Link from my friend Darrell. Tensions have increased once again in the Middle East, following Israel's raid into Syrian territory earlier in the month. Both France and the United States recently expressed the opinion that the diplomatic process with Iran has been exhausted, and that the only possible solution to the nuclear crisis is to prepare for war. Following those comments, and following Israel's interception of North Korean nuclear material in Syria, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been threatening reprisals in the event of a strike on his country's nuclear facilities. State-run newspapers warned that 600 Shihab-3 missiles are already aimed at targets throughout Israel and Iraq, and would be launched following an attack on Iran or Syria.

Quote: ""Iran will shoot at Israel 600 missiles if it is attacked," the Iranian news website, Assar Iran, reported. "600 missiles will only be the first reaction." According to the report, dozens of locations throughout Iraq, which are being used by the US Army, have also been targeted. The Shihab missile has a range of 1,300 km, and can reach anywhere in Israel. 

Today Iranian government officials announced that they have already drawn up a plan to bomb Israel, in the event that war does break out. General Mohammad Alavi stated that Israel was within reach of Iranian missiles and bombers, and that Israel was not strong enough to launch a counter attack. The General also boasted that Iran has the technology to counteract cruise missile attacks. Iran recently bought TOR-M1 missile systems from Russia, which are capable of tracking multiple incoming targets and can destroy cruise missiles and jet aircraft. The same government spokesman, Gholam-Hossein Elham, also urged Palestinian Arabs to give the US and Israel their final response to the recent provocations against Iran and Syria, during the Al Quds (Jerusalem) day "celebrations". Al Quds day, in which Iranian and Palestinian Muslims lament the "Zionist occupation", falls on October 12th. It was instituted by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini, following the Iranian Islamic revolution in 1979.

Quote: ""The US loses all opportunities to cooperate with regional and other world states by trying to support a regime (the Zionist regime) which is now at its weakest political and social position," Elham said. "Supporters of the Zionist regime will definitely receive the final response for their support on Quds day."

One of Khomeini's top advisors, Major General Yahya Rahim-Safavi, warned that if Israel or the US strikes their nuclear facilities, Israel would immediately face the wrath of the Basij, an army with a membership of around 20 million suicide bombers and child soldiers.

I was to be in Israel on October 12th, but unfortunately the company I had booked the holiday with have been unable to get flights arranged. Even if I was going, I know that the Lord would protect me. God willing I may be going with another group of friends in November, if everything works out. The Bible states that during the war of Ezekiel 38-39, that Israel will be invaded by many Islamic nations. When this happens, the Lord will call for a sword against the enemy throughout all His holy mountains (Ezekiel 38:21). Following Israel's miraculous victory, it will take seven months for the Jewish people to bury the bodies of their enemies (Ezekiel 39:14). Israel may be a small nation, and its people may be few compared to the surrounding nations, but what Ahmadinejad and Assad forget is, the nation that touches Israel touches the apple of God's eye (Zechariah 2:8).

Isaiah 59:19-20
So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him. And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD.

Source Jerusalem Post, YNet News, Arutz 7

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner has warned that the world must prepare for war with Iran. His comments come just days after the US military expressed similar concerns, that the diplomatic initiative had failed and that the time has now come to prepare for military action.

Quote: "The nuclear Iranian crisis forces the world "to prepare for the worst" which "is war," French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Sunday evening, while emphasizing that negotiations should still be the preferred course of action. Kouchner, quoted by French daily Le Figaro, added that "Iran does whatever it pleases in Iraq ... one cannot find in the entire world a crisis greater than this one."

Despite the talk of war, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has said that the United States is still pursuing the diplomatic option. Britain, France and the US are pressing for more sanctions to be brought against Iran, while Germany has advised against imposing further sanctions, preferring instead to wait and see if a deal between the International Atomic Energy Agency and Iran will bear fruit. Russia and China have also expressed their opposition to further sanctions being imposed. Senior defence and intelligence officials have stated that the US has concrete plans for a strike on Iran, involving some 2000 targets comprising of both nuclear facilities and military installations. According to the officials, the US has two contingency plans for a strike on Iran. One is to bomb nuclear facilities only, while the second would involve a three day bombing campaign which would destroy Iran's military infrastructure, limiting its ability to respond to the attack.

Quote: "Pentagon and CIA officers said that such a war would come to pass as a result of a "carefully calibrated program of escalation" that would lead to a "military showdown with Iran," the officials told the newspaper. This scenario could arise once it was apparent that diplomatic efforts with the country were hopeless. When Iran would be internationally denounced for its interference in Iraq, the US could conduct cross border raids on Iranian training camps and bomb factories. The report said that the raids would provoke a "major Iranian response" that could result in a halt to Gulf oil supplies; this in turn, said experts, would provide legitimacy to strike Iran's nuclear facilities and armed forces.

Source Jerusalem Post

Britain's Sunday Times newspaper has published more details on Israel's daring raid into Syrian territory last week. The raid has been the subject of intense media speculation following Syria's announcement that Israeli aircraft had penetrated its airspace. The Israeli government refused to comment on the incident. Syria, Iran and North Korea protested the Israeli action, calling it a violation of Syrian sovereignty, and vowed to take the matter before the United Nations. A few days ago, US officials confirmed that Israel had carried out a strike in Syria, but could not reveal what the target was. A US Defence Department official stated that the target was most likely nuclear related and involved North Korea. Later revelations surfaced that Syria may be co-operating with North Korea on the construction of a nuclear facility on its territory. Now it appears that the Israeli strike was planned months in advance, after it was discovered that Syria was planning to acquire a nuclear warhead from North Korea.

Quote: "The paper quoted Israeli sources as saying that planning for the strike began shortly after Meir Dagan, chief of the Mossad intelligence agency, presented Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in late spring with evidence that Syria was seeking to buy a nuclear device from North Korea. Dagan apparently feared such a device could eventually be installed on North-Korean-made Scud-C missiles, the paper reported. Advertisement "This was supposed to be a devastating Syrian surprise for Israel," the Sunday Times quoted an Israeli source as saying. "We've known for a long time that Syria has deadly chemical warheads on its Scuds, but Israel can't live with a nuclear warhead."

In preparation for the strike, Israel had diverted its new Ofek 7 satellite from Iran, and was photographing a facility in the northern region of Syria. The facility was an agricultural research centre on the Euphrates river, which Israel feared was being used to obtain Uranium from phosphates. On September 6th, a North Korean shipment bound for Syria labelled as cement was picked up by Israel. Suspecting the shipment may contain nuclear equipment, the green light was given to the IDF to strike. Only a few government ministers knew about the planned operation, and pilots involved in undertaking the mission were briefed after take-off. An IAF commando unit had been flown into the region a few days prior to the strike, ready to aim lasers at the buildings to guide the missiles to their targets. The IDF doubled its forces on the Golan Heights last month, in preparation for a retaliation from Syria. This lead Russia and Syria to believe that Israel was planning to attack the Golan Heights. But these defences were removed days before the strike occurred, over fears that their presence could actually escalate tension in the region. 

Once again, thanks to Israel the Middle East is a safer place. But the Bible states that possibly during the tribulation period, a war with Syria will erupt which will result in the complete destruction of Damascus. Israeli officials have confirmed that Israel may use nuclear weapons to defend itself if its existence is threatened. My guesses are the city of Damascus will most likely be one of those targets.

Isaiah 17:1-3
The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap. The cities of Aroer are forsaken: they shall be for flocks, which shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid. The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria: they shall be as the glory of the children of Israel, saith the LORD of hosts.

Source Haaretz, Times Online

Quote: "The new information, particularly images received in the past 30 days, has been restricted to just a few senior officials under the instructions of national security adviser Stephen J. Hadley, leaving many in the intelligence community unaware of it or uncertain of its significance, sources told the Washington Post on condition of anonymity. A White House spokesman and the Israeli Embassy declined to comment Wednesday after several days of inquiries. A Syrian Embassy spokesman told the Washington Post he could not immediately provide a statement. The New York Times first reported on the intelligence linking North Korea and Syria. Since the alleged Israeli attack in Syria occurred, the Israeli government has refused to divulge any details, but a former Israeli official said he had been told that it was an attack against a facility capable of making unconventional weapons.

Frustration is also growing with Iran, as efforts to impose tougher sanctions on the state are opposed by the European Union. The international community has tried everything in its power to diplomatically resolve the nuclear stand off. Iran has repeatedly stalled talks held by the EU, rebuffed Javier Solana's package of incentives and threatened to harm US interests worldwide if sanctions are imposed against it. The diplomatic approach has failed with Iran, for President Ahmadinejad is bent on obtaining nuclear weapons and destroying the Jewish state. President Ahmadinejad believes that worldwide chaos will hasten the appearance of the Mahdi, the Islamic "Messiah", who will conquer Jerusalem and install a global caliphate. According to intelligence analysts, Iran may only be a few years away from possessing enough Uranium to manufacture a nuclear weapon. As a result the US military is preparing for the eventual breakdown of the diplomatic approach, and a US strike on Iran's nuclear facilities could come in as soon as 8-10 months. 

Quote: "According to the report, Germany's decision has spurred senior US army officials to try and convince US Foreign Secretary Condoleezza Rice to abandon once and for all the diplomatic route of preventing a nuclear Iran. The report further stated that the date of preference for an attack against Iran is in eight to 10 months - after the US presidential candidates for both the Democrats and the Republicans have been chosen, but before the major presidential campaign kicks off.

Previous Iranian Ayatollahs have boasted that it would only take one weapon to destroy Israel, while any Israeli response would only inflict limited damage on Iran due to the country's immense size. It is imperative that Iran does not acquire a single tactical nuclear warhead. Former Iranian President Hashemi-Rafsanjani, elected this month as chairperson of the Iranian Assembly of Experts which overseas the work of the Supreme Ayatollah, had this to say about Israel and Islam's efforts to acquire nuclear weapons...

Quote: ""If a day comes when the world of Islam is duly equipped with the arms Israel has in possession, the strategy of colonialism would face a stalemate because application of an atomic bomb would not leave anything in Israel but the same thing would just produce damages in the Muslim world", Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani told the crowd at the traditional Friday prayers in Tehran.

Source Jerusalem Post, Haaretz, Jerusalem Post, Iran Press Service, Muslim News