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| A convoy of U.S. Army Stryker M1126 combat vehicles on-the-move in northern Syria |
Update 18 January 2018: Speaking at Stanford University yesterday, U.S. SECSTATE Rex Tillerson confirmed what is stated below - U.S. troops are staying put in Syria, primarily as a hedge against Iranian military expansion within Syria. He also made clear that the U.S. is not willing to give up to the Al-Assad regime the territory that the CJTF-OIR Coalition forces have under their military control in northern and eastern Syria. SECSTATE Tillerson made clear that this policy is guarding against the error made by the Obama Administration through unilateral U.S. withdrawal from Iraq in 2010-2011.
Is it now a fact that U.S. forces have secured all of Syria east of the Euphrates River. The prophetic implications for what happens in Syria to the west of the Euphrates River are blatantly obvious to the astute student of Bible prophecy, especially with respect to Israel (all the land to the Euphrates).
Anyone can plainly see this places the U.S. in theater conflict with the interests of the Al-Assad regime, militarily supported by Russia, Iran/Hezbollah and other pro-regime militias, as well as Turkey which stands opposed to Kurdish autonomy. The geographical map of what was, is and will be Syria is being redrawn by this new American anti-Assad policy. American defense of Israel against Iran is also a cold, hard, crystal clear fact.
Speaking of Turkey, a recent news item revealed that Turkey and Sudan have an agreement to turn over a small Sudanese island on their Red Sea coast to Turkey for re-development as a gateway into the Arabian peninsula. This island's redeveloped utility will be more fully realized as a probable invasion staging ground into southern Israel for the Ezekiel 38/39 prophetic fulfillment.
12 January 2018: It's on! To dispense with all manner of diplomatic speak, it's on in Syria. The US, Israel and allies versus Iran, Russia, Syria and, perhaps for the moment, Turkey standing against the two in accord with its own interests in Syria.
A report on The Hill published yesterday afternoon confirms reports appearing in several foreign media, the gist of which is that the US has reversed its stance from an agreed upon strategic withdrawal of US forces from Syria (following the eradication of Islamic State forces) in the face of a blatant continuation of Iranian military aggression in the country. The strategic reversal applies to not only Iranian moves in Syria, but also its overt control of Iraq. We're not wiping out Islamic State just so that Iran can walk in and take over all the territory from its border with Iraq to the Mediterranean Sea. Not gonna happen. Period.
Earlier this week, both the US and Israel detected the Iranian transfer of "game changing" military hardware into the Syrian theater of operation. Such hardware is utterly unnecessary with Islamic State having been nearly eradicated. Such hardware was easily identifiable as destined for use against Israel. Accordingly, the US promptly green-lighted the Israeli annihilation of every ounce of that military equipment. Israel completed that specific mission on Tuesday of this past week. Message sent. Israel used both strike aircraft and surface-to-surface missiles in three distinct waves following as many battle damage assessments to ensure the total annihilation of the Iranian equipment.
Now that "it's on" the watch for military developments in Syria will have to be 24/7. The next update will be in the form of a SYRIA Part II SITREP.
9 January 2018: It appears the attack discussed below was more high-tech than anyone, including Russia, suspected. It appears now that the 82mm mortars (Weight = 7 lb. 2 oz. or 3.23kg) were not fired from a 2B9M Vasilek mortar-gun, but were transported undetected by a flight of semi-autonomous combat drones programmed to fly to specific GPS (Global Positioning System) coordinates. The correct nomenclature for combat drones such as these pending a more precise identification is UCAV (Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle).
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| Intact and lightly damaged "bombs" recovered from enemy UCAVs at Hmeimim Air Base |
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| Example of a captured Islamic State UCAV |
Islamic State forces have demonstrated the technological capability for UCAV utilization on Syrian battlefields. In fact the specific type of UCAVs used in these attacks are known by US military intelligence to have been used by Islamic State forces These attacks have occurred in sharp contrast to Russian President Vladimir Putin's declaration of victory over anti-Assad forces at Hmeimim Air Base on 11 December 2017.
Eschatology Today data-mining of information has determined that these UCAVs are commercially available off-the-shelf (COTS). COTS UCAVs have been utilized by all sides in the Syrian-Iraqi conflict. Islamic State, Hezbollah, Ahrar al-Sham and the governments of Iraq, Syria and Iran have all deployed UCAVs. The UCAV bombs seen in the image above do bear a striking resemblance to those used by Islamic State UCAV strikes conducted in March 2017 in Raqqa and Aleppo.
Never before has Islamic State launched an attack against an airfield or aircraft as has occurred on 31 December 2017 and 6 January 2018. Russian aircraft have no armor and sit out in the open, so this makes them the most high-value targets there are in Syria, aside from a convoy of unarmored Syrian regime or Russian vehicles. Thus far explosive warheads are the weapon of choice, but it may be a matter of time before chemical, biological or radiological warheads make an appearance on the Syrian battlefield.
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| Damaged Russian Su-24 'Fencer' at Hmeimim Air Base |
6 January 2018: There is no question that a mortar attack occurred on 31 December 2017 against the Russian Hmeimim Air Base in Syria. The image above confirms that damage was done to at least one Su-24 (NATO Name 'Fencer'). The image below confirms that the Su-24 with tail number 29 was recently parked, as is the norm, closely together in a neat row of other Fencers along the Hmeimim Air Base tarmac, with the munitions they carry also stored close by.
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| Russian Mi-24 'Hind' |
Incidentally, a Russian Mi-24 'Hind" flying tank chopper was apparently downed by hostile fire (Russia says no hostile fire was involved) on the same day, just 9 miles, and in the vicinity of Ain Ash Sharqiyeh (a mountainous region) in the direction of Hama from the Hmeimim Air Base. Both Russian aviators were killed. Not many media have noted what a bad day 31 December 2017 was for Russian military aviation in Syria on that day. Odd. Then again, for what its worth, the media are utterly obsessed with anything and everything in the Trumposphere, real or imagined.
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| Su-24 'Fencer' number 24 parked at Hmeimim Air Base |
However, and all of the foregoing aside, what is now being questioned is not how many Russian combat aircraft sustained damage in the attack on Hmeimim, or how many Russian servicemen will killed during the attack (Russia's MoD admits 2 were killed; 8 wounded) but who was responsible for the attack. Normally the 'radical jihadists' claim their victories and achievements in the Syrian war, but not so this time. They've been oddly silent in making any claim, a claim Eschatology Today has patiently waited on over the past week. As of today, no one but those who fired their weapons upon Hmeimim knows for sure.
This attack on Hmeimim Air Base is now being questioned by Russia upon their Syrian hosts. Initially and publicly, Russia blamed the attack on ISIS militants armed and trained by the U.S. This was done without any proof put forward on the size or type of shells which impacted Hmeimim. No photos of ordnance fragments. Nothing. What is known is that the area the Mi-24 overflew is supposed to be 'friendly' territory, controlled by the regime or its Iranian militia allies.
Now comes leaked word that a 1970s-era Russian (Warsaw Pact) weapon known as the 2B9M Vasilek gun/mortar was the weapon system used in the attack. The Vasilek, (i.e. Cornflower), is a vehicle-towed, automatic burst firing four-round clips, optically-sighted 82mm mortar.
What this techno jargon means is that Hmeimim was attacked with a line-of-sight heavy weapon system that is in the inventory of Syrian Arab Army as well as having been taken as war booty by the Ansar al-Sham jihadist opposition forces. What this techno jargon also means is that the attacker was - at the very most - just 2.5 miles from Hmeimim Air Base. Ansar al-Sham mobile infantry using this weapon system just 2.5 miles from Russia's air bridge foothold in Syria? No wonder Moscow thinks the Syrian Arab Army was the attacker. It does not seem likely that Ansar al-Sham jihadists are driving around the Alawite stronghold of coastal Syria dressed as Syrian Arab Army soldiers with this weapon in tow. One thing is also for sure, "friendly fire" is never friendly.
What this should mean to Eschatology Today readers is that this lightly-reported attack, and the same day Mi-24 flying tank chopper shoot-down, have both occurred within the past week in the northwestern part of Syria where the literal interpretation of Jeremiah 49:23 has always been highlighted here as the location, the geographic point of origin, of a prophetic event which will turn the ongoing war in Syria upon its inglorious head. Such an event will be the driving impetus for the remainder of Jeremiah 49:24-27 and Isaiah 17 to come to their fulfillment. Always watching for news most folks never see, or would not understand fully if they did.
Syria will be a hotter place in 2018.
