Global SITREP D5-19: Is the IDF Prepared to Plow Gaza?

IDF D9 Heavy Combat bulldozer

UPDATE 12 November 2019: The answer to the title question of this SITREP may well come in the coming hours. HAMAS and Islamic Jihad have launched another massive rocket barrage against the civilian population of Israel. Israel's Iron Dome defenses have intercepted rockets as far north as Tel Aviv. These are massive rocket barrages that target sectors of Israel as if a grid was being used for targeting purposes.

As this is being written the massive barrage continues with Red Alert sirens blaring in: Shokeda, Kfar Maimon and Tushia, Zimrat and Shuva, Nachal Oz, Sa'ad, Alumim, Be'eri,Beit HaGdi, Netivot, Eshbol, Zru'a, Yoshivia, Mabu'im, Pa'amei Tashaz, Klachim, Talmei Bilu, Tkuma and Havat Izra'am, Tkuma.

Current Red Alerts in Israel at 09:20 AM Israel time 12NOV19.

More to come...

3 November 2019: The focus has been to the north and east of Israel for most of the year because that's where the military action has been taking place, from Iran, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf to Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. Wherever the Iranian regime has reached out its bloody hands war has resulted. And as 2019 closes out it can be seen that many of those countries have had their fill of Iranian hegemony over their affairs. So much so that the population of Iraq, especially the Iraqi Shi'a, want the Iranians out of the country. Now even in Lebanon the Iranians and their proxy Hezbollah have created conditions under which revolt was the obvious recourse for the population, to the point where another civil war is possible.

Eschatology Today assesses that the rocket fire coming out of Gaza this weekend occurred due to a direct order to the PIJ from the IRGC-QF and MG Qassem Soleimani who needed something positive given the unrelenting unrest that been ongoing in Iraq and now Lebanon where his Quds Force and Iraqi Shi'a militias are supposed to reign supreme. Israel has expected the rocket fire to come from the north, so perhaps the PIJ action, for which HAMAS paid the price, was merely a diversion? We shall see.

In any event, HAMAS may have gotten the message when a squadron of the IDF's heavy combat D9 bulldozers (image above) suddenly appeared in enmass on the berms facing GAZA earlier this week. The message the D9's appearance conveys is that the IDF is well advanced preparations for a dynamic entry-in-force into Gaza. In other words, D9 bulldozers mean business. There is nothing in Gaza which can stop the D9's from erasing the current Gaza-Israel border. Israel knows this, and no so do the leaders of HAMAS and their other terrorists in the strip, and it's not as if they haven't been warned. And contrary to some Israeli media reports, this coming operation is not a dilemma for Israel, but one in which HAMAS sees itself in an existential threat.

Irregardless of that fact that the political factions in Israel have not been able to form a government, the threat of Iranian (and/or proxy) rocket attacks from Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Gaza should be a catalyst to set differences aside and form a coalition to meet the threat head-on. Surely Israel's leaders must be aware that they dodged a catastrophe had the family in the Sderot home not been in their shelter and been killed with the rocket making a direct hit on their home. Nearly 24 months of complete inaction in dealing conclusively with the terrorist threat in Gaza is wearing very thin on Israel's population. Israel's leadership, both Likud and Blue/White simply have to get their act together, less a messianic figure emerge to act decisively in their absence.

More to come, no doubt. Marana'tha!

Global SITREP D4-19: The Crisis That Isn't A Crisis

US Armor Moves into Syria for Oil Fields Defense

Update 3 November 2019: The decision by Presdient Trump has been to reverse the wholesale withdrawal of lightly armored American special forces from northern Syria. The reversal is the deployment into eastern Syria of a brigade or more of U.S. Army heavy armor and rapid mobility special forces armor that had previously been based in western Iraq. This armored force is for the defense of oil fields captured by the SDF and the US during the campaign that destroyed the territorial Caliphate of ISIS. 

U.S. High-Mobility Special Forces Armor moving into Syria

Some of the US armor is from the 30th ABCT of the South Carloina National Guard with their Abrams MBT, Bradley IFV and armored infantry troops. Other elements are U.S. Special Forces in the now familiar M-ATV SOCOM and the Armored Ground Mobility System (AGMS) which is a SOCOM-modified 6x6 Pandur APC (image above) used by Delta and the Stryker ICVs of 75th Ranger Regiment. This deployment was rapid as Iranian forces in Dier Ez-Zor Syria were seen to be preparing operations to seize the oil fields from Kurdish-Syrian SDF guarding them. The oil fields will remain in production providing revenue to the Kurds as well as funding US forces defending for the region.

US M-ATV SOCOM Force departs Syria for Iraq

21 October 2019: For two weeks Eschatology Today kept its keyboard idle while the rest of the world couldn't stand to wait to see what would come to pass and instead passed judgment from the instant the U.S. military withdrawal from northeastern Syria was announced by President Trump. And all of that judgment, including some from very prominent Christian leaders, was absolutely wrong. To his credit, Pastor Graham, reversed his earlier position to one of giving POTUS the benefit of the doubt. Smart move. 

In any case, it is Eschatology Today's view, as most should be well aware by now, that everything occurring in the present time is related one way or another to the ongoing fulfillment of prophecy. If you doubt it keep watching the news, it'll catch up with this SITREP in due course.

Prophetically, Syria is a house of cards, Isaiah 17 and Jeremiah 49:34-39 make that very clear. And pulling the U.S. card out of the top tier of Syria will have the ultimate effective of destabilizing the entire house that is Syria today. Look forward and ask if Syria and Bashar al-Assad without a real problem in its northeastern corner would then find itself free to finally concentrate on the governornates of Idlib and Hama, leaving Iran, Hezbollah and proxies free to make moves against Israel. 

Remember, just before the announced U.S. withdrawal from Syria, Israel was in high alert status for Iranian missile strikes. That alert has by no means diminished, and intermittent strikes on the Iranian forces in the Dier Ez-Zor region continue to be struck by stealthy aircraft, keeping them off-balance.

And getting back to the U.S. forces that just left Syria, they are now in Iraq where they'll continue to hunt ISIS and be a northern hammer for the other American anvil that will remain in Syria at Al-Tanf. They will also defend Iraq from Iranian encroachment. These two forces can strangle any Iranian military moves towards Israel. 

This is almost certainly what SECSTATE Pompeo and Israeli PM Netanyahu discussed a day ago or so. Meanwhile in Jordan, as we were informed recently, King Abdullah II gave some very direct advice to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The King told her to stop with her interfering in affairs that were none of her concern. Good advice.

Global SITREP D3-19: Missing Pieces for Prophetic Fulfillment

Jordan Valley

Update 6 October 2019: All the speculation about the revealing of the Trump Administration "Deal of the Century" is pretty much a moot point. We recall that it was to be revealed in full a few months ago. Avigdor Lieberman essentially put a stop to that ongoing process with his resignation as Defense Minister, a portfilio that PM Bibi Netanyahu continues to hold himself. Lieberman's resignation has since resulted in two elections, with possibly three or even four, national elections to come. And since the "Deal" was to be announced after the new Israeli was formed and stabilized, obvious the deal is in haiatus indefinitely. 

Curious thing we have here then. God is in complete control, and so no government, no leader, means no "Deal." And that means this plan to divide the land has not progressed any further than from the paper or computer program it has been written on. Eschatology Today is of the mind and believes at this point it is obvious that God is quite definitively expressing His will, the understanding being that His supremely appointed times are the determining factor not only on the non-formation of a new government for Israel, but also on the fact that the Trump Administration's "Deal" has been prevented on being brought forward in any meaningful way.

But this is not to say that there is no movement going on. The U.S. Ambassador is reported in a Times of Israel report today as saying that PM Netanyahu's previously announced plan to annex the Jordan Valley (image above) "does not preclude a political solution." The "Deal of the Century" is precisely that, a political solution. I suggest those with a keen interest read the linked ToI article and ask yourselves if it does not reflect the express will of God. 

A Netanyahu decision to enact Israeli sovereignty over the Jordan Valley could happen, probably will happen, now that the U.S. has made public it would be no obstacle. Recall that the Jordan Valley, and the political situation in Jordan (the expected "great upheaval), have been key SITREP topics every now and then for nearly 6 years, always looking for an expected breaking point. Keep an eye on this as well.

And it should not go without saying that Israel remains on very high alert for an Iranian attack. Also, do not be distracted by Iran's ongoing political destabilization of Iraq. The Iranian Shia (IRGC-QF in particular) are committing horrible crimes against humanity in Iraq as we speak. The Iraqi Shi'a who are not part of the pro-Iran militias are fully aware of the Iranian pilfering of multiple millions of dollars worth of Iraq's oil revenues, and that nearly five million Shi'a Iraqis live in abject poverty because of it. Iran's attempt to turn Iraq into another Lebanon will backfire.

2 October 2019: As the Israeli political situation continues to be sorted out, it occurrs that there is something to be said about the still missing pieces, or specific prophetic dominos, which have yet to fall into place.

1. The Islamic Republic of Iran (Parac according to the text of Ezekiel 38:5 and Daniel 6:28, Persia and Persian, respectively.)

The first and most apparent is the agressive role the Islamic Republic of Iran is playing accross the entire MIddle East. According to all of the prophetic texts that relate to the current pre-70th Week period of wars and rumors of wars, the Islamic Republic of Iran is absent from thos texts. What is present is a militarily reduced Iran of Ezekiel 38:5 in the company of other lesser military powers, namely Libya and Sudan, that are part of the larger Magog-led (Russian-led) military expedition that will move against Israel.

What does Ezekiel's prophecy relate? That Persia comes with "shield and helmet." Shields and helmets are the warfighting implements of foot soldiers. This is no further reference in this verse to the other common implements of modern warfare like armor, missiles and artillery. Footsoldiers. So this is is why Eschatology Today interprets Ezekiel 38:5 and referring to a militarily reducing iranian threat, and as we can all see today, Iran is currently the most heavily armed nation in this region. Therefore some kind of military engagement is necessary to reduce Iranian military power to the level of support it will provide to the Magog expedition. We believe this will be manifest in Jeremish 49:34-39 in the near term.

2. Libya and Sudan

Aslo, there are the other nations two named with Iran in Ezekiel 38:5. They are the modern-day Libya and Sudan. Libya is in the midst of its second civil war. Current speculation would follow that the Libyan National Army headquartered in Tobruk and Benghazi and led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, will emerge with a victory. Haftar's forces are aligned with and armed by with Putin's Russia. Sudan is also in the throes of civil war at present and the outcome will also be consistent with Ezekiel's prophecy.

3. The Fourth Beast (Physical Empire)

The third piece is often overlooked, but has been discussed here a couple of times previously, so an eschatological reminder is a good idea. Read Revelation 13:1-2. Eschatology Today interprets "the sea" in verse 1 as being the gentile nations of the earth. This is confirmed by verse 2 which is the focus of this item. 

"Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority."

As noted previously, the fourth beast constituent parts are here given in the reverse order of how they were originally prophesied to appear on the earth in Daniel 7. Originally the four empires were the Babylonian Empire, the Medo-Persian Empire, the Macedonian-Greek Empire and the Roman Empire. In Revelation 13:2 description of the reconstituted Roman Empire, the fourth beast, includes in reverse order the Macedonian-Greek, Medo-Persian and Babylonian Empires. 

Is this what we see in the world today? No, today we see the Persians ascendent in the Middle East as in ancient times. Persia (Iran) today again appears as a bear with three ribs in its mouth. Who are those three ribs in this modern era? Look at a map. They are Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. This is an undeniable fact.

So, for the appearance of the fourth beast as this prophecy (Revelation 13) from God, Jesus and John on Patmos there are some events that have to come to pass. What has been previously identified as the "eastern leg" needs to be subdued to become integral to the fourth and final beast empire. This may indicate yet another major war as we've also discussed here previously. The emergence of the little horn among the ten occurs as it is conquering and crushing to pieces as we read in Daniel 7:7-8. 

Marana'tha!

Global SITREP D2-19: RED ALERTS PART II

Hoveyzeh LACM

16 September 2016: This is the essential follow-up to Global SITREP C10-19.

Eschatology Today assesses the cruise missiles used in the attacks on Saudi Aramco facilities to be an improved version of the Soumar Land Attack Cruise Missile (LACM) noted previously. It is known as the Hoveyzeh LACM and has major improvements over the older Soviet-based Kh-55 Granat version known as the Soumar. The Hoveyzeh was first identified earlier this year as incorporating state-of-the-art advancements making it a stealthy, extremely accurate, terrain or sea-surface skimming cruise missile. The example apparently shot down or crashed in the Saudi desert appear to cnfirm this assessment, even though offical word ffrom the Saudi's of a shoot-down of at least one of the Hoveyzeh has not been forthcoming.

The most important news update comes in the Trump Administration decision to announce publicly the U. S. Intelligence Community's assessment that a dozen of these cruise missiles and nearly twice as many drones were launched by the IRGC-QF from Iranian territory and not from Iraqi territory as noted yesterday. President Trump has also strongly hinted that U.S. military counter-strikes ("locked and loaded") or coalition military counter-strikes on Iranian targets may be imminent. The potential for massive regional escalation cannot be over emphazied.

Updates as they are made available.

Global SITREP D1-19: Is Trump's "Deal of the Century" a Division of the Land or Not?

Israel's Politics

18 September 2019: The Lord has pointed something out that should not have been missed in the first place. And it took this repeat Israeli election to get the point across. It's really pretty simple too, so a slap upside the head for not realizing this sooner.

Israel at this time is a divided state. Divided between secular sides of the political right and political left. Divided between the religious sects and the no-so-much religious sects. There's also a divide along racial lines as Ethiopian Jews fled the Likud-voting block because of treatment they say they receive from their fellow Likudites. So, not much has changed for the Jews since they were last in the land a couple thousand years ago, right?

Well, almost right. Israel was united when the Lord began to bring them back from the diaspora, Europe in particular. They came from different European countries, speaking different languages (English, French, German, Polish, Russian, etc. etc.) and had to resurrect Hebrew as their new re-born language as a center of gravity for a newly reborn country in fulfillment of Isaiah 66:8 and also explicitly literal as prophesied in Isaiah 60:8-9. And then politics got in the way, secularism got in the way, and the Jews who claim to worship the same YHWH began to quarrel and bicker about how the new country would be governed.

So, here we are, the Bride of Christ, looking for the promised fulfillments of the ancient Hebrew prophets texts, and assuming many things (guilty as charged), and in so doing missing what the Lord has said. And this thing He has said was said through almost all of the ancient prophets: Ezekiel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, just name them all! They all pretty much repeat the theme of Aliyah, meaning to ascend up to His mount in Jerusalem, and in particular to ascend to Jerusalem for the major Feasts appointed by the Lord for them to observe. To ascend the mount to the Temple.

Is this not the central theme of a key prophetic chapter Eschatology Today has been highlighting of late Isaiah 11? (Jeremiah 49 repeats this!) Look at verse 11. Is this not the second (and final) regathering of His people back to the land from the four corners of the earth" (Jeremiah 23:3) and has it not been fulfilled absolutely in the most literal sense? (Yes, it has!) And this second regathering has been of the descendants of both ancient Israel and Judah, and figuratively, those making this Aliyah, are just as literally Judah and Ephraim, and they would become one people again. Is this the Israel we see today?

And that's the point, for to literally fulfill Isaiah 11:14, Israel will have to dispense with all the political bickering and divisions and truly become one nation under God. So, if Eschatology Today is correctly understanding what the Lord is pointing out, then a great revival of all Israel will soon have to take place. And now is that time for that to happen as Psalm 102:13 declares. And this is what may be the as yet unseen result of yesterday's election in Israel. God is in control; He will make it happen. 

15 September 2019: Above is the map of Judea and Samaria released early this morning (15SEP19) by Naftali Bennet and his Yamina Party which alleged to depict a division of the land as part of the Trump Administration's "Deal of the Century (DoC)." 

In this map the dark blue to the left represents the Jordan River Valley to be annexed directly by Israel after the Tuesday (17 September) election and assuming a Likud victory for PM/DM Bibi Netanyahu. The black area is to be the "Palestinian" state with islands of white within it representing settlements and urban areas also to be annexed to Israel as sovereign. Also clear in this map is a further division in the center of the "Palestinian" area making a the proposed "Palestinian" state roughly divided into two halves, with at least seven additional enclaves located within the would-be "Palestinian" state.

On the face of it, it occurs to Eschatology Today, that the PA would never accept such a "DoC" as this map protends it to be. War is inevitable according to Bible prophecy, but implementation of this map would guarantee it.

So, it's not surprising this morning that Likud and an anonymous U.S. official are ripping the publication of this map as "Fake News." This is a strange accusation to make because Netanyahu had said in very recent days all of these white areas would be part of the Trump "DoC" and essential to Israel's future security requirements. Quoting PM Netanyahu according to the Jerusalem Post, “The application of Israeli sovereignty will be to all the settlements in Judea and Samaria, including the blocs and the territory outside of the blocs, and other areas that are essential to our security and our heritage - these things will be part of [Trump’s] Deal of the Century, which will come out very soon after the elections."

It may be that Bennet and the Yamina Party have preemptively cut Netanyahu and Likud to the quick, or it is yet another last-minute twist and turn in a series of twists and turns as secular Israel struggles with all of the pressures surrounding it these days. Also, a major military operation in Gaza to effect a HAMAS regime change remains an active plan as both Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan and PM/DM Netanyahu stated a couple of days ago, with Erdan adding the coming Gaza operation was a necessity.

It is no exaggeration to say that Eschatology Today is watching more irons in the proverbial fire than can be accurately counted at this time.

Marana'tha!

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?