03/05/2012

          Struggle for Jerusalem (Zechariah 12:3; Luke 21:20)

Barak: Elections would not alter Iran plans

 The prospect of an imminent election in Israel will not affect its strategy for tackling Iran's nuclear program, including plans for a possible preemptive war, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said on Wednesday. Rifts in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition over military conscription and budget cuts have prompted parties to mobilize to bring forward the ballot to as early as September, a year ahead of schedule.

Lapid to Blair: Israel must resume talks with Palestinians 

Yair Lapid, head of Israel's new Yesh Atid Party, met with Quartet envoy to the Middle East Tony Blair on Wednesday evening and said that Israel must return to talks with the Palestinians. Lapid and Blair, who initiated the meeting, discussed the situation in the Middle East and the need to restart the peace process. "Lapid said Israel must return to talks with the Palestinians in order to create a normal reality for the citizens of Israel and maintain a Jewish majority," Yesh Atid reported.


 Tel Aviv boosts troops at borders with Egypt and Syria

Israel is to deploy at least 22 reserve battalions on its borders with Egypt and Syria, claiming the growing instability in the two countries makes it necessary to be ready for possible external security threats.
­The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) has been given an approval of a call-up of additional force by Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee although they exceed the average.

          Damascus, Syria (Isaiah 17:1-3)

Deadliest day for Syria troops as monitors fan out

Rebels killed 22 troops Wednesday in the Syrian army's deadliest day of a three-week-old ceasefire deal, even as UN observers said they were having a "calming" impact as they deploy on the ground.

Fifteen troops, including two colonels, were killed in a rebel ambush at dawn in the northern province of Aleppo, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.Two rebels also died in the attack near Al-Rai village, after President Bashar al-Assad's forces had "scaled up military operations" there in the days since the truce took effect on April 12, said the watchdog.

Russia accuses Syrian rebels of intending to ruin peace plan

 Blaming terrorist groups for the recent surge in violence in Syria, Russian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday accused armed groups fighting against the Damascus government of attempting to ruin Annan’s plan in order to pave the way for foreign military intervention in the country. The attacks "in essence unleashed a large-scale campaign to destabilize the situation and disrupt ...

                 Middle East (Psalm 83:1-4) (Rev 9:16) (Rev 16:12)

Egyptian Presidential Candidate 'Ready to Visit Israel'

Egyptian presidential candidate Ahmed Shafiq said on Wednesday that he would be ready to visit Israel, Channel 10 News reported.Shafiq, who served as deposed leader Hosni Mubarak's last prime minister, said, “I am ready to visit Israel, provided it gives something to show it has good intentions.” He made the comments during an appearance on a local television program, according to Channel 10.



Report: Israel spied on Turkish military training flights

 "Israel wiretapped conversations between Turkish pilots on military training flights," Turkey's Today's Zaman news website reported on Wednesday, prompting Turkish authorities to initiate a program to encrypt communiqués during the flights.According to the report, originally published in the Habertürk daily, Israel allegedly wiretapped radio communications between pilots of Turkish fighter jets during their training flights at the Konya 3rd Main Jet Base Command, with aim of finding out details about the Turkish Air Forces' (THK) training programs and flight strategies.
  
 Saudi Arabia warns Iran: Will not tolerate threats to Gulf state

Saudi Arabia repeated on Wednesday that it would not tolerate threats to the Gulf Arab states' sovereignty, the latest warning to Iran after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit to an island claimed by both Tehran and the United Arab Emirates.The warning, the third in as many weeks by a member of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), comes amid increased nervousness in the region over Iran. Shi'ite-led unrest is resurgent in Bahrain a year after the ruling Al Khalifa family brought in Saudi and UAE troops t....

 

 Pentagon encircles Iran: Victory would take 3 weeks

As the US beefs up its military presence in the Persian Gulf region, Pentagon strategists estimate that they would need less than a month to defeat Iranian forces should a military conflict take place.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) believes it can destroy or significantly degrade Iran's conventional armed forces in about three weeks using air and sea strikes, a defense source told The Washington Post.

Magog Invasion – Iran, Russia (Ezekiel 38-39)

  Iran: Israel's Nuclear Weapons Are the Greatest Threat

 A senior Iranian official said on Wednesday that Israel's undeclared nuclear weapons pose the greatest threat to Mideast peace.According to The Associated Press, Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad Mahdi Akhondzadeh accused the United States and other nuclear powers of hypocritically ignoring their disarmament commitments.Akhondzadeh made the comments to a 189-nation nonproliferation meeting, reflecting Iran's attempts to deflect international concerns that its nuclear activities could be turned to making weapons.