatology Today. Collection activity continues in real-time as this is being prepped for posting.

The IDF has had hundreds of its armored forces in ready assault positions around Gaza for most of the day today, even as more armor and tracked heavy artillery are seen on Israel's highways streaming south as recently as 7 PM EDT this evening. 

The current status is that PM Netanyahu, IDF general staff and cabinet ministers remain in a highly classified security assessment meeting. At the conclusion of the assessment it is expected the order will be given for ground operations to commence inside Gaza. In addition to the battalion of heavy artillery that has been mobilized and sent south, the 35th Airborne Regiment has also been ordered to deploy to Gaza.  

The last HAMAS rocket launched into Israel about two hours ago; it was shot down over Ashkelon by an Iron Dome interceptor. Nothing more than shrapnel landed on a residential house. The IAF has been active for some time this evening striking dozens of HAMAS and other identified targets.

Meanwhile, Syria has requested a U.N. Security Council meeting on the Golan Heights, and rumors of Hezbollah threats to intervene on HAMAS behalf continue to percolate.

Global SITREP C7-18: GAZA Part II

War on Terror in Gaza

9 August 2018: The coming hours will indicate to us if this round of war in the south of Israel will lead to the literal fulfillment of Isaiah 11:14, possiblt as one aspect of the over-arching Psalm 83 scenario. Indications are this morning that Israel's government is prepared to engage in full-scale war against the terrorists to the point of their complete and permanent erradication inthe Gaza Strip.

Eschatology Today believes this round was provoked by the Iranians leaning on HAMAS as a means to off-balance the IDF from the coming war in the north of the country. The Iranians forget that the IDF is more than capable of fighting on three fronts simultaneously and even taking the war to the Red Sea choke points and beyond, even to Iranian shores. This may well turn out to be the Iranian Twelver regime's greatest miscalculation.

The global media have already begun to savage Israel in the wake of the IAF's preemptory, or preparatory, strikes against terrorist command and control. Civilian life will be lost, it is inevitable in war.

8 PM - Just another round of HAMAS terror rockets and IAF air strikes. Something major has to change for the Israeli government to cut the IDF loose. So we wait.

Update 13 August 2018: Not if, but when That's how DM Avigdor Liberman characterized the prospect of renewed clashes with HAMAS in Gaza. To that we should probably add, sooner rather than later, because the situation is akin to burning embers that need nothing to ignite but a fresh terrorist provocation. There is no ceasefire, just a temporary pause in hostilities. 

Renewed war will happen; it's the jihadist way of things because there is no such thing as a permanent peace with them. The necessity to achieve the results Netanyahu promised yesterday is for Israel's armed forces to destroy HAMAS completely, otherwise the "game" that is being played between Israel and HAMAS will continue indefinitely. Make no mistake, permanently eradicating HAMAS is precisely what Isaiah 11:14 foretells.