Friday, September 06, 2013

SYRIA-OBAMA TO USE B-2 B-52 PLANE BOMBERS ON ASSAD

KING JESUS IS COMING FOR US ANY TIME NOW. THE RAPTURE. BE PREPARED TO GO.

BREAKING NEWS ATTENTION ALERT.
WE KNOW BY THE BIBLE THIS WILL NOT BE WW3.SO WE HAVE TO BE WORRIED,ABOUT ISRAELS SAFETY-BUT NOT ABOUT BEING FULL BLOWN WW3.SO PRAY FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM-ALL. WE KNOW WW3 DOES NOT HAPPEN TILL JERUSALEM IS DIVIDED BY THE BIBLE.THIS OBAMA LIMITED STRIKE.MIGHT STIR UP SOME ARAB-MUSLIMS AGAINST ISRAEL.BUT IF THEY DO GO AGAINST ISRAEL-I PREDICT-ISRAEL WILL GET SOME OF THEIR PROMISED LAND BY GOD GIVIN TO THEM.BY DEFEATING THOSE ARAB-MUSLIMS THAT COME AGAINST ISRAEL.IN THIS LIMITED WAR.THIS MIGHT BE THE TIME THAT ISA 17:1 IS FULFILLED -THOUGH.THAT DAMASCUS WHICH IS ALMOST A HEAP OF RUBBLE ALREADY.MIGHT BE FINISHED OFF.AND NO MORE WILL ANYBODY EVER LIVE IN DAMASCUS AGAIN.BUT AS I SAY THIS WILL NOT BE WW3 YET BY THE BIBLE.

And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.

Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.

12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE

JOEL 3:2 (WW3 OCCURS WHEN JERUSALEM IS DIVIDED-NOT BEFORE)
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people (ISRAEL) and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.(JERUSALEM)(WW3 STARTS BECAUSE JERUSALEM IS DIVIDED AND ISRAELIS UPROOTED FROM THEIR GOD GIVIN LAND BRINGS 3 DEAD BILLION IN WW3)

REVELATION 9:13-18 (HERES THE BEGGINIG OF WW3 IN THE FUTURE)
13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.(4 WINDS OF THE WORLD-WORLDWIDE WAR)(TURKEY-IRAQ-SYRIA)(EUPHRATES RIVER CONSISTS OF 760 MILES IN TURKEY,440 MILES IN SYRIA AND 660 MILES IN IRAQ)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,(COULD ALSO MEAN THE 4 CORNERS OF THE EARTH OR WORLDWIDE WAR) which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.(1/3 Earths Population die in WW 3 2ND WAVE)
16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand:(200 MILLION MAN ARMY FROM CHINA AND THE KINGS OF THE EAST) and I heard the number of them.
17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)
18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)

REVELATION 16:12-16 (HERES WW3 SETUP AGAIN)
12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates;(WERE WW3 STARTS IN IRAQ OR SYRIA OR TURKEY) and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon,(SATAN) and out of the mouth of the beast,(WORLD DICTATOR) and out of the mouth of the false prophet.(FALSE POPE)
14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.(WERE 2 BILLION DIE FROM NUKE WAR)
15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.(ITS AT THIS TIME I BELIEVE WHEN AMERICA GETS NUKED BY RUSSIA ON THE WAY TO THE MIDEAST ALSO)


ISAIAH 17:1
1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.

AMOS 1:5
5  I will break also the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the plain of Aven, and him that holdeth the sceptre from the house of Eden:(IRAQ) and the people of Syria shall go into captivity unto Kir,(JORDAN) saith the LORD.

JEREMEIAH 49:23-27
23  Concerning Damascus.(SYRIA) Hamath is confounded, and Arpad: for they have heard evil tidings: they are fainthearted; there is sorrow on the sea;(WAR SHIPS WITH NUKES COMING ON SYRIA) it cannot be quiet.
24  Damascus is waxed feeble, and turneth herself to flee, and fear hath seized on her: anguish and sorrows have taken her, as a woman in travail.
25  How is the city of praise not left, the city of my joy!
26  Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the LORD of hosts.
27  And I will kindle a fire (NUKES OR BOMBS) in the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces of Benhadad.(ASSADS PALACES POSSIBLY IN DAMASCUS)

COUNTRIES WITH ISRAEL (THE WEST)(SAUDIA ARABIA WITH WEST)

EZEKIEL 38:10-19
10 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:
11 And thou shalt say,(RUSSIA,ARAB,MUSLIMS) 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,
12 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.
13 Sheba, and Dedan,(SAUDIA ARABIA) and the merchants of Tarshish,(ENGLAND) with all the young lions thereof,(USA,CANADA,AUSTRALIA,NEW ZEALAND,EU,ENGLAND,ENGLISH SPEAKING shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?
14 Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?
15 And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army:
16 And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.
17 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?
18 And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face.
19 For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;

(COUNTRIES AGAINST THE WEST)(NOTICE GERMANY-TURKEY IN THE AGAINST)

EZEKIEL 38:1-7
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog,(RULER) the land of Magog,(RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW)and Tubal,(TOBOLSK) and prophesy against him,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) the chief prince of Meshech(MOSCOW) and Tubal:TOBOLSK)
4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE RUSSIA-MUSLIMS TO MARCH) 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:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY) of the north quarters, and all his bands:(SUDAN,AFRICA) and many people with thee.
7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.

CANADA IS GIVING A TOTAL OF 2 MILLION DOLLARS IN AIDE TO HELP THE 2 MILLION SYRIAN REFUGEES SCATTERED FROM SYRIA IN THIS SYRIAN ASSAD SLAUGHTER OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN.AT LEAST 1 MILLION OF THE 2 MILLION REFUGEES ARE CHILDREN I HEARD IN A REPORT. 

THE U.S IS PULLING ITS STAFF FROM LEBANON.TO GET READY FOR THE SYRIA ATTACK.ITS NO SECRET WHEN AMERICA STRIKES SYRIA.SO ALL THE ENEMIES CAN EASILY ATTACK AMERICAS PLANES AND WARSHIPS WHILE AMERICA IS BOMBING SYRIA.ALL THIS TIME CAN GET AMERICAS ENEMIES SET UP TO FIGHT AMERICA IN EVERY ASPECT.AL-QUEDA OR HAMAS OR HEZZBOLLAH CAN SHOOT MISSLES AT AMERICAS WAR PLANES WHEN THEY SHOOT THEIR BOMBS.AND RUSSUIA,CHINA AND IRAN CAN HANDLE AMERICAS WARSHIPS FROM THE SEA.AMERICA MIGHT BE SETTING ITSELF UP FOR A SEA SLAUGHTER FROM RUSSIA , CHINA AND IRAN.OBAMAS MOUTH MIGHT HAVE REALLY DONE HIM IN THIS TIME.BY SETTING THAT RED LINE. 

NOW WE FIND OUT THE PENTAGON WANTS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE SYRIA SITUATION.AT LEAST 50 TIMES THEY TOGETHER WENT BACK AND FORTH AND REVISED THEIR PLANS WITH EACH OTHER ABOUT ATTACKING SYRIA.AND THE PENTAGON DECIDED THEY WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH SYRIA.

HERE ARE THE COUNTRIES FOR THE SYRIA STRIKE BY OBAMA.The countries are Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

U.S.-led joint statement condemns Syria's government 'in the strongest terms'
CTV News Channel: Which countries support Obama?
 The Associated Press-Published Friday, September 6, 2013 11:12AM EDT
Last Updated Friday, September 6, 2013 12:01PM EDT
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia -- Ten members of the Group of 20 international economies joined the United States in accusing the Syrian government of carrying a chemical weapons attack on civilians last month and called for a strong international response against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.A joint statement by the ten countries and the United States stopped short of explicitly calling for military action against the Syrian government, as President Obama is advocating.But the tough language aligned half of the G-20 members with Obama, who worked the sidelines of the summit to build international support for a limited U.S. military response. Obama is seeking congressional authority to launch a strike.Russia should not have veto over protecting global security: Harper.Obama implores G20 for support on Syria, but few signs of progress.Three Russian naval ships reported Syria-bound, another on its way.Protesters hold al-Qaida flags with Arabic that reads, 'there is no God but Allah and Mohammed is his messenger,' as they chant slogans during a demonstration in Aleppo, Syria, Friday, Sept. 6, 2013. (Aleppo Media Center).The countries are Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

Read the full statement below:
The Leaders and Representatives of the United States, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, and Saudi Arabia made the following statement on the margins of the Group of 20 Nations Leader’s Meeting in Saint Petersburg, Russia:The international norm against the use of chemical weapons is longstanding and universal. The use of chemical weapons anywhere diminishes the security of people everywhere. Left unchallenged, it increases the risk of further use and proliferation of these weapons.We condemn in the strongest terms the horrific chemical weapons attack in the suburbs of Damascus on August 21st that claimed the lives of so many men, women, and children. The evidence clearly points to the Syrian government being responsible for the attack, which is part of a pattern of chemical weapons use by the regime.We call for a strong international response to this grave violation of the world’s rules and conscience that will send a clear message that this kind of atrocity can never be repeated. Those who perpetrated these crimes must be held accountable.Signatories have consistently supported a strong UN Security Council Resolution, given the Security Council's responsibilities to lead the international response, but recognize that the Council remains paralyzed as it has been for two and a half years. The world cannot wait for endless failed processes that can only lead to increased suffering in Syria and regional instability. We support efforts undertaken by the United States and other countries to reinforce the prohibition on the use of chemical weapons.We commit to supporting longer term international efforts, including through the United Nations, to address the enduring security challenge posed by Syria’s chemical weapons stockpiles. Signatories have also called for the UN fact finding mission to present its results as soon as possible, and for the Security Council to act accordingly.We condemn in the strongest terms all human rights violations in Syria on all sides. More than 100,000 people have been killed in the conflict, more than 2 million people have become refugees, and approximately 5 million are internally displaced. Recognizing that Syria’s conflict has no military solution, we reaffirm our commitment to seek a peaceful political settlement through full implementation of the 2012 Geneva Communique. We are committed to a political solution which will result in a united, inclusive and democratic Syria.We have contributed generously to the latest United Nations (UN) and ICRC appeals for humanitarian assistance and will continue to provide support to address the growing humanitarian needs in Syria and their impact on regional countries. We welcome the contributions announced at the meeting of donor countries on the margins of the G20. We call upon all parties to allow humanitarian actors safe and unhindered access to those in need.Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/u-s-led-joint-statement-condemns-syria-s-government-in-the-strongest-terms-1.1443011#ixzz2e85J0DZZ 

France and US keen to mute EU critics on Syria

Today @ 09:23 SEPT 6,13
BRUSSELS - The US, France, Germany and the UK will try to mute EU critics of Syria intervention at a foreign ministers' meeting in Vilnius on Friday (6 September) and Saturday.The EU event comes after pro-intervention countries faced hostility from Russia and China at a G20 summit in St Petersburg on Thursday.French leader Francois Hollande said in Russia "it's really important that the Europeans here at the G20 are on the same page" in calling for a St Petersburg statement that blames Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad for a chemical weapons attack on 21 August.British PM David Cameron said he has new forensic evidence that sarin gas was used.But Italian leader Enrico Letta noted that Italy will not take part in action without a UN mandate. He also tweeted after a G20 dinner that "the evening session … confirmed the divisions on Syria."The anti-Assad military coalition contains Australia, France, Turkey and the US.
The US still needs Congress' say-so and France might call a vote in the Assemblee national, but one EU source told this website: "We expect the fireworks to start very soon."British opposition MPs have blocked UK participation.But the British foreign minister, William Hague, will try to build political support for action among EU colleagues in Lithuania.Germany has also said it will not take part, due to lack of military resources.But France says that Germany's disclosure of new intelligence, on Wednesday, blaming al-Assad for the attack, shows that Berlin backs its point of view.The EU invited US secretary of state John Kerry to Vilnius to talk about Syria, Egypt and the Middle East Peace Process before the Syria chemical crisis.
Pro-intervention countries hope his message will help to get smaller, US-friendly EU states on board.
The Netherlands, like Italy, has also said there should be no strikes without a UN mandate, but most EU members have stayed quiet for now.An EU source said: "Some member states are very sensitive to what the US has to say."He noted: "What would be extremely useful is that, if the strikes take place, afterwards there is unanimous language coming from EU countries in support of what is being done. But you can't ask people to sign a blank cheque beforehand."Another EU source noted: "What they [pro-intervention countries] are hoping for is dignified silence after the strikes. Nobody rocking the boat. But many member states will wait and see what the consequences of the strikes are before they speak out. There are fears that intervention could make things worse."Meanwhile, Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu will not be in Vilnius.
Ministers from EU candidate countries were in the past invited to foreign policy meetings.But the practice was put on ice under last year's Cypriot EU presidency due to the frozen conflict between Cyprus and Turkey.Remarking on the EU's internal debate on Syria, a Turkish source noted: "Once again, the EU has shown that where the Middle East is concerned, it is incapable of arriving at a common position."For its part, the Lithuanian EU presidency will try to make sure EU ministers do not neglect Ukraine.The Vilnius agenda also includes the Eastern Partnership, an EU policy on building closer ties with former Soviet nations.
Russia has recently put pressure on Armenia, Moldova and Ukraine not to conclude EU political association and free trade pacts at a summit with EU leaders in November.Asked by this website if the subject might slip off the agenda due to Syria, Elmar Brok, a German centre-right MEP who chairs parliament's foreign affairs committee and who is at the Vilnius event, said: "No. We are in Vilnius after all. You can be sure the Lithuanians, and some other eastern European countries, will not let us forget about that."

Top EU official urges respect for 'UN process' on Syria

05.09.13 @ 16:12
By Honor Mahony

BRUSSELS - EU Council President Herman Van Rompuy has urged the US and France to respect the role of the UN on possible military intervention in Syria."While respecting the recent calls for action, we underscore the need to move forward with addressing the Syrian crisis through the UN process," he said on Thursday (5 September) at the start of a G20 meeting in St Petersburg, Russia.Referring to chemical attacks in the outskirts of Damascus on 21 August, he added that "information from a wide variety of sources seems to indicate the Syrian regime is responsible for these attacks."But he indicated world leaders should wait for a report by UN weapons inspectors in Syria before taking decisions.He also said: "There is no military solution to the Syrian conflict. Only a political solution can end the terrible bloodshed."Van Rompuy rejected the idea the EU has lost credibility in its approach to Syria.France is the only EU state which says it is willing to take part in a military strike with the US. British MPs have blocked UK action, while Italy has said strikes need a UN mandate.Van Rompuy noted the EU is trying to find common ground, however."All countries big and small have an internal debate on Syria. You may have to make a difference between those who want to participate and those who are preparing some kind of political position vis-a-vis eventual attacks," he said.
"The most important thing is how we react collectively on eventual decisions made by other countries. We will co-ordinate our positions in the coming hours," he added.He also said the EU is ready "to help the recovery, rehabilitation and transition in Syria" after the war ends.The G20 brings together the world's richest and most influential countries, including the US, China and Russia.The St Petersburg event was supposed to discuss the global economy, but the civil war in Syria - which has created 2 million refugees - is likely to dominate talks.Russian President Vladimir Putin said nothing on Syria in his opening speech on Thursday, talking instead about economic "risk zone[s]" and "global imbalances."He indicated on Wednesday he "doesn't exclude" backing a UN resolution for military action, so long as there is clear proof that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government was behind the 21 August attack.In the past two years, Russia has vetoed every draft UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution on Syria proposed by Western countries.
Meanwhile, China, also a UNSC veto power, spoke out against Syria intervention on Thursday."Military action would have a negative impact on the global economy, especially on oil prices - it will cause a hike in the oil price," Chinese deputy finance minister, Zhu Guangyao, told press.But for his part, US President Barack Obama is refusing to back down.He said in Stockholm on Wednesday: "The moral thing to do is not to stand by and do nothing."

ABC: Syrian Strike Could Be ‘Significantly Larger’ Than Most Anticipated

Source: 'This military strike could do more damage to Assad's forces in 48 hours than the Syrian rebels have done in nearly two years of civil war'

 
BY:

ABC’s Jonathan Karl reported President Obama’s plan for a Syrian strike could be “significantly larger” than most anticipated Thursday on “World News Tonight.”Karl quoted an unnamed national security official who claimed the attack could do more damage to Assad in 48 hours than the Syrian rebels have done in two years:JONATHAN KARL: […] ABC News has learned the president’s national security team is preparing for a significantly larger military attack than most had anticipated. The air campaign which is expected to last at least two days will potentially include an aerial bombardment of missiles and long range bombs fired from B-2 and B-52 bombers flying from the United States. That in addition to a relentless assault of Tomahawk missiles fired from those four Navy destroyers in the eastern Mediterranean. Those ships are loaded with nearly 200 missiles, plans call for firing the vast majority of them. As one senior national security official told ABC News, this military strike could do more damage to Assad’s forces in 48 hours than the Syrian rebels have done in nearly two years of civil war. That’s more than President Obama seemed to be suggesting just days ago.PRESIDENT OBAMA: What we are envisioning is something limited [...] We send a shot across the bow saying stop doing this.

US expands list of potential targets in Syria

American-led strike could last two days, include the use of US, French aircraft, and target military units that handle chemical weapons

September 6, 2013, 12:00 pm 0-The Times of Israel

US Navy aircraft flying in formation in August. (photo credit: Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Ramon G. Go/US Navy, Department of Defense)
US Navy aircraft flying in formation in August. (photo credit: Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Ramon G. Go/US Navy, Department of Defense)
President Barack Obama has instructed the Pentagon to expand the list of potential targets in Syria in case of a US-led strike, in response to a reported chemical weapons attack perpetrated by the Assad regime on August 21.According to a report in the New York Times on Friday, the Obama order came in response to intelligence indications that the Syrian government has moved troops and equipment used to employ chemical weapons.Officials cited in the report said that Obama is now focused on degrading the capabilities of the Assad government, expanding beyond the list of 50 or so initial sites to be targeted in a strike. The original list was reportedly developed with France.The Obama administration is also reportedly considering using US and French aircraft to conduct the strikes in addition to ship-launched missiles, and is renewing efforts to get NATO involved.This account was corroborated by a report on CNN quoting a US official who said: “You can employ stand-off weapons from an aircraft, just as easily as from a ship or submarine. Aerial assets can be used from a distance.”The official added that this new development would “not fundamentally change the parameters of the mission.”The potential air campaign could last two days and would include long-range B-2 and B-52 stealth bombers which would fire guided missiles beyond the range of Syrian air defense systems, ABC News reported.“The strikes would be aimed not at the chemical stockpiles themselves — risking a potential catastrophe — but rather the military units that have stored and prepared the chemical weapons and carried the attacks against Syrian rebels, as well as the headquarters overseeing the effort, and the rockets and artillery that have launched the attacks,” the Times’ report read, citing military officials.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey has indicated that targets would include “equipment that Syria uses to protect the chemicals — air defenses, long-range missiles and rockets, which can also deliver the weapons,” according to the report.Obama is seeking congressional approval for a US-led strike, having gained authorization from a Senate panel Wednesday to order an attack, the limits of which include a time frame of 90 days and the exclusion of American boots on the ground.

US intercepts Iranian reprisal plot if Syria is attacked

Washington readies Mideast resources for potential US strike in Syria and possible retaliation by groups allied with Tehran, Assad

September 6, 2013, 8:25 am 3-The Times of Israel

A NATO Sea Sparrow missile is launched during a live-fire self-defense missile exercise aboard the aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman in 2004. (Photo credit:  Petty Officer 2nd class Jason P. Taylor/US Navy, Department of Defense).
A NATO Sea Sparrow missile is launched during a live-fire self-defense missile exercise aboard the aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman in 2004. (Photo credit: Petty Officer 2nd class Jason P. Taylor/US Navy, Department of Defense).
US intelligence has intercepted orders from Iran to militants based in Iraq to attack American sites should a strike on Syria go through, US officials said Friday.The intercepted message came from the head of the Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force, Kassem Sulemenai, and went to Iranian-supported Shi’ite militia groups in Iraq, according to US officials cited in a report in the Wall Street Journal.The targeted sites could include the US embassy in Baghdad and other American interest sites in the Iraqi capital, as well as the US embassy in Beirut and other sites in Lebanon via the terror group Hezbollah, the Journal reported.The US remains on alert for an array of reprisal threats across the region, officials said, including a fleet of Iranian fast boats in the Persian Gulf, where American warships are positioned. Several destroyers and an amphibious warship are also stationed in the eastern Mediterranean, and US officials told the Journal that military resources have been moved around in preparation for a possible strike and any retaliation on the part of Syria or Iran.
On Thursday, the US Navy’s top admiral said the four destroyers are “fully ready” for a range of possible courses of action.According to the report, the US has also readied Marines and other assets for the evacuation of military compounds and other sites should the need arise, and made preparations to against attacks on US embassies and diplomatic missions across the Middle East and North Africa.On Wednesday, a Senate panel approved a resolution authorizing President Barack Obama to order a limited military strike in Syria in response to the regime’s alleged use of chemical weapons in an attack on a Damascus suburb in the early hours of August 21 — an attack which the US says killed 1,429 people. The conditions for the approval include that the operation last no more than 90 days and that there will be no American boots on the ground.Obama will next be seeking congressional approval for a strike, as Congress reconvenes September 9. The president has already received public support for the move by leading Republican figures such as Senator John McCain, and House Speaker John Boehner.The delay in a US strike could provide increased opportunities for those allied with Iran and Syria to coordinate retaliation attacks, warned US officials cited in the Journal report.On Wednesday, Sulemenai said Iran would defend Syria “until the end,” according to a report in the Fars news agency. He reportedly added that the majority of Syrian rebels are foreigners and that the US has attempted repeatedly to topple Assad, unsuccessfully.Iran has also threatened to hit Israel should the US carry out a strike, with the commander of the Revolutionary Guards’ General Mohammad Ali Jafari saying late last month that a possible war in Syria “will result in the imminent destruction of the Zionist regime of Israel.”On Thursday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that the United States was sure to “suffer loss” if it took military action in Syria, adding that Washington was using the reported chemical weapons attack near Damascus on August 21 as a pretext for intervention. The Syrian regime has denied using chemical weapons, calling US claims “blatant lies.”
Iran has remained a staunch ally of the regime and has actively helped Syrian troops loyal to Assad on the battlefield. The Iranian-backed Hezbollah has also been an active player on the side of Assad in the civil war that has raged in the country for two-and-a-half years, claiming the lives of over 100,000 people, according to the latest UN figures.

A coffee shop in a slaughterhouse

Stable amid the Middle East chaos, Israel is watching the collapse of Syria, Lebanon and Iraq, a deepening intra-Sunni war, and the revival of an old ally, Egypt


September 5, 2013, 6:21 pm 3-The Times of Israel

The collapse of Iraq, Syria and Lebanon

In Iraq, aside from the Kurdish autonomous areas, hostility between Sunnis and Shi’ites knows no rest. Almost every week sees atrocities and terrorist attacks that leave dozens injured or dead.In Syria, the civil war has taken the form of a battle for survival among Sunnis and Shiites and Alawites. It is hard to see an end, even if a limited American operation strengthens the opposition.In Lebanon, likewise, battles between Sunnis and Shiites have deepened. Hezbollah has for the first time found itself on the defensive, targeted by car bombings which killed dozens in its Dahieh quarter of Beirut, and hit by rockets fired Sunni militias affiliated with the opposition in Syria.In all three of these countries, organizations affiliated with al–Qaeda are growing in strength. The inability of the central governments to function amid the chaos has produced a particularly fertile ground for extremist terrorists, unified not by a single command structure, but by an idea in whose name they fight and kill.This threat from al-Qaeda and its emissaries has become more concrete in the past year from Israel’s standpoint. If in the past the various al-Qaeda-affiliated groups were small cells, almost insignificant from the defense establishment’s perspective, the various radical Islamist factions have accumulated strength, manpower and combat experience in the past year. The danger is presently felt less from the north, where Islamist terrorists focus their fight on Hezbollah and Syrian President Bashar Assad’s military, and more on the southern border with Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. But it is only a matter of time until the Islamist threat in Lebanon and Syria becomes more substantial for Israel as well.

A Sunni world divided

The second significant trend is the growing rift in the Sunni world. As though Sunni-Shiite rivalry hadn’t created enough drama, the Sunni camp has found itself torn between supporters and opponents of the Muslim Brotherhood. This is playing out within Egypt and without, pitting Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the UAE and Egypt’s military-backed government against Qatar, Turkey, Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.
Media coverage of Egypt reflects this intra-Sunni rivalry: while Qatar’s al-Jazeera unequivocally backs the Muslim Brotherhood, its competitor, Saudi Arabia’s Al Arabiya, strives to undermine the Islamist party. As Qatar pumps funds into Hamas coffers, the Saudis and other Gulf countries transfer millions to the Palestinian Authority and billions to the new regime in Cairo.And just to shuffle the cards a little more, a strange new alliance between Cairo and Damascus is spontaneously materializing against radical Sunni Islamist factions. The new government in Cairo warned this week that it is opposed to foreign intervention in Syria, to the immediate public delight of Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad. Certain officials in Egypt are also trying to warn Israel that an American attack against Syria would actually work to Israel’s disadvantage.

Israel’s new-old ally

The third significant trend is that second revolution in Egypt. It was hard to imagine, after the presidential elections in June 2012, that Mohammed Morsi would swiftly become one of the most hated men in Egypt and would be deposed in a revolution/coup a year later. The Muslim Brotherhood, which in early 2012 achieved a landslide victory in elections for the Egyptian parliament, has become an underground organization in the past two months, with its leaders either arrested or on the run.Egypt’s new military leadership, seeking first and foremost to restore stability, has been the friendliest Egyptian administration to Israel since the signing of the peace treaty between the two countries more than three decades ago. Israel once again has a strong, important ally in the Middle East — just a year after pundits lamented the strain in the two countries’ diplomatic relations, and the ostensible loss of a second key ally, after Turkey.In the “good old days” under Hosni Mubarak — ousted, jailed and freed in Egypt’s improbable, fast-forward reality — Egypt did not seriously tackle Sinai terrorism or act against Hamas. Now, the Egyptian generals are waging a real war against jihadists. There are voices in the Israeli defense establishment criticizing Cairo’s military strategy, but not its intent, and cooperation between the countries is firm.Almost every move by the Egyptian army to thwart terror in Sinai is welcomed by the Israeli security establishment. Israeli actions, even if they lapse over to the Egyptian side of the border, are backed by Cairo. Both sides are fighting against radical Islam operating within the Sinai.This might be the most significant difference between Israel’s northern and southern fronts: the threats in Syria and Lebanon will only exacerbate, while in the south the Egyptian army has been able to achieve significant successes in the battle against al-Qaeda-linked groups.Egyptian military activity in the Peninsula is far from over. There will likely be more terror attacks against the Egyptian army and doubtless further attempted assaults on Israeli targets as well. But the positive trend is clear. And after years of turning a blind eye, the Egyptian army is also fighting Hamas, and has brought smuggling between Gaza and Sinai through tunnels to an almost complete halt.Nearly 80% of the tunnels have been closed down. And the Egyptian Army has began efforts to establish a “security zone” 500 meters deep along the border, destroying all houses in that area — a move Israel dared not essay in the days when the IDF controlled the Philadelphi Corridor separating Gaza from Egypt. The plan, ostensibly coordinated with the heads of tribes living in the area, is causing unrest among the local population, which is not a big fan of the Egyptian army. The willingness to pursue it underlines the rising confidence of the Egyptian military — whether confronting the Muslim Brotherhood, tackling terrorists in Sinai, or constraining a Hamas that is frankly amazed at the obvious Egyptian hostility.

The Syrian killing fields

It is impossible to sum up the Middle East today without focusing on Syria. Upwards of 110,000 people have been killed in the last two-and-a-half years. Between them, Assad’s forces and al-Qaeda rebels have turned Syria’s cities to rubble, to vales of slaughter. There is no sign of a viable, sane alternative to the regime. Everyone is fighting one another, killing one another. Assad himself could be hit any day in a rebel attack. There is no telling who would take his place; indeed, there is no telling how any of this could play out for Israel.For now, Assad and his supporters are demonstrating great confidence and arrogance, the more so in light of the White House’s hesitation to carry out a military strike. Despite certain sensationalist misreadings of Obama’s comments, the US administration has clarified its intent to punish Assad but not at this stage to pursue regime change. Its range of attack options is not wide; bombing Syrian military bases that house chemical weapons would risk heavy environmental damage.Israel’s hope, indeed the hope of all decent people, is that the US — with Russian and/or Chinese mediation if necessary — will be able to thwart any further use of chemical weapons. That won’t halt the killings, of course, but in the Middle East slaughterhouse, even hope must be realistic.

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