The Russian Ascent - Alf Cengia - http://www.omegaletter.com/articles/articles.asp?ArticleID=8121
If you've lived long enough or if you pay some attention to near and far history, you might have a notion just how quickly global circumstances can change. Sometimes these changes occur imperceptibly and under our noses without our realizing it. But sometimes changes take place rapidly.
Often we're so involved in our social commitments that we miss important signals. Or we're simply in denial of what's going on.
This is how I see the sudden Russian ascent, especially in the Middle East. It's happened while we were mostly sleeping. I realize that the insinuation of a Russian ascent will be scoffed at by some. I guess these people would be those in denial.
As mentioned before in past Omega Letter columns, it wasn't so long ago that the world celebrated the fall of the Iron Curtain. I knew about Hal Lindsey back then. He'd been warning everyone who would listen about Russia. I remember thinking something like, "Back to the drawing board, Hal."
In fact at one point I'd collected a number of "scholarly" articles purporting to dissect every misstep in Hal's theology. Lindsey was wrong because he took prophecy literally while, presumably, clutching his newspaper too tightly in his hand. Yes, they only had "paper" newspapers in those days.
Biblical PhD types wrote voluminous articles on how the Gog-Magog conflagration of Ezekiel 38 had already occurred in Israel's history. Skeptics inevitably note the archaic references to ancient warfare in v4.
If you don't like the historical explanation you can take refuge in allegory. This is always a safe bet in case the historical position falls apart under closer scrutiny. After all, the last time anybody looked, the Mount of Olives hasn't been split yet (Zechariah 14:4). Since they assume God has finished with Israel they're compelled to spiritualize these problem verses.
There are scholars who see the conflict described in Ezekiel 38 as futuristic. But some premillennialists believe this occurs somewhere within the 70th week of Daniel, or after the millennium. Furthermore, many of these futurist scholars often disagree on the identities of the protagonists of the Ezekiel conflict. Who are Meshach, Tubal and Rosh? What is Gog-Magog? A lot of scholars are keen to tell eager prophecy buffs that Russia has nothing to do with the Gog-Magog conflagration.
I'm no biblical (or prophecy) scholar. Neither am I in the habit of plugging popular prophecy books. There are too many bad ones. And skeptics will insist that there are no good ones at all. However, I recommend Doug Berner's The Silence is Broken.
While I don't agree with some of his conclusions (I have my own biases), Berner's effort in cataloguing all the different views and examining their strengths and weaknesses is worthy of a look. Berner concludes that Gog-Magog does, indeed, include a Russian presence. And I think he makes a great case for it. He isn't paying me to push his book by the way.
I'm indebted to a friend (Eric) for pointing out a brief commentary by Gary Stearman on Russia's continued interest in the Middle East. You don't need to agree with Stearman on all things to appreciate some salient points. He also does us a favor in referring to an interesting article by Benjamin Baruch and Jeffrey Nyquist.
Following a number of observations regarding Russia and Europe, these authors write:
'Over 25 years have passed since the fall of the Berlin Wall. The vacuum of power which was created by the collapse of Soviet Union has led the world, rather than to an era of permanent prosperity and the end of history, to the brink of actual war. Russia merely appeared to embrace democracy and a consumer based economy, but nothing of the sort ever really occurred. Instead, Russia has developed entirely new classes of weapons, which no other nation possesses and has armed itself to the teeth.
'The early reports of the demise of the Soviet Union and the end of the communist threat now appear at best, to have been greatly exaggerated, or at worst, an intentional deception. Although the intelligence service of the Soviet Era, the KGB, was renamed the Federal Security Service (FSB), it facilitated the rise of Vladimir Putin, a former KGB officer, proving the security service is still very much in power within the "new" Russia.'
Russian Imperialism never did really depart - it went into temporary hibernation. At the time of writing this column we are seeing Russia taking the initiative in Syria against ISIS while America looks on and cries foul.
Interestingly, there seems to be some sort of new understanding developing between Russia and Israel regarding ISIS. Both nations see ISIS as a dangerous enemy, but for different reasons. One nation sees ISIS as an existential threat, while the other sees it as a serious business threat.
What are we seeing and how will this develop in the days ahead? How will the Obama Administration view a potential alliance between Israel and Russia? Even more importantly, can Israel trust a Russia which is also a Syrian ally? Russia's allies would rather see Israel out of the picture.
We can quibble about some of the finer prophetic details. However, the bigger picture appears to be shaping up just like Hal Lindsey suggested before the Iron Curtain fell. Even if you don't think Russia is part of the Gog-Magog conflict or that it's on the prophetic horizon - note that Russia has been supplying Israel's antagonistic neighbors with weapons. And long before ISIS came along.
If you want the big picture go read Zechariah, especially chapters 12 to 14. Those who don't trust God's word will be shocked by what will come to pass if they are the generation which witnesses these final events.
Secular Israel hasn't placed its trust in God yet. It has relied on the United States and may be looking to Vladimir Putin for support against ISIS. This is what God says.
I will go away and return to My place Until they acknowledge their guilt and seek My face; In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me. Hosea 5:15
It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. Zec 12:9-10
That's the Big Picture!
Russia enters Syrian war with air strikes, jolts the Mid-East into new era - http://www.debka.com/article/24915/Russia-enters-Syrian-war-with-air-strikes-jolts-the-Mid-East-into-new-era
That Russia launched its first air strikes in Syria Wednesday, Sept. 30 was confirmed by the Russian Defense Ministry in Moscow and criticized by US officials. Moscow stressed that it acted in support of Bashar Assad's war on the Islamic State, assisted by other foreign powers including Iran and Iraq working together from an allied command center in Baghdad. Its targets were described as stores, ammunition dumps and vehicles, located according to US sources around Homs and Hama. The Russian communiqués did not indicate which organizations were bombed.
The Russian aerial offensive marks a turning point in Middle East affairs. Russia is emerging strongly as the number one power in the region. The governments which hitherto coordinated their military polices with the US, like those of Israel, Jordan and Turkey will have to reassess their orientation and affinities in a hurry.
For Israel it is the end of years of freedom for its air force to strike its enemies from the skies of Syria or Lebanon. It also marks the end of any plans Turkey and Jordan may have entertained for setting up buffer and no-fly zones in Syria to protect their borders.
Washington quickly criticized the air strikes, but said Moscow's moves would not change the US-led air campaign targeting the Islamic State in Syria. That remains to be seen.
Secretary of State John Kerry told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that the Russian air strikes are "not helpful," and ran counter to the effort to make sure mishaps do not happen inadvertently in the air.
debkafile earlier reported on the fast-moving developments of Wednesday, Sept. 30.
A day after the White House said that "clarity" on Russian intentions in Syria had been achieved at the Obama-Putin summit in New York, the Russian President Vladimir Putin notched up the military tensions around Syria Wednesday, Sept. 30. A senior US official said that Russian diplomats had sent an official demarche ordering US planes to quit Syria, adding that Russian fighter jets were now flying over Syrian territory. US military sources told Fox News that US planes would not comply with the Russian demand. "There is nothing to indicate that we are changing operations over Syria," a senior defense official said.
Earlier, Putin sought from the Russian upper house, the Federation Council, authorization for the use of military force abroad. He did not specify the country or region, but the only part of the world where Russia is currently building up its ground, air and naval forces outside the country is Syria.
A short time after the request, the Federation Council announced that it had unanimously authorized the use of Russian military force in Syria. The last time Putin sought this authorization was in early 2014 when he decided to annex the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. His action now contradicts his assertion to CBS on Sept. 28: "Russia will not participate in any troop operations in the territory of Syria or in any other states. Well, at least we don't plan on it right now."
debkafile's military sources report that Russian preparations for military action in Syria are clearly not limited to that country. They are being run by a joint coordination forward command and war room established a few days ago by Russia, Iran, Iraq and Syria in Baghdad. It is designed as the counterpart of the US Central Command-Forward-Jordan war room established north of Amman for joint US-Saudi-Qatari-Israeli-Jordanian and UAE operations in support of Syrian rebel operations against the Assad regime.
Two rival power war rooms are therefore poised at opposite ends of the Syrian arena - one representing a US-led alliance for operations against Assad, and the other a Russian-led group which is revving up to fight on his behalf.
Conspicuous in the swiftly evolving Syrian situation is the detailed advance planning which went into the Russian military buildup and partnerships, and the slow perception of what was going on, on the part of the United States and Israel.
Tuesday, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter instructed his staff to establish a communication channel with the Kremlin to ensure the safety of US and Russian military operations and "avoid conflict in the air" between the two militaries. The Russian defense ministry shot back with a provocative stipulation that coordination with the US must go through Baghdad, an attempt to force Washington to accept that the two war rooms would henceforth communicate on equal terms.
Israel's Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon denied Tuesday night that Israel was coordinating its operations with the Russian army, stressing that Israel reserves the IDF's right to freedom of action over Syria and would continue to prevent arms supplies reaching terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah.
Meanwhile, six advanced Russian SU-34 strike fighter jets landed at Latakia's Al-Assad international airport, after flying to their destination through Iraqi airspace.
The Russian military buildup is assuming far greater proportions than either imagined, far outpacing US or Israeli efforts at coordination.
Putin's slippery evasions for Netanyahu's concerns about Iran - http://www.debka.com/article/24897/Putin's-slippery-evasions-for-Netanyahu's-concerns-about-Iran-
According to initial reports, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and President Vladimir Putin talked mostly at cross-purposes when they met in the presidential residence outside Moscow Monday, Sept. 21.
According to debkafile's sources, Netanyahu, who brought with him an impressive party of top Israeli generals, presented his host with intelligence evidence to demonstrate that Iran - under the cover of the Syrian army - is trying to "build a second terrorist front against us from the Golan Heights."
He indicated that Israel would be forced to resort to military action to counter this front and asked to see Putin in order to avert collisions between Israeli and Russian forces on Syrian soil.
Putin greeted these words with slippery evasions. Syria is in no state to open up an additional front, he said, and Moscow's main goal in its involvement in Syria is to defend that country.
The point the Israeli prime minister tried to make was that Israel's security was at stake here - not Syria's. He stressed that Iran and Syria were arming the radical Islamic terrorist organization Hezbollah with "advanced weaponry that is directed at us, and has already been fired at us."
But Putin sidestepped this too, remarking that that he is aware that Israel has been fired upon from Syria, and has condemned that, but added that those weapons were "locally produced."
While the two leaders were still talking, US officials disclosed that Russia had started drone surveillance missions in Syria.
On Sept. 16, debkafile's sources warned that, like US President Barack Obama, who never tires of pledging his commitment to Israel's security, yet turns his back on Iran's pursuit of its ambition to destroy Israel, Putin too would have little time for Israel's fundamental security concerns.
debkafile reported before the meeting: On Saturday, Sept. 19, just two days before Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the presidential dacha outside Moscow, troops at the Russian base outside the coastal Syrian city of Latakia were seen preparing to deploy batteries of advanced S-300 anti-aircraft missiles. Their presence in Syria will raise major questions, one of which is this: against which air power are they deployed, given the fact that the Islamic State has no air force.
Their deployment therefore poses troubling ramifications for the ongoing Syrian civil war as well as the region as a whole. For Israel, the placement of S-300 missiles in Syria is problematic for three reasons:
1. They seriously reduce the Israeli Air Force's freedom of action in Lebanese and Syrian airspace.
2. Following a spate of contradictory and muddled statements about Moscow's intentions to withhold the S-300s from Syria and Iran - an apparent smoke screen -, it turns out that they are coming to Syria after all.
3. The Russians say they are building up military strength in Syria to fight ISIS. But neither ISIS nor any other regional power poses an air threat to the Russian deployment. So the state-of-the-art air defense missile delivered to Syria, to which Iran too has access, does pose a threat to Israel's security.
Its deployment in Syria appears to signal that Putin has a long game for his military buildup in Syria - more far-reaching that it would appear.
Each day brings news of more Russian forces arriving in Syria. At first, reports said several hundred marines were being deployed, but now preparations are being made for 2,000 of them.
A similar process is occurring with the deployment of anti-aircraft missiles. Initially, reports said that Moscow was providing Syria with the SA-22, known as the Pantsir-S1, but those missiles never arrived. Now, it appears that the S-300 is to be deployed instead.
The arrival of four advanced multi-role Sukhoi 30SM (Flanker) tactical jets in Latakia on Sept. 18 has also raised eyebrows. It came just hours after US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter met with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in an effort to prevent collisions between US and Russian forces operating in Syria. As those jets are intended for air-to-air combat, observers wonder which forces are to be targeted. The same question hangs over the half a dozen MiG-31 interceptors, which landed in Damascus earlier this month.
So what is Putin's real game in Syria?
In another development that was only noticed in very few circles in the West and Israel, Iranian Gen. Yahya Rahim Safavi, military advisor of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on 'Friday, Sept. 18: "Russia moves in coordination with Iran in some regional issues including Syria."
In other words, the US and Israel, which are attempting to coordinate their military steps with those of Russia, have already fallen behind.
Reports in Israel over the last few days have claimed that Putin was keen on holding the summit even more than Netanyahu, and that the Israeli Air Force had started setting up a mechanism for liaison with the Russian Air Force in order to prevent inadvertent collisions.
But these plans have been overtaken by events,
There is no doubt that Netanyahu is making a bold statement by bringing to the Kremlin meeting the IDF chief of staff Lt. Gen. Gady Eisenkot and the head of military intelligence, Maj. Gen. Hertzi Halevi. This is the first time such high-ranking military officers have participated in a meeting of the Israeli and Russian leaders.
debkafile's sources in Moscow report that Putin will be attended by his national security advisor, Nikolai Patrushev. This is the Russian president's way of indicating that, for him, the talks will focus on a general assessment of the Syrian situation, whereas Israel is seeking a discussion on the military aspects of the growing Russian intervention..
In this context, it should be mentioned that, when the commander of Iran's Al-Qods brigades, Gen. Qassem Soleimani, visited Moscow 10 days ago, the most senior Russian official he met was Patrushev.
Israel Copes with Syrian Civil War's New Game of Russian Roulette - Sean Savage - http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/49567/israel-copes-with-syrian-civil-wars-new-game-of-russian-roulette-middle-east/#bfDoZYPXrzoGFp13.97
"Why have nations gathered and [why do] kingdoms think vain things?" (Psalms 2:01)
The bloody and seemingly endless civil war in Syria has taken a new twist over the past month, with reports emerging that Russia has started to significantly beef up its military presence to help its longtime ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, continue his fight against rebel groups and terrorist organizations like Islamic State.
At the same time, Israel has grown increasingly concerned with the continued destabilization of Syria and Russia's possible exacerbation of that situation. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Moscow and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, in order to speak with Putin about the stationing of Russian forces in Syria. It is Netanyahu's first trip to Moscow since November 2013.
After the meeting with Putin, Netanyahu told Israeli media that Israel and Russia agreed to create a "mechanism" to prevent inadvertent confrontations between their forces in Syria, the Jerusalem Post reported.
"I made clear our policy to try to prevent through various means the transfer of lethal weapons from Syria to Hezbollah, which is actually done at the direction of Iran," Netanyahu said.
Putin told Netanyahu in public comments before the meeting, "Our main goal is to defend the Syrian state. However, I understand your concern and I am very pleased that you have come here to discuss all issues in detail."
Netanyahu's visit highlights "Israel's serious concern about the possibility of advanced weapons reaching Hezbollah, as well as concern that Israel will accidentally clash with the Russian military," Anna Borshchevskaya, the Ira Weiner Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy think tank, told JNS.org.
Over the past few weeks, reports have indicated that Russia has deployed weapons and military personnel to an airfield near Latakia, Syria-a stronghold of the Assad regime. These reports follow additional photo evidence in the Daily Mail that suggest that Russian soldiers have been in Syria since at least April, in addition to satellite images obtained by Foreign Policy that indicate extensive construction around Syria's Bassel al-Assad International Airport.
Russia's activity comes as Assad has suffered a series of civil war setbacks in recent months. Over the summer, Syrian government forces lost the Idlib province to rebel groups and the ancient city of Palmyra to Islamic State. The setbacks led to the uncharacteristic admission by the usually cocky Assad that his forces are suffering from "fatigue."
While Russia has not elaborated on its military buildup, its government confirmed to Reuters on Sept. 9 that "experts" were assisting with Russian arms deliveries to Syria for the purpose of "combating terrorism." Other reports suggested that Russians are taking part in military operations in Syria.
A Lebanese source familiar with the situation in Syria told Reuters that the Russians "are taking part in military operations. It is more than an advisory role."
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has repeatedly sought to clarify Russia's intentions in Syria and has warned his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, that Russia's actions could "further escalate the conflict" and "risk confrontation with the anti-ISIL (Islamic State) coalition operating in Syria."
Borshchevskaya believes that through his buildup of Russian forces in Syria, Putin "is advancing an idea for an international coalition to fight ISIS (Islamic State), but in reality, he only wants to keep Assad in power and deflect attention from the crisis in Ukraine he created."
"By pointing to ISIS as a greater common enemy, he will advocate that the West set aside differences over Ukraine," Borshchevskaya told JNS.org.
Russia has been a supporter of the Assad regime since the Cold War, when the Soviet Union backed Hafez al-Assad, Bashar's father, who ruled Syria until his death in 2000. As one of Syria's few Mideast allies, Russia continues to maintain its Soviet-era naval facility in the Syrian coastal city of Tartus-its only such base outside of the boundaries of the former Soviet Union.
"At the same time, ensuring that Assad is in power protracts the Syrian conflict and ensures Putin influence in Syria and the Middle East, at the expense of the West. Also, given Russia's dire domestic problems: economic recession, population decline, unsustainable military spending, and other problems, he is pointing to an external enemy," Borshchevskaya said.
For Israel, Russia's buildup in neighboring Syria is a major concern. Netanyahu is expected to discuss with Putin the threats posed to Israel from the increased weapons flow to Syria as well as the transfer of deadly weapons to Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations, the Israeli Prime Minister's office said in a statement.
All the while, Israel has a complex-and somewhat positive-relationship with Russia. Since the end of the Cold War, Israel has become home to hundreds of thousands of Russian immigrants, and as such the Jewish state maintains close economic and cultural ties with Russia.
"In recent years, Israel and Russia have significantly improved ties on a number of fronts," said Borshchevskaya. "Nonetheless, this has limits, as in practice; Putin's regional policy is primarily driven by zero-sum anti-Americanism and anti-Westernism to position Russia as a counterweight to the West in the region."
Israel has been at odds with Russia over the latter's strong support for the Iran nuclear deal and the impending Russian sale of the advanced S-300 missile defense system to Iran.
On a parallel track with Israeli concerns are growing American-Russian disagreements over Syria. Kerry announced Sept. 18 that the U.S. is hoping to engage in direct military-to-military talks with Russia.
"The president believes that a military-to-military conversation is an important next step," Kerry said, "and I think, hopefully, it will take place very shortly."
The U.S. has long maintained that Assad must step down if there is going to be a lasting solution to the Syrian civil war. Kerry, however, hinted that the U.S. may allow Assad to stay in power for the short-term until a political settlement is reached.
"Our focus remains on destroying ISIL and also on a political settlement with respect to Syria, which we believe cannot be achieved with the long-term presence of Assad," Kerry told reporters Sept. 18 while he was in London to meet with his British counterpart, Philip Hammond.
"But we're looking for ways in which to try to find a common ground," added Kerry. "Clearly, if you're going to have a political settlement, which we've always argued is the best and only way to resolve Syria, you need to have conversations with people, and you need to find a common ground."
Meanwhile, as far as Israel is concerned, Netanyahu will likely seek for Putin to ease the former's concerns about a possible confrontation between Israeli and Russian forces at the Syrian border.
"Israel does have some leverage over Russia; for instance, Israel had remained publicly neutral on Russia's actions in Ukraine and did not sell weapons to Kiev," Borshchevskaya told JNS.org. "If bilateral relations between Russia and Israel continue to deteriorate, Israel may start selling weapons to Kiev."
Moving forward, it seems clear that Putin will continue to prop up the Assad regime at all costs, even though it has become likely that Assad cannot win the war.
"Putin wants to restore Russia as a great power in the Middle East that opposes the West," said Borshchevskaya. "For us (Western nations), diplomacy is about win-win scenarios, but for Putin, it's "I win, you lose.'"
Putin warns Israel off targeting Iranian targets in Syria - http://www.debka.com/article/24913/Putin-warns-Israel-off-targeting-Iranian-targets-in-Syria-
Russian President Vladimir Putin is concerned about Israel's repeated attacks in Syria, he said, after talking for an hour and-a-half with President Barack Obama early Tuesday, Sept. 29, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. Putin agreed that Israel's security concerns must be taken into account in Syria, but he was worried by the IDF's periodic strikes on positions in the embattled territory.
Sunday night, the IDF hit Syrian military targets with powerful Tamuz artillery rockets after two errant Syrian rockets landed on the Golan.
debkafile's military sources report that they hit the artillery command post of the Syrian army's 90th Brigade, which is stationed outside Quneitra. Syrian and Lebanese sources say the Syrian deputy commander was injured.
The message the Russian president issued, straight after his meeting with Obama, was that Moscow would not put up with Israeli strikes in Syria, even in response to an attack.
This comment and the events leading up to it raise four questions:
1. Why did Putin take the trouble to respond in person to a trivial incident like a cross-border exchange of fire on the Golan directly after his highly-important talks with Obama?
2. Why was he so concerned by this incident? It occurred just a week after the Russian president and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu had agreed in Moscow to set up a coordination mechanism to prevent clashes between IDF and Russian forces. And in any case Russian forces were not involved.
3. What was behind statement issued by Israel's Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon after the incident, in which he stressed with unusual emphasis Israel's zero tolerance of Syrian rocket infractions of its sovereignty?
4. The two highly-charged statements were obviously occasioned by much more than errant cross-border fire from the Syrian side of the Golan.
debkafile's military and intelligence sources report that the answers to these conundrums are embodied in one individual, Brig. Gen. Saeed Azadi, of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, whose presence and operations in Syria are a closely guarded secret.
Or at least they were until Netanyahu let the cat out of the bag at his meeting with Putin last week at the Russian presidential residence outside Moscow. The prime minister disclosed his knowledge that Gen. Azadi had come to replace Gen. Ali Allah Dadi, who died on Jan 18 in an Israeli air strike against a convoy carrying Iranian Guards and Hizballah commanders traveling near Quneitra. They were there to survey a site for mounting a terrorist campaign inside Israel.
The Israeli air strike nipped this plan in the bud. But Iran and Hizballah never gave up, and Gen. Azadi was assigned to finish setting up the terror machine and getting it up and running.
A week ago, Netanyahu gave Putin notice that Israel would not let this happen - even if this meant disposing of another Iranian general.
The Russian leader explained that Israel's attacks on Iranian military targets presented a problem because they weakened Bashar Assad.
As matter stand therefore, Russia and Israel are on a collision course: While Israel views Gen. Azadi as a menacing adversary, Putin regards him as part of the Russian-Iranian axis in Syria and wants Israel to keep its hands off him. This point is of such paramount importance to the Russian leader's plans for Syria that he made a big deal of it at the highest international forum - almost as a sequel to his first meeting with President Obama in more than a year.
He was signaling strongly that the arrangement for the Russian and Israeli armies to coordinate their operations in Syria is unworkable and he was losing patience with Israel's "security concerns" in so far as they impeded his plans with Iran for Syria.
debkafile's military sources add: The Syrian rocket fire Friday and Saturday was not in fact "errant" as the IDF spokesman maintained. The rockets were fired on the orders of Iranian Brig. Azadi as a demonstration that Israel's warning to Putin was a waste of time and he meant to go forward with his operation regardless. Netanyahu and Ya'alon conveyed their message of resistance to this operation by instructing the IDF to hit back with the Tamuz rocket, a system powerful enough to give the other side pause and present Putin with an unforeseen complication in his Syrian venture.
Russia in Syria: Did Putin just clip Israel's wings? - By Joshua Mitnick -
http://news.yahoo.com/russia-syria-did-putin-just-clip-israels-wings-145309020.html
Netanyahu says he and Putin agreed on ways to avoid conflict between their forces in Syria. For years Israel has had a free hand to attack arms transfers to Hezbollah.
Seated at the Kremlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Vladimir Putin smiled and shook hands. At a follow-up media briefing, the Israeli leader announced a deal to avoid hostilities between their militaries in and around Syria.
But all the pleasantries Monday couldn't hide the awkwardness of the new wrinkle in Russian-Israeli relations. Moscow's decision to boost its military presence in northern Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad has posed a potential challenge to Mr. Netanyahu, who for years has had a relatively free hand to carry out strikes against arms shipments that Israel says goes from Iran, through Syria, to the Shiite militia Hezbollah in Lebanon.
If Israeli intelligence gets tipped off that Syrian forces are shipping advanced missiles to Hezbollah near where Russian troops are stationed, Netanyahu is liable to face a dilemma: should Israel attack the weapons convoy preemptively and risk injuring Russians? The coordination mechanism announced by Israel is supposed to avoid tactical "misunderstandings," but potentially crimps Israel's maneuvers.
"It complicates reality. It potentially limits Israel's freedom of action," said Ehud Eiran, a political science professor at Haifa University who focuses on national security. "The fascinating question is whether it will constrain Israel or not. Israel has been looking at Lebanon and Syria as areas where it could fly freely."
Not since the collapse of the Soviet Union has Israel faced a potentially unfriendly superpower so close to its borders. Though Russia is no longer supporting a coalition of Arab states in direct conflict with the Jewish state as it did during the cold war, the fallout from the Russian intervention could boost the Iranian-led alliance of Shiite forces supporting Mr. Assad.
Speaking to Israeli reporters after the Kremlin meeting, Netanyahu said Israel would continue to act to block weapons transfers from Syria to Lebanon and against the establishment of an Iranian-backed military front on the Golan Heights.
ISRAEL HAS INTERVENED IN SYRIA FOR YEARS
Israel's policy of intervening against perceived threats from Syria goes back to 2006, when it bombed a nuclear reactor there. While acknowledging Israeli concerns about spillover from the war, Mr. Putin played down Israeli fears of a new front in Syria, saying Russia's actions would be "responsible."
But that's not the same as assuring Israel it can continue to operate freely in Syrian airspace, analysts say.
"In effect, Russia is dictating by saying, 'Our soldiers, rockets, and aircraft are there. Don't mess with us,'" says Moshe Maoz, an expert on Syria at Hebrew University. He sees the new dialogue with Russia as a strategic mistake for Israel.
"It's going to advance the expansion of Iran. Israel can't do very much about it, but Israel is shooting itself in the foot by agreeing" to the coordination with Moscow, he says. "Israel is undermining its relations with the Sunni Muslim majority" in Syria and the region by cooperating with an ally of Assad.
RUSSIA FILLING A VACUUM
Indeed, over the years of the Syrian civil war, Israeli policymakers have disagreed over whether they prefer the chaos that would come with the collapse of the Assad regime and the consequent strategic blow to Israel's chief enemy in Iran, or the relative stability if the so-called "devil that it knows" remains in power.
Even though the Russians are filling a vacuum in Syria left by Israel's chief ally, the United States, some security analysts in Israel wonder if Russia might help to tamp down arms shipments to Hezbollah.
Eyal Zisser, a Syria expert at Tel Aviv University, says such assistance is unlikely, but he does believe the coordination will have a tactical benefit by avoiding a flare-up with Israel's enemies active in Syria.
"The Russians are the only ones that speak with all the powers," he says. "It's important to keep the channels open, and avoid escalation."
Red Storm - By Matt Ward - http://www.raptureready.com/soap2/ward31.html
Three weeks ago President Vladimir Putin contacted Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and made an offer he believed couldn't be refused. Putin offered to guarantee the safety of Israel's newly discovered Leviathan gas fields using the full might of the Russian military. Netanyahu politely declined.
The very next week on the direct orders of Vladimir Putin fighter jets, tanks, sophisticated battlefield communications equipment and Special Forces began landing in Syria. It has become an open secret that many thousands of elite marines will follow shortly after.
After just one week the widely held belief is that Russian forces are already engaged in real combat operations in Syria, carving out a safe zone from which they can operate. Russian troops have already engaged in active combat is an assumed reality because Russian R-166-0.5 (ultra) high-frequency signals (HF/VHF) vehicles were spotted on Syria's Highway 4 just a few days ago. This highway links Homs and Aleppo.
These vehicles, called "mobile war rooms" by Western armies, were accompanied by BTR-82 troop carriers transporting Russian marines. These mobile communication centers provide up to the minute communication relays to troops engaged in live combat operations up to 1000 kilometers away. They are a crucial part of Russia's war machine, strongly indicating Russia is already actively involved inside Syria. "Boots" are already on the ground.
Even more alarmingly, Russia has also deployed advanced S-300 anti-aircraft missile batteries to bolster their force. The question though, is against whom exactly are these highly advanced missile deployed? ISIS does not have an Air Force so who are they meant to deter?
These missiles are clearly to deter Israel and they will seriously impact upon the IAF's ability to act in Syrian and Lebanese air space should they so desire.
This impressive Russian arsenal is further augmented by the ominous presence of a Russia nuclear submarine, off Syria's coast in the Mediterranean. This provides Russia with the ultimate deterrence, if it were needed.
Clearly Russia are in Syria for the long game, not the short.
Russia's aims in Syria seem to be threefold. Firstly, defend the Syrian naval port of Tartus. Although ostensibly a Syrian port, as Al-Assad is a client ruler of Putin, the port is in effect Russian and it is through this port that Russia has the absolutely crucial access it requires to the Mediterranean.
This sea port is at the centre of Russian aspirations for this region as it remains a key strategic goal for Putin to dominate the entire Mediterranean basin area militarily. Without a functioning deep sea port this is impossible.
The second aim is to maintain the power of Bashir Al-Assad. Assad is a proxy ruler of Syria on behalf of Putin's Russia. Assad effectively rules Syria on Putin's behalf. This might not have been so a decade ago, but it certainly is now. Assad knows full well that the only reason he and his family are still alive today is because of Vladimir Putin. Assad's government continues to exist because Russia have bolstered them against ISIS; that is the only reason it still stands.
Recently, Putin has been taken aback by ISIS, their string of stinging victories over Assad's forces and now recognizes the genuine possibility that without direct Russian intervention, Assad and Syria will fall to ISIS.
If Assad falls Putin's hold over Syria will fail and his influence over the entire Middle East will have suffered a devastating blow. Russia's real access to the Middle East is through Syria, therefore Putin will not let Assad fall.
The final Russian objective relates to Israel and regards the "hook" that God Himself will place in Gog's jaw. At some point Gog will have an "evil thought" and will determine to invade the beautiful land to "take a spoil." It seems increasingly likely that this "evil thought" centers on the Leviathan gas fields of Israel, an oil field so vast it could dwarf the existing Saudi and Iraqi fields making Israel, or whoever owns them, the richest nation on planet Earth. These oil fields also sit easily within what Russia perceives as their legitimate sphere of influence. It is within their grasp.
To this aim Putin has allowed the establishment of a separate front to open against Israel in the Golan Heights. Under the cover of the Syrian army their ally Iran is trying to "build a second terrorist front against us," or so Benjamin Netanyahu has complained. Iran is occupying Syria along with Russia.
We truly live in days of awe. We are blessed to see what we see today. We are witness to the real time build-up of the horde that will seek to vanquish Gods very own inheritance, as described in Ezekiel 38 and 39. Multitudes past have gazed at these days from afar through the lens of scripture yet we are privileged to see these events in real time as our present day reality.
ISIS and the abject horrors they have wrought have forced the mass migration of entire people groups clearing vast swathes of Syria before them. This will make the Russian take over all the more simple. Iran, now a legitimate player in the region because of Obama's absence of any form of Middle Eastern leadership, now enjoy a meaningful presence in Iraq and Syria. The fruits of "leading from behind."
At the very same time Israel have discovered a gas field that potentially dwarfs all others in the Middle East, the Leviathan gas field. In his vision Ezekiel saw a horde led by Gog attacking Israel so that they may, "...take a spoil." This is that horde forming now.
The alliances necessary for Ezekiel 38 and 39 to come to pass are in place, and functioning well. Russia and Iran are very close. Turkey have become natural allies to Iran due to a hatred for Israel. Indeed, Recap Ergogan, President of Turkey openly despises Israel, he is a vicious hater of Israel who talks often of the need to free Al-Quds from the hands of the Jews. Al-Quds is known in Arabic as Jerusalem.
Gog is taking up military positions right on Israel's border and has already expressed an interest in Israel's "spoil." Gog is also bringing with him all the allies named in Ezekiel 38 and 39. We will now witness the full and rapid militarization of Syria by Russia and Iran.
Israel must look tantalizing to Vladimir Putin. In the White House sits a president who is openly hostile to Israel, a man well known for his utter loathing of Benjamin Netanyahu, a president who does not care one jot for the tiny Jewish State. The Middle East stands in ruins because of the Arab spring, ISIS and failed military intervention from the West.
European nations that would stand against Gog if he were to move against Israel are becoming swamped by their own crisis of humanity, threatening their very way of life. These same European nations have also had their stomach for a fight ripped out of them by more than a decade of failed military intervention in this same region.
The world-wide economy is teetering on the brink of collapse and because of this all Western NATO nations have significantly cut back on their armed forces spending. The exception of course being NATO's old foe Russia, who have instead injected billions into their military machine, completely revitalizing it and igniting a renewed militaristic optimism within the Russian military apparatus.
Then there is little Israel, sitting all alone in the Middle East. Little Israel sitting on an oil field of immense size and almost incalculable value. Little Israel, hated and scorned by all nations of the world, openly despised, seemingly without a true friend or a real protector. Little Israel, isolated, alone, very exposed.
Or so Gog thinks.
Blessed be the Lord God, who has revealed these things to his servants! He has not left us alone but has revealed to us what is shortly to come to pass. Though the world will look on these things in days to come with fear and dread we should not. We know the end from the beginning!
Israel is rapidly approaching her appointment with destiny and it will not be man who comes to her aid in her hour of desperate need. God Himself on that day will stand up and fight on her behalf, and woe to Gog and his allies, for mighty is the Lord God who will save her.
Ezekiel 38: 3-12
"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: Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee. Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them. After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee. Thus saith the Lord God; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, to take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land."
Under Russian cover, Iran troops to launch Syria assault - By Stuart Winer -
http://www.timesofisrael.com/under-russian-cover-iran-troops-to-launch-syria-assault/
Hundreds of soldiers, along with Hezbollah fighters, set for ground offensive against rebels after Moscow enters the fray
Hundreds of Iranian troops, already on the ground in Syria, are readying to battle against anti-government rebel forces in a drive to recapture territory for Syrian President Bashar Assad.
The soldiers entered Syria 10 days ago, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing Lebanese sources.
The Lebanese-based terror group Hezbollah was also poised to join the offensive alongside the regular Syrian army. The offensive is planned for an area in northern Syria.
Russian jets recently deployed in Syria, which began bombing targets on Wednesday, were to provide air cover for the operation.
"The (Russian) air strikes will in the near future be accompanied by ground advance by the Syrian army and its allies," the sources said.
According to a report from the Telegraph, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday that it does not differentiate between the extremist Islamic State group in Syria and rebel forces battling to end Assad's rule, apparently confirming Western suspicions that the Russian airstrikes were not confined to IS positions.
US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said the Russians appeared to have targeted areas that did not include IS militants and complained Moscow did not use formal channels to give advance notice of its airstrikes to Washington, which is conducting its own airstrikes in Syria against the Islamic State group.
The Russia-Iran link - http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Jerusalem-Post-editorial-The-Russia-Iran-link-419538
On Wednesday, Russia launched its first air strikes against rebel targets near the Syrian city of Homs, apparently after informing the US and Israel.
Syria's territory - which until recently domiciled a purportedly bona fide nation - has now been reduced to a proverbial chessboard upon which foreign powers are playing a cynical realpolitik game.
On Wednesday, Russia launched its first air strikes against rebel targets near the Syrian city of Homs, apparently after informing the US and Israel.
So far the superior maneuvering is indisputably that of Russian President Vladimir Putin. It's far from clear what long-term strategy is being pursued by his American counterpart, Barack Obama. In New York this week, Obama indicated that defeating Islamic State in Syria would only be possible if President Bashar Assad were forced to step down, but did not hint at American involvement.
Again, after an extended absence, Russia looms as the Middle East's imposing hegemon - one whose self-interests determine who will prevail and who will fail.
Historically the now-defunct Soviet Union used to describe this region as "adjacent to our southern borders."
This contention presumably facilitated the claim that the Middle East was essential for the USSR's security and thus could be annexed to Moscow's sphere of pseudo-legitimate influence. It's still the same.
Concomitantly, Obama is doing his utmost to disengage from the very spheres that Russia covets, and Putin helped push Obama in that direction when they met in New York this week.
In 2013, Putin swayed Obama not to react militarily to Assad's use of gas against his own people, but to allow the Syrian leader to relinquish his chemical stockpiles. Obama was only too eager to be offered a way out, even if Assad continued butchering Syria's civilians by other means.
Then came the deal on Iran's nukes in which Moscow again coaxed Washington into an ultra-conciliatory stance to avoid confrontation. The Russian foothold in Syria's port of Latakia is tangible fallout from Obama's miscalculation.
Iran was propelled to the forefront as a regional power, operating in chummy collusion with Russia to prop up Assad in an ostensible anti-terrorist alliance. Its details were finalized last July, hot on the heels of the deal to lift sanctions off the ayatollah regime in return for a supposed shutdown of Tehran's nuclear program.
Qassem Soleimani, chief of Iran's elite Quds Force, flew twice to Moscow for consultations with Putin in flagrant violation of an international travel ban for masterminding terrorism. Shortly thereafter, Putin began shipping tanks, armored personnel carriers, and more to Syria. That was followed by fighter jets and an emergent Russian-manned air base.
The White House criticized the Russian moves, but has most recently given Putin leeway. Right before Obama's eyes, a three-way military axis - comprising Russia, Iran, and Assad's Hezbollah proxy - audaciously manifested itself.
The fact that Iran is finally off the American/Western nuclear hook and is flushed with cash made this unabashed partnership with Moscow possible. Russia, let's not forget, is Iran's primary weapons purveyor and builder of its nuclear facilities. It made sure that Iran would be treated indulgently during the recent nuclear negotiations.
In all, Iran is emboldened as never before and Putin is heartened by Obama's phlegmatic response. One superpower - America - appears in retreat, whereas a reawakening Russia regains prominence.
The itineraries of a significant number of Middle Eastern leaders include Moscow - Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu is only one. Also traveling to Moscow are potentates from such unlikely ally countries as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, Morocco, Jordan, and of course Egypt, which was unaccountably jilted by Obama.
Putin even plans a visit to Riyadh. All this speaks volumes.
The danger to Israel isn't only that Iran can now openly become a key player in Syria, but that aggression will be indirectly funded by the resources the US has consented to release and by the vast business opportunities it steers to Tehran. Those funds, combined with unimpeded Russian ambition will thus not only help ensure Assad's survival, but will also allow the further arming of Hezbollah and Hamas.
Netanyahu's conversation with Putin last week dealt not only with military coordination regarding Russia's actions in Syria, but also with Israel's warning that it cannot allow a massively reinforced Hezbollah menace on its doorstep in Lebanon.
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As Magog Takes the Stage, a Stunned Global Community Struggles for Answers - Geoffrey Grider - http://www.nowtheendbegins.com/blog/?p=36085
"I think the Russians have made clear that they're not interested in provoking a conflict," White House press secretary Josh Earnest said.
"Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, 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 leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel: And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand." Ezekiel 39:1-3 (KJV)
Vladimir Putin is a man on a mission, and he doesn't even know it. Early this morning, the Russian parliament approved the use of Russian force in Syria mere hours after Putin's appearance at the United Nations General Assembly. And in the blink of an eye, Russia instantly became the biggest player and the dominant force in the Middle East. Reaction from the pusillanimous American president Barack Hussein Obama was akin to that of watching Barney Fife attempting to deal with a traffic violation. More and more daily life is starting to resemble a plot line from the Left Behind book series. Seriously.
Obama's press secretary open his mouth and uttered this amazingly and mind-numbingly ignorant comment: "I think the Russians have made clear that they're not interested in provoking a conflict," White House press secretary Josh Earnest said. "Their actions thus far indicate that that's what they believe." Oh, really now. Hey, guess what? Putin just took Syria after he took Ukraine, and he's just getting started. He is on a march towards the "grand prize" that the Bible declares they will strive to obtain, and that is to take Israel. Putin is a very smart man, he waited patiently until Syria became so weakened by civil war and sectarian violence that there would be no objection to his arrival.
Is Putin now assembling the nations that will make up the mighty force of Magog?
Russia is, by far, the largest nation on the face of the earth, nearly twice as big as second place Canada. In ancient times, and even in maps found in the 17th and 18th centuries, Russia was called Magog. They are the northern most point on the face of the Earth from the nation of Israel. Why is this important? Because Bible prophecy states that Israel's main end times enemy is due north of them. The Bible says that Russia, Magog, will take two really good shots at attacking Israel. The first time will be during the Battle of Armageddon at the end of the Time of Jacob's Trouble after the Rapture, and the second time will be 1,000 years after that in the Battle of Armageddon. Revelation 19 and 20 clearly show two separate battles with 1,000 years between them, they are not the same.
Obama finds himself in a crazy, bad predicament now. After doing nothing with the 2 and a half years in which he could have taken control of the Syrian situation, Russia has stepped in and taken over. Yes. the United States military is more powerful than the Russian military - BUT - we have a spineless Commander-in-chief who is quaking in his bunny slippers right now. While Obama has been sharpening his golf game the last few years, Putin has been putting all the pieces in place to take functional control of the Middle East in a very Reaganesque way. From this point forward, the gateway to Syria will be through Russia. As a result, America has absolutely no response to today's events other than to lamely attempt to spin it in a positive light.
Here are some of the actual statements that came from the Obama administration today:
Yeah, that's the ticket, go figure out how to "co-exist" with the Russia. Are you kidding me? But sadly, that's what our foreign policy truly is - nothing. So while our military may be superior to Russia's, and it is, our leadership is not. Under Obama, we have lost the appetite and resolve necessary to be not only a world leader but the world leader. Putin has stepped in to fill that leadership vacuum, and is doing a bang-up job so far. Magog will continue to rise in strength and numbers.
In the coming months, you will see a slow but very steady increase by Russia in expanding its military presence across the Middle East. Their ascent will be virtually unchecked and unchallenged. The internationally recognized Ukrainian territory of Crimea was annexed by the Russian Federation in March 2014. The military intervention and annexation by Russia took place in the aftermath of the Ukrainian Revolution. Did any other country outside of Ukraine lift a finger to stop Putin as he did this? No, they did not.
Vladimir Putin is a man of few words and much action, but don't make the mistake of rooting for him. The Bible says that Magog and it's leader Gog are led by the spirit of Satan, with their goal being the destruction of God's holy land of Israel. Would that make Gog the Antichrist? You tell me, but it sure looks that way. Perhaps Putin is just the "advance man" for the actual Antichrist that will control Russia/Magog.
Maybe this whole thing will all blow over in a few weeks, or maybe we are witnessing events that will culminate in Magog at the Battle of Armageddon. I am not making predictions so much as reading what the Bible says and observing what's going on. But either way now is no time to not be paying attention. As for me, I fully intend to watch the battle when it happens from the Balcony. For an unsaved, Christ-rejecting world, it's not going to be a pretty sight.
These are truly the days of prophecy long ago foretold in the pages of the Holy Bible.
"And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed." Romans 13:11 (KJV)
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The Surprising Connections between Sukkot and the War of Gog and Magog - By Rivkah Lambert Adler -
http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/50054/surprising-connections-between-sukkot-war-gog-magog-jewish-world/#gxWfxLCt3QwJ8Wbr.97
"And it will come to pass on that day, when Gog comes against the land of Israel, declares the Lord God, that My blazing indignation will flame in My nostrils." (Ezekiel 38:18)
There are signs, both in current events and in Jewish tradition, that point to the possibility that the War of Gog and Magog, prophesied in the Books of Ezekiel and Zechariah, will happen this year on the Jewish holiday of Sukkot (Festival of Tabernacles).
As has been widely reported, the final Blood Moon of the most recent tetrad occurred on the first night of Sukkot, September 28, 2015. Each time a Blood Moon tetrad has fallen on Jewish holidays in the past 500 years, there has been a significant Messianic advancement. Is the War of Gog and Magog connected to the Blood Moon?
Parallel to the final Blood Moon, Iranian and Russian troops are moving into Syria. US troops are heading into the Sinai. Israel is being surrounded by foreign troops to the north and south. The End of Days blogger Tomer Devorah suggests, "It really looks to me like the set-up for the Gog Magog invasion!"
The apocalyptic War of Gog and Magog, the final war that is part of the Messianic process, is mentioned in two places in the Bible - in the Book of Ezekiel, starting in chapter 38, and in the Book of Zechariah, beginning in chapter 12.
The connection between the War of Gog and Magog and Sukkot is made explicit in Zechariah 14:16, which discusses the annual celebration in Jerusalem on Sukkot, following the War of Gog and Magog.
"And it will come to pass that everyone left of the nations who came up against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to prostrate himself to the King, the Lord of Hosts, and to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles." (Zechariah 14:16)
In a recent lecture given by popular speaker Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi, there are three other connections between the holiday of Sukkot and the War of Gog and Magog.
First, the numerical value of the Hebrew term "Gog uMagog" (גוג ומגוג) is 70. According to Mizrachi, this is an allusion to the 70 nations that make up the world. When the Holy Temple stood in Jerusalem, 70 oxen were sacrificed during the week of Sukkot. Each of these 70 oxen represented one of the original 70 nations.
Second, on the Sabbath that falls during the week of Sukkot, the section of the Books of Prophets that is read in synagogues all across the world comes from the Book of Ezekiel (38:18-39:16). This passage discusses the war of Gog and Magog which is predicted to come before the Final Redemption of the Jewish people.
Third, Mizrachi states that the only reference to Gog and Magog in the Talmud, Judaism's enormous reservoir of rabbinic teachings, is in the tractate named Sukkot. Amidst a discussion of the death of the Yetzer Hara (Evil Inclination) in Messianic times, the Talmud speaks of the mourning that will accompany the death of Moshiach ben Yosef (the first Messiah from the Tribe of Joseph) who will be killed in the War of Gog and Magog.
Mizrachi puts these pieces together and emphasizes that, based on the mystical tradition of Judaism known as Kabbalah, the rabbis of the Talmud understood, "that the time that has the highest chance to have this war is Sukkot, and especially this year, when it is the end of Shmittah."
"The Gemara (Talmud) says that in the end of shvyit (the seventh year, which is a Shmittah year), Moshiach ben David (Messiah, son of David) [will] come," Mizrachi told Breaking Israel News, emphasizing that "all the signs that the Gemara gave [for the era preceding the Messiah] already happened."
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