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 D6-23: The Great MidEast War

UPDATE 31 December 2023: This final update for 2023 is straight up and succinct. 

A new World War is coming. Russia wants ALL of Ukraine, Putin has zero interest in anything less. NATO, led by the U.S. will not allow that to happen. A NATO vs Russian Federation war in Europe from Finland to to Ukraine become more likely each month. China wants Taiwan, meaning the world war includes the Pacific "ring of fire." North Korea threatens South Korea, Japan and the US with nuclear war. Japan and the US will defend Taiwan. All ambiguity is out the window. 

Bible prophecy (Book of Daniel) hints strongly at this. The "beast" empire is here, albeit without the "Beast" at its head. 

Israel's war will continue for several months into 2024, to include Lebanon and Syria, and also Jordan. No reason to celebrate a New Year, it will prove to be less than happy for the world-at-large.

We pray for many more souls to find Salvation in Christ Jesus and partake in the blessed Harpazo of the Bride of Christ.

Marana'tha!

27 December 2023: Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced yesterday that Israel is a nation fighting a war on seven fronts. We've known this fact for quite some time, but it is good that all parties hear it from him.

To recap, there was a pitched battle fought in the skies over the Red Sea yesterday with the US Navy shooting at least three Iranian ballistic missiles fired from Yemen at Israel. Of note, this was the first time a US Navy anti-ship ballistic missile engaged and destroyed an incoming Iranian ballistic missile. Both Israeli and American combat aviation scored shoot downs of multiple Iranian drones also launched from Yemen. This war needs to be taken directly to the Ayatollah's doorstep.

In the north, Hezbollah expanded its tactical targets list by attacking a Greek-Orthodox church in the northern Israel town of Iqrit, injuring two Israeli Christians. A second Hezbollah missile was first injuring nine IDF troops who were first responders to the attack. Time to take the gloves of with Hezbollah.

 

Global SITREP D11-15: The War in Israel

UPDATE 9 November 2015: Is there any wonder among the bride of Christ that like his predecessor, POTUS George W. Bush, the current POTUS, Barack Hussein Obama, has had to publicly concede that a "comprehensive peace agreement" between Israel and the "Palestinians" is not possible before the end of his term in office in fourteen months time (January 2017)? Do we also recognize that this is the will of God just as much as anything else that is occurring on the earth during this pre-70th Week era? If you have any doubts, let me quote the words of our Lord Jesus Christ as recorded by the apostle Matthew 24:6: 

"And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet."

Every time you recite the Lord's Prayer you begin by praying: "Father in heaven, hallowed be Your Name! Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven!"

Brethren, none of what happens between now and the Harpazo should surprise any of us because His prophetic word will be manifest, it must take place, and the bride of Christ prays for this daily.

And so what Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Obama say to each other this morning, what they agree to, or even what they agree to disagree about, or even if one should openly betray the other in the coming months, none of that matters because this world is on the unalterable course towards the establishment of His Kingdom come. This is all good news, no matter what any corporate or so-called alternative media might say. And we should be rejoicing loudly! 

28 October 2015: This update is to cite media reports which confirm the original blog item posted three days ago. Among the most trusted of American media to be found, the Washington Free Beacon's report (Israeli Security Officials Concerned About Militia Affiliated with Ruling PA Party) goes into even greater detail than I originally posted regarding the Fatah Tanzim and its arsenal meant for one purpose and one purpose only - the killing of Israel's people. And a Times of Israel report published on October 22 points to the strife and warfare becoming worse than it currently is (nothing we don't already know), but with a twist - the report is based on the words of Adnan Ghaith, the leader of the Tanzim in Jerusalem. Finally, today, there appeared this article in Israel Hayom concerning HAMAS seeing the current situation in Israel as an opportunity not to be missed.

25 October 2015: When it comes to the ongoing Psalm 83 war in Israel the first thing most people will think of are the HAMAS terrorists in Gaza, or the Islamic State terrorists in Sinai. Some will even think of the "Palestinian" terrorists who launch two or three stabbing attacks in various locations around Israel on a near daily basis. 

This is a reminder to not forget about the heavily armed terrorists (at least 400 M-16 assault rifles and hundreds of grenades) in Judea and Samaria: Fatah Tanzim. The image above is a group of the Fatah Tanzim taken at Manger Square in Bethlehem. Not even the "Palestinian" security forces of the PA will move to disarm this terrorist army. A week ago they confronted the IDF who were moving into Qalandiya to lawfully arrest a known terrorist and opened fire on the IDF with their assault rifles. The Israeli's made a strategic retreat from this ambush in waiting.

It may be a matter of a short period of time before the Fatah Tanzim come from behind the stone throwers and stabbers to make life in eastern Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria a matter of life and death.  This SITREP will serve as a place holder for when this scenario becomes a bloody reality within Israel's borders.

Global SITREP A14-13 Special Edition: Christ in Prophecy TV Presents: 'The War of Psalm 83- Past History or Future Prophecy'

L to R: Dr. David Reagan, Bill Salus, Nathan Jones on the set of Christ in Prophecy TV

20 June 2013: Since the last Global SITREP was posted we have witnessed the defeat of the heavily out-gunned Sunni rebel jihadist forces at the near-epic siege of al-Qusayr, Syria by a coalition of Alawite-Shi'a forces from Bashar al-Assad's rump national army and air force, Lebanese Hezbollah and Iranian IRGC troops North Korean military advisers were also reported to have been in the mix on that side of the battle. This was followed immediately by ominous military movements occurring on both Israeli and Syrian sides of the Golan no-mans-land, and by an extraordinary meeting of 19 Islamist scholars of the Sunni Arab League and Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi in Cairo, Egypt which resulted in Mursi accepting the Islamist scholars diktat and the immediate the breaking of diplomatic relations between Egypt and Syria and a de facto declaration of war between Egypt and Hezbollah. Accordingly, Egypt, as the leader of the Arab League, has abandoned its embassy's functions in Damascus and closed the Syrian embassy in Cairo. The Islamic scholars also read Mursi the proverbial riot act regarding the tremendous Shi'ite threat to Sunni dominance in the Middle East, particularly in the Levant, and that all Iranian ships must be banned from transiting the Suez Canal which are enroute with arms for the Syrian regime.  The Arab League can now be expected to strike at Iran's Achilles heel through the 20 million Sunni's who live within the Islamic Republic. In addition to all of this action, battle lines are also being drawn between the US-led NATO alliance in Europe who support the Sunni's and the Russian Federation and its allies who support the Alawite-Hezbollah-Iran military confederation.

Against this backdrop I would now like to present the most recent edition of the Lamb & Lion Ministries Christ in Prophecy TV program. In this program Dr. David Reagan and Nathan Jones discuss the Psalm 83 War with author/lecturer Bill Salus (Isralestine, Revelation Road:The Missing Prophecy Revealed). On this program they interview Bill Salus about the War of Psalm 83. Some say this war was fulfilled in past history, but Bill points why that’s not the case. Additionally, David, Nathan, and Bill answer all the other questions about the timing of Psalm 83, like is it part of Ezekiel 38 or the Armageddon scenario. Some have suggested that this may be one of Bill’s best TV interviews, even though he was feeling a bit under the weather that day in the studio.

Click HERE to watch this informative Christ in Prophecy TV show.

The Psalm 83 War: The Final Phase

18 December 2010: Now it begins. Now that the last American combat troops have departed from Iraq and crossed the common border back in to Kuwait the nation of Iraq can resume its role in the war of attempted extermination of Israel as prophesied for these last days some 3,000 years ago by the Psalmist Asaph - the Psalm 83 War. Now the way is clear for the final and literal fulfillment of Psalm 83, and with particular respect to verse 8 (emphasis added).

¹Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.

²For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.

³They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.

⁴They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.

⁵For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:

⁶The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes;

⁷Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre;

⁸Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah.

This specific aspect of the Psalm 83 prophecy, the military linking of Assur (Iraq) and the children of Lot (Jordan) has been one of uncertainty for the past couple of years. My interpretation has been that it is direct reference to the assistance rendered to the Sunni Arab armies by Iraq in the wars of 1948, 1967 and 1973.

Then, for the past 20 years, Iraq had not been in a position to fulfill this role as it again is this very day - a position of being of militarily capable of assistance to Jordan and the Sunni Arab allies seeking to complete the military destruction of Israel. This news was first reported in English-language Arab media about one moth ago:

Jordan, Iraq to step up military cooperation ahead of US pullout

By ABDUL JALIL MUSTAFA

Published: Nov 22, 2011 22:52 Updated: Nov 22, 2011 22:52

AMMAN: The commanders of the Jordanian and Iraqi armies on Tuesday expressed desire in boosting bilateral military cooperation as the US troops prepared to leave the neighboring violence-torn country, according to the official Petra news agency.

The remarks came during a meeting between a visiting high-level Iraqi military delegation headed by the Chief of Staff Gen. Babakr Zibari and a Jordanian delegation headed by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mishaal Al-Zaben.

Zibari and Al-Zaben "praised the he distinguished standard of cooperation between the armed forces in the two brotherly countries and expressed desire in boosting this cooperation in all military spheres and in such a manner that fulfils the aspirations of the two armies", Petra said.

The talks were attended by the commanding general of the US forces in Iraq Lloyd J. Austin III, who has warned that violence could grow in Iraq after the US withdrawal.

The visit by the commanders of the Iraqi army and the US troops in Iraq stirred speculation that Jordan could be tasked again with the training of Iraqi troops after the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq by the end of the year.

The Jordanian Army trained tens of thousands of Iraqi troops and policemen after the 2003 US-led invasion of the neighboring Arab country that toppled the regime of President Saddam Hussein.

The training of the Iraqi Army is emerging as an extremely sensitive issue after Iraqi politicians voiced reservations over keeping US personnel to train Iraqi soldiers beyond 2011.

The government of Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki also reportedly turned down an Iranian offer to train the Iraqi Army.

So, here we are, yet again on the cutting edge of prophetic fulfillment.

The Psalm 83 "Inner Ring" Solidifies

22 December 2010: This report began as an assessment on current events in the Middle East that I sent out as an Email to several Christian brothers on 13 December. The text of that Email follows.

"Subject: Israel - The Ultimate Joint Islamic Cause

Among the "inner ring" Psalm 83 nations only Egypt's publicly vehement opposition to the Shi'a Islamic regime in Iran appears to be intact. And that might change suddenly with an Islamist al-Ikhwan al-Muslimuun (Muslim Brotherhood) victory (coup d'etat) over the Mubarak regime in Cairo.

Syria, Lebanon, Gaza(Philistia), and certain elements within the West Bank are all benefactors of Iranian "assistance" in the continuing and ever increasing confrontation with Israel. Now Jordan, in the person of its reigning monarch, King Abdullah, made it clear yesterday (12 December) that the Hashemite Kingdom intends to follow the lead of its Sunni Arab brothers in reaching out to Iran. This is a stunning and totally out-of-the-blue reversal of Jordanian foreign policy vis-a-vis the Islamic Republic. Why and why now?

Jordan's king wants improved ties with Iran

Excerpt: "The Jordanian (Royal Court) statement quoted Abdullah as saying it was "imperative to undertake practical steps for improving Jordanian-Iranian relations in the service of both countries, their brotherly people and joint Islamic causes and to consolidate security and stability in the region."

Assessment:

I believe this reversal is based upon the Islamic imperative that confrontation with and destruction of Israel is the ultimate in joint Islamic causes. Consolidated security and stability within Dar al-Islam (land of Submission) cannot occur as long as Israel, a/k/a/ Dar al-Harb (Land of War) exists within the Islamic crescent. Tehran's rapprochement with Amman cannot occur as long as its unilateral peace agreement with Israel remains in force. Thus Jordanian abrogation of the agreement may occur without notice or upon the flimsiest of pretexts. Jordan sees what exists to its north - from Iran to the Mediterranean Sea - an Iranian-led and armed to the teeth coalition is intent on vanquishing Israel in the near term. Jordan, the Hashemite Kingdom, set itself up as the guardian of Islam's holiest shrines - from Mecca to Jerusalem - and over the course of recent history has lost both, the former to the Saudi's and the latter to the Israeli's. I believe this underlies King Abdullah's decision. It is an attempt to restore the Hashemite Kingdom's Islamic legitimacy and honor.

King Abdullah wants to save his kingdom - he's very aware of the near disaster his father faced in 1970 when the "Palestinians" nearly took the kingdom for their own. "Bloody September" is the root cause of the Lebanon we know today, and the Jordan. Abdullah is making sure the Palestinian's have their own state so that they don't want his."

Thus can we clearly see a palpable real-world and real-time solidification of the very appropriate "inner ring" nomenclature coined by Isralestine author Bill Salus. King Abdullah has no other option but to consign Jordan to the confederation of nations which have prophetically uttered in their native Arabic language, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, That the name of Israel may be remembered no more.”

It was in no small way that I was a little more than slightly surprised this morning to see the secular Israeli website DEBKAfile publish an article (Jordan winds down military-intelligence ties with Israel) which reiterated the primary points I'd made in the above assessment. We've "closed the loop" so to speak at the tail end of the year 2010 A.D. and beginning of the Jewish year 5771.

On a related note rgarding Psalm 83, verse 8 (YLT):

"Asshur also has joined with them; They have helped ("zĕrowa`") the children of Lot."

Asshur was and is Iraq.

The first part of the prophetic verse above begins in the present and relative to the discrete time period of 1947-2003 (i.e. Asshur also has) and tranistions to a past tense (they have helped...) in its conclusion. The "Selah" at the end of verse 8 is a musical crescendo, it is an exhaltation!

In the period of 1947 to 2003 the Iraqi military precisley fulfilled the role of Asshur as assigned by Asaph. Precisely, and specifically to a 'T'. In fact, Saddam Hussein's clan/family hailed from that former northern Iraqi/Assyrian territory. Iraqi support and direct involvement with the sons of Lot (Ammon and Moab = Jordan) and the whole Arab League's war of annihilation against Israel is precisely what Asaph was speaking to. British-trained Iraqi generals led the pan-Arabic armies in the wars of 1947-47, 1967 and 1973.

Iraq (Asshur) last struck at Israel in 2001 with Saddam Hussein's Scud missiles, and I remain open to the possibility that the past tense of Psalm 83:8b may yet be future, that Iraq may yet assist in some token manner in the coming final battlefield engagement. For that engagement I make note that both Iraqi officers and enlisted are U.S.-trained and equipped professional soldiers. They very well could provide highly-prized assistance or augmentation to Jordan's U.S.-made and trained armed forces in the final battlefield engagement.

Additional Asshur/Iraqi "zĕrowa`" provided to the "children of Lot":

Iraq provided training, logisitics, sanctuary and finance to the Abu Nidal "Palestinian" terrorist organization;

Iraq provided significant financial aid and assistance to HAMAS;

Iraq hosted the Palestinian Liberation Front (PLF) under Abu Abbas in Baghdad (of SS Achille Lauro/Leon Klinghoffer infamy);

Iraq paid the families of "Palestinian" suicide bomber cash rewards of $10,000 for each act of mass-murder of Jews and martyrdom. This amount was raised to $25,000 in 2002. The cash was transited directly via automobile from Baghdad to Amman, Jordan along the 10 Freeway and on to the West Bank paymaster Mahmoud Besharat.

The Iraqi Salman Pak terrorist training center specialized the terrorist arts of aircraft, ship and train hijacking, IED and VBIED production, sabotage and assassination.

My final note on this is to recognize that this is an interpretation which could only be fulfilled in this last 'end times' generation, the generation which has witnessed the budding of the Fig Tree.

UPDATED: The Syrian Missile Crisis: Threat of War Very Real

UPDATE 14 May 2010: Yet another real-world indicator relating to why all of Lebanon is likely to be taken by Israel in the coming Psalm 83/Isaiah 17 war (according to the associated Joshua 13:1-7 prophecy) has been reported in the mainstream TIME Magazine. Here is an excerpt (emphasis added):

"Israel vows it will use far greater force in the next war and will treat the Lebanese state — in whose government Hizballah has a major role — as the enemy, rather than just the Shi'ite militia, a prospect that frightens many Lebanese."

A second interesting excerpt along these same lines comes from the very end of an IsraelNationalNews.com report which cites yet another Kuwaiti Al-Rai report which, in turn, cites "Western sources" and suggests a specific timing and first course-of-action for the start of this next war (emphasis added):

"Meanwhile, the Kuwaiti Al-Rai newspaper claimed several days ago that Western sources told it that "Israel will wage war the minute it discovers the whereabouts of Nasrallah's hideout whatever the time or circumstances," Nasrallah, the anti-Semitic head of Hizbullah, has mostly been in hiding since the Second Lebanon War."

UPDATE 5 May 2010: Yesterday Israel's Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee received a very disconcerting situation report (SITREP) from Brigadier General Yossi Baidatz, the chief of the Research Division of the IDF's military intelligence (MI) division. BG Baidatz' told the Knesset, “Weapons transfers to Hizbullah from Syria are carried out in a regular manner and are arranged by the Syrian and Iranian regimes. Therefore this should not be termed 'weapons smuggling to Lebanon' – it is an organized, officially sanctioned process.”

He went on to say (emphasis added), "The long range of Syria's Scuds makes it possible for them to position their missiles deep inside Lebanon, and they cover much longer ranges than what we were familiar with in the past. Hizbullah Model 2010 is different from Hizbullah Model 2006 as far as military capability, which has greatly developed.” "Deep inside Lebanon" is another way of saying "strategic depth." This statement may be the strongest yet real-world indicator of why all of Lebanon is to be taken by Israel in the coming war according to Joshua 13:1-7.

UPDATE 27 April 2010: Israel National News has an ominous banner headline this morning: "Syrian-Turkish Joint Army Drill Intensifies Threat to Israel." A key early sentence in this report notes something which might appear to some, particularly non-Messianic Jews, as being a foreshadowing of the Ezekiel 38/39 Gog/Magog confederation: "Turkey also has established closer ties with Iran, and an Iranian-Turkish-Syrian-Lebanese axis would pose a monolithic threat to Israel from the north."

Since Israel, for the most part, remains under "the terms of the covenant the LORD commanded Moses to make with the Israelites in Moab, in addition to the covenant he had made with them at Horeb," and which gave them an unperceiving heart, blind eyes and deaf ears relative to the accurate interpretation of Biblical prophecy - Deuteronomy 29:4; Isaiah 29:10 and Romans 11:25 inclusive - the Jews today are to be forgiven for any prophetic misinterpretation of current events or things as they may appear to be unfolding as intimated in the above quoted sentence. Gog/Magog will occur after the war of Psalm 83 and Isaiah 17.

Another key sentence which catches my attention is this report is this one (emphasis added): "Syrian sources told the Kuwaiti daily Al-Rai that if Israel were to attack the Lebanon-based Hizbullah terrorist army, Syria would impose a naval blockade on Israel, using ground-to-sea missiles."

The distance from southern most Syria to northernmost Israel is the same as that of the entire north-south dimension of Lebanon along its Mediterranean coastline - a distance of 140 miles. Given the specificity of the Syrian blockade threat to use ground-to-sea missiles, I must note that Syria is not known to possess any such "ground-to-sea" cruise missile. Syria possesses old Russian-made ship-to-ship cruise missiles (SS-N-2C (Styx) and SS-N-3b (Sepal)). Accordingly, short of deploying the entire Syrian naval fleet to Lebanese coastal waters, Syria must have quietly acquired a far more advanced naval cruise missile capability from either Iran, Russia or North Korea, or has deployed into Lebanon batteries of C-802 cruise missiles acquired from Iran.

Hmmm, purely speculation on my part, but what ever happened to the rumored clandestine cruise missile cargo on board the allegedly hijacked Russian vessel MV Arctic Sea seven months ago? Might Syria have received some Russian-made tactical purpose Kh-65E anti-shipping cruise missiles? Is this one of the "surprises" Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has told the Kuwaiti daily Al-Rai are store for Israel?

The Syrian's also inherently threaten the non-combatant commercial shipping interests of many nations sailing the crowded waters of the Eastern Mediterranean. This threat is consistent with, and was probably crafted with or inspired by Iranian threats relative to the Strait of Hormuz at the head of the Persian Gulf.

UPDATE 26 April 2010: Additional research reveals that the SS-1C Scud-B ballistic missiles that Israel has declared were transferred from Syria to Lebanon may in fact be the Syrian-made M-600 ballistic missile system. The two systems are remarkably similar, if not identical, in their physical appearance. Compare the new image above of the Syrian M-600 missile with original image below it of a Scud-B. According to a pair of Naharnet reports from 14 January 2010, not only have these Syrian M-600s been transfered to Hezbollah, they were declared operational by Israeli defense sources. In fact, some of the exact same wording from the recent reports cited below occurs within the above linked January reports. It would appear from the recent reports that Israel's government has served its final warning to both Syria, Lebanon and Hezbollah, and by extension, to Iran and the world at-large.

19 April 2010: An update today from National Review Online authored by Elliott Abrams. Bottom line excerpt which we agree with, and which yesterday's statement by SECSTATE Hillary Rodham Clinton might be directly related:

"Some people believe that sending a U.S. ambassador to Syria, for the first time since 2005, will be useful, because he will be able to deliver messages to the Assad regime. But the best message we could send right now does not require an ambassador in Damascus, just clarity in Washington: Sending SCUDs to Hezbollah will not be tolerated, and Israeli military actions taken to prevent it will have full American support."

16 April 2010: The threat of a regional war involving Syria, Lebanon, Hezbollah and Israel is more ominous today that it has been at any time since the end of the brief summer war of 2006. The hair-trigger this time involves the reported Syrian delivery of WMD-capable SS-1C "Scud-B" ballistic missiles (like the one seen above) or, according to anonymous Israeli sources the SS-1E "Scud D," to the Shi'a terrorist organization Hezbollah in Lebanon.

On Tuesday, 13 April 2010, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak went public in confirming the stunning news that the governments of Syria and Lebanon were in blatant and deliberate violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 which brought a tenuous end to the Israel-Hezbollah war of July-August 2006. The bombshell news first reported by the Kuwaiti Al-Rai news agency was that Syria was in the process of transferring Scud ballistic missiles to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Item 8 of UNSCR 1701 called for "no sales or supply of arms and related materiel to Lebanon except as authorized by its Government," and Item 14 called for "the Government of Lebanon to secure its borders and other entry points to prevent the entry in Lebanon without its consent of arms or related materiel," and Item 15(a) which decided "all States shall take the necessary measures to prevent, by their nationals or from their territories ... The sale or supply to any entity or individual in Lebanon of arms and related materiel of all types, including weapons and ammunition, military vehicles and equipment, paramilitary equipment, and spare parts for the aforementioned, whether or not originating in their territories; and 15(b) The provision to any entity or individual in Lebanon of any technical training or assistance related to the provision, manufacture, maintenance or use of the items listed in subparagraph (a) above..."

With the reported transfer of Scud ballistic missiles and the training in Syria of Hezbollah troops on the operation and maintenance of these weapons Syria has been caught red-handed and in clear war-provoking violation of UNSCR 1701. The government of Lebanon shares in culpability due to its obvious complicity in the arming and training of Hezbollah's forces due to its failure to control its national territory and borders. This is the most egregious violation of UNSCR 1701 to date, as evidenced by the wholesale re-arming of Hezbollah with even more advanced weapons (such as Syrian-made M-600 rockets and Russian-made Igla-S MANPADS) by Iran, Syria and possibly North Korea during the past 3 years and 7 months, and constitutes a rock-solid casus belli for Israel to immediately begin pre-emptively striking the missiles, and fixed targets related to the weapons transfer and associated training facilities in both Lebanon and Syria. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad bears the lion's share of personal responsibility for provoking the threat of a regional war which could very rapidly escalate to a large-scale exchange of weapons of mass destruction in the Levant.

While rumors continue to circulate in major world capitals that the Syrian's transferred top-of-the line SS-1E Scud-D (50 meter CEP) missiles to Hezbollah, no proof of has yet been made public to confirm the rumor. These missiles would give Hezbollah the capability to act as a proxy for Iran in launching a preemptive or retaliatory strike against Israel's Dimona nuclear complex should Israel strike Iranian nuclear targets in the near term. Sans photographic or human intelligence proof of the Scud variant transferred to Hezbollah, my assessment is that Syria sent the SS-1C Scud-B variant to Hezbollah. Scud-Bs are 1960s-era missiles (obsolete for a modern army), and they would suit Hezbollah better because they're very much a weapon of terror with a 900 meter CEP (Circular Error Probable). Scud-B can carry a thickened VX gas chemical warhead. As with a tossed grenade - close is good enough.

In either case, once Israel confirms Hezbollah's possession of Scud missiles and their operational status vice a malicious ruse of inoperable missile shells, an imminent series of strategic strikes by Israel would be virtually assured. Should these strikes occur, as I believe they will, then this will likely become a war of widespread WMD use per Isaiah 17:4-11, followed by a rapid escalation into the fulfillment of Psalm 83, Joshua 13:1-7 and Zechariah 9.

Today we should enjoy the calm before the storm, a storm which lies a hair's breadth distance between the current relative calm and full-scale war.

The Psalm 83 Revealing: Coincidence or Providence?

UPDATE 31 March 2010: I read Jack Kinsella's latest article earlier today and it really struck a spiritually resonant chord. The spiritually resonant chord aspect is that I have not heretofore considered that the Harpazo of the Bride of Christ could actually be a part of the Lord's judgment upon the United States for our abandonment of Israel. I have always believed that the Harpazo would have a devastating effect on the United States, but that devastation never rang a bell with me with respect to Divine judgment. The Harpazo has always been an imminent, signless event tied to a certain season of the Fig Tree. That season is undoubtedly upon us. Maranatha.

Please read Jack Kinsella's Brits Abandon 'Special Relationship' with America

25 March 2010: Isralestine author Bill Salus' blog Prophecy Newstand has a new must read article "The Psalm 83 Revealing: Coincidence of Providence." You'll also find a link to both of Bill's blogs in the 'Favorite Links' list to the right. In this new blog article Bill Salus references the 2006 Hezbollah-Israel war as an on-going, real-time reminder from the Lord that the literal fulfillment of the Psalm 83 prophecy in the very near future is an imminent probability.

As readers of the Northeast Intelligence Network website, the NEIN Blog and this Eschatology Today blog are by now well aware, I absolutely agree with Bill Salus' brilliant, in-depth exegesis on this subject. The same Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) dwells within and speaks the same prophetic truths to all of us.

On 9 February 2007, just six months after the end of the 2006 war, I wrote a short article on the NEIN website entitled "Lebanon, Syria & Israel: The Coming War." In that article I detailed the previously unthinkable attack upon an Israel Defense Forces armored unit by the Lebanese Army at the outset of the war. At the moment of the Lebanese Army attack upon the IDF armored unit all Israeli units were on Israel's side of the Blue Line, which is to say that the IDF had not crossed into Lebanese territory but was conducting necessary operations on sovereign Israeli territory. The Lebanese Army commander had been expressly assured by the IDF commander that he had no intention of crossing the border. Yet the impotent and virtually useless Lebanese Army lay in waiting, fully prepared to ambush the IDF armored unit which had no choice but to clear Hezbollah-placed landmines on Israel's soil. This war began as a cleverly designed trap, an ambush, a kidnapping. The government and military of Lebanon were full participants in it.

Media reports ever since have made reference to that 2006 war as the Hezbollah-Israel war, yet the war was also fought directly between the Lebanese Army and the IDF. Moreover, I have subsequently been convinced that the Lebanese Army acted as a force multiplier for the Iranian and Syrian equipped Hezbollah forces. I knew three years ago that what we had just been witness to was a preview of the coming Psalm 83 war prophecied by Aspah over 3,000 year ago. I concluded my article saying, "There is war coming to this border region, a very big war is coming. Iran and Syria with their terrorist proxies are spoiling for a very big war. I see no other tactical explanation which makes an iota of sense."

There is a very high probability that Psalm 83 war is about to erupt and we will yet again be witness to the literal fulfillment of Bible prophecy. Sadly, this will be a war in which America under the Obama Administration will abandon and betray our long-time Israeli ally. In a few hours I will be posting additional details on the specific intelligence items we have collected which forecast such a betrayal.

Conclusion:

The full range of current events in this region is viewed as a whole by this author as constituting severe indications and warnings that the Psalm 83 war is an imminent probability. Whether the spark is a clash on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, or another missile-borne provocation coming from Hezbollah or HAMAS on Damascus’ or Tehran’s directive is probably immaterial because this next war will be a war that includes all of Israel’s enemies coming against her simultaneously, from without and from within. And unlike all the previous wars between Israel and its neighboring Muslim Arab enemies of the past 60 years, in this war it appears very likely that America will betray its Israeli ally and side with the Arabs. This is the unfortunate and entirely avoidable situation we are in at this time, a situation which until very recently has been festering quietly in small newspaper snippets buried deep in the back pages of newspapers. Yet nothing is more important to America’s future well-being than what this nation does in this war. For when it comes to modern day Israel the blessing or curse promised by the God of Abraham in Genesis 12:3 is in full effect.

Make no mistake, what is presently occurring between the State of Israel and the United States of America is quite different that what is being described in the global lame-stream media as constituting a “rift” or a “crisis,” or as being “strained” or even as “heightened tensions.” No, what is occurring now is nothing less than the execution of a long-planned, intricately manipulated betrayal of Israel by the godless Western elite, the "Global Oligarchy," as orchestrated through the socialist regime currently occupying the White House.

Over the past year Northeast Intelligence Network Director Doug Hagmann had a series of conversations with a former highly-placed U.S. intelligence official which were reported in a series of articles on this website between December 2008 and March 2009. All of these articles contain information vital to the future of the nation, particularly if the pace of events in the Middle East allows us to reach the November 2010 mid-term election and rectify and impending Divine judgment and disaster on America. The first was “US Intelligence Official About Israel: This is just the beginning” which was followed by the second installment titled “The Coming War.” The phrase we were advised by that intelligence officer to keep in keen focus was “malicious intelligence” and which was to be viewed as integral with the actions of our own government in withdrawing our long-standing support of Israel.

The details I found most disturbing, and have kept front and center in my mind since their publication last March, were contained in Doug’s article entitled “The US Abandonment of Israel.” The detailed statements from the former intelligence officer are imperative reading in light of the events and news reports of the past week primarily due to their stunning, off-the-chart accuracy. In expounding upon a statement that something worse than mere American abandonment of its alliance with Israel would be forthcoming the intelligence officer added that the Obama Administration would provide more financial and military support to Israel’s enemies and would undercut Israel’s defensive efforts while simultaneously “pushing Israel to succumb to the pressure of unreasonable demands designed to end with their political annihilation as a nation.” In the past two weeks this is exactly, precisely what the Obama Administration has done to Israel. There is every indication these efforts will continue unabated and inevitably increase over time.

It cannot be possibly be any clearer at this juncture, the administration of Barack Hussein Obama has a clearly defined pro-Muslim anti-Israel agenda and only “We the People” stand between it and a future no voting American parent wants for his or her children or grandchildren. Moreover, no American wants to stand before God and give account on why he or she failed to bless Israel in her greatest time of need.