WORLD AT WAR: 9.7.24 -

 The Stage Is Being Set For The Cataclysmic Wars Of 2025 - by Michael Snyder - https://endoftheamericandream.com/the-stage-is-being-set-for-the-cataclysmic-wars-of-2025/ While the mainstream media focuses our attention on the upcoming election, the stage is being set for the unthinkable. Chess pieces are in motion all over the planet, and global leaders continueto drag us in directions that we should not want to go. If everyone truly understood where current events were taking us, there would be massive protests in every major city right now. The comfortable lifestyles that so many of us take for granted are aboutto be shattered. The U.S. could soon find itself involved in several major wars simultaneously, and we are definitely not prepared for such a scenario. Most Americans could not even pick out Taiwan on a blank map of the world, but for the Chinese the island of Taiwan is of the utmost importance. On Thursday, a Chinese general told Jake Sullivan to his face that Taiwan is “the first red line that must not be crossed”… A top Chinese general on Thursday told White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan that the U.S. must stop its “collusion” with Taiwan, during a high-stakes meeting in Beijing. Gen. Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of China’s Central Military Commission, told Sullivan that Taiwan “is at the very core of China’s core interests, the bedrock of the political foundation ofChina-US relations, and the first red line that must not be crossed,” according to a readout from the Chinese Ministry of National Defense. “The PLA will definitely take countermeasures against the provocations of the Taiwan independence forces,” the readout said Zhang had told Sullivan, using an acronym for China’s military,the People’s Liberation Army. “China urges the US side to stop military collusion with Taiwan, stop arming Taiwan, and stop spreading false narratives on Taiwan.” The Chinese are very angry. And they have been preparing to take military action against Taiwan for a very long time. When that finally happens, we will be at war with China, and everything will change. Meanwhile, the Russians continue to gobble up even more territory in eastern Ukraine… Russian troops continue to make significant advances toward Pokrovsk, the city in Donetsk that is a key logistics hub, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) whose map showsthe latest state of play in the region. The Washington, D.C., think tank cited geolocated footage from Wednesday it said showed Russian advances into Memryk, a town around 18 miles southeast of Pokrovsk, which some military bloggersclaimed Moscow had completely seized. Other geolocated footage showed advances by Russian forces in other areas southeast of Pokrovsk, near the city of Novohrodivka, which has been corroborated by Russian military bloggers. At this point, western leaders are so desperate to achieve “victory” that they are throwing everything except the kitchen sink at the Russians. In fact, the British have even sent robotic “war dogs” to Ukraine… The United Kingdom has provided Ukraine with robotic “war dogs” that have started assisting troops on the battlefield and terrifying Russian troops who see them, according to reports. “The robot dog demonstrated its capabilities in delivering a range of critical equipment, showcasing its potential as an invaluable asset to military units,” manufacturer Brit Alliance saidof the units. “The robot dog exhibited exceptional mobility and agility, crucial for traversing complex and hostile environments,” the company added. “Whether navigating through debris, climbing over obstacles,or moving stealthily across open ground, the robot dog has proven itself capable of maintaining a high level of operational effectiveness.” Both sides are just going to keep escalating matters until a line is crossed that will never be able to be uncrossed. The Russians are preparing for that inevitability by constructing shiny new bomb shelters for their population… The Kremlin yesterday released a bizarre video glamorising its newly built bomb shelters, as Ukraine continued its incursion into Russian territory. Filmed in the popular Black Sea resort of Sochi, the clip features two young women smiling as they walk into a shelter – as if this is just another part of everyday life. Unfortunately for us, when bombs start falling on our soil we will be out of luck because we don’t have any bomb shelters. Interestingly, a YouGov poll that was conducted last year discovered that 66 percent of Americans are concerned that humanity could be wiped out by nuclear weapons… According to a 2023 YouGov poll of a thousand respondents, sixty-six per cent are worried that the human race will be wiped out by nuclear weapons; roughly the same number worry that we willbe killed off by a world war; fifty-three per cent think the next pandemic could do us in; fifty-two per cent bet on climate change; forty-six per cent on A.I.; forty-two per cent on an act of God; thirty-seven per cent on an asteroid; thirty-one per centglobal inability to have children; twenty-five per cent an alien invasion. We should be very thankful that nuclear weapons have not been used in combat since the end of World War II. Unfortunately, it won’t be too long before that streak ends. The war that I am watching more closely than any other right now is the current conflict in the Middle East. This week, Israel launched the largest military operation in the West Bank that we have seen “in at least two decades”… Thursday marks day two of the Israeli military and security forces’ large-scale raid into the West Bank, the biggest seen in at least two decades. Fierce fighting overnight focused on a mosquein the city of Tulkarem, resulting in five Palestinian gunmen being killed. The first day of the major assault involving hundreds of IDF troops and Shin Bet security personnel left at least nine Palestinians dead. Fighter jets, drones, and bulldozers have been seenfocusing counter-terror efforts in the towns of Jenin, Tulkarem and Tubas – each which also contains sprawling refugee camps. Amid international criticism over the apparent expansion of the Gaza war into the PA-administered West Bank, Israeli leadership says it has intelligence showing that if it didn’t act, anotherOct.7-style terror attack might have been launched from operatives in the West Bank. Needless to say, this has caused tensions in the region to soar even higher. At one point, Israeli troops actually fired “shoulder-launched missiles” at a mosque in Tulkarem… In Tulkarem, troops of Border Police’s elite Yamam counterterrorism unit were dispatched to a mosque in the city following intelligence provided by the Shin Bet of a group of gunmen holedup there. The Yamam officers carried out a tactic known as “pressure cooker” that involves escalating the volume of fire directed at a building to force suspects to come out. The Israeli forces had fired shoulder-launched missiles at the mosque as part of the tactic, and two gunmen were killed. As you can imagine, many in the Islamic world are working themselves up into a frenzy over this. I have never seen more anger and more frustration in the region, and it is only a matter of time before it fully explodes. In fact, even the mainstream media is now admitting that an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah “is inevitable”… Furthermore, after the complete failure of UNSCR 1701 that concluded the Second Lebanon War and that was supposed to make sure Hezbollah would not rearm in south Lebanon — it did so anyway — many Israelis lost all trust in the efficacy of diplomacy to stop Hezbollah. The brutal truth is that war between Israel and Hezbollah is inevitable, even if it won’t happen this week or next week, or even in the next few months. Hezbollah has proven to Israelis andIsraeli decision-makers that it is a considerable threat that cannot be dealt with only by trying to stop its rearmament. I think that it is quite likely that we could see all-out war in the Middle East by the end of this calendar year. Sadly, most people have absolutely no idea what that is going to look like. It is going to be more horrible than most people would dare to imagine. Of course the same thing could be said about the other cataclysmic conflicts that are coming too. I have been writing about these approaching conflicts for many years, and now we are just about there. If people really understood the death and destruction that these wars will cause, there would be enormous anti-war movements all over the planet. But instead, billions of people seem to have come down with a really bad case of “war fever”, and that is extremely unfortunate. --------------------------------------------- Unlike The Other Side, The Jewish State Is Not Making This A Racial War � By AmirTsarfati - https://harbingersdaily.com/amir-tsarfati-unlike-the-other-side-the-jewish-state-is-not-making-this-a-racial-war/ What an amazing few days it has been in Israel. The IDF rescued the first living hostage from Hamas�s underground tunnels in Gaza. And wouldn�t you know it? He was an Arab Muslim. Qaid FarhanAlkadi was at his job in a packing house in Kibbutz Magen on October 7 when he was taken by Hamas terrorists. For more than ten months he was held as a hostage, malnourished and mistreated. But then some IDF and Shin Bet forces operating in the tunnels discoveredhim and brought him to safety. All of Israel is now celebrating! Of course, Hamas quickly reported that they had released him, but that is not what the IDF or what Alkadi himself is saying. The Bedouin emphatically reported on the harsh treatment that thehostages receive, and he pleaded with the Israeli government to do whatever it takes to get them out. It didn�t take long for him to have the opportunity to go to the top of Israel�s government. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself called Alkadi to celebrate,saying, �Our brother has come home! Our brother has returned!� This is what the antisemites who march against Israel and criticize the war don�t get. Israel is not making this a racial war. They are not fighting the Arabs or, more specifically, the Palestinians.Israel is fighting against the terrorist group Hamas. Throughout the war, they have gone above and beyond to warn civilians of the actions they were going to have to take to root out the terrorist cancer. No other nation has ever done so much to protect theinnocent. Have civilians been killed and wounded? Sadly, yes. But that is because Hamas has persisted in using the Palestinian population as human shields, whether it is in neighborhoods, schools, or hospitals. In the south, Israel fights Hamas. In the north, Israel fights Hezbollah. In the West Bank, Israel fights both terrorist organizations, along with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and otherterrorist groups. In contrast, the terrorists in all those areas fight the Jews. They are the ones who make this racial. The protesters around the world also make this racial. We are not in a fight against the Arabs. But these terrorists and antisemites arein a fight against the Jewish people. That is the difference between them and us. Unfortunately for them, God has made it clear that targeting Israel is not a healthy choice. Even when He allowed other nations to bring harm against the Jews, it was only for a season andfor a purpose. When the time was past, His arms were open to His repentant people, but His hand was against those nations who followed their sinful inclinations to persecute Israel. Both the Jewish people and the church can take great comfort in knowing thatGod never fully turns His back on those He calls His own. Psalm 121:1-4 KJV � �I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved:he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.� Operation Summer Camps While the media has focused on the war in Gaza and the battles in the north, there is a third front that is less talked about. Terrorist attacks by Arabs coming from the West Bank have increasedexponentially since October 7 � most (but not all) attributed to Hamas, the PIJ, or the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade (AAMB). Yesterday, the IDF moved to tamp down that activity by implementing Operation Summer Camps. This is the largest operation in Judea and Samaria in 20 years and is aimed at the Iranian effortto arm and train terrorists in the West Bank. Already, as of Wednesday morning, ten terrorists were killed, and more are being taken out each day. As always, the IDF is taking precautions to protect civilians. Before the action began, residents of the Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarm were warned to evacuate so that they could avoid the coming action. We cannot allow the terrorists to perpetrateanother October 7 massacre from the West Bank. Even after we move into Lebanon, we must make sure that Judea, Samaria, and the northern Jordan Valley remain an extremely high priority. Hezbollah Strikes Back at Israel Early Sunday, Hezbollah launched its promised strike across the southern border, and the Israelis paid dearly. At least the Israeli chickens did. In a major barrage, 230 rockets and 20 droneswere fired toward Israel � the rockets to the north and the drones toward the center. Unfortunately for Hezbollah, the flying explosives missed the military facilities they were aimed at. Instead, they blew the heck out of a chicken coop. We�re still waitingfor a condemnatory response from PETA. The fact that only poultry was damaged by their paltry attempt didn�t stop Hezbollah from taking a victory lap. In a speech following the attack, Hassan Nasrallah, the head of the terroristgroup, celebrated by alleging that they fired twenty more rockets than they had originally intended. That is hard to believe. Hezbollah planned their attack to begin at 5:00 am. Learning of this fact, the IDF, at 4:30 am, sent 100 Israeli fighter jets peremptorily across the northern border into Lebanon, hitting200 launching sites before they had a chance to send their missiles. If not for this action, it was very likely that more than just chickens would have died. Following the attack by Hezbollah, Israel pounded the terrorist group�s sites in a major airstrike.These strikes have continued through the week, mostly focusing on the Baalbek region. The Battle in Gaza The fight continues in Gaza. The enemy is deeply entrenched and there are miles and miles of tunnels. As Israel simultaneously fights above ground and below ground, the soldiers must be incrediblycareful. First, there are thousands of vulnerable citizens being used as human shields. But secondly, there are still 103 hostages being held, although 33 of them have been confirmed dead. According to a report by the Jewish Chronicle, Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip and the terrorist organization�s newly minted chairman of the Political Bureau, Yahya Sinwar, surrounds himselfwith 22 handcuffed hostages. Apparently, Israel has had several chances to eliminate him, but they held back due to the hostage risk. U.S. Warns of Iranian Threat Against Israel We�ve all been wondering when Iran�s retaliation will come against Israel for the targeted killing of chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. The ayatollahs have beenholding it over the Jewish state�s head for weeks. Now, John Kirby, national security spokesman for the White House, has said that it could come soon, and warned Iran to reconsider carrying their plan out. �Our messaging to Iran is consistent, has been and will stay consistent,� he said. �One, don�t do it. There�s no reason to escalate this. There�s no reason to potentially start some sort ofall-out regional war. And number two, we are going to be prepared to defend Israel if it comes to that.� Ukraine vs. Russia Ukraine continues its push into Russia, using drones to reach deep into the enemy nation. Yesterday, they attacked the Ryazan hydroelectric plant approximately 200 km from Moscow. Russia isfighting back in a huge way. On Monday, the Russians launched 127 missiles and 109 attack drones aimed at Ukraine�s energy infrastructure. At least four people were killed, and in Kyiv there were seven or more explosionsreported. One missile hit the road over the Kyiv hydroelectric plant. If that plant took major damage, it could mean severe flooding in and around Kyiv. France Arrests Telegram�s Pavel Durov In an action that illustrates the continued deterioration of free speech in Europe, Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov was arrested Saturday by French police in Paris. The charges againsthim are that his social media platform is being used for illicit activity including drug trafficking and child porn. The move by French authorities set off a firestorm of protest by free speech advocates, while opponents of free speech thought �Phew, I�m gladit was the French who did it.� On Wednesday, he was released from his temporary hold, but that doesn�t mean that all his problems are over. He was immediately sent for questioning, while it is being decided whether to puthim under indictment. If he is formally charged, he can end up going right back into detention. It will be interesting to see if Russia, St. Kitts and Nevis, or the United Arab Emirates, all of whose citizenships he holds along with his French citizenship,steps up to put pressure for his release. ------------------------- Russia Is Literally Threatening Us With World War III, But Most People In The Western World Don�t Seem To Care- by Michael Snyder - https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/russia-is-literally-threatening-us-with-world-war-iii-but-most-people-in-the-western-world-dont-seem-to-care/ The Russians just told us again that the world could soon be facing nuclear war if western powers don�t stop escalating the conflict in Ukraine, but this is yet another warning that has gonein one ear and out the other. The Russians can talk about nuclear war until they are blue in the face, but nothing that they say is going to sink in, because our leaders simply do not care. They are entirely convinced that the Russians will never use nuclearweapons, and so they are not afraid to keep pushing the Russians closer to a breaking point. When the Russians finally reach their breaking point, what will they do? Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has been playing this game for decades, and he always chooses his words very carefully. So when he publicly brings up the possibility of nuclear war, that is a really big deal. The following comes from an article that was posted on Yahoo News entitled �Russia warns the UnitedStates of the risks of World War Three�� �We are now confirming once again that playing with fire � and they are like small children playing with matches � is a very dangerous thing for grown-up uncles and aunts who are entrustedwith nuclear weapons in one or another Western country,� Lavrov told reporters in Moscow. �Americans unequivocally associate conversations about Third World War as something that, God forbid, if it happens, will affect Europe exclusively,� Lavrov said. Lavrov added that Russia was �clarifying� its nuclear doctrine. Obviously the Russians do not want a nuclear war. But unlike the U.S., the Russians have been feverishly preparing to fight one. Today, their strategic nuclear arsenal and their anti-missile systems are far superior to our own. Most Americans don�t realize this. I have been writing about this for years, but most people in the western world are not interested in such warnings. And the Russians also very clearly understand that whoever strikes first will have the best chance of surviving a nuclear conflict. Over and over, the Russians have made it clear that they would very much prefer to avoid using nuclear weapons. But the Russians have also told us over and over that if they are pushed too far they will use them. Right now, the Russians are extremely angry. We saw more evidence of this when they just launched the largest air assault on Ukraine since the war started� Russia launched a �massive� missile and drone attack aimed at energy infrastructure across Ukraine at the start of the week, marking the biggest air assault since the war began, Ukrainianofficials said. Moscow has since followed that with a second wave of strikes early Tuesday morning. Monday�s onslaught, which killed at least seven people and caused power outages in several cities, marked Russia�s �most massive air attack� in more than two-and-a-half years of conflict,according to Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk. The reason why the Russians are so angry is due to Ukraine�s surprise invasion of Russia�s lightly populated Kursk region� Three weeks ago, Ukraine�s military launched a stunning operation to take the war in Ukraine back onto the territory of the country that launched it. Three weeks later, the Ukrainians stilloccupy hundreds of miles of territory in Russia�s western Kursk region. The incursion had a number of goals: to force Russia to divert its forces from Ukraine to defend its own towns and cities; to seize territory that might later be used for bargaining leveragein peace negotiations; and to send a political message to the Russian people and their leaders that they are not safe from the consequences of the war launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin nearly two-and-a-half years ago. Unfortunately for Ukraine, the Russians did not divert assets from eastern Ukraine to defend Kursk. Instead, the Russians have continued to move forward steadily in eastern Ukraine, and now they are closing in on the key city of Pokrovsk� And that means Russia�s eastern offensive, which kicked off last fall and widened around the New Year, has continued unimpeded through August. The consequences for Ukraine�s defensive campaignin the east have been dire. In essence, Russia is trading Kursk for part of eastern Ukraine. Ukraine is trading part of the east for Kursk. Whether either tradeoff is worth it is a political question�and one withoutan easy answer for either side. The drumbeat of recent Russian advances east of Pokrovsk, northwest of Donetsk, should sound like an alarm in Kyiv. On Friday, Russian infantry marched into Novohrodivka, seven miles eastof Pokrovsk. Ukraine sent many of their best units (along with significant numbers of western mercenaries) into Kursk, and so much of the front in eastern Ukraine is now defended by new conscripts thatare very poorly trained� As Kiev attempts to bask in triumph over its territorial gains inside of Russia, its forces are losing territory along the Eastern front lines in Ukraine. Ukrainian military commanders saythe reason for the losses is poorly trained soldiers; many are even afraid to fire their weapons. Speaking with the Associated Press, a battalion commander in Ukraine�s 47th Brigade said, �Some people don�t want to shoot. They see the enemy in the firing position in trenches but don�topen fire. � That is why our men are dying. When they don�t use the weapon, they are ineffective.� The decision to invade the Kursk region is turning out to be a massive strategic blunder. The Ukrainians have lost vast numbers of men and vehicles in Kursk, but they aren�t going to be able to hold Russian territory for very long. Meanwhile, the front in eastern Ukraine is at risk of completely collapsing. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky continues to insist that the invasion of Kursk is part of his �victory plan� which he will soon unveil to Joe Biden� Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said his troops� incursion into Russia�s Kursk region is part of a �victory plan� that he will present to US President Joe Biden next month. Speaking at a forum on Tuesday, President Zelensky said the success of the plan would depend on President Biden and on whether the US would give Ukraine �what is in this plan or not, [and]whether we will be free to use this plan, or not�. �It may sound too ambitious for some, but it is an important plan for us,� he added, saying that he would also show the plan to both US presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. The only way that the Ukrainians can possibly achieve victory is to get the U.S. and other western powers directly involved in the conflict. So far, the Ukrainians have not been able to do that. But if that does happen at some point, that will bring us literally to the brink of nuclear war. Sadly, most people have no idea what a nuclear conflict would actually look like. According to author Annie Jacobsen, the initial blast of one nuclear warhead in Washington D.C. would immediately wipe out everything in a 9 mile diameter� So with a 1-megaton bomb on Washington, DC, what happens in the very first millisecond is that this thermonuclear flash expands into a ball of fire that is one mile of pure fire. It�s 19 footballfields of fire. Then the fireball�s edges compress into what is called a steeply fronted blast wave � as dense wall of air pushing out, mowing down everything in its path three miles out, in every direction,because it is accompanied by several-hundred-mile-an-hour winds. It�s like Washington, DC, just got hit by an asteroid and the accompanying wave. When you think about this initial 9-mile diameter ring, imagine every single engineered structure � buildings,bridges, etc. � collapsing. That is what one nuclear warhead would do. The Russians have thousands of them. Millions would die during a full-blown nuclear exchange between the United States and Russia, but billions would potentially die during the nuclear winter that follows� A Nuclear war would plunge our planet into a deep nuclear winter. In the worst-case scenario, a nuclear exchange between the U.S. and Russia (which together possess nearly 90% of the world�snuclear weapons) could eject up to 165 million tons (150 million metric tons) of soot into Earth�s atmosphere, reducing surface temperatures by 16 degrees Fahrenheit (9 degrees Celsius) and sending global calorie production plummeting by as much as 90%. We should do whatever it takes to avoid such a scenario. If leaders on both sides were sane, they would sit down and try to talk things out while it is still possible to do so. Unfortunately, neither side is interested in talking at this point, and so we continue to steamroll toward the unthinkable. ---------------------- Details Emerge: Israel�s Response To Iran In April Destroyed Russian-Made Defense System � By Erick Stakelbeck - https://harbingersdaily.com/the-prophetic-kicker-details-emerge-showing-israels-response-to-iran-in-april-destroyed-russian-made-defense-system/ A major scoop by the Jerusalem Post was published on Monday. It astounds me that this major development really didn�t get any attention from other media outlets. But before I share that report, let me provide the context. I have talked extensively about Iran and Hezbollah�s threats to strike Israel over the past month. It hasn�t materialized, at least on the Iranian end. Hezbollah intended to strike Israellate last month, but were headed off at the pass, so to speak, when Israel struck preemptively, embarrassing and weakening the terror group. The Iranian regime has been breathing threats of an unprecedented devastating response that still hasn�t come. Why? On April 13, Israel was bombarded by 300+ projectiles fired for the first time from Iranian soil. You know the story by now. Over 99% of those incoming Iranian missiles and drones were interceptedin a miraculous display of missile defense�and I do mean miraculous. What are the odds that 99% would be intercepted? But they were. A few days later, Israel responded to that barrage. I�ve maintained that it just wasn�t enough to truly deter Iran and discourage the regime from trying again. We wouldn�t even be having thisconversation over the past month about a looming Iranian strike against Israel if they had reacted more forcefully to April 13. I still believe that. And yet, some new wrinkles have just been added to the equation. According to an article published in the Jerusalem Post, �Israel�s April strike on Iran�s S-300 missile system deterred Iran and Hezbollah from launching large-scale attacks in August.� The article reports: The IDF�s strike on Iran�s S-300 antiaircraft missile system on April 19 as retaliation for Tehran�s launching over 300 aerial threats against Israel days on April 13-14 significantly deterredthe Islamic Republic and Hezbollah throughout August, top sources have told The Jerusalem Post. To date, Iran has not retaliated in any dramatic military way directly against Israel for the assassination of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh on July 31 while he was in Tehran, which it attributedto Jerusalem. Ismail Haniyeh was killed right under the noses of the Iranian regime. Iran has blamed Israel and has vowed to retaliate. Yet, according to the Jerusalem Post, �Sources are confident thatIran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei felt that the strike on the S-300 was a significant loss and that he and his armed forces were further disturbed by being unsure of how the Jewish state had pulled it off.� Before I continue, let�s back it up real quick. Israel carried out this strike on April 19, a few days after Iran�s barrage. What did we know up until this new report? Israel struck back througha single airstrike on a �sensitive military site� inside Natanz, Iran, home to a major Iranian nuclear installation, which is part of Iran�s nuclear weapons program. The message, at the time we were told, was that by doing this in Natanz near that sensitivenuclear site, Israel was telling Iran, �We can hit you any time and any place.� There was no mention of the target being the s300 missile defense system. Five months later, what�s the big deal? Why is this new information so important? The s300 is an antiaircraft missiledefense system that is Russian-made. Russia supplied the s300 to Iran. It is a big deal that the Russian Bear has now been introduced into this conversation. The Jerusalem Post stated that Khamenei was �disturbed.� The significance of the strike of the S-300 was not only that it took Tehran a decade to get Russia to sell the system, or that it was a huge jump in antiaircraft capabilities, but also thatthe system was located in close proximity both to Iran�s Natanz nuclear facility and a key military airport. According to sources, Khamenei understood loud and clear that Israel could have easily destroyed those other mega-important strategic sites. That is part, it seems, of the internal debate going on inside Iran right now. The Iranian regime is divided. Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas leader, was taken out in a guest house in Tehran onJuly 31 � August 1 overnight. He was there attending the inauguration of Iran�s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian. Israel took him out in a stunning and daring strike. To say the Iranian regime had egg on its face is an understatement. And it�s not the first time! Think of November 2020, when Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the father of Iran�s nuclear weapons program, was eliminated. Think about the constant targeting and sabotageagainst Iranian nuclear installations and ballistic missile factories. Think about the Iranian nuclear scientists who�ve been killed. All of this was on Iranian soil. This strike on Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas in Iran, was an even more devastating embarrassment for the regime, and it came less than 24 hours after Israel also eliminated the top militarycommander for Hezbollah, Fuad Shukr, in Beirut in another stunning attack. Iran comes out of the gate after Haniyeh was killed, vowing and breathing threats of �unprecedented revenge against the Zionist entity� like they have �never done before.� However, if whatwe are hearing from the Jerusalem Post report is accurate, and I believe it is, the Iranians may have been forced to slow their roll. I�m not saying Iran�s not going to do anything. I think Iran has backed itself into a corner to the point where it has to do something�and that�s the debate now. The regime is facing majorinternal disputes among its president, supreme leader, the IRGC, Iranian terror proxies, and others regarding their next move and its severity. It is a power struggle. The Jerusalem Post continues: After weeks of saber rattling by the Islamic Republic, in which it promised to kill large numbers of Israelis with a new massive strike to retaliate for the killing of Haniyeh, Israel hasentered September with all signs being that Khamenei may have decided to back off substantially (and either way he has decided not to retaliate within 30 days.) However, sources say Hezbollah chose a more limited option to retaliate against Israel in the end. Rather than launching a full war on Israel with 6,000-8,000 rockets per day, including firing its most advanced longer-range precision missiles at civilians in Tel Aviv, central Israel, andHaifa, it chose to launch only several hundred rockets, and only at 11 IDF bases, including the headquarters of the IDF and the Mossad. Sources said that this change in plan by Hezbollah � due to fears of what Israel had done to Iran in April � not only avoided a general war but also gave Jerusalem a huge additional advantagetactically. The article concluded: The combined might of Israel�s offense and defense in April versus Iran, along with its preemptive strike on Hezbollah on August 25, according to sources, have likely ended or significantlypushed off the Jewish state�s enemies� intentions of turning August into a nightmare for Jerusalem. What the Jerusalem Post, in a nutshell, is saying is this: Iran and Hezbollah are deterred. This is interesting because, for the past five months, we were unaware of why Israel�s responseon April 19 was so significant. No one was talking about the destruction of Russia�s s300 system. These are big details now emerging. All of a sudden, we have Israel feeling pretty good about itself in terms of its battle with the Iranian axis and with that Iranian ring of fire. Now, I would caution that we have to keepthis in prayer: The Iranian regime still has to do something, God forbid, following all the loud boasting and warnings to Israel through diplomatic back channels. I don�t need to tell Israel; they already know that no one can rest on their laurels. Iran is strategic, and they�re patient. On the one hand, their threats of revenge lose a bit of lusterthe longer there is a delay, but there�s a benefit for them to use psychological warfare against Israel. It does appear that they were, at least in some part, deterred by the obliteration of the s300 system. Here�s the prophetic kicker: Again, the s300 system is Russian-made and Russia-supplied. While it took forever for this to arrive in Iran, it speaks more largely to a prophetic, in all thewrong ways, alliance that we are seeing shaping up. This is a full-blown military and defense alliance where the Iranian regime is supplying Russia with drones�to the point that they�re actually building a drone factory a few hundred mileseast of Moscow. Iran fancies itself as a drone superpower, and Russia is gleaning that drone know-how from Iran, and they are using drones to great effect on the battlefields in Ukraine. Iran is also reportedly supplying Russia with ballistic missiles. This is not Iran acting out of the goodness of their heart; this is a quid pro quo relationship. Did Russia give the s300 as part of the package in return? Russia and Iran have stood together in the diplomatic sphere, at the UN and elsewhere. Iran has also been pushing Russia for years in Syria because, remember, thousands of Russian troops remainin that country. This is an increasingly deep relationship. What does this mean for Israel? Firstly, you have to think that Russia is not happy that Israel struck the s300. Even though they gave it to Iran, it was still made in Russia. Russia was very proud of this system. Secondly,if Russia is so closely aligned with the Iranian axis, there�s no way Israel can have even cordial relations with Vladimir Putin. The Russian regime is openly, proudly, and unapologetically aligned with Israel�s greatest enemy in the world�a regime that hassworn to Israel�s destruction. Not to mention also North Korea and communist China. It�s worth noting that Vladimir�s friends�Iran, China, and North Korea�arguably are the world�s three worst persecutors of Christianity. That is who he chooses to cast his lot with. The Israel-Russia relationship will not be rebuilt as long as Russia is full-on embracing Iran. What does this mean prophetically? The war of Gog and Magog is laid out in the Book of Ezekiel, chapters 38-39. It�s eerie to see the chess pieces moving. Russia, Iran, and Turkey have never been closer. Traditionally and historically,over the centuries, these three nations have been at loggerheads at each other�s throats. Now Russia, Turkey, and Iran are cleaving closer together. The prophet Ezekiel lays out a day when a hook will be put in the Russian Leader�s jaw. He, along with what Ezekiel calls a latter-day confederation, will come against Israel. They won�t getvery far. They meet their demise on the mountains of Israel. But we can see this confederation shaping up and playing out right now�and lining up clearly. ------------------------------ Hostage Dualism among world leaders - Bill Wilson � www.dailyjot.com A definition of dualism is the quality or state of being dual or of having a dual nature. This is seen among world leaders regularly. A recent example is the brutal murder by Hamas terroristsof six Israeli hostages as Israeli Defense Forces were closing in to rescue them. The world leaders were decrying the horror of this murderous act and denouncing Hamas as vicious and barbaric. But these same world leaders gave Hamas billions of dollars for �humanitarian� purposes, knowing full well the undeniable fact that the money was diverted for weapons and terrorist activities. These leaders are the very ones demanding Israel end hostilities against Hamas because �innocent� people are being killed. Joe Biden, for example, said, �It is as tragic as it is reprehensible. Make no mistake, Hamas leaders will pay for these crimes. And we will keep working around the clock for a deal to securethe release of the remaining hostages.� Then he goes on to say that Netanyahu isn�t doing enough to end the conflict. Kamala Harris said, �The threat Hamas poses to the people of Israel�and American citizens in Israel�must be eliminated and Hamas cannot controlGaza. The Palestinian people too have suffered under Hamas� rule for nearly two decades.� Yet, Biden and Harris were the ones that restored billions in aid to the Hamas government in Gaza that President Donald Trump cut off�and that money was used for weaponsand terrorist infrastructure under the guise of humanitarian aid. The Biden-Harris Administration, while they say they support Israel�s right to defend itself, are demanding Israel stop hostilities against Hamas and negotiate a hostage swap for so-called �Palestinian prisoners.� Palestinian prisoners are those being held in Israel for terrorist crimes. Biden-Harris want the war to end that they played a major role enabling. They blame Israel for �going too far� in defending itself. Yet the world need onlyread that those six hostages were brutalized and executed rather than have them rescued. Hamas wants hundreds of �Palestinian prisoners� released for the remaining hostages�dead or alive. Israel says they want to root out Hamas once and for all. Britain�sPrime Minister Keir Starmer also said he was �shocked at the horrific killing� of hostages AND he demanded an immediate ceasefire �to end the suffering.� Britain also gave humanitarian aid to the terrorists. Let us also remember that the �Palestinian� people elected Hamas to govern them in Gaza. And after the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamason Israeli innocents, several polls indicated Gaza residents still overwhelmingly supported Hamas and believed the terrorist government would annihilate Israel and all Jews living there. Point is, these �leaders� are bemoaning what these barbarians that theyfunded are doing to Israelis while demanding Israel stop defending itself against this evil. It�s like the Bible verse in James 1:8, �A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.� These people are playing both sides against the middle and the ones whowill suffer are those who are led by these double-minded supporters of evil. Say it with me�Stupidocrisy. ----------------------- A Russian Priority - By Daymond Duck - https://www.raptureready.com/2024/08/24/a-russian-priority-by-daymond-duck/ On Aug. 13, 2024, Palestinian Authority Pres. Mahmoud Abbas visited Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss their relationship, the situation in the Middle East, and Israel’s waragainst Hamas in Gaza. Putin said, · We are making every effort to support the Palestinian people. · We believe that in order to secure lasting and stable peace in the region, it is imperativeto implement all U.N. resolutions, with the establishment of a full-fledged Palestinian state as a priority. Abbas said, · Russia is one of our most cherished friends. · We deeply appreciate the attention and significance our Russian friends and brothers placeon our issues, our suffering, particularly regarding the humanitarian situation and security challenges we face. · Rest assured; we stand unwaveringly with the Russian Federation. Following his departure from Moscow, Abbas traveled to Turkey to meet with Erdogan who has threatened to attack Israel. And while Abbas was meeting with Putin and then Erdogan, the U.S. and EU were focused on trying to stop Iran from attacking Israel. Russia’s support for a Palestinian State at the same time Turkey and Iran are threatening to attack Israel makes one wonder if the Battle of Gog and Magog is on the horizon (Ezek. 38-39). Here are some of the pre-conditions for that great battle: · The land of Magog (the land where Noah’s grandson Magog settled: Gen. 10:2) must be ruledby a dictator (Gog is sometimes interpreted as the man on top or the dictator. The land where Magog settled is Russia.). · The land of Magog must be north of Israel (Russia is, plus Russia, Iran, and Turkey havetroops in Syria which is north of Israel). · Russia must be aligned with Iran (ancient name is Persia) and Turkey (house of Togarmah). · The attack must be in the latter years and latter days, and they have arrived (Ezek. 38:8,16). · The nation of Israel must exist again (It does). · Israel must have silver and gold, cattle, and goods (It does, and oil too). · Israel must be dwelling safely (Israel can be attacked, but God will not allow Israel tobe destroyed). · Israel must have unwalled villages (Many villages do not have walls). · The birds of prey must return to Israel (They migrate over Israel every year). Some prophecy teachers believe the Battle of Gog and Magog will take place before the Tribulation Period, and some believe it will take place during the Tribulation Period. Here is my opinion: · Gog and Magog can’t take place in the last half of the Tribulation Period because the Jewsin Judea will flee into the wilderness at the Tribulation Period mid-point (Dan. 9:26; Matt. 24:16), and those that flee won’t be there to burn weapons and bury the dead (Ezek. 39:12-15). · The Jews that do not flee into the wilderness can’t be burning weapons and burying the deadduring the last half of the Tribulation Period because the Antichrist will try to kill them (Rev. 12:17). · Gog and Magog will probably not take place during the first half of the Tribulation Periodbecause it will take seven years to burn the weapons (Ezek. 39:9), but the Jews can’t be burning weapons in Israel during the last half of the Tribulation Period (same reason as above; fear of the Antichrist). · Gog and Magog will probably occur before the Antichrist rises to power because he is notmentioned in Ezek. 38 -39. It’s difficult to believe we will have a world government, and the most famous man on the world stage isn’t even mentioned. · Gog and Magog will probably occur before the Antichrist rises to power because it is notlikely that Russia, etc., will attack Israel if Israel is under the covenant with the Antichrist. · Gog and Magog is not the Battle of Armageddon because Gog and Magog is a 10-nation (approx.)attack on Israel, but Armageddon is an attack on Israel by all the nations. · Gog is not the Antichrist because Gog will die on the mountains of Israel, but the Antichristwill be cast alive into the Lake of Fire (Ezek. 39:4; Rev. 19:20). · Gog and Magog will occur before the Tribulation Period because the defeat of Russia, Turkey,Iran, and their Islamic allies will remove a lot of the opposition to the rise of the Antichrist over a world government. Russia, Iran, Turkey, and their Islamic allies are not likely to surrender to a European leader unless something major has greatly weakenedthem. Why will God destroy them? · “That the heathen may know me” (Ezek. 38:16). · To get the attention of everyone and everything (Ezek. 38:20). · To glorify and reveal Himself (Ezek. 38:23). · To let people know He is Lord (Ezek. 39:6). · To reveal His name to Israel (Ezek. 39:7). · To let the lost know that Israel’s God is God (Ezek. 39:7). · To let the world see His judgment (Ezek. 39:21). · To let Israel know He is her God (Ezek. 39:22). · To let Israel know it was God who regathered the nation (Ezek. 39:28-29). Here is a crucial point about Iran’s current threat to attack Israel: · The Battle of Gog and Magog cannot take place if the U.S., EU, Saudi Arabia, etc., are protectingIsrael because they will question the attack but not help Israel (Ezek. 38:13). · If the U.S. and others decide that they will not help protect Israel, an Iranian attackcould turn into the Battle of Gog and Magog. (My opinion: I can easilysee Biden/Harris turning against Israel, but it is difficult for me to see Trump turning against Israel. If I am right, Gog and Magog could be before Trump takes office if he is elected, or he may not be elected, or he may not be allowed to take office. Thisis just one of my thoughts.) (More: On Aug. 20, 2024,the Democratic National Convention hosted a group of Palestinians who want the U.S. to stop selling weapons to Israel for the war in Gaza. Democratic leaders are meeting with Palestinian groups because they want the Arab vote this fall. As Pres. Biden tookthe stage, a group of attendees unfurled a large banner reading “Stop Arming Israel” to protest America’s support for the Israeli government.) (More: On Aug. 20, 2024,it was reported that an election integrity group is saying all the swing states have 500,000 to 1.4 million illegitimate voters on the rolls, and Trump cannot win if something isn’t done about this.) Here are some recent events that seem to have implications for the end of the age: One, concerning an Iranian/Hezbollah attack Israel: on Aug. 16, 2024, Israel’s Minister of ForeignAffairs (Israel Katz) met with his counterparts from the UK and France. Katz told them, · Israel expects France and the UK to publicly inform Iran that it may not attack Israel andthat if Iran attacks, the US-led coalition will join Israel, not only in defense but in offense against significant targets in Iran as well. · Iran must understand that if it won’t stop its direct and proxy aggression against Israel,it will pay a heavy strategic and economic price – and that is the only chance of stopping an all-out war. I do not know if France and/or the UK will help defend Israel against an attack by Iran and Hezbollah or not, but I do know that France/UK won’t help defend Israel in the Battle of Gog andMagog (Ezek. 38:13), and Israel won’t need their help because God will defend Israel. (More: At a recent Breakfastfor Israel in Canada, former Canadian Prime Min. Harper said, “We shouldn’t have to ask if politicians support Israel… We should expect it.) (More: On Aug. 15, 2024,Israeli jets practiced mid-air refueling to prepare for long-range sorties in what was seen as a stark warning to Iran.) (More: On Aug. 16, 2024,a US official warned Iran that it would face cataclysmic consequences and derail momentum toward a Gaza truce if it strikes Israel in response to the killing of a top Hamas official.) Two, Israel’s nuclear deterrence (about 90 warheads and missiles that can reach Iran, nuclear-armedsubmarines, bombers that can be refueled, etc.) and Israel’s “never again” attitude (the Samson Option) have Iran freaked. Iran’s military knows that Israel can take them out. Three, Jordan will not allow Iran to use Jordan’s airspace to attack Israel, but Jordan will allowIsrael to use Jordan’s airspace to defend itself against an Iranian attack. Four, concerning God’s promise to bless those that bless Israel and to curse those that curse Israel(Gen. 12:3) and His covenant to give all the Promised Land to Abraham and his descendants forever (Gen. 17:7-8): at a speech in New Jersey on Aug. 16, 2024, former Pres. Trump said, · When I’m back in the Oval Office, I will support Israel’s right to win its war on terror.They have to have a right to win the war. · And I will give Israel the support that it needs to win, but I do want them to win fast.Wouldn’t it be nice if they could win fast? (More: On Aug. 17, 2024,while campaigning in Pennsylvania, Trump said, “There has never been a more dangerous time since the Holocaust if you happen to be Jewish in America.”) Five, concerning an increase in pestilences and the rise of world government as the end of the agenears: on Aug. 14, 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that Monkeypox (the woke culture doesn’t like to call a disease that affects mostly gays Monkeypox, so some have started calling it Mpox) has officially been classified as a public healthemergency of international concern. On Aug. 15, 2024, it was reported that some health officials are warning U.S. schools to prepare for another pandemic and mass vaccinations. Bill Gates, Big Pharma, and the World Economic Forum (WEF) are issuing similar warnings. Some prophecy teachers (I am one of them) believe the WHO, WEF, Bill Gates, Big Pharma, and others are using so-called public health emergencies as a scare tactic to try to get nations tosurrender their sovereignty to a world government. It is likely that society will soon be told that they must control and vaccinate everyone to keep the disease from spreading. (More: On Aug. 15, 2024,the WHO said they have found an extremely dangerous case of Mpox in Sweden.) (More: On Aug. 16, 2024,a case of Mpox was found in Pakistan, and China said it will start monitoring people and goods entering their country for Mpox.) (More: On Aug. 16, 2024,it was reported that a study of 528 infected people since the start of the outbreak found that 98% were either sexually active gay or bisexual men or others who have had sex with men.) Six, several years ago, an Israeli expert made 2 silver trumpets (Num. 10:2) to blow at the futurerebuilt Temple in times of war. The trumpets have been blown several times on special occasions but never on the Temple Mount. This year, on Tisha B’Av, they were blown at a building facing the Western Wall that juts out over part of the Temple Mount. For the first time in 2,000 years, trumpets have sounded on the Temple Mount. Seven, concerning God making Jerusalem a cup of trembling and a burdensome stone for the entireworld during the Tribulation Period (Zech. 12:2): on Aug. 15, 2024, it was reported that PA Pres. Mahmoud Abbas said he is working to get the world to recognize a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. Israel says all of Jerusalem is the undivided capital of Israel. Eight, concerning famine and an economic collapse during the Tribulation Period (Rev. 6:5-6): CNNis very liberal and often spins events in favor of the Democrat Party, but on Aug. 16, 2024, Kamala Harris announced that she wants price controls on food, and CNN reported that her proposals will lead to higher food prices, shortages, and uncertainty. Nine, concerning antisemitism and a falling away in the Church: during a recent appearance in St.Peter’s Square, Pope Francis called Israel’s military activities in Gaza “terrorism.” Ten, concerning corruption in the White House: on Aug. 19, 2024, three committees in the U.S. Houseof Rep. released a 292-page report saying there is overwhelming evidence that the Biden family and its associates have been paid $27 million by foreign individuals or entities since 2014. This follows proof that 51 current and former intelligence officers signed a letter in 2020 saying the information on Hunter’s Laptop was Russian disinformation. It also follows proof that former vice pres. Joe Biden was the “Big Guy” mentioned in text messages and on TV during the 2020 election campaign. It seems strange that the report has been released at this time because it is too late to impeach Biden. Here is my daily update on the Israel-Hamas war: Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024 (Day 313): The two-hundred fifty-eighth day of the resumed war. Day 100 of the attack on Rafah. · S. officials said an Iranian attack on Israel is still likely, and a ceasefire and hostagedeal are still needed to avert war. Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024 (Day 314): The two-hundred fifty-ninth day of the resumed war. Day 101 of the attack on Rafah. · The U.S. and EU have a high-level delegation in Qatar to push for a ceasefire and hostagedeal between Hamas and Israel. Friday, Aug. 16, 2024 (Day 315): The two-hundred sixtieth day of the resumed war. Day 102 of the attack on Rafah. · In the last 30 days, Israel has destroyed at least 50 tunnels that were used for smugglingweapons from Egypt into Gaza. Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024 (Day 316): The two-hundred sixty-first day of the resumed war. Day 103 of the attack on Rafah. · Israel destroyed a Hezbollah weapons warehouse and building in Lebanon. · Israel assassinated a Hezbollah commander shortly after Hezbollah fired 55 rockets intoIsrael. Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024 (Day 317): The two-hundred sixty-second day of the resumed war. Day 104 of the attack on Rafah. · S. Sec. of State Blinken headed to Israel to try to get a hostage deal for the 9th timesince Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. · Netanyahu said pressure for a hostage deal should be on Hamas, not Israel. · Islamic Jihad and Hamas (2 Iran-backed terrorist groups) claimed responsibility for explodinga bomb near a synagogue in Tel Aviv. Some officials believe the bomb accidentally exploded before he reached his target and are speculating that it could be divine intervention). Monday, Aug. 19, 2024 (Day 318): The two-hundred sixty-third day of the resumed war. Day 105 of the attack on Rafah. · Blinken said the current negotiations may be the last chance for a ceasefire in Gaza. · A Hezbollah drone from Lebanon killed an Israeli chief warrant officer and seriously woundedanother officer. · Israeli forces bombed several Hezbollah weapons warehouses in Lebanon, and there were manysecondary explosions. · Netanyahu accepted a U.S.-proposed ceasefire in Gaza that Hamas has not agreed to. · Israel recovered the bodies of 6 hostages. Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024 (Day 319): The two-hundred sixty-fourth day of the resumed war. Day 106 of the attack on Rafah. · Hezbollah fired about 115 rockets and several drones from Lebanon at northern Israel. · Egypt will allow Israel to remain on its border near Rafah if it doesn’t have to publiclyacknowledge it. · Hamas rejected the latest U.S. ceasefire proposal in Gaza. · Hamas used the cell phones of hostages to call their families and demand ransom payments. Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024 (Day 320): The two-hundred sixty-fifth day of the resumed war. Day 107 of the attack on Rafah. · Hezbollah fired about 50 rockets at the Golan Heights in Israel. FYI: God does not send anyone to Hell (all of us are born with a sin nature and destined to go toHell because we sin), but God has provided a way (Jesus) for everyone to go to Heaven (and Jesus is the only way to get there; John 14:6). Finally, are you Rapture Ready? If you want to be rapture ready and go to heaven, you must be born again (John 3:3). God loves you, and if you have not done so, sincerely admit that you are a sinner; believe that Jesus isthe virgin-born, sinless Son of God, who died for the sins of the world, was buried, and raised from the dead; ask Him to forgive your sins, cleanse you, come into your heart and be your Saviour; then tell someone that you have done this. ---------------------------------------------  Did Israel’s Massive Pre-Emptive Strike Delay the All-Out Apocalyptic War That Is Coming to The Middle East? - by Michael Snyder - https://endoftheamericandream.com/did-israels-massive-pre-emptive-strike-delay-the-all-out-apocalyptic-war-that-is-coming-to-the-middle-east/ One day in the not-too-distant future, someone in the Middle East is going to push things too far, and it will set off a tsunami of destruction that will shock the entire planet. Israel isarmed to the teeth, and Israel’s enemies are armed to the teeth. An all-out war in the Middle East should not be an option for anyone, but we are now dangerously close to such a conflict. Very early on Sunday morning, Hezbollah was preparing to fire an enormousnumber of rockets at targets deep inside Israel in response to the assassination of Fouad Shukur in Beirut last month. The Israelis figured out what was going on, and a massive pre-emptive strike against Hezbollah hit rocket launchers all over southern Lebanon. Accordingto the Times of Israel, thousands of targets were struck during this operation… Israeli fighter jets simultaneously struck thousands of Hezbollah targets across southern Lebanon early Sunday morning, in what the military said was a preemptive operation against weaponrythat was about to be used in a major attack on central and northern Israel. Thousands of Hezbollah rocket launchers were struck simultaneously by some 100 IAF fighter jets in the preemptive attacks, the military said. This was only possible because the IDF has had large numbers of aircraft in the air on a constant basis in recent weeks. If these aircraft had not been on alert, things could have turned out very differently. Could you imagine the scenario we would be facing right now if thousands of rockets had successfully reached major Israeli cities? Following the success of the IDF operation, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boldly declared that “thousands of rockets that were aimed at northern Israel” had been destroyed… Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking at the start of a Cabinet meeting, said the military had eliminated “thousands of rockets that were aimed at northern Israel” and urgedcitizens to adhere to directives from the Home Front Command. “We are determined to do everything to defend our country, to return the residents of the north securely to their homes and to continue upholding a simple rule: Whoever harms us — we willharm them,” he said. But some rockets did get through. The IDF and Hezbollah are giving us different numbers, but they both agree that large numbers of rockets and drones were fired into northern Israel… The strikes did not prevent the Iran-backed terror organization from beginning what it said was its response to the killing of its military commander Fuad Shukr in an Israeli airstrike onBeirut last month, with Hezbollah claiming it fired over 320 rockets and drones at northern Israel. According to the IDF, some 210 rockets and some 20 drones were launched from Lebanon at northern Israel in Hezbollah’s attack. Some of the projectiles were intercepted, while others impacted,causing damage and injuries. But the damage that was ultimately done was fairly limited. At this point, we are being told that the most extensive damage was caused in the city of Acre… Through Sunday afternoon, the largest reported damage was to dozens of buildings hit by Hezbollah in Acre. Prior to Sunday, villages in the northern Galilee and Golan Heights had been hit; Kiryat Shmona had been hit throughout the war, but damage to Acre had been very rare and much smaller. Needless to say, this was not the massive retaliation that Islamic militants throughout the Middle East were anticipating. This attack is being widely viewed as a “failure”, and Hezbollah is being ruthlessly mocked on social media. In particular, some Arabic social media accounts are finding humor in the fact that some chicken farms in northern Israel were damaged… An Arabic-language account with over 44,000 followers that appears to be associated with the Syrian opposition publishes an image of a chicken and a post reading: “The chicken massacre wasnot a coincidence, but a strategic plan, with the goal to preventing enemies of the ‘resistance’ from gloating and saying ‘They didn’t even hurt a chicken.’” A parody account with a smaller following posts a series of images from a damaged poultry farm, with the caption “The Battle of the Poultry.” In the comments, somebody posts a cartoon showinga chicken with the head of Nasrallah saying “Our response will be harsh and earth-shattering,” and another chicken protesting: “You’ve killed us.” Another image circulating on social media shows dozens of chickens in military fatigues lying dead on the ground, with the hashtag: “#Hezbollah killer of chickens and chicks.” Of course Hezbollah is insisting that the strikes were a great success, and Hassan Nasrallah is warning that more strikes could be coming in the future… Hezbollah’s latest attack on Israel has been completed, but further strikes could be carried out in the future, the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, said in a televised speech Sunday evening. Hezbollah launched its attack in retaliation for Israel’s assassination of its most senior military official, Fu’ad Shukr, in late July. Nasrallah said the militant group had delayed its response until Sunday to give “sufficient opportunity” for Gaza ceasefire negotiations to take place, to impose greater “mental and financialstrain” inside Israel, and to ensure the attack’s success. For now, an all-out war has been avoided. Hezbollah is able to claim that it got “revenge” for the killing of Fouad Shukur, and Israel feels no need to respond with overwhelming force because not much damage was done. But both sides continue to prepare for the “final showdown” that they both know is coming. There are approximately 100,000 Israeli citizens that will not be able to return home until Hezbollah is out of southern Lebanon, and Hezbollah will never leave southern Lebanon willingly. So the IDF has been preparing to go into southern Lebanon, and on the other side Hezbollah has been preparing to invade northern Israel once that happens. When the time arrives, Hezbollah’s invasion of northern Israel will be spearheaded by “the group’s fanatical Radwan militants”… According to verified research, the Hezbollah invasion would be led by the group’s fanatical Radwan militants, who have battled in Syria’s civil war for years. The potent unit will be nothing like the Hamas rabble who stormed out of Gaza on October 7, and it will pose a major challenge to Israel’s own crack troops. The Radwan Force, whose troops wear a distinctive lion-and-sword emblem, was formed in the aftermath of Hezbollah’s last conflict with Israel in 2006 and has been trained and equipped by Iran. Overall, Hezbollah has an army of approximately 100,000 men, and according to NBC News that army is likely to be bolstered by thousands of fighters from militia groups all across the MiddleEast… Thousands of fighters from Iran-backed groups in the Middle East are ready to come to Lebanon to join with the militant Hezbollah group in its battle with Israel if the simmering conflictescalates into a full-blown war, officials with Iran-backed factions and analysts say. Of course when an all-out war erupts, it won’t just be Hezbollah that Israel is fighting. Syria has an army of approximately 170,000 soldiers, and Iran has an army of approximately 420,000 soldiers. If push comes to shove, the IDF is going to have a serious challenge trying to contend with a combined force of that size. In addition, Hezbollah, Syria and Iran all have vast arsenals of very sophisticated missiles. If Tel Aviv, Haifa and Jerusalem are being pummeled by thousands of missiles, Israeli leaders would not just sit back and do nothing. They would respond with overwhelming force, and Beirut, Damascus and Tehran would be flattened. So we should be very glad that all-out war has not erupted yet, but the truth is that it is coming. It is just a matter of time. Sadly, it won’t be too long before someone finally pushes things too far, and then the entire globe will be absolutely horrified by the death and destruction that we witness. ------------------------------------- Prince of Persia Postponement? � Terry James - https://terryjamesprophecyline.com/2024/08/25/prince-of-persia-postponement/ To Holy Spirit-centered Bible prophecy observers, there should be little, if any, doubt that we are dealing now with demonic activity at every turn. This is truer than ever when consideringthings going on in the Middle East. Narrowing it down to the nation Israel, the dark spiritual forces become even more manifest. The other nation-state entity that makes clear the demonic influences in that volatile region is Iran. This nation, of course, is located in the area where ancient Persia sat. This is important to think on at this present hour; everything of significant prophetic importance now revolves around this region. Daniel, the great prophet who was given an end-times heads-up concerning his people, the Jews, had a visit in which God�s angel told him about this very time that is front and center in ourhourly news. At least it seems this is likely the beginning of the time the angel spoke of that is the nucleus of the stage being set for the wrap-up of things leading to Christ�s Second Advent. Here is that one-way conversation the angel delivered: Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thane heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come forthy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy peoplein the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days. (Daniel 10:12�14) The angel then laid out what would happen after those many days had passed. Those days have now passed, and the book that was closed to him, Daniel was told about later, is now almost certainlyopened. That prophecy said the �wise who see these things of the end times will understand� (Daniel 12:10). All who view the issues and events developing in the Middle East, overlaid by the templateof Bible prophecy, are the �wise� the angel mentioned. Things involving Daniel�s people, Israel, and the area of ancient Persia, Iran, have the diplomatic world in a fever pitch to force peace and safety in the region. There is great fear thatIran is about to attack Israel in retaliation for the Israelis eliminating Iran�s proxy terrorist leaders. And, to add insult to injury, Israel did so in one instance by going to the heart of Teheran. Iran has been threatening ever since to launch a major assault to destroy the Jewish State. This hasn�t happened, nor do I believe it will. The Iranians (Persians), creators of the game of chess, are smart enough to know better. They are fully aware that Israel has one of the greatmilitaries in the world and possesses nuclear weapons that would devastate any enemy. The Iranian Israel-haters know better than to threaten Israel�s destruction at this point. To attack in such a way would give Israel the excuse it has been wanting�to do whatever is necessary to destroy Iran�s budding nuclear program hidden deep within the Bushehr Mountains area. Now, our God is in complete control of all things at all times. He is restraining at every level throughout this world of evil that is straining at the leash to bring about the Antichrist.That said, I think it is accurate to believe the same prince of Persia the angel, with the help of Michael, fought against is alive and well in that region. He is doubtless whispering in the ear of the supreme leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei. He is likely sayingin the ears of the ayatollahs to withhold their attack until a more propitious time�when they and the massive coalition outlined by Ezekiel come together with tremendous power to destroy the hated Israel. So, in that sense, it might well be the prince of Persia who is postponing the war that everyone in the diplomatic world fears. The blustering Khamenei and his fanatic Islamists are obviously quite hesitant to carry out their threats to get revenge. Their hesitancy is based in fear, we can conclude. The following somewhatadds credence to this likelihood. For all Iran�s threats to retaliate against Israel for assassinating key Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, the key concern for the ayatollahs will be that, in any confrontation with the Israelimilitary, they have no chance of winning. Tensions between Iran and Israel have risen considerably since Israel was accused of carrying out the assassination of Hamas Political Bureau leader Ismail Hanimex in Tehran shortly afterthe swearing in ceremony for Iran�s President Masoud Pezeshkian last month. Although Israel rarely confirms or denies its involvement in overseas assassinations, the Iranian regime has been quick to accuse Israel of killing Haniyeh, who reportedly died after a bombexploded in his guest apartment in northern Tehran. A senior Hezbollah commander, Fuad Shukr, was assassinated in Beirut the previous day, in an operation for which Israel took credit. (�Iran knows it cannot win a war against Israel,� By ConCoughlin, Gatestone Institute, August 11, 2024) Other news items frame Iran�s reluctance to launch an attack on Israel. The following briefs on Raptureready.com news linked to stories relevant to Iran�s hesitancy. Ayatollah Khamenei faces tough dilemma when it comes to retaliating against Israel The 85-year-old despot is keenly aware of the repercussions of a major strike on Israel and, given the delicate timing of Masoud Pezeshkian�s first steps as president, it�s somewhat likelyIran�s Supreme Leader will opt for a more prudent approach. Internal strife: Iran�s delayed retaliation to Israel sparks rift within terror proxies Iran has angered its allies, particularly Hezbollah and Hamas, by once again urging caution in responding to Israel after the assassinations of high-ranking Hezbollah terrorist Fuad Shukrand Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, the Kuwaiti newspaper al Jarida reported on Wednesday. An all-out Middle East war just might be restrained for the moment with the assistance of the Prince of Persia, that old nemesis of Daniel�s angel visitor and Michael, God�s mighty archangel. You want to be among the �wise� who watch with understanding the entire stage being set, not among those who haven�t a clue. Those who are wise can take comfort from knowing that all thesethings happening mean Jesus is about to call all believers to Himself in the Rapture. Here is how to go to Him when He summons Christians in that great event. That if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and will believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness;and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:9�10) ------------------------------------ As Long As He Is Prime Minister, Israel Will Not Back Down � By Amir Tsarfati - https://harbingersdaily.com/amir-tsarfati-as-long-as-he-is-prime-minister-israel-will-not-back-down/ This week, Israel�s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave what I believe to be the most powerful speech of his political career. Two days earlier, six hostages had been executed by gunshotsto the back of their heads because Hamas felt the IDF was getting too close to discovering them. It shocked the world and outraged the nation. In response, and under fire from Israeli leftists, families of hostages, international governments, and the UnitedStates� White House, Netanyahu risked his political life by taking the unpopular stand against appeasement for the sake of hostage returns. As the saying goes, �With friends like these�.� There was one truth that Netanyahu communicated that could not be misunderstood. As long as he is prime minister, Israel will not back down. Despite the liberal politicians, Bibi�s stand willstay strong. And despite IDF generals who prefer plotting with one another rather than listening to the government, the PM is going to ensure that the military serves the government�s wishes rather than the government serving the military�s. After listeningto the speech numerous times, I believe there are four main takeaways: 1. Unity is vital to winning the war. This was a message to the Israeli public, and it came inthe wake of protests and a failed labor strike that the courts declared illegal and political. The majority of our citizens agree with Netanyahu that we must remain strong together as we push to finish this war. Unfortunately, those who stand contrary to him � leftist media, big-mouth politicians, and buttinsky foreign governments � have the microphones and the television screens and the news sources. 2. We received a detailed explanation of the history and importance of keeping the PhiladelphiAxis in the hands of the IDF. It is through that area along the Egypt-Gaza border that most of Hamas�s armaments pass into the country. It provides the military oxygen that keeps the terrorists breathing, so it must remain cut off. Passing it back over toHamas is like committing martial suicide for the IDF. 3. Israel Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, U.S. President Joe Biden, and all the others exertingpolitical pressure on Netanyahu need to back off and let him work. As always, the left-wing media took up the cause of the anti-Bibis and grilled the PM mercilessly. But Netanyahu responded masterfully. No matter how hard they tried to trip him up, he wasable to communicate his point clearly and concisely. 4. Yahya Sinwar now knows in no uncertain terms that he is a walking dead man. No pressure fromthe U.S. or our own far-left elements will change Bibi�s stance on the Philadelphi Axis or on the removal of Sinwar from this planet. By saying it so publicly, Netanyahu has locked himself in and he can never go back. Again, I think it is the best I have ever seen the prime minister. If you want a more detailed breakdown of his speech, check out my special Breaking News Update from Tuesday. Once again, I am angered and heart-broken at the barbaric loss of life. But I am not surprised. In fact, I remain optimistic, because biblically I know that we must win this smaller war forthe big one of Ezekiel 38 to begin. A time of peace and security is coming for Israel. Once that is finally achieved, Russia, Turkey, Iran, and others will pour out of the north with the intention of destroying and pillaging Israel. All that has happened,God knew before. And He has planned out the perfect path that will ultimately lead to His people crying out to Him, �Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord� (Luke 13:35). Gaza and the Massacring of Hostages Last week we celebrated together the rescuing of Arab Bedouin hostage Qaid Farhan Alkadi from a Hamas tunnel. Just a few days later, Israel was once again outraged and mourning as six of itsinnocents were executed via gunshot to the back of their heads by their Hamas captors. Eden Yerushalmi, 24, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, Alexander Lobanov, 32, Almog Sarusi, 27, and Ori Danino, 25, were stolen away nearly 11 months ago from the Nova Music Festivaland forced to live underground up until their lives were unceremoniously taken from them in just a moment. Carmel Gat, 40, who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Be�eri, was massacred alongside them. Hamas readily admits to the executions, saying that these are thenew rules. But they don�t accept responsibility. Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said, �Netanyahu killed the six prisoners, and he is determined to kill the remaining ones.� The lie is so transparent, and it is so evil. And the media is printing it asif it came from the lips of an archangel. What about an agreement? Is Hamas begging for Israel to put down their weapons? After their tremendous losses, are they pleading with their hands folded desperate for relief? Hardly. Khalilal-Hayya, senior member of the political wing of Hamas, boldly asserts, �Without an Israeli withdrawal from the Philadelphi Corridor, from the Nezarim Corridor, and the Rafah crossing there will be no agreement.� In other words, �Israel, you are defeated.You must give up and go home.� It sounds asinine, but is it really? Hamas is counting on the two weapons that might be big enough to defeat Israel. The first is international pressure, and the second is the left-wing inside Israel. Hamas can�t do it themselves,but they have some pretty powerful allies. It�s not all bad news from Gaza. On October 7, Ahmed Fozi Nazer Muhammad Wadia, the commander of the Nukhba Company in the Daraj Tuffah Battalion, paraglided into the Netiv HaAsara communityand took charge of the slaughter. While the children of slain father Gil Taasa were forced to stare at his body, Wadia looked on as he casually a coke. On Tuesday, Wadia and seven others were killed in a Gaza City compound. Hezbollah and the North The battle in the north continues. On Monday, the IDF attacked ten rocket launchers belonging to Hezbollah. Unfortunately, there are many other locations where rockets are stored and fromwhich they can be launched, as evidenced by the 60 rockets they launched during the morning hours yesterday. The IDF responded immediately with a heavy strike. It will be interesting to watch how and when the prime minister will address Hezbollah. So far,it seems that the terrorist group is content to let their chicken-killing rocket attack of August 25 serve as a strong message to Israel that they should stop killing Hezbollah commanders like they did with Fuad Shukr. Unfortunately for the terrorists, theonly ones who really seem to be upset are the members of the National Poultry Lobby who apparently took to the streets soon after, crying, �Fowl!� The West Bank The violence inside and coming out of the West Bank is only getting worse. On Sunday, a Palestinian gunman belonging to a group known as the Khalil al-Rahman Brigade ambushed an Israeli policecar, killing the three officers inside. Later that day, the terrorist was dispatched while hiding out in a home in Hebron. Terrorism has become rampant in the West Bank. In recent weeks, Shin Bet has thwarted two significant terrorist attacks originating inthe Nablus area. This is the same region that sent the failed suicide terrorist of August 18. Since the beginning of the year, about 200 terror attacks have been thwarted by Shin Bet. UK Bans Arms In a case of the worst timing ever, just a few days after Hamas cold-bloodedly executed six Israeli hostages, the United Kingdom announced that it was suspending a whole series of weaponsexports bound for Israel. This move brought criticism from all corners of the land, including former prime minister Boris Johnson and former home secretary Priti Patel. British columnist Allison Pearson called the Labour party�s ban �a shameful betrayal ofa heroic ally�, adding that doing so immediately following the execution by Hamas of six innocents �presents a bold challenge to the limits of satire.� Hey, UK, at least let us mourn our dead for a few days before you stab us in the back. Russian Missile Attack on Ukraine As Ukraine struggles to push farther across the border, Russia is fighting back. On Tuesday, two ballistic missiles hit a military educational institute and a nearby hospital in Poltava. Morethan 50 were killed and hundreds were injured. Russia defended its actions, saying that the military institute was a viable target. ----------------------------- Netanyahu Is Not to Blame for The Carnage Of Hamas � By Robert Gottselig - https://harbingersdaily.com/netanyahu-is-not-to-blame-for-the-carnage-of-hamas/ This past weekend, IDF soldiers operating in Rafah retrieved the remains of six murdered captives held by Hamas terrorists. World Israel News (WIN) reported, that on Sunday, �IDF spokesmanRear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that the six captives appeared to have been executed by their captors �a short time� before they were located by Israeli soldiers.� They further went on to report that �the remains of the six hostages were returned to Israel at approximately 4:00 a.m. Sunday, and were immediately brought for forensic testing and identification.� �The examinations revealed, according to the report, that the six hostages had been shot in the head sometime within the prior 48 hours,� WIN detailed. �The remains of the six captives werefound without the benefit of intelligence information when a unit of IDF soldiers were traversing a tunnel under Rafah.� Tragic. Our hearts and our prayers are out for the families whose loved ones were murdered by Hamas terrorists. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said that he was sorry that he wasunable to bring the six hostages home alive and asked for forgiveness. Is the world sympathetic to him? No. They are more sympathetic to the Hamas terrorists. They blame Benjamin Netanyahu, not the demonic maniacs, because, in their eyes, this happened becauseof his failure to secure a ceasefire for a hostage deal. You have got to be kidding me! Joe Biden, when asked if Bibi is doing enough, cold-heartedly said, �No.� To let Hamas live to fight another day is the most vile, disgusting, non-sympathetic, and unloving thing that anyone could ever ask of Israel. They didn�t start this war. Hamas started thiswar. For almost 20 years, Hamas has squandered and stolen billions of dollars of foreign money to make their leaders rich and build hundreds of miles of network tunnels under Gaza homes, mosques,schools, and UNRWA facilities. And Hamas has done all this with one intent: to destroy the Jewish State. Come on, Joe Biden! Come on, media! Come on, you the left! Wake up, stand with Israel, and give Prime Minister Netanyahu the backing he needs to finish the job and eliminate Hamas. Hamas has done nothing to help the people in Gaza. They could have built a beautiful tourist destination, built infrastructure to help give the people a future, and created countless good-payingjobs; instead, they created the largest terror battleground on the planet. To top that off, they use their own people as human shields. Yet, the world blames the Israeli Prime Minister. Has the world forgotten what took place on October 7th? Have they forgotten that it was Hamas who brutally murdered the six hostages? Even a lot of the media simply said that the hostages �died.� No, they didn�t just simply �die.� They were brutally murdered by a demonic death cult called Hamas�plain and simple. To make matters worse, in Israel, over the past couple of days, progressive left-minded Israelis resumed protests against Netanyahu. These protesters are behaving as though Netanyahu is theone preventing an end to the war and a return of the hostages. If you want an end to the war, tell Hamas to surrender and return the remaining hostages! It�s that simple; the war would be over. That�s not happening, is it? Instead, they want to blame Bibi.Pinch me! I must be in a bad dream. How can people be so foolish and ignorant? Blame Hamas. Blame Hezbollah. Blame the Houthis. Blame Iran. Blame all the anti-semites. But stand with your Prime Minister, for goodness� sake! He�s trying to prevent another October 7thfrom ever happening again. None of this catches God by surprise. One day, when Israel�s Messiah, Yeshua, returns, He will end anti-Semitism. He will put an end to the Israel haters and to those who wish to destroy Hischosen people. He will rule this world with a rod of iron from Jerusalem on the throne of His father, David. Zechariah Chapter 14 speaks of that yet future day. This is what we read in verses 16-21: �And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalemshall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even uponthem shall be no rain. And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the Lord will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt, andthe punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, Holiness Unto The Lord; and the pots in the Lord�s house shall be like the bowls before the altar. Yea, every pot in Jerusalemand in Judah shall be holiness unto the Lord of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts.� Friends, one day, the Lord is going to fix this mess that the world has created and continues to create. Until then, let�s continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Let�s pray for the familiesof the hostages and those who have died since October 7th. Let�s continue to pray for Israel�s leaders to be wise and for the remaining hostages to be rescued or returned. Let�s pray for Hamas to ultimately be destroyed and for the Palestinians to finallychoose life over death and extend their hand in peace and cooperation with Israel. Most importantly, let�s pray for people to turn to the only God�the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob�while they still have breath.