Rumors of War: North Korea Threatens to Shoot Down U.S. Bombers; Says, 'United States Has Declared War on Our Country' - John Hayward -
In a briefing to reporters outside the U.N. Millennium Plaza Hotel in New York City on Monday, North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho threatened to shoot down U.S. strategic bombers even when they are flying outside of North Korean airspace.
"The whole world should clearly remember it was the U.S. who first declared war on our country," said Ri. "Since the United States declared war on our country, we will have every right to make countermeasures, including the right to shoot down United States strategic bombers even when they are not inside the airspace border of our country."
Ri's comments were part of a steadily escalating rhetorical volley that began with President Trump's address to the U.N. General Assembly, in which he memorably sneered at North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un as "Rocket Man" and said he was on a "suicide mission for himself and his regime."
"The U.S. has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea," Trump said last Tuesday at the United Nations.
On Saturday, U.S. bombers flew close to the North Korean coast in a show of force that took them further north than any American fighter or bomber has flown during the 21st century, according to the Pentagon.
North Korea has long complained about U.S. bomber flights near the Korean peninsula; it's one of the reasons they occasionally threaten to attack Guam, where American B-1B bombers are based. The North Koreans have demanded an end to joint U.S.-South Korean military drills as a precondition for any further negotiations about their nuclear missile program, which they refuse to halt in any event.
On Saturday, Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho parodied Trump's "insults" against Kim Jong-un by telling the United Nations that "none other than Trump himself is on a suicide mission."
"In case innocent lives of the US are harmed because of this suicide attack, Trump will be held totally responsible," said Ri. He also called President Trump a "mentally deranged person full of megalomania," who holds the American "nuclear button" in his remarks.
"The dangerous reality is that the gambler who grew old using threats, frauds, and all other schemes to acquire a patch of land holds the nuclear button. This is what constitutes the gravest threat to international peace and security today," the foreign minister declared.
Trump, as is his custom, responded to Ri's speech with a tweet:
"Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!"
In his comments Monday, Ri repeatedly referred to Trump's comments as equivalent to a declaration of war against North Korea. He claimed North Korea's nuclear missile program is "to all intents and purposes, a war deterrent for putting an end to nuclear threat of the US and for preventing its military invasion, and our ultimate goal is to establish the balance of power with the U.S."
He added that Trump's "Rocket Man" insult makes their "rocket's visit to the entire U.S. mainland inevitable all the more."
The War Continues - Jim Fletcher -
Many aren't aware that the Arabs of the Middle East have always been at war with the Jews. Though the "Palestinians" came into being as a political weapon 50 years ago, they are Arabs, in the same neighborhood as other Arabs.
More than 100 years ago, the local Arabs of Palestine refused to accept any Jewish communities, even though the land had been bought and paid for by Jews willing to brave hardships of all types to settle in their ancestral homeland.
And even when nothing "big" is happening, there is still the relentless Arab War Against the Jews.
A couple things reported by The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center should be noted:
"This past week riots continued in Judea and Samaria. Palestinians continued throwing stones and Molotov cocktails. The Israeli security forces carried out counterterrorism activities throughout Judea and Samaria, detaining Palestinians suspected of terrorist activity. Weapons and objects used in riots were seized. The more prominent occurrences were the following:
"September 17, 2017 - Following intelligence information, the Israeli security forces apprehended a Palestinian suspected of planning a terrorist attack near the town of Harish (in central Israel). The Palestinian was detained for interrogation (Facebook page of Red Alert, September 17, 2017).
"September 17, 2017 - A Palestinian tried to throw an improvised hand grenade at the compound of the Tomb of Rachel in Bethlehem. He was seen and shot by the Israeli security forces. He was wounded and evacuated by other Palestinians (Judea and Samaria Rescue, September 15, 2017).
"September 15, 2017 - A Molotov cocktail was thrown at the security fence around Kiryat Arba, causing a fire. There were no casualties (Facebook page of Red Alert, September 17, 2017).
"September 14, 2017 -Israeli security forces operating in the village of Yatta (near Hebron) found 48,000 shekels (about $13,670) in the possession of an activist belonging to an unauthorized Hamas charity association. The money had been transferred by Hamas and was apparently meant for rebuilding the house of a terrorist operative who carried out a deadly attack in Otniel in January 2016.
"September 14, 2017 - Acting on information, the Israeli security forces detained a Palestinian living in Issawiya, a neighborhood in east Jerusalem, who was planning to carry out a terrorist attack in Jerusalem (Facebook page of Red Alert, September 14, 2017).
"September 14, 2017 - The Israel Police Force detained a Palestinian from east Jerusalem who was a senior operative in the Hamas-affiliated Shabab al-Aqsa organization, which is outlawed in Israel. He was involved in riots on the Temple Mount and used the social networks to state praise and express solidarity with the organization's activity (Facebook page of Red Alert, September 14, 2017)."
And if the local incidents on the ground aren't bad enough, notice how the evil Palestinian leadership hurts Israel politically/globally:
"In response to Israeli efforts to join the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member, Yusuf al-Mahmoud, a spokesman for the Palestinian national consensus government, said the Palestinian government denounced the efforts because Israel was insubordinate and had no commitment to international law. He said Israel represented the world's evil because Palestine was the last remaining occupied territory (Palestinian TV, September 13, 2017). Riyad al-Maliki said the council of foreign ministers of the Arab League had nominated Muhammad Abu al-Ghaith, secretary general of the Arab League, to appoint a committee of ministers to monitor Israel's attempts to gain membership in the UN Security Council in 2019-2020, and to prevent it (Wafa, September 13, 2017). According to the Palestinians, one of the committee's roles will be to convince the countries which can vote not to support Israel into the Security Council (Palestinian TV, September 13, 2017)."
Molotov cocktails, terror planning, and bearing false witness in the UN.
The list is long and horrific. After initial hopeful tones from the Trump White House, it now appears it'll be business-as-usual with regard to American policy in the Arab-Israeli conflict. Bad reports about the State Department and key advisors like H.R. McMaster are coming out in the context of our relationship with Israel.
So it is a reminder that this conflict will not be resolved until the Messiah comes.
That's why I pay attention weekly to the "small" incidents that beset Israel.
Few in power really care about Israel. They certainly do not care about the murder of Jews.
It is a reminder to stay vigilant in praying for the Jewish people. I know many of you do.
The war continues.
The Iranian Khoramshahr ballistic missile test did take place - although the US said "It didn't happen" - https://www.debka.com/iranian-khoramshahr-ballistic-missile-take-place-although-us-said-didnt-happen/
The new Khoramshahr ballistic missile with a range of 2,000km and multiple warheads, which was paraded in Tehran on Sept 22, was indeed test fired, as reported by Iran's Airspace chief, Gen. Amir Ajakozadeh. The launch shown filmed from a great distance on national television was genuine.
President Donald Trump tweeted: "Iran just test fired a ballistic missile capable of reaching Israel. They are also working with North Korea. Not much of an agreement we have!"
However, three days later, on Sept. 26, an administration official offered the opinion that the footage shown on Iranian television "appears most likely to be a re-run of a previous test launch." He added: "the video was more than seven months old and dated back to a failed launch in late January, which resulted in the missile exploding shortly after lift-off. " As to the latest launch, the US official said: "As far as we can see, it did not happen. Iran's report "so far does not appear to be true."
However, DEBKAfile's intelligence and military sources in the Middle East, who examined the conflicting versions, found indications that refuted the US official's disclaimer. The Khoramshahr was indeed test-launched, except that it happened a bit earlier than Tehran claimed - although very recently, and not seven months ago.
Those sources could not categorically confirm that it was a success - only that "it certainly did not fail."
That the new missile is exceptionally accurate appears to be correct, since there is evidence that Iran has been able to develop a new control and guidance system for its ballistic missiles.
The Iranian general's account of "several warheads" could refer to no more than two or three.
Of deep concern to Israel is the video reported to be fitted in the Khoramshahr's nose cone, because that would make it possible to steer the missile precisely to target from a ground station in Iran - even if Israel prevented the missile's delivery to Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Our intelligence sources account for the extra long-distance shots of the launch by Iran's need to disguise the location of the launching site deep in the desert.
But there were was another reason too. DEBKAfile's sources reveal that in the same area, Iran is secretly developing special vehicles for carrying ballistic missiles across rugged desert or mountain terrain. This would make the missiles mobile, like North Korean rockets. Tehran has gone to great lengths to keep this project well hidden from alien eyes.
Israel Fears Advanced Iran Missiles Will be Passed to Hezbollah -
Under the nuclear agreement Tehran signed with world powers, which allows it to continue its missile program unabated, the Iranian military industry is developing one of its most covert projects: the RAAD anti-tank missile.
The Iranians have been able to reach a breakthrough in converting heavy "dumb" rockets-some old and containing hundreds of kilograms of explosives-into precision-guided missiles. These GPS-guided missiles will serve as an alternative to the inertial navigation rockets that lose of their accuracy the further they fly.
The IDF's working assumption is that these missiles will make their way to Iran's main proxy in the Middle East, Lebanese terror organization Hezbollah, which receives 75 percent of its budget from Tehran.
The development of the new RAAD missile is based on a fairly new approach to developing weapons: being able to manufacture advanced weapons independently from Russia.
An accurate missile, such as the ones being developed in Iran, is one that has a hit radius of no more than several dozens of meters from its designated target.
For the sake of comparison, with the rockets Hezbollah currently has in its arsenal, the terror group would have to fire a barrage of dozens of projectiles towards central Israel to increase the chances of hitting the the Kirya IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv. But only one accurate missile-assuming it is not intercepted-would be needed to achieve the same objective.
However, Western defense officials are not yet convinced Iran has completed development of the new precision-guided missiles.
Meanwhile, a recent airstrike on the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center (CERS), attributed to Israel by Arab media, reportedly laid waste to alleged Iranian infrastructure for the production of advanced arms for Hezbollah.
CERS manufactures missiles based on scientific knowhow from North Korea and Iran. The Syrian center also develops chemical weapons and other munitions for Hezbollah, such as S-60 missiles.
At present, Hezbollah's precision-guided weapons arsenal is minor: A handful of accurate attack drones and "suicide drones."
In addition to that, Hezbollah has hundreds of unmanned aircraft, some of them attack drones, without significant flight and precision capabilities, while others are used for the collection of intelligence and for psychological warfare.
It also has between 80,000-100,000 rockets in ranges of 10 to 500 kilometers, but these rockets are not very accurate.
Nevertheless, the Israeli defense establishment views Hezbollah has the biggest threat to Israel at present.
Israeli defense officials believe Hezbollah has changed its approach with regards to future conflicts with Israel: Instead of a drawn-out war of attrition, like the 2006 Second Lebanon War, the Lebanese terror group would prefer a short war, with a strong opening blow, heavy barrages of rockets, and much subterfuge.
This kind of attitude would require a different approach from the IDF, focusing on the maneuvering of small forces, such as companies and platoons, rather than the cumbersome maneuvering of divisions.
But while the Iranians are urging their Lebanese proxy to escalate the situation with Israel, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah doesn't follow Tehran's orders completely, in part because of the bad shape his organization is currently in.
At the same time, Iran is continuing its efforts to increase its influence in Syria. Tehran is arming pro-Iranian forces fighting alongside the Syrian army with a massive airlift of some 100 flights a month.
The Islamic republic also seeks to establish a division in Syria under Hezbollah's command, gathering under one central command the tens of thousands of pro-Iranian fighters operating in the war-torn country. There are currently some 8,000 Hezbollah fighters, 1,500 Iranian Revolutionary Guards troops and some 10,000 Shiite militiamen in Syria.
Iran supplying Hezbollah with ever more accurate missiles - Judah Ari Gross -
Israeli military agrees with US that Tehran faked a ballistic missile test earlier this week with recycled footage from January
Iran is working tirelessly to outfit the Hezbollah terrorist group with more accurate missiles for a future war with Israel, which may dramatically affect the nature of such a conflict, according to Israeli military assessments released Wednesday.
The army also believes that Iran will continue with its efforts to establish a presence in Syria through proxies, with which it can support Hezbollah and potentially open a second Syrian front against Israel.
Currently, Tehran has just 1,500 of its own Iranian Revolutionary Guards in Syria. However, the IDF believes that the Islamic Republic also controls over 10,000 fighters from Shiite militias.
Regarding Iranian missile development, the Israeli military agreed with its American counterparts that video footage of a ballistic missile test released by Tehran earlier this week was, in fact, recycled footage from over nine months ago.
Iran said on Saturday that it had successfully tested a new medium-range missile. State television carried footage of the launch of the Khoramshahr missile, which was first displayed at a high-profile military parade in Tehran on Friday. It also carried in-flight video from the nose cone.
But according to a Fox News report, two US officials claim that the video was more than seven months old and dated back to a failed launch in late January, which resulted in the missile exploding shortly after lift off.
The army assessment said that Iran is upholding the 2015 nuclear deal to its letter, if not its spirit, and Tehran is doing all it can to prepare itself for the day after the agreement ends in eight years, so that it will be able to begin work on developing an atomic weapon as quickly as possible.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah is currently believed to possess approximately 120,000 missiles and rockets in Lebanon. In a future war, the IDF estimates that the Iran-backed group will launch over a thousand rockets a day at Israel.
However, not all rockets are created equal. Some are little more than metal containers with no guidance systems that would more likely strike an empty Israeli field than its intended target. But as Iran is providing Hezbollah with the missiles themselves and the ability to produce them independently, with factories in Lebanon, the fear is that the group will have more and more accurate missiles aimed at strategic sites in Israel.
While the IDF and the Defense Ministry have invested significant resources in aerial defense, army officers have repeatedly said that these anti-missile systems will not be able to stop all projectiles.
If it were in possession of superior missiles, Hezbollah would not wage the same type of war as it did in the Second Lebanon War. Notably, more accurate missiles would allow the terrorist group to launch a quick, focused attack on Israel, unlike the prolonged 2006 conflict, the assessment said.
Anti-Russian Sentiment at Danger Levels - Todd Strandberg - http://www.raptureready.com/category/nearing-midnight/
U.S.-Russia relations have been in a downward spiral ever since Russia's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula. Another catalyst for friction is Russia's alleged meddling in the U.S. presidential elections in 2016.
The left is so fixated on taking down the Trump Administration that they have built Russia into the source of all evil. Vladimir Putin is a ruthless dictator, but there is reason why we need to pay him some measure of respect-he is the only person on the planet who can destroy the United States at will.
In July, Democrat Operative Paul Begala suggested to a CNN panel that we should retaliate by bombing Russia's KGB headquarters over the alleged election interference. There were six people at the table, and no one bothered to point out the craziness of bombing a nation with 2,000 nuclear weapons aimed at us.
President Trump and Putin have personally tried to smooth relations, but the Washington establishment has been able to veto any plans for de-escalation. Congress recently voted to put new sanctions on Russia. The bill passed the House by 419-3 and the Senate 98-2; which is a rare bipartisan vote for a Congress that is deadlocked on most issues.
A series of tit for tat diplomatic expulsions began last December when President Obama kicked out 30 Russian diplomats from the U.S. and seized Russian diplomatic compounds in New York and Maryland. The Kremlin waited until late July-in hopes the Trump Administration would reverse the course set by its predecessor. But then it ordered the U.S. to reduce its diplomatic staff in the country by 755 people and seized two U.S. diplomatic properties in Russia.
In response, the U.S. ordered Russia to shut its consulate in San Francisco. Because the Russians were only given a couple days to clear out, they had to frantically burn secret documents. The local media made light of the smoke pouring from the roof.
The latest retaliatory measures had Moscow pulling U.S. diplomats parking privileges.
Several Hollywood celebrities have joined the anti-Russia bandwagon. Director Rob Reiner has helped form a new group called the Committee to Investigate Russia, to highlight what is known about the Russian threat to interfere with American elections and other institutions. Morgan Freeman made a bizarre PSA for this group saying, "We Are at War With Russia."
The constant attacks against Russia will likely motivate Putin to cause trouble for America. There are already signs that he is working to undermine the sanctions against North Korea. At least eight North Korean ships have left Russia with a cargo of fuel and they are headed for their homeland despite declaring other destinations. U.S. officials say that changing destination mid-voyage is a hallmark of North Korean state tactics to circumvent the international trade sanctions.
There are also signs that Russia is allowing smugglers to sneak goods across the Russian and North Korean border. If there is clear evidence of Moscow's violation of the sanctions, our relations with Russia will obviously go from bad to worse; if that is even possible at this point.
Another way for Russia to get back at America is to cause trouble for our key ally, Israel. Putin has been allowing Iran to ship weapon's into Syria. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was so concerned about Iran's presence in Syria, he flew to Moscow to meet with Putin. They came to an agreement that Russia will play a pivotal role in maintaining "The peace."
"Putin doesn't want to lose Iran or Israel," said Andrey Kortunov, director general of the Russian International Affairs Council.
We know from prophecy that Russia is going to side with the Arabs in an attack on Israel. I don't know if this rabid hatred of all things Russian will be a direct cause of the Gog-Magog invasion. It certainly creates the environment for Putin to make a daring move that would shock the world.
"And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:
And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords" (Ezekiel 38:1-4).
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