Top U.S. Commander: Iran's Heightened Threat Since Nuclear Deal May Require Military Action - by Edwin Mora - http://www.breitbart.com
The U.S. needs to consider military action to disrupt Iran's malign activities in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia, which have intensified since the Islamic Republic signed a nuclear deal with world powers in 2015, a top American commander warned American lawmakers.
Former President Barack Obama and other supporters of the nuclear deal argued that it would promote peace and avoid military confrontation.
Gen. Joseph Votel, the head of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) testified Wednesday before the House Armed Services Committee about the security challenges facing his area of responsibility (AOR).
The Central Region, or CENTCOM AOR, spans more than 4 million square miles that cover 20 predominantly Muslim nations that stretch from Northeast Africa across the Middle East to Central and South Asia.
In his written testimony, Gen. Votel declared:
Iran poses the most significant threat to the Central Region and to our national interests and the interests of our partners and allies.
We have not seen any improvement in Iran's behavior since the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), addressing Iran's nuclear program, was finalized in July 2015.
Over the past year, after the nuclear deal was signed, the U.S. military has been dealing with Iran and its proxies carrying out "a range of malign activities" in the Central Region, namely in "Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Egypt, the Sinai, and the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait [located between Yemen and Djibouti and Eritrea] and in other parts of our area of responsibility," declared Gen. Votel.
Democrat Congresswoman Jacky Rosen from Nevada asked the top U.S. general during the hearing, "Do you believe Iran has increased destabilizing activity since the JCPOA?"
"I do believe they have," responded Gen. Votel, adding in his written remarks:
Unfortunately, the [nuclear] agreement has led some to believe that we have largely addressed the Iranian problem set and that is not the case. In addition to its nuclear weapons potential, Iran presents several credible threats. They have a robust theater ballistic missile program, and we remain concerned about their cyber and maritime activities, as well as the activities of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps - Qods Forces (IRGC-QF) and their network of affiliates, [including their narco-terrorist proxy Hezbollah].
Since the nuclear agreement was signed, Iran has been "clearly focused" on expanding its influence and power in the Central Region, noted Votel.
"Recognizing that Iran poses the greatest long-term threat to U.S. interests in the Central Region, we must seize opportunities to both reassure our allies and shape Iran's behavior," he pointed out, adding, "Through both messaging and actions, we must also be clear in our communications and ensure the credibility of U.S. intentions."
To disrupt Iran's growing threat, the U.S. must consider military action and other ways, proclaimed Gen. Votel.
"I've had an opportunity to talk with some of our regional partners about it," he said. "I think we need to look at opportunities where we can disrupt through military means or other means, their activities."
"In addition to ready military actions, we must support the broader USG [U.S. Government] strategy with regard to Iran which should include new diplomatic initiatives that provide Iran with viable alternatives to its present course," he conceded.
The U.S. general did stress that Iran must be aware that there will be consequences if it continues its malign and provocative activities.
"The point that I would emphasize to you is that while there may be other more strategic or consequential threats or regions in our world, today, the central region has come to represent the nexus for many of the security challenges our nation faces," warned the CENTCOM commander.
"Most importantly, the threats in this region continue to pose the most direct threat to the U.S. homeland and the global economy. Thus it must remain a priority and be resourced accordingly," added Gen. Votel.
The Af-Pak region is home to the largest concentration of U.S. and United Nations-designated terrorist groups - 13 in Afghanistan and seven in Pakistan, according to the U.S. military.
Moreover, "the Middle East remains the global epicenter of terrorism and violent Islamist extremism," wrote Gen. Votel.
Citing the Institute for Economics and Peace's 2016 Global Terrorism Index, he testified that "the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) AOR accounted for 78% of all terrorism incidents worldwide."
War Clouds on the Horizon! - By Dr. Mordechai Kedar - https://www.israelnationalnews.com
Academic research has explored in depth the factors leading to the wars that broke out between nations in previous centuries, both in order to understand why wars take place and to develop ways of predicting nascent wars by "connecting the dots" between the signs signaling an approaching conflagration. Since the signals are clearly directly connected to the relations between the countries involved in a war, the literature points out the connection between internal problems affecting a state and the desire of its leaders to initiate a war with other countries. The literature also lists war-delaying factors, foremost of which is the high price of military and civilian fatalities and the damage to the country's infrastructure.
Syria is no exception to the rule in terms of academic theory, since the reasons the regime was pressured into past wars were always a mixture of internal and external factors. The external cause for the ongoing state of war with Israel was the very fact of Israel's existence, never recognized by the Syrian regime. The encouragement to attack Israel came from the USSR while Israel was supported by the West. Add to that the desire to be granted a position of power in pan-Arab leadership and the need to erase the humiliating Syrian defeats in 1948,1967, 1973 and 1982 at the hands of the Zionists.
Syrian media have always played a part in the country's war effort, adding the battle for the army's morale and that of the general population to the one waged with conventional weaponry, so that the people remain willing to suffer the sights of war and continue fighting despite injuries suffered by soldiers and citizens. Syria's media are controlled by the regime, which gives them the messages they are expected to deliver to the public. This fact allows the researcher to know what the feelings of the groups leading the country are at any given time.
The factors that prevented war from breaking out in the past were mainly the damage to the army and the country's infrastructure, but also the possibility that another defeat by Israel would bring more humiliation to the regime. Today, when social networks allow everyone to express his opinion freely, Syria's leadership knows that the battle for the hearts of the population will not be won through the Syrian media, because every Arab - in Syria and outside of it - knows that its reliability is limited and that its journalists cannot express themselves freely.
In the past, one of the main internal reasons that pushed the Assads, father and son, to declare war on Israel was their desire to create an external threat that would cause the Syrians - especially the opposition - to put their differences aside and join Assad's fight against the "Zionist enemhy threatening all of us." Today, with Syria torn between the rebel regime and the areas still under ISIS control, it is far from certain that a war with Israel would bring the rebels and ISIS to stop attacking Assad, and definitely not to the point where instead of attacking Assad, they join him in a war against Israel,
Despite the losses and damage sustained by the opposition to Assad since Russia entered the fray, and despite the fact that they too are light years away from recognizing Israel's right to exist, they will not desist from fighting Assad. In fact, over the last few days, the rebels have intensified their battle for Damascus because of their defeats in other arenas, mainly in Aleppo and Homs. A war between Assad and Israel might cause the rebels to take advantage of the regular army's preoccupation with fighting Israel to score some victories. After suffering close to half a million fatalities in six years of fighting, some of the rebels might even prefer that Israel finish off Assad, not for love of Israel but due to their hatred of the despotic dictator. In sum, a war with Israel will not weaken the desire of Assad's enemies to be rid of him.
Once, the external reason for war to break out was pressure exerted by the USSR in its desire to defeat the USA and Europe on a Middle Eastern battlefield. Today, it is far from certain that Russia wants a war between Syria and Israel, partly because of the minor role the West plays in today's Middle Eastern politics and partly because Putin does not want to force Trump to have to show active and obvious support for Israel, Putin is aware that the US sent fighters - "boots on the ground" - to the war being waged against ISIS. He realizes that Obama's non-interventionist policies are over and he has no wish to find himself opposite the USA in a war between Syria and Israel in which he will be forced to support Syria and oppose Israel.
How great Putin's fears of Israeli military technology are is not clear to me, but the downing of a Russian SA-5 missile last week by an Israeli "arrow" missile is enough to give the Russian army pause and raise doubts about the feasibility of war between Russian and Israeli weapons. It looks as though the Russian army, which found it very difficult to overcome the light weapons in the hands of the Syrian rebels, is not overjoyed at the thought of a direct confrontation with Israeli military technology.
There is also an economic situation behind the scenes, the possibility that Israel wil be marketing gas to Europe on a massive scale in the near future, causing Russia significant economic difficulty, as Europe may decide to do without Russian gas. To sum up the Russian issue, it does not seem to be in Russia's best interests to bring about a struggle between Syria and Israel, because that would only complicate Syria's internal problems even more and cause Russia's attempts to have the two sides reach some kind of agreement, to fail. Thursday, March 23, is when the two sides were to begin their fifth round of talks.
There are other powers functioning in Syria. The list includes Iran, Hezbollah, Iraqi Shiite militias, as well as Afghans. They have their own interests, far removed from those of Russia and Assad. In my estimation, Iran and Hezbollah want to involve Israel in the war in Syria so as to show their people, that is, the Iranians and Lebanese, many of whom are against their country's involvement in Syria, that there is no choice, despite the high price in casualties and equipment, They could then claim that this is not only a war against the rebels and ISIS, it is a campaign against the "threatening Zionist entity,"
Iran wants to drag Syria into a war with Israel which would be in essence a war against Trump, whose mettle the Iranians would like to test, along with his loyalty to Israel and his hostility towards Iran. They expect Russia to join the war while the US remains outside it, so as to avoid getting embroiled in a regional war and in addition, to avoid a confrontation that would damage the relations between Trump and Putin.
Hezbollah is also interested in a war with Israel in order to prove to its detractors in Lebanon and the Arab-Islamic world that its weapons, especially its rocket arsenal, are meant to fight Israel and not "our Syrian brothers." In order to prove to itself, its fighters and its Iranian supporters that despite the loss of manpower Hezbollah suffered in Syria, the army is as strong as ever and that the northern Shiite alliance that has coalesced from iran to Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, is continuing to advance towards Israel in order to surround Saudi Arabia with a southern Shiite flank in Yemen.
The problem with Iran and Hezbollah's presence in Syria is that both could instigate a war against Israel from Syrian territory, with or without the involvement or agreement of Assad's forces and despite Russian opposition. An Iranian move of this nature would be aimed at pushing Russia into a war where the Kremlin must choose a side, and it is highly unlikely that Russia would support Israel against Iran, after years of cooperation between the two countries, mainly in keeping Assad on as head of the regime. The scenario of a war against Israel waged by Iran and Hezbollah coming from Syria seems far-fetched, but this is, after all, the Middle East.
To sum up the situation, one can say that deterioration leading to a war between Israel and the international mess called Syria could occur, especially if Israel continues to attack Hezbollah positions, the Iranians and the Assad regime there. Another factor may be that Assad feels he has nothing to lose since his country has been destroyed already along with much of its infrastructure, so that Israel will not find that many targets to attack and destroy.
Israel must guard its security interests very carefully, sending all its enemies - large and small, both nations and organizations (let us not forget Hamas in Gaza) - a razor sharp message that is as clear as a noonday sun in the summer, that it will not stand for any compromise of its security. It will act forcefully and with no restraints against anyone who tries to attack it. Only a believable threat of an all out attack can deter the sides fighting in Syria who have shown the world for six years that nothing stops them, not human suffering, not the destruction of infrastructure, and not agreements and understandings. Israel cannot rely on understandings reached with both sides two years ago, one year ago and even a month ago. In Hell, political positions are open to change every given minute.
Global Tensions Could Trigger World War 3 in 2018 or Even 2017 - By Alessandro Bruno - https://www.lombardiletter.com/global-tensions-could-trigger-world-war-3-in-2018-or-even-2017/9330/
Where Will World War 3 Begin?
In 2017, the marching sound of boots on the ground is already echoing throughout Eastern Europe. The South and East China Seas have become a prime destination for military ships and U.S. diplomatic tensions are at a level of intensity not felt since the coldest days of the Cold War. It would be foolish, therefore, to dismiss warnings or fears of World War 3 in the next few years.
Any major conflict that breaks out now could escalate to a World War 3 scenario. These are hardly the musings of a few conspiracy theorists or eccentrics. The present geopolitical and economic background is weak, there's a tremendous potential for unforeseen events (black swans) to trigger a calamity as WW3.
Where could it happen? Whereas World War 1 could not have started but in Europe, given that the world's international powers were there, World War 3 could start anywhere. The United States remains the dominant power today. Whether we have a WW3 in 2017 or a WW3 in 2018 is anyone's guess. But the conditions exist for a World War 3 in 2017.
In 1914, when WW1 started, the U.S. was powerful, but also isolationist and less influential than the United Kingdom or even France. Just consider that the international language was French and not English in 1914!
WW3 Could Start Anywhere from Russia to China and Syria. Here's Why
Today, any number of settings could set off the deadly spark of conflict. Russia-Ukraine and the Syrian War lend themselves to WW3 predictions. Everything in the world is unfolding as if the world is already preparing for war, worries none other than former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
Gorbachev managed what could have turned into WW3 with Russia into one of the most peaceful periods in recent history. That period was the early 1990s and at least insofar as Eurasia and the Americas are concerned, the world felt safe. Now that China has entered the arms race, a China WW3 scenario cannot be excluded.
There was palpable hopefulness about the future, even if the real economy had already started to give way to the predatory and unproductive financial games that would lead to financial crashes and economic collapse rivaling 1929 in negative intensity. Such was the optimism of those years between 1990 and 1996 that, never before or again, were the Palestinians and Israelis so close to reaching a permanent peace.
The 1990s began with the fall of the Berlin Wall, opening up the Eastern Bloc, and breaking up the Soviet Union. That process faced and passed a major test in 1990/1991. Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein launched an invasion of Kuwait in August of 1990.
By January of 1991, the United States had assembled a major international coalition. It even included Soviet-protected states like Syria in the coalition. Had the United States responded to a similar invasion while the Cold War was in full swing, it could have resulted in WW3, triggering a Russian response.
But, as the 1990s progressed, the integration of Russia in the western system did not proceed well. Under Boris Yeltsin, who led the Russian Federation after Gorbachev allowed the Soviet Union to break up, Russia saw a "wild west" rapacious form of capitalism. A handful of people with government connections became fabulously wealthy taking over former state productive assets for kopeks on the ruble.
But, there was a plan from the West to encroach on Russia, weakening its influence. The wars of the former Yugoslavia provided a perfect opportunity to divide and conquer. After the independence of Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, and Montenegro, NATO used Kosovo as a trigger to complete the task. They weakened Serbia and humiliated Russia.
Yeltsin could do little but watch. In 2000, Vladimir Putin took over the presidency and changed the submissive tune of the 1990s. He restored Russian nationalism and pride. The West has tested Russia on several occasions, finding out that Putin won't budge. The latest and biggest of these tests has been Syria.
Now, the spark for WW3 in Syria has become a credible proposition. Likewise, nobody can dismiss the possibility of a spark for WW3 in China or in North Korea. Clearly, the U.S. government and many of its allies and rivals worry about it. If they didn't, world leaders would be less keen to spend taxpayers' money on heavy armaments.
In 2017, Europe will celebrate 60 years of unprecedented peace. The event that symbolizes the start of that peace is the Treaty of Rome of March 25, 1957. It was the foundation for the European Union. Yet the EU faces internal and external threats now. The celebrations of politicians aside, it has raised the alarm that there's high risk of global conflagration again.
WW3 Predictions
Europe might not last another five years, let alone another 60. An increasingly uncertain world, the physical and political barriers set up after World War 2 are eroding at a fast pace. The leading powers of the Cold War, while building their armies and nuclear stockpiles, tried to avoid bellicose rhetoric. This was especially the case after the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.
Now, many people, whether or not in positions of power, are worrying about a major world war again: WW3. A recent report on what the world might be like in 2035, published by the National Intelligence Council, offers few reassurances and many concerns. (Source: "The National Intelligence Council: The Upcoming Global Trends 2035 Report," Small Wars Journal, May 30, 2016.)
The report, loaded with WW3 predictions, speaks of economic and environmental calamities, which create the very kinds of conditions that lead to wars. The question is, however, will the world as we know it even make it as far as 2035? The intelligence agencies discuss what they call the paradoxes of progress.
Despite the economic and technological opportunities, our societies have never been threatened by so many dangers. Thus, they present a number of scenarios that could spark a major global war, or WW3, over the next 20 years. History has taught us not to trust peace agreements. David Fromkin wrote one of the best books ever on the topic of WW1.
What Is WW3? A Look Back to WW1 for an Explanation
The title of the book does not mince words or intentions: A Peace to End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East. In it, Fromkin discusses the events and developments leading up to the First World War. In particular, he breaks down the flawed formation of the current Middle East, highlighting its potential to serve as a trigger for many wars to come.
That's one of the reasons that Islamic State, or ISIS, has raised such concerns. It has literally leveraged its power on the back of the 1919 Treaty of Versailles that Fromkin identified as a weak link in 1989. At the Paris Conference in 1919, then British Prime Minister Winston Churchill drew the map of the modern Middle East after the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire.
George W. Bush and his advisors made a huge mistake, ignoring Fromkin's analysis. Fromkin notes that Iraq in particular, created by assembling three Ottoman provinces together (Shiites in South, Sunnis in the middle, and Kurds in the north), was a time bomb that could go off anytime. Syria, meanwhile, was subdivided into small rival regions.
That left them prone to fighting among themselves. Indeed, as David Fromkin put it, it was a truly the "peace" that would end any hope of peace. Not surprisingly, to date, most Arab states have only known the rule of the iron fist. That's because it's been the only way to keep those countries united and somewhat stable.
When one of these dictators falls, as in 2003 in Iraq or in 2011 in Libya, the state edifice collapses. President al-Asad in Syria has not fallen only because the West miscalculated Russia's resolve to maintain Syria in one piece. While the war with ISIS and the other Islamist rebels appears to be ending, groups like ISIS can spring up anytime.
The potential for a WW3 beginning in Syria exists now. President Trump might scrap the Iran nuclear deal. He has said that clearly. Scrapping the deal means the U.S. or Israel will launch a military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities. At that point, Iran, a Russian ally, would enter a state of war with the United States, dragging in key elements of the Middle Eastern chessboard.
Had the U.S. pursued Iran or Syria in the 1990s, when Russia was dealing with the aftermath of the USSR's collapse, there would have been little risk of repercussion. Moscow was still trying to make sense of the Afghanistan disaster to become involved in a Middle Eastern war. But, Putin has put Russia on the nationalist march again. He will react.
As the world stands now, a black swan event could spark a Syrian war that could pit the U.S. against Russia. Thus, the impact of the First World War continues to affect the future and where the triggers of the next war shall emerge. The problem is that NATO has been pushing its borders to the threshold of the Russian Federation after the Cold War.
That means Russia would come under pressure from Europe as well, even the spark for war came from the Middle East. The Russia-Ukraine tensions remain. All it would take to intensify the level of mistrust is NATO extending membership, even a partial one, to Ukraine.
The military West, NATO, and the U.S. have exploited Russia's period of weakness to expand their influence eastward. Sabotaging relations between Russia and its European neighbors was one of the keys to achieve this effort. But Russia has not been weakened; the Syrian war has shown it has sophisticated weapons that are a match for whatever the Americans can throw at them.
From the intensification of the fighting in Ukraine to the revival of tensions in the South China Sea the world is dancing on the edge of a volcano to an eerie tune. Another global conflict is possible. It will be the Third World War, involving the United States of America and its allies in the West against Russia with its allies in the East.
Watching Turkey-Iran prophecy align - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com
Since the previous Administration placed Iran on the fast track to have nuclear weapons, a curious, possibly prophetic, development has occurred between Turkey and Iran-two nations that figure prominently in the end of days, and one must come into submission to the other for prophecy to be fulfilled. Turkey's "president" Tayyip Erdogan has been threatening to unleash a flood of immigrants from Turkey into Europe. He has tried to leverage the threat to persuade European governments to allow Turks living in Europe to vote in Turkey's elections. Apparently, this vast immigration from Turkey will actually come from Iran, which Turkey says is aiding and abetting illegal migration into Turkey.
Tensions between the two nations have been increasing as both countries vie for dominance in the region. The Islamic Sunni Turkey, under Erdogan, has become increasingly totalitarian and Shiite Iran is a formidable terrorist sponsoring state working on a very real nuclear program. Turkey has been supporting the terrorist Islamic State, while publicly denying that support, in an effort to block Iran from gaining a stronger foothold in the Middle East. It's a complicated mix of treacherous foreign policy involving Syria, Iran, Turkey, Israel and several outside forces, including Russia, Europe, and the US. Russia is simply supplying weapons and skills to Iran and its vassal state Syria against the Islamic State.
The US position has been far more confusing. The US says it is fighting against the Islamic State, yet under the ex-"president," was supporting Islamic State efforts in Syria against Russia and Iran. At the same time, the US signed a deal that put Iran on even a faster track developing nuclear weapons capability. The US also has been supportive of Turkey as an ally in the Sunni balance of power in the region. Enter President Donald Trump, who says the US will defeat the Islamic State. This most certainly, if prosecuted with true vigor, will upset the convoluted labyrinth foreign policy design of Trump's predecessor, essentially playing both sides against the middle-the middle being Israel.
Ezekiel 38:2 says, "...set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against them." Magog, Meshech, Tubal are all located in what is now modern Turkey. Verse 5 says, "Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them..." Persia is modern day Iran. Turkey and Iran are rivals as they are positioning for control of the Middle East. We know, however, that Magog (Turkey) eventually leads and Persia follows. These players represent both Shiite and Sunni Muslims who unite against Israel in the "acharit-hayamim," meaning the end of days. God will destroy them with earthquakes, fire and brimstone. Ezekiel 38: 21 says, "...every man's sword shall be against his brother." We know what the Bible says is going to happen. We are watching how it comes together. Keep and eye on Turkey and Iran.
Syria Threatens to Fire Scud Missiles at Israel - by Deborah Danan - http://www.breitbart.com
The Assad regime in Syria has sent messages to Israel via Russia threatening that any further strikes by the Israeli military within Syria's borders will be met with Scud missiles attacks on the Jewish state, the Lebanese newspaper Al-Diyar reported Saturday.
Syria warned that Israeli strikes on its military would result in Scud missiles capable of carrying half a ton of explosives being launched at IDF bases, while strikes in civilian areas would be met with counterstrikes on the northern coastal city of Haifa and petrochemical plants in the region, the report claimed.
According to the report, Syria has over 800 Scud missiles and will issue no advance warning before launching them.
Israeli airstrikes were reported overnight Tuesday in the Mount Qasioun region near the Syrian capital of Damascus, according to Syrian opposition media. The strikes targeted Syrian military outposts and destroyed a military weapons warehouse. The incident marked the fourth round of Israeli airstrikes reported in under a week.
Israel has been targeting Hezbollah-bound weapons convoys in Syria. Tuesday's strike came hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refuted claims that Russia had ordered Israel to stop the strikes.
A recent Israeli strike on a Hezbollah weapons transfer just over a week ago was met with retaliatory missiles from Syria, the first serious cross-border clash since the civil war began. One missile was intercepted by Israel's Arrow missile defense battery.
Two days later, Syria's ambassador to the UN Bashar al-Jaafari said on state TV that the retaliation was in response to Israel's "terrorist operation."
His comments followed Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman's warning that "The next time the Syrians use their air defense systems against our planes we will destroy them without the slightest hesitation."
Israelis warned of increased ISIS threat abroad ahead of Passover holiday - By Yonah Jeremy Bob - http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Israelis-warned-of-increased-ISIS-threat-abroad-ahead-of-Passover-holiday-485312
Travel warnings issued for locations including Sinai, Turkey and Jordan.
Leading into the Passover and summer travel seasons, Israel has raised travel warnings to the highest level, cautioning Israelis against traveling to Egypt's Sinai region, Prime Minister's Office Counter-Terrorism Bureau Chief Eitan Ben David said at a special media briefing on Monday.
Ben David said that "the threat has grown, including to Israelis in the coming period and is the gravest level of threat."'
"Attacks on the Egyptian military, on Coptic Christians...ISIS rockets fired at Eilat and videos from ISIS against Israelis show the high motivation and power of terror groups there [to attack Israelis]," said Ben David. "We don't expect them [ISIS] to respect red-lines."
While Sinai has the highest level of warning at level one of four, other countries also have high warning levels - with Turkey at level two (without special heightened warning for merely stopping over in Turkey's airport) and Jordan along with Egypt at level three.
Level one signals "a very high concrete threat" with advice to avoid any travel to a destination and leave immediately. Level two means "a high concrete threat" with advice to avoid travel to a destination and leave as early as possible. Level three means "a basic-level concrete threat" with advice to avoid travel to a destination and level four is "a continuing potential threat" with advice to delay travel which is not essential.
Ben David said that most of the increased threat was presented by ISIS-affiliated groups, including, "that ISIS is losing ground in Iraq and Syria which is causing many runaways to places where it is easier to act."
He said there is a big rise recently of ISIS-related terror attacks in Asia, particularly in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh as well as in North Africa in "places where there is less security control."
The presentation emphasized that the threat was not unique to Israelis and that ISIS is in an increased terror mode also for targeting Christians and others.
Museums, market places, sporting events, airports, train stations, synagogues and mosques, big events and certain central hotels, especially in Africa, could all be primary targets for terrorists to inflict maximum mass casualties.
Ben David emphasized that they did not disregard threats from Iran, Hezbollah or others, but that in general the increased threat stemmed mainly from ISIS-related groups.
He would not get into the question of whether the recent killing of a major Hamas leader in Gaza had impacted the threat outlook, with Hamas threatening retaliation against Israel, but said Hamas is always a continued threat.
Many - By Daymond Duck - http://www.raptureready.com/2017/03/26/many-by-daymond-duck/
Lately, the word "many" has been on my mind for two reasons.
First, the Tribulation period will begin when the Antichrist confirms a seven-year covenant with "many" (Dan. 9:27).
It seems significant to this writer that U.S. Pres. Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have decided that the only way to get Israel and the PA to agree to a peace treaty is to make it part of a regional agreement.
These two leaders have decided that a peace treaty is possible if the Arabs (Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and others) are involved along with the U.S., Israel and the PA.
Leaders of some of these nations have already said they think it will work. Some have even suggested that a treaty might be agreed to sooner than many people think.
That would make the Rapture sooner than many people think. Many would be caught unaware (Luke 21:34).
Then the Antichrist could rise to power and confirm the new treaty with "many."
Second, the beginning of the Tribulation period is near when God gathers a multitude of nations ("many" nations) from the far corners of the earth in the mountains of Babylon (Iraq) to destroy the whole land of Iraq (Isa. 13:1-6).
These nations will assemble with the weapons of His (God's) indignation, one of the names of the Tribulation Period (Isa. 26:20-21; Zeph. 3:8).
Starting in 2014, ISIS moved into a large area of Iraq.
ISIS didn't destroy many things when they moved in because the Iraqi defenders often abandoned their weapons and ran. But ISIS settled in and destroyed many things (churches, museums, public buildings and more).
Pres. Obama soon gathered "many" nations (I seem to remember 60) in the mountains of Iraq to fight ISIS (he called them ISIL, a Muslim term).
He didn't seem to be in a hurry, but the major cities of Tikrit, Ramadi, Fallujah, Qayyara, and many towns and villages were retaken over time.
In some cases, the destruction was great and ISIS troops burned down or boobytrap buildings as they fled.
Candidate Donald Trump arrived on the scene promising the destruction of ISIS. The remains of the ISIS troops are now surrounded in the western part of Mosul.
As I understand it, Iraqis and the forces from other nations that are helping them are recapturing Mosul one building and one city block at a time.
Iraqi forces start moving up to a building or a block; if they are fired upon from a building, a U.S. advisor calls for a U.S. plane to drop a bomb on the building. When the dust settles, the troops move up to the next building or block.
It will take a while and the destruction is great, but ISIS is slowly being destroyed and the U.S. has scheduled a 68-nation meeting ("many" on Mar. 22-23, 2017) to discuss what they are going to do next.
Israel is mentioned more than any other nation in the Bible. Babylon (Iraq) is next. Stay focused on what is taking place in Iraq.
It has been 50 years since 1967 and there is good reason to believe that major things will happen in 2017.
Prophecy Plus Ministries, Inc.
Daymond & Rachel Duck
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