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 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 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 A1-19: Continuity

PSALM 83

Update 4 January 2019: Straight up and to the eschatological point of this update. 

Is it not now obvious the the Government of the State of Israel regards the Government of the Russian Federation as a viable partner with whom trust is given regarding Israel's national security? If so, and I believe this is true considering the level and scope of continuing Israeli-Russian contacts and cooperation that is being conducted, then it would not follow logically that the eventual advent of Ezekiel 38/39 would constitute an abject betrayal of the security partnership and trust bestowed by Israel upon the Russian Federation?

And will Israel not immediately follow-up such an ill-advised folly in the subsequent and apparently carte blanche acceptance of the 7-year "covenant with many" (security treaty) of the 70th week as confirmed by the Western ruler (nagiyd) per Daniel 9:26-27?

My curiosity in this has now flared up because as I understand Ezekiel 38/39, it is concluded with the prophet declaring that God shall have poured out His Spirit upon "all Israel" (Ez. 39:29). How does an Israel dwelling at that time with the Holy Spirit then turn around and accept a false messiah, one who is empowered by the dragon (satan), his seat, and great authority (Revelation 13:1-6)? 

What am I missing here? Does not the Holy Spirit provide discernment in such things?

Yes, He does! The "All Israel" that recieves the LORD God's pouring out of the Holy Spirit in Ezekiel 39:29 are the 144,000. 12,000 of every tribe of Israel - all Israel - who proclaim the gospel of Yeshua HaMashiach to the whole world during the first 42 months of the 70th week. Their ministry is concurrent with the Lord's Two Witnesses ministry in Jerusalem during this same 42 months. Amen!

1 January 2019: Yesterday there was a meeting in Tehran in which that terrorist regime once again made clear its military agenda of seeking the destruction of Israel and to replace it with a Shi'a Islamic government in Tel Aviv. This is the news this morning in the Jerusalem Post and few other Israeli media.  

Lost is the shuffle of last week, but captured within SITREP E3-18, was the report of a delegation of Hezbollah VIPs which departed for Tehran from Damascus minutes before Israeli ordnance began destroying Iranian, Hezbollah and their Syrian hosts warfighting materiel at 10PM on Christmas night. Concurrent with the Hezbollah VIPs travel to Tehran, we now know that Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) VIPs, led by PIJ chief Ziyad al-Nakhalah, a U.S. State Department specially designated global terrorist, also departed Gaza recently and arrived in Tehran. The object of this unfettered travel by Iran's primary terror proxies in Lebanon and Gaza was a face-to-face meeting with Ayatollah Khamenei on Sunday and Iranian president Rouhani today. The meeting with the Iranian Ayatollah was in all actuality, as announced by the PIJ leader in Iranian media, a war council for the next round of war against Israel. Rouhani doubled down on this by declaring the only way for the "Palestinians" to achieve their rights in "Palestine" is to wage war on Israel.

Except for the leadership of Iran and the still missing Jordanian factor, this Eastern Mediterranean enemy confederation has an uncanny resemblance to the enemy confederation found in Psalm 83. Eschatology Today views the Iraqi Shi'a militias as Assur per Psalm 83:8.  These militias are under IRGC-QF command and currently sitting on the Syrian side of the Golan. As noted in the JPost report linked above, all of these forces constitute a unified military command structure, from Lebanon to Gaza, for the next war. This news tends to confirm the assessment made in the 29 December 2018 update to Global SITREP E4-18.

There is also direct linkage between the ultimate fulfillment of Psalm 83, Isaiah 11:14, Ezekiel 28:24-26 and the prophecies of Jeremiah 49:34-39, Isaiah 17 and Jeremiah 49:23-27. In fact, the fulfillment of the entirety of Jeremiah 49 is applicable here, and our oft reference flood of prophetic fulfillments in the run-up to Ezekiel 38/39 and the 70th Week. Unknown is the specific timeline, but they do appear to be standing on all of Israel's current frontiers. 

This SITREP is about the continuity of prophetic developments as we watch in real-time.

Global SITREP C23-14: IDF Taking All of Gaza

21 July 2014: OPE Day 14/Ground War Day 4: It is now obvious to this observer that what may have begun as a limited IDF operation to disarm the various Gaza jihadists has of necessity become a full-scale war of conquest. Gaza is to be completely conquered; the Islamic jihadists liquidated and their weaponry permanently destroyed. The political decision to destroy HAMAS, et al, stems from their abject refusal to accept Israel's right to exist. The only question I have at this time: How long will it take for HAMAS military allies to intervene on their behalf against Israel?

22 July 2014 - OPE Day 15/Ground War Day 5: The focus of late in the media is on the numbers of casualties: IDF casualties and enemy casualties. The enemy has no regard for casualties, combatant or non-combatant civilian. In Islamic jihad casualties are irrelevant except as a propaganda and psychological warfare tool with which to bludgeon the morality of their Judeo-Christian enemy. The media focus on casualties is almost certainly due to the limited amount of information trickling back in from the front lines as the IDF advances deeper into and around Gaza City. The battle raging in and under HAMAS' heavily armed Shuja'iyya district redoubt is extremely fierce, however at least one column of IDF armor has reportedly pierced through to the Zeitoun neighborhood that lies directly east of Shuja'iyya and south of Gaza City.

To the north Hezbollah in Lebanon is voicing its support of HAMAS and the PIJ. It remains to be seen exactly what Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah meant by saying, "The Lebanese resistance is willing to cooperate completely, in order to realize the goals of the Palestinian resistance, and to ensure the failure of the aggression."

Final Update - OPE Day 15: It is very much worthwhile noting this morning that a very curious block of pro-HAMAS nations has emerged which has aligned itself against the Israeli-Egyptian alliance, even in the attempts at achieving, or thwarting as the case may be, a ceasefire in Gaza. The curious block most notably includes the Muslim nations of Turkey, Sudan (Kuwsh), Iran (Persia/Paras). Little Qatar is the lone purely ethnic Arab state in this group. Prophecy students will immediately notice the first three in this alignment also figure in Ezekiel 38/39 as the second-tier nations listed by Ezekiel who will in the future come against Israel as part of the northern Magog confederation. Everywhere we look these days the nations involved in current and future Bible prophecy fulfillment are exactly where they should be with respect to those prophecies.

23 July 2014 - OPE Day 16/Ground War Day 6:  It is my opinion that the current U.S. FAA ban on flights to Israel has nothing to do with the safety of commercial aircraft and their passenger but has everything to do with a form of economic and political punishment upon Israel because the IDF is in the process of destroying HAMAS and re-conquering the territory of Gaza. Were the FAA ban truly what the U.S. Obama Administration claims it to be then all commercial flights to Russia would have been banned since their military shootdown of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 on 17 July 2014.

Day 16 begins with the IDF having achieved the hard-fought position of now being able to inflict a crushing blow against the entire terrorist infrastructure in Gaza. IDF commanders are looking to Jerusalem for approval to launch such an operation across the remaining unconquered parts of Gaza, and then to take the war down into the terrorists subterranean C2 (Command and Control) bunkers. They have the technical means of executing such an offensive that would significantly reduce combat risks to individual IDF soldiers but prove to be imminently lethal to the terrorists. Git'r'done.

Global SITREP C19-14: The Operationally Invalid Cease Fire That Failed; the War Continues and includes Iran

IDF armor in a 'hurry up and wait' formation near Gaza border.

15 July 2014 Operation Protective Edge - Day 8:  Now we know what has been holding a massive IDF armored invasion force up on the Gaza border. It is a Netanyahu government that is all too eager to placate, if not outright capitulate, to a leftist American presidential administration which clearly does not have Israel's best interests as its foreign policy's cutting edge.  There is no doubt that the failure to execute a Gaza ground operation as the only and truly effective means of neutering, and possibly even giving a coup d'grace to HAMAS, PIJ and other Islamic terrorists bombardment of Israeli cites and towns from Gaza, came at the hands of an inept Netanyahu government; a government which by all accounts on the evening of 14 July has acquiesced to an unenforceable cease fire agreement and agreed to a unilateral cease fire to take effect in about 5 hours from now (0900 IST) based upon terms which the Islamic aggressor has not even agreed to. 

OPE Day 8 - First Update: The security cabinet accepted the Egyptian mediation offer and agreed to the ceasefire imposed only upon Israel that went into effect at 0900 this morning in Israel.  HAMAS and PIJ are enemies of the government of Egypt; they rejected the ceasefire straightaway. Not only have the terrorists rejected the ceasefire, but it never discussed directly with them by anyone in the Egyptian government. So, combat missions continued in Gaza right up to the 0900 hour and then Israel honored the ceasefire agreement with Egypt. HAMAS and the PIJ have rejected the ceasefire and continue to fire heavy barrages of their artillery rockets into Israel, as have the terrorists in Lebanon and the Syrians who lobbed rockets into Israel from the north. HAMAS also fired rockets against Eilat in southern Israel for the first time. As noted in the title of this SITREP, this is an operationally invalid ceasefire to which only Egypt and Israel have agreed, yet Egypt is not involved in the hostilities and has been, more or less, an ally to Israel since the start of the war. This ceasefire had zero chance of success.

So, at this point (0600 in the US/1300 in Israel) it appears as if OPE combat operations against the Gaza terrorists have resumed after a very brief hiatus. Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu spoke about 20 minutes ago on the current situation saying (emphasis added):

“We accepted the Egyptian proposal in order to present an opportunity for Gaza to be disarmed of its missiles, rockets, and tunnels through political means, but if Hamas does not accept this proposed ceasefire, and this is how it appears at present, Israel will have full international legitimacy for an expanded military operation to return the necessary quiet.”

Operation Protective Edge continues on Day 8, hopefully without further unwarranted interruption.
 
Second and CRITICAL UPDATE OPE- Day 8: The Islamic Republic of Iran, specifically the Islamic Republic Guards Corps - Qods Force (IRGC-QF)  is the driving force of the continuing rocket fire from HAMAS and PIJ in Gaza as well as the rocket fire coming out of Lebanon and Syria by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command (PFLP-GC). The PFLP-GC and the PIJ are operational commands within the overall structure of the IRGC - Qods Force. This means that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and IRGC-QF commander Brigadier General Qasem Suleimani have issued an order to maintain rocket fire against Israel irregardless of any other external considerations (such as a ceasefire). Technically speaking, it is not only HAMAS that is openly at war with Israel, but so is the Islamic Republic of Iran waging an undeclared war against Israel through their proxy forces in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria.

The links between IRGC-QF, PIJ and the PFLP-GC are very well known to both the United States, Israel and probably Egypt as well. An official Fact Sheet published by the US Department of the Treasury on October 25, 2007 makes these interconnections abundantly clear and has included updates which cite US President Barack Obama's Executive Order 13227 of April 13, 2013 in the enforcement of sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

 Proof positive that IDF troops will have to enter Gaza City itself during a ground invasion. Here are three rockets being launched at Israel from the crowded urban city center today, 15 July 2014. Hard and dirty fighting lay ahead for IDF troops.

Third Update - OPE Day 8: Israeli PM Bibi Netanyahu addressed the nation this evening and pretty much repeated the same things he has said all along. Nothing new here, except that he is operating in lock-step with the leftist Obama Administration.  Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman is calling for a full-scale invasion resulting in total IDF control of Gaza. While the Israeli security cabinet as a whole democratically accepted the Egyptian ceasefire proposal, both Liberman and Naftali Bennett cast their votes against accepting it. They were the only members of the cabinet to do so. OPE Day 9 could turn out to be a turning point in this war.

 Former Israel Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon

A very short time ago Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu fired Danny Danon, the Deputy Defense Minister and a member of Netanyahu's own Likud Party. The reason for the firing is a public statement Danon made that, on the surface at least, appears to  betray the PM's public comments. Stated DDM Danny Danon, "Once again, Hamas is dictating the terms. We must not be humiliated. We must correct the mistake of accepting the ceasefire proposal made this morning and let the military do its job."  I cannot help but think that Danny Danon will become the political leader of Israel that many thought Bibi Netanyahu would become. In fact, Danny Danon strongly reminds me of the young Bibi Netanyahu of a couple of decades ago. Watch Danon, his rise in Israeli politics could become meteoric in a very short span of time. He could become Israel's "Ronald Reagan."

Empty IDF HETs (Heavy Equipment Transports) seen in the vicinity of the Gaza border on 15JUL14. Empty HETs usually means the armor they transported to this point will be advancing into combat under their own power.

Final Update - OPE Day 8: Looks like the final blitz prior to the expected IDF ground operation will commence just after 0800 tomorrow Israel time - about 5 hours from now which is 8 PM EDT/5PM PDT in the US. The IDF delivered yet another warning order to approximately 100,000 Gaza residents to evacuate their residences prior to 8 AM.