PROPHECY WATCHER WEEKLY NEWS MINISTRY : WORLD AT WAR: 8.12.17 - Are We on The Verge of a Nuclear War with North Korea?

Friday, August 11, 2017

WORLD AT WAR: 8.12.17 - Are We on The Verge of a Nuclear War with North Korea?

Are We on The Verge of a Nuclear War with North Korea? - Michael Snyder - http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=1467

Are we on the verge of a nuclear war with North Korea?

It has now been confirmed that North Korea has successfully created a miniaturized nuclear warhead, and last month they tested a missile that can reach at least half of the continental United States.

Since 1994 the U.S. has been trying to stop North Korea's nuclear program, and every effort to do so has completely failed.

Last September, the North Koreans detonated a nuclear device that was estimated to be in the 20 to 30 kiloton range, and back in January President Trump pledged to stop the North Koreans before they would ever have the capability to deliver such a weapon to U.S. cities.

But now the North Koreans have already achieved that goal, and they plan to ultimately create an entire fleet of ICBMs capable of hitting every city in America.

Right now, North Korea and the Trump administration are locked in a game of nuclear chicken. Kim Jong Un's regime is never, ever, ever going to give up their nuclear weapons program, and so that means that either Donald Trump is going to have to back down, find another way to deal with North Korea, or use military force to eliminate their nuclear threat.

And time is quickly running out for Trump to make a decision, because now that North Korea has the ability to produce miniaturized nuclear warheads, the game has completely changed. The following comes from the Washington Post...

North Korea has successfully produced a miniaturized nuclear warhead that can fit inside its missiles, crossing a key threshold on the path to becoming a full-fledged nuclear power, U.S. intelligence officials have concluded in a confidential assessment.

The new analysis completed last month by the Defense Intelligence Agency comes on the heels of another intelligence assessment that sharply raises the official estimate for the total number of bombs in the communist country's atomic arsenal.

The U.S. calculated last month that up to 60 nuclear weapons are now controlled by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Some independent experts believe the number of bombs is much smaller.

The truth is that nobody actually knows how many nukes North Korea has at this point, and they are pumping out more all the time.

Yes, the Trump administration could order an absolutely devastating military strike on North Korea. But if the North Koreans even get off one nuke in response, it will be the greatest disaster for humanity since at least World War II.

But at this point Trump doesn't sound like someone that intends to back down. In fact, on Tuesday he threatened North Korea with "fire and fury" if they keep threatening us...

"North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States," Trump said from the clubhouse at his golf course in Bedminster, N.J. "He has been very threatening beyond a normal state, and as I said they will be met with the fire and fury and frankly power, the likes of which this world has never seen before."

In response to Trump's comments, the North Koreans threatened to hit Guam with a pre-emptive strike...

If Trump thought that his bluff would be sufficient to finally shut up North Korea, and put an end to Kim's provocative behavior, well... bluff called because North Korea's state-run KCNA news agency reported moments ago that not only did N.Korea escalate the tensions up another notch, but explicitly warned that it could carry out a "pre-emptive operation once the US shows signs of provocation", and that it is "seriously considering a strategy to strike Guam with mid-to-long range missiles."

Most Americans appear to be completely oblivious to the seriousness of this crisis. Once we hit North Korea, they will respond. A single nuke could potentially kill millions in Tokyo, Japan or Seoul, South Korea.

And the North Koreans also have some of the largest chemical and biological weapons stockpiles on the entire planet. If things take a bad turn, we could see death and destruction on a scale that is absolutely unprecedented.

And if the North Koreans launch an invasion of South Korea, we will instantly be committed to a new Korean War and thousands upon thousands of our young men and women will be sent over there to fight and die.

There is no possible way that a military conflict with North Korea is going to end well. If things go badly, millions could die, and if things go really badly tens of millions of people could end up dead.

But members of the Trump administration continue to insist that "a military option" is on the table...

In an interview broadcast Saturday on MSNBC's Hugh Hewitt Show, national security adviser H.R. McMaster said the prospect of a North Korea armed with nuclear-tipped ICBMs would be "intolerable, from the president's perspective."

"We have to provide all options . . . and that includes a military option," he said.

Of course letting North Korea construct an entire fleet of ICBMs that could endanger the entire planet is not exactly a palatable option either.

The Clinton, Bush and Obama administrations all kicked the can down the road year after year, and now we facing a nightmare problem that does not appear to have a good solution.

Unfortunately for Trump, time has now run out and a decision has to be made...

"Today is the day that we can definitely say North Korea is a nuclear power," Harry Kazianis, director of defense studies at the Center for the National Interest, told USA TODAY. "There is no more time to stick our heads in the sand and think we have months or years to confront this challenge."

Let us pray that a way can be found to derail North Korea's nuclear program that does not involve us going to war.

Because the moment that U.S. forces start striking North Korea, the North Koreans could literally unleash hell if they are inclined to do so.

It appears that we are now closer to nuclear war than we have been at any point since the Cuban missile crisis. A nuclear holocaust was avoided back then, and hopefully a way will be found to avoid one now.

PROVOCATION: Putin sending 100,000 troops to borders of NATO states - expels US diplomats - as tensions with the West spike - Joel C. Rosenberg -

https://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/2017/08/10/provocation-putin-sending-100000-troops-to-borders-of-nato-states-expels-us-diplomats-as-tensions-with-west-spike-heres-the-latest/

Though much of the world's attention is understandably riveted right now on North Korea and their chilling nuclear threats against the U.S., tensions with Russia are also spiking and require urgent attention.

Consider just a few key developments that have occurred in recent weeks:

Moscow is gearing up for massive war games later this Fall that could put upwards of 100,000 Russian troops on the borders of the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Each of these countries are NATO members. Each lived for decades under the cruelty of Soviet occupation. Each are increasingly worried Putin may be interested in seizing them and putting them once again under Russian hegemony. It's a concern I share but am concerned not enough leaders in the West do.
If such provocations weren't enough, Vladimir Putin has just expelled 755 American diplomats from Russia, effective September 1st.
Putin has further "ratcheted up military provocations against NATO forces across Eastern Europe" by sending Russian warplanes to make "provocative flybys of NATO ships and aircraft," by deploying "new military hardware to its Kaliningrad exclave, a territory nestled between the Baltic countries and Poland, which are all NATO members" and by conducting "cyber warfare attacks on the electoral processes of multiple NATO countries, including, but not limited to, the U.S., Germany and France," according to a U.S. defense analyst writing in Newsweek,
All this, of course, comes after decisions by Putin to invade and seize Crimea and Eastern Ukraine since 2014.
To reassure our NATO allies that we will stand with them and honor Article V - NATO's mutual defense pact stating that an attack against one NATO member is considered an attack against all - President Trump gave a major (and very good) address in Warsaw, Poland, on July 6th, which I would commend to your attention. Poland is a key NATO partner and one of America's closest allies in Eastern Europe.
On July 31st, Vice President Pence visited Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, where he addressed NATO forces and met with leaders from all three Baltic States. This was also an excellent speech which I would encourage you to listen to or read. (here is audio and the text of the speech)
Then, Vice President Pence visited Georgia, which was invaded and partially occupied by Russia in 2008, and Montenegro, NATO's newest member, where he rightly denounced Russian "aggression" and "occupation."
What's more, Congress has overwhelmingly passed - and President Trump has just signed - new economic sanctions on Russia to respond to Moscow's efforts to interfere with American elections in 2016. The Senate vote was 98 to 2 in favor of the sanctions. The House passed the measure 419 to 3.
At the same time, as I recently wrote about from Berlin, President Trump is wisely continuing to press every NATO member to keep its commitment to invest at least 2% of its annual GDP on defense. Currently, only five countries are keeping that critical pledge - the U.S., Greece, Estonia, the U.K., and Poland. That said, Romania has just announced it will be the 6th country to hit the 2% mark. What's more, Latvia and Lithuania have just announced they are dramatically increasing their defense spending and will both hit the 2% target by 2018. Other countries are beginning to step up, as well.

We need to be praying for U.S. and NATO leaders to have the wisdom and courage to bolster their forces in the Baltics and dramatically increase their deterrence against Moscow throughout Eastern Europe. We don't want to see a scenario in which an emboldened Czar Putin feels tempted to invade anyone else.

Excerpts from the New York Times story on upcoming Russian war games:

"Russia is preparing to send as many as 100,000 troops to the eastern edge of NATO territory at the end of the summer, one of the biggest steps yet in the military buildup undertaken by President Vladimir V. Putin and an exercise in intimidation that recalls the most ominous days of the Cold War," the New York Times recently reported.
"The troops are conducting military maneuvers known as Zapad, Russian for 'west,' in Belarus, the Baltic Sea, western Russia and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad," the Times noted. "The drills will feature a reconstituted armored force named for a storied Soviet military unit, the First Guards Tank Army. Its establishment represents the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union that so much offensive power has been concentrated in a single command."
The Times story added that "the move is part of a larger effort by Mr. Putin to shore up Russia's military prowess, and comes against the backdrop of an increasingly assertive Rssia. Beyond Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election in support of the Trump campaign, which has seized attention in the United States, its military has in recent years deployed forces to Syria, seized Crimea and intervened in eastern Ukraine, rattled the Baltic States with snap exercises and buzzed NATO planes and ships."

Gog and Magog 'Chaos' Appearing Now in Unholy US-Hezbollah-Assad Alliance: Rabbi - By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz -

https://www.breakingisraelnews.com

"I will turn you around and put hooks in your jaws, and lead you out with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all of them clothed in splendor, a vast assembly, all of them with bucklers and shields, wielding swords." Ezekiel 38:4 (The Israel Bible™)

American troops are en route to Lebanon to take their place in an unlikely alliance with terror group Hezbollah and the regime of Syrian President Bashar al Assad in a development that one prominent rabbi and a noted expert on Middle Eastern politics agree could be the final stage preceding the War of Gog and Magog.

On Thursday, Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon acknowledged that, following a request from Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri to President Donald Trump, US special forces would be providing training and support to the Lebanese Armed Forces.

The only problem: Lebanon has recently begun coordinating its military efforts with Hezbollah and Syrian troops loyal to Syrian President Bashar al Assad in order to fight the Islamic State (ISIS) and its allies.

As political experts struggle to understand this bizarre situation, some have come to spiritual conclusions that this unholy alliance may indeed be the precursor to the prophesied Biblical war of Gog and Magog - a war which is characterized by unprecedented and all-encompassing confusion, explained Rabbi Yosef Berger, the rabbi of King David's Tomb on Mount Zion.

"The prophets wrote that the War of Gog and Magog will be entirely inexplicable," Rabbi Berger told Breaking Israel News. "Since it is a war that is the result of Divine intervention, it will not make political sense, historical sense, or follow the laws of nature."

The story began to unfold last week when Lebanon's Prime Minister Hariri met with President Trump and requested American support in fighting the ISIS-affiliated Al Nusra network threatening his northern border with Syria, political analysis site Debka reported. As part of the fight against terror, Trump agreed.

Lebanon has cooperated with Hezbollah and the Syrian army, led by American enemy Assad, in its battle against ISIS. As a result, by fighting alongside Lebanese troops, American forces will also be fighting in an alliance that includes terrorist organization Hezbollah and the Syrian regime.

Rabbi Yosef Berger pointed out that the unnatural alliances now happening in the Middle East unmistakably mirror the necessary chaotic aspect of the final battle of Gog and Magog.

"This is precisely what we are seeing here, with sworn enemies making unexpected alliances," the rabbi said. "Gog and Magog will be identical. In the final battle, it will be impossible to differentiate the combatants or which side the are fighting on. In this type of battle, the person with the strongest army is not necessarily the one who will win."

Dr. Eado Hecht, a specialist in military doctrine at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies (BESA) at Bar-Ilan University, explained how this unexpected and bewildering reality developed in the current conflict, recognizing in it the potential for a Gog and Magog showdown.

"The situation in Syria and Lebanon is not a simple two-sided conflict like most wars," Dr. Hecht told Breaking Israel News, comparing it to the popular TV series Game of Thrones. "The conflict is international but it is really divided up into many small groups, divided up regionally and even tribally, each with its own temporary interests.

"This leads to alliances that change in unexpected ways. Even the names of the groups change. Some of these developments can seem quite bizarre, even ironic."

Despite his academic perspective, Dr. Hecht acknowledged that prophetic descriptions of Gog and Magog were not entirely out of place in understanding the situation.

"We aren't yet involved in a war on the scale of Gog and Magog, but with forces as large as America and Russia involved, this could certainly change," Dr. Hecht warned. "I believe the leaders are aware of this. Though they may not refer to it in religious terms, the concept of an all-encompassing war in the Middle East that is entirely out of control is certainly a consideration.

Dr. Hecht added that because of the confusion and volatility, Russia and America have set clear red lines to prevent escalation that might lead to a direct confrontation between the superpowers.

As disconcerting as the situation is, Rabbi Berger sees an underlying purpose to the pre-Messianic confusion. The explanation comes from the Book of Ezekiel, which describes confusion being replaced by knowledge.

I will make My holy name known among My people Yisrael, and never again will I let My holy name be profaned. And the nations shall know that I Hashem am holy in Yisrael. Ezekiel 39:7

"The opposite of this confusion is 'one'," Rabbi Berger said. "Everything will be in doubt and the nations will be mixed up, so that in the end, everyone can come together believing in God."

Russia Deploys Troops to Syria-Israel Border, Prepares to Build New Base - www.thetower.org

Russia has begun moving troops to the Golan Heights border in preparation for a new military base in the area, according to Lebanese media sources.

The Al Mayadeen news channel reported that the Russian troops have replaced some Syrian army forces in the area, which has been a rebel stronghold throughout the civil war.

Online newspaper Al-Masdar News reported on Monday that over 400 Russian soldiers were deployed to the Dara'a and Quneitra governorates in southern Syria to begin their policing effort. Russian soldiers have been tasked with maintaining the ceasefire between the Syrian Armed Forces and rebels in the governorates.

The new Russian troop deployment follows reports on July 26th that Russian military police were deployed to monitor two safe zones, one of which was located eight miles from the Golan Heights.

On July 9th, a new ceasefire agreement in southern Syria came into effect. It was brokered between the U.S. and Russia, with the support of Jordan. The ceasefire was announced after a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, during the G20 Summit in Germany. It affects the regions of Deraa and Suweida, along the Jordanian border, as well as Quneitra, near the border between Syria and the Israeli Golan Heights.

Following the announcement of the ceasefire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel opposed the agreement because it perpetuates the Iranian presence in the country. Israel's main concerns revolve around keeping Iran, Hezbollah, and Shi'ite militias away from the Israeli and Jordanian borders, and preventing Iran from gaining a foothold in Syria.

Israel's security cabinet was reportedly briefed this week that U.S. and Russia have yet to agree on who would guarantee the arrangements in the de-escalation zones, prevent the entry of Iranian, Hezbollah, or Shi'ite militia forces, and monitor the ceasefire.

Hamas Sees Significant Improvement In Relations With Iran - by Ali Waked -

http://www.breitbart.com/jerusalem/2017/08/07/hamas-sees-significant-improvement-relations-iran/

A significant improvement in ties between Hamas and Iran has taken place in recent days with developing contacts between the two sides aiming to increase Iran's financial support for Hamas.

At the beginning of the week, a delegation of Hamas officials reportedly met with Iranian officials at Iran's embassy in Beirut. Among the Hamas delegation was Saleh al-Arouri, an official from the organization's military wing and one of the architects of the Shalit deal, who has lived in Turkey in recent years despite Israel's demand that he be expelled as part of the rapprochement deal signed between the two countries a few months ago.

In the last few weeks, al-Arouri has been seen in the Roman quarter of Beirut, home to the famous Dahiya, the Hezbollah fortress and neighborhood where the organization's headquarters are located.

This week, al-Arouri, alongside Osama Hamdan, another Hamas official, participated in a meeting at the embassy with an official Iranian delegation. The most important individual in attendance from the Iranian side was reportedly Amir Hussein Abed al-Lahyan, officially known as attorney general of Iran's speaker of parliament.

Arabic media reported that the two sides discussed the situation in the West Bank and ways to strengthen cooperation between the two.

The honeymoon between Hamas and Iran has clearly not ended. In an official statement, Hamas confirmed this past weekend that an official delegation from the organization participated in the swearing-in ceremony of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Thursday, who was recently elected to a second term.

In the movement's statement, Hamas said that the delegation of its officials, led by politburo member Izzat al-Risheq "and with the participation of the brothers Zaher Jabarin, Saleh al-Arouri and Osama Hamdan, answered the respectable invitation of the Islamic Republic of Iran, an invitation given to the movement's political chief Ismail Haniyeh and the movement's leadership to participate in the swearing-in ceremony of the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Hassan Rouhani."

The statement also said, "The participation of Hamas in a high-level delegation comes in consideration of the large role Iran plays in supporting our people, in supporting our rights and supporting our heroic resistance. The participation highlights the importance the movement places on strengthening relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran and the positive development of these relations with the Palestinian people in favor of our issue and our justification."

It should be noted that alongside al-Arouri, Zaher Jabarin, considered the most senior figure in Hamas' military wing, also participated in the delegation, indicating that the choice to participate in the delegation was not coincidental and is a clear step by Hamas to increase Iranian support for the organization, especially its military wing.

Military Terrorism Complex - By Hal Lindsey - http://www.hallindsey.com/ww-8-4-2017/

Not long ago in this space, I talked about one of the most under-reported facts of the Middle East - that the Lebanese terror group known as Hezbollah has a larger stockpile of missiles than all NATO countries (except the U.S.) combined. The terror group is reported to have approximately 150,000 missiles in the field, ready to go.

Hezbollah is the most powerful non-state military actor in the world. They have 20,000 active duty troops and another 25,000 reservists. They are known to have a vast number of deep and sophisticated tunnel and bunker complexes across southern Lebanon, and entering Israel under its northern border.

Where does a terrorist group get the weapons and money to build such an immense military machine? It primarily comes from their fellow Shiite Muslims in Iran.

In June, we learned that Hezbollah's military capabilities have taken a dramatic turn. ISIS differentiated itself from other terror groups by taking territory from existing nations, and attempting to build a caliphate on it. But Hezbollah has done them one better. They are building their own industrial infrastructure capable of producing precision weapons, primarily missiles.

Israeli Defense Forces Intelligence Chief, Maj.-Gen. Herzl Halevi, said, "We are seeing Hezbollah building a domestic military industry on Lebanese soil based on Iranian know-how. Hezbollah is producing weapons systems and transporting them to southern Lebanon.... Over the past year, Iran is working to establish infrastructure for the independent production of precision weapons in Lebanon and Yemen."

In 2006, Israel and Hezbollah fought a 34-day war. It ended with the Lebanese cabinet, Hezbollah's strongman leader, and the Israeli Knesset agreeing to the terms of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. Among other things, that resolution provided for "the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon.... There will be no weapons or authority in Lebanon other than that of the Lebanese State."

That should have been the end of an armed Hezbollah. But instead, they have had an explosion of military capability in the intervening years. In other words, Hezbollah's promise isn't worth the paper it's written on, and the UN remains a toothless tiger.

The resolution also required Hezbollah to stay north of the Litani River. It runs about 18 miles north of and roughly parallel to Lebanon's border with Israel. Most of their force remains north of the river, but they are building observation towers next to the border.

You might wonder how UN peacekeepers could overlook something so obvious. Before I tell you how Hezbollah gets away with it, go ahead and swallow any liquid you may be drinking - because this could definitely provoke choking. Hezbollah is able to work along the border because they made up their own environmental organization - "Green Without Borders." They say they plan to plant a million trees. Oh, and they just happen to want to plant those trees in South Lebanon - near the border with Israel.

Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) released photographs and video showing "Green Without Borders" building large observation towers along the border. The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) issued a statement supposedly contradicting the IDF. It says its members have "not observed any unauthorized armed persons at the locations or found any basis to report a violation of resolution 1701."

But Israel did not accuse Hezbollah of sending "armed persons" south of the Litani. They accused them of building observation towers. UNIFIL did not deny the basic accusation, nor did they explain why a group whose primary purpose is to plant trees, needs observation towers directly on the border.

UNIFIL was formed in 2006, not only to keep Hezbollah north of the Litani River, but to oversee Hezbollah's disarmament. During the intervening years, Hezbollah's military power has grown into something far greater than that of most nations. After a failure of such proportions, how does UNIFIL have any credibility left?

With ISIS, the world saw the danger, and nations have been cooperating to rein it in. But with Hezbollah, the nations of the world are turning a blind eye, despite the obvious and massive violations of UN resolutions.

Only Israel seems concerned about Hezbollah. And it should be. Look at a map of the region. With Damascus and other key Syrian assets in the hands of Iran and Russia, Iran has a direct pipeline to Hezbollah in Lebanon. And with Iran's growing oil wealth, they can give Hezbollah all the assets it needs. In the early 1980s, Iran created Hezbollah. Now, the terror group has become an extension of Iran's power in the region.

Hezbollah caused massive difficulties for Israel in 2006. At that time, they had 15,000 rockets. Now they have ten times that number. Plus, the 150,000 missiles they presently have are both more sophisticated and more destructive than the 15,000 from eleven years ago. The old ones didn't have nearly the payload of the new ones, nor did they have the precision guidance systems of the new ones.

These weapons are not defensive, but offensive in nature. Hezbollah and Iran have made their intentions clear. They mean to destroy Israel from the face of the earth.

God promises to preserve Israel during and after the current regathering, but the nation will experience terrible days. With Hezbollah and so many other armies poised to strike their small nation, you can see why Israel will one day agree to a peace treaty with Antichrist. He will promise what they will crave most - peace and safety. And then he will deliver a reign of destruction.

In the end, however, all God's promises to Israel will be kept. At the end of the book, they turn to the true Messiah. They win... as do all those who put their trust in Jesus.

US troops fight with Syria, Hezbollah, Lebanon -

http://www.debka.com/article/26173/US-troops-fight-with-Syria-Hizballah-Lebanon

Israeli diplomats have filed a quiet demarche with Washington over the participation of US special forces in a joint operation with the Syrian, Hezbollah and Lebanese armies to clear the Lebanese-Syrian border region of Al Qaeda's Syrian arm the rebel Nusra Front, which is fighting with ISIS elements. This is reported by debkafile. The operation against the rebel group fighting under the command of Abu Mohammad al-Jawlani, has been divided into three parts.

The third part soon to be launched is designed to take this "coalition" up to the Israeli border.

The first part consisted of a Hezbollah assault on Nusra forces holding the Arsal region on both sides of the border at its northern tip. Hezbollah was claimed to have fought the enemy singlehanded. But like all the statements from Washington and Moscow about events in Syria, this one too needed a closer look at the "facts." It so transpired that Hezbollah was backed up by Syrian artillery, while the Lebanese army had the role of cutting off the rebels' escape routes from the battle ground.

The rebel fighters seeing they were hemmed in on all sides surrendered and agreed to pull out. Over the weekend, therefore, 7,000 rebel fighters, most of them belonging to Nusra and their families, were evacuated from the border region to the northern Syrian province of Idlib on the Turkish border.

It also turned out that the trilateral Arsal operation had a US dimension. Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri visited Washington last week and held talks with President Donald Trump at the White House. Straight after that meeting, the US President had harsh words for Hezbollah, which he called a threat to world peace. But in his closed-doors interview with Hariri, Trump was persuaded that the Lebanese army could not defend its borders without help and had no option but to work with Hezbollah and the Syrian army.

Hariri also convinced the US president to declare the Nusra Front and all its branches a terrorist organization to be fought in the same way as the Islamic State.

At that point, Israel put forward no argument, although this first instance of a joint operation between Bashar Assad's forces, the Iranian-backed Hezbollah and the Lebanese army, was red-flagged in Jerusalem as a green card for Hezbollah's extended reach beyond the Lebanese border.

Neither did Israel, whose prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu is beset with his own troubles at home, demur when the Americans declared the Nusra network the target of America's war on terror, even though this distanced the Trump administration from Jerusalem's position.

Israel contends that the rebel groups holding the Syrian border districts opposite the Golan are indigenous defenders of their villages in the Quneitra and Hermon regions. While a small number may also have ties to Nusra, they are insignificant. This acceptance has gained Israel a narrow security strip, which acts as a buffer against the incursion of the hostile Syrian army, Hezbollah and Iranian forces up to its northern border.

Washington turned a blind eye to Israeli tolerance of the Nusra presence under its auspices - until Hariri's intervention turned the White House around. The outcome of this turnaround was soon apparent.

On Thursday, Aug. 3, the Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon announced: "Our special forces are providing training and support to the Lebanese Armed Forces." To clarify what he meant by "support," he added: "That not only concentrates on operation type missions, but also tactical and strategic type missions. We also have a presence with Lebanese Special Forces in all aspects of training and special operations."

The Pentagon spokesman would hardly have made this momentous disclosure without high-level authority - at least by Defense Secretary James Mattis, if not the president in person.

His words were quickly translated into action.

Sunday, Aug. 6, the second part of the joint Syrian, Hezbollah, Lebanese operation was underway against Nusra -ISIS forces holding positions in the Lebanese towns of Ras Baalbek and al-Fakiya in the northern Beqaa Valley. This time, Lebanese Special Forces went into active combat, along with US Special Forces - a new development of the highest strategic impact - not just for Israel, but in the wider Middle East context. US special forces troops are for the first time taking part in a joint military operation with Hezbollah and the Lebanese government.

It may be argued that the US military is working directly only with the Lebanese government army. However, the operational plans must have been drawn up together with the Syrian high command in Damascus and Hezbollah's chiefs in Beirut - and, given the latter's role as Tehran's proxy, Iranian officers were no doubt part of this round-able planning conference.

Unfolding on the Syrian-Lebanese border region, therefore, is much more than a cleansing operation against an Al Qaeda affiliate; It is the start of a new military alignment, which is ready fight in the third part of the operation, which will focus on the Syrian-Jordanian and Syrian-Israeli borders.

This combination is the outcome of the US-Russian deal to cooperated in Syria, which debkafile uncovered from the first. Both powers are determined to impose their agreed ceasefire zones right up to the Golan border, whatever it takes - whether Israel likes it or not.

Iran and Russia to enhance military ties after new US sanctions - Shoshana Kranish -

http://www.jpost.com/printarticle.aspx?id=501718

While the sanctions are meant to punish the two countries, they appear to be pushing them together.

In light of new US sanctions on Iran and Russia, the two countries have vowed to enhance their already-deep military cooperation, according to state-run media of both countries.

In July, American lawmakers passed a bill placing sanctions on Russia for the country's alleged interference in the 2016 US presidential election, while also extending those placed on the country for its 2016 invasion and annexation of Crimea. In response, Russia announced its expulsion of more than 700 US embassy employees.

Sanctions on Iran are meant to punish the country for its continued testing and development of ballistic missiles. Iran has lashed out at the US, saying the sanctions are an affront to the landmark nuclear deal reached two years ago, which the Iranians say they are abiding by.

Sanctions were also extended to North Korea, which continues to launch ballistic missiles that experts have said may now be capable to reaching the United States.

Iran and Russia have a history of military cooperation, stemming from their respective isolation from Western countries. Iran has purchased several billion dollars worth of military equipment, and last year Russia began construction on new nuclear plants in Iran. In addition to regularly holding joint military exercises in their respective countries, Iran and Russia are fighting together with the Assad regime in Syria.

According to Russia Today, Russia's Deputy Prime Minister, Dmitry Rogozin held talks with Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan. The officials reportedly discussed new supplies of Russian arms to Iran.

They agreed upon the implementation of deals boosting military and technological cooperation, according to Iran's Fars news agency.

While in Tehran, Rogozin attended the inauguration of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who just began his second term as the country's leader. He is also is set to meet with Iranian Vice President for Science and Technology to discuss technology sharing between the two countries.

North Korea at nuclear threshold. What about Iran? -

http://www.debka.com/article/26175/North-Korea-at-nuclear-threshold-What-about-Iran-

In a White Paper published last week, the Japanese Defense Ministry concluded that there is evidence that North Korea had achieved miniaturization of nuclear weapons, meaning that it could build a nuclear warhead small enough to fit onto an intercontinental ballistic missile. "North Korea's development of ballistic missiles and its nuclear program are becoming increasingly real and presenting imminent problems for the Asia-Pacific region, including Japan, as well as the rest of the world," said the Japanese report.

The report caused more shock than it should have when it finally reached the world media on Tuesday, Aug. 8, because their US intelligence sources were fully aware of what was going on for some time. They are now reporting that there may be as many as 60 nukes in the North Korean arsenal.

It was time to take seriously Kim Jong-un's threat Monday of "physical action" in response to the sweeping sanctions the UN Security Council passed in punishment for Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs. President Donald Trump tweeted back: "After many years of failure, countries are coming together to finally address the dangers posed by North Korea. We must be tough & decisive."

US intelligence also estimates from recent tests that North Korea is likely to be able to launch intercontinental ballistic missiles by next year So America now faces is a ruthless, unpredictable dictator who will soon be capable of of launching a nuclear attack on its mainland. This threat confronts President Trump with a scary test..

But while all eyes were fixed on the burly dictator in Pyongyang, hardly anyone noticed that North Korea and Iran this week signed a series of new military accords which are no less dangerous to world peace.

Parliament Speaker Kim Yong Nam, who is rated No. 2 in the Kim regime, ended a 10-day visit to Tehran on Monday, Aug. 7 by inking the new agreements. His official errand in Tehran was to represent Pyongyang at the swearing-in ceremony of President Hassan Rouhani and inaugurate the new North Korean embassy building in the Iranian capital. But he came with a large delegation of North Korean military officers who spent hours in conference with the heads of Iran's nuclear and missile programs, as well as the leaders of the powerful Revolutionary Guards.

The precise details of Pyongyang's continued contribution to the upgrade of Iran's technology in those areas under close wraps. But for Kim, the important thing is Iran's multibillion dollar investment in the partnership in return in return for allowing Iranian engineers and scientists to work alongside North Korean experts in the two fields.

The irony is that, while the Security Council unanimouslyy approved tough economic sanctions estimated to cost North Korea an estimated $1bn in state revenue - for which President Trump praised the world powers - Kim has managed to lay his hands on enough cash from Tehran to keep his nuclear and missile programs moving apace. Some of that cash comes from the sanction relief the Americans and Europeans granted Iran for signing its 2015 nuclear deal.