Global SITREP C3-18: Dara'a, Quneitra, the Israeli Golan and Damascus - Part II

AP Photo 16 JUL 18 of Bashar al-Assad "Victory" poster in Old Damascus

25 July 2018: This SITREP will serve as the continuation of SITREP B10-18 with Damascus as an additional point of eschatological focus. 

Contrary to what some prophecy teachers may be saying, as of this date Damascus, Syria has not yet seen the fulfillment of Isaiah 17:1 come to pass. The above Associated Press photo, taken a week ago Monday in the old city section of Damascus, is the entrance to a "Palestinian Arts" souvenir shop. To the entrance door is attached Bashar al-Assad's "victory" poster. He, and his Russian and Iranian allies want the people of Damascus, and the whole of Syria, to believe the war has been won and Bashar al-Assad is personally victorious.

Nothing could be be further from the soon to be manifest prophetic truth of Isaiah 17 and Jeremiah 49:23-27! The reality now is that Bashar al-Assad is essentially the titular vassal puppet king of Syria; his stature is maintained by Russian combat power, supported by Iranian Revolutionary Guards-Qods Force militia and Hezbollah of Lebanon. Syrian military forces are but a shell of what they were just 7 years ago. The Syrian Army's troops are mostly Hezbollah and Shi'a militia from Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan under IRGC-QF General Qassem Soleimani's command. These troops man a front line in southern Syria from Dara'a, across the northern Golan to the slopes of Mount Hermon.

Another dose of reality was poured out on al-Assad, the Russians and Iranians a day ago when a Syrian attack jet moving at a very high velocity penetrated the 1974 Seperation of Forces Line B, and continued a little over a mile into Israel's airspace, when it was immediately shot down by a pair of the IDF's Patriot air defense missiles. The pilot of the Syrian SU-22 'Fitter' was killed; his body allegedly captured by Islamic State (IS) forces on the Syrian side of the southern Golan. 

Yarmouk River basin in tri-border region of Israel, Syria and Jordan.

Let's consider those IS forces in the triangle formed by the Israel, Syria and Jordanian border for a second. This is the Yarmouk River basin, and it is very rugged territory. Flushing IS forces out or killing them in place within this natural defensive redoubt will never be accomplished by any amount of Russian or Syrian airpower. Steep, sheer cliffs, deep ravines, near vertical inclines and destroyed bridges mark its entire length. Eschatology Today would speculate another crisis point will soon present itself when chemical weapons are used for the dislodging purpose by the Iranian militia commander. The Yarmouk River flows south and becomes the Jordan River. 

Soon, if not as soon as full "Syrian administrative control" is so to be restored over its part of the Golan, Israel will be free to begin a wholesale assault on the Iranian-led forces all along this frontier. The reason for this is as stated above and stands to be repeated for emphasis. Syrian administrative control in any part of Syria is a fantasy; it doesn't truly exist; it is an Iranian charade. It has been true for some time now that the Bashar al-Assad government has no real power and Syria as a country is a failed state. Also deserving of a repeat: Syria has no real, coherent army which it commands and controls as the rebel factions destroyed it some time ago. What was left fractionated, and any semblance of a cohesive force was due to the embedding of Iranian Shi'a proxies and Lebanese Hezbollah. These are the forces wearing Syrian uniforms in Quneitra and Dara'a running up to the Israeli and Jordanian borders. They are Iranian forces under Brigadier General Qassem Soleman's command.

Someone studying Isaiah 17, verse 3 in particular, might recognize that the proverbial stage is set for a very specific fulfilment: "The kingdom from Damascus, And the remnant of Syria."  

Global SITREP B10-18: Dara'a, Quneitra and the Israeli Golan

Liwa Zulfikar - Iraqi Shi'a militia under IRGC command in Syria

UPDATE  11 July 2018: A final warning given to Tehran via Moscow.

10 July 2018: Pay attention to the now bold red text in the 4 July update below. Any Syrian, Hezbollah or IRGC-led military forces crossing the eastern Line Bravo into the DMZ will trigger the IDF into the large-scale operation described. Israel again yesterday directly warned against such movement. Nevertheless, the enemy has begun firing into the Quneitra area. The rest will soon be prophetic fulfillment in real-time.

4 July 2018: Eschatology Today is fairly well convinced that the Syrian-Hezbollah-IRGC Dara'a offensive on Dara'a (ancient Edrei) with Russian air support was suddenly ordered into a "quick halt" by Russian generals at Khmeimim Air Base. That order came from further up the chain of command in Moscow because Russian leadership learned that an Israel counter-offensive was with hours of being launched into Syria. Indeed, at about that same time, and as if to press home the point, the Dara'a joint-Syrian-Iranian weapons and ammo depot was attacked and largely destroyed.

Despite the military halt in Dara'a, Russia doubled down with Israel on the critical Iranian/Hezbollah issue. This morning Russian FM Sergei Lavrov declared that a total Iranian withdrawal from Syria was "completely unrealistic." Lavrov issued his double-down knowing full well that Israel had recently attacked and drove back Iranian militia attempting to cross into Syria from Iraq. What part of that message did Mr. Lavrov fail to comprehend? 

Clearly, for Israel, the Russians should save their breath as the issue of Iranian military forces remaining in Syria is non-negotiable. How they leave is the only option on the table: either willingly or by being destroyed in-place. For its part, Iran will ignore the Israeli red line, as it sees continuing the offensive through Dara'a and into Jordan itself as a means to outflank the IDF on the Golan. The rest is largely predictable.

With respect to the Golan, and Quneitra, the above map provides a key visual aid. The thin purpule-colored strip of land is the U.N. Disengagement Of Forces (UNDOF) zone that has existed since it was negotiated in 1973. Notice Quneitra (indicated by the red-colored oval) lies on the western side of this no-mans land. It is nigh impossible for Syrian, Hezbollah and IRGC-QF militias to enter any part of the UNDOF zone, or even appear to be about to enter it, without triggering an IDF offensive operation to push the enemy forces back another 30 to 35km away from the Israeli border. A 30-35km push would mean the entire right-hand side of this image becoming an Israeli military conquest within a couple days time.


2 July 2018: When these SITREPs are posted they always contain enough information, enough keywords, for the true Christian reader to eagerly seek out more information from the Word of God. This has been true from day one of Eschatology Today and its secondary objective of getting the reader to seek out the truth directly for themselves. Sad to report, this is not happening with this SITREP; if it were the comments section would have been flooded by this morning with questions or requests for clarifications regarding prophetic content within the first paragraphs of SITREP B10-18, if not the title itself.

Eschatology Today will now illustrate because this is a "teaching moment." We find in the Book of Numbers 21:33-35 that during Israel's arrival in the Promised Land, that Israel turned up (went north) to Bashan and then fought and won the Battle of Edrei. With whose help did Israel prevail in those ancient battles? Is the IDF not similarly empowered by THWH God today? 

Here's an eye-opener: Edrei is the modern city of Dara'a. We must understand Bashan is all of the land of this part of southern Syria, from the border of Gilead in the south to Mount Hermon on the north, and from the Jordan River valley east to the city of Salkhad (Salchah). And Israel possessed this land. See the map below with a thin black outline across southern Syria. 

Those who have read Eschatology Today all these many years are very well aware of the frequent mention of Joshua 13 as a prophetic chapter for this modern era. Joshua 13 goes hand-in-hand with Psalm 83, Isaiah 17 and the other pre-70th Week war prophecies. Once again, the prophetic importance of Joshua 13 cannot be understated, yet from far too many prophecy teachers little to nothing is ever mentioned. Now read Joshua 13:29-31 to know what lies in the near future for these same places where battles rage at the moment. Know that today Israel's mighty army stands at the ready on the Golan Heights against the approaching armies of Syria, Lebanese Hezbollah and their Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force overlords. Once again the Word of God presented the past as the prologue for future events. Very near future events.

All the land of Bashan, the kingdom of King Og.

Eschatology Today - Out front where we belong.

29 June 2018: Israel Defense Forces crossed overland into Syria last night on a humanitarian mission to provide many tons of tents, food, water, medicine and clothing to Syrian civilian war refugees pushed up against the Israeli Golan and Jordanian borders. Several tractor trailers loaded with the supplies and forklifts where escorted by heavily-armed IDF troopers through no-mans-land security fences where the humanitarian relief was transferred to waiting Syrian civilian trucks which delivered it all directly to the make-shift refugee camp nearest to the Israeli border. 

There are an estimated total of 125,000 civilian refugees pressed into this no-mans-land in the tri-border region, and whose ranks are swelling at a high rate due to indiscriminate and unrelenting Syrian and Russian Air Force bombings in and around Dera'a. The three best hospitals in Dera'a were bombed into forced closeure. War crimes and crimes against humanity are normal fare here as in other parts of Syria. Direct Israeli military intervention is only a matter of time now.

28 June 2018: This SITREP will focus on the newest and most dangerous flashpoint in the Syrian war: Dara'a, Quneitra and the Israeli Golan. Considerable fresh OSINT is being assessed along with material that has aged for at least five years regarding Iraqi Shi'a militias operating in Syria for iranian strategic interests. These militia, under IRGC-QF command, have added Syrian Shi'a militia to their ranks. Thus Syrian militia is also under the command of IRGC-QF General Qassem Soleimani and the iranian Ayatollah. The in-progress OSINT assessment is pointing to these militia joining the battle underway in southern Syria within the U.S., Israel and Jordan deconfliction zone.

The prophetic importance, besides the obvious regarding Syria, can also be attached directly to Psalm 83:8.  

Assyria also has joined with them;

They have helped the children of Lot.

Eschatology Today has for many years held the interpretation of this verse to point directly at troops from Iraq. These iraqi Shi'a militia have recently completed campaigns in that part of Iraq and Syria where the ancient Assyrians once had uncontested rule. There are now on Israel's northern doorstep.