ISRAEL REPORT
What better way to welcome Mike Claydon home than to publish his latest Israel Report, what an achievement – so soon after major surgery. This is the sort of steely determination shown by racing drivers – returning to the track before expected, after being injured in a serious accident – Courage Mon Brave! (Be Brave My Friend).
Gibber! Gibber!
Chugley
Mike Writes:
I want to begin by thanking all my wonderful subscribers for their prayers and good wishes for my second and hopefully final operation last Wednesday. I am now home and resting. This one has set me back more than the first and I am taking a little longer to recover. Therefore this week’s bulletin will be shorter than usual. Your prayers were fully answered and all went well Praise God for His mercies which never end.
Shall He Find Faith?
Editorial
I confess, I don’t get out as often as I should. The work I do, and enjoy so much, necessitates long hours at the computer – so I have been shocked during my hospitalisation during which I met so many people from all walks of life; surgeons, doctors, nurses, administrators and fellow patients to discover just how the world in general is completely oblivious to the coming tyranny being quite openly, presently, set in place around them
Not one of them, including some professing Christians, had a clue as to our place in human history. Much of what I spoke, I believe, was attributed to my heavy medication at times. This is the danger of living without an informed Biblical worldview.
People are inquisitive and interested to a certain point. Yet the moment anything geopolitical, in a scriptural sense, is mentioned it appears to hit strong mental barriers immediately. I am saddened to learn that my fellow citizens are sleepwalking into one of the most horrific times in human history totally unprepared physically, mentally or spiritually!
They allow conversations involving specific sporting teams and their pursuits, the cost of living and housing, ..vacation plans and of course the denigration of anyone stupid enough to enter politics. I watched several TV game shows on the free-to-air channels in the recovery unit and found that whenever the simplest Biblical question was asked no one knew the answer. An example; “What was the name of the Mother of Jesus Christ” Or, “what is the capital city of Israel?
The fact that the global financial system is rapidly breaking down, a global surveillance digital currency is in the making, limited travel cities are being established, restrictions on eating meat and animal farming, global vaccinations, and a digital ID from birth to the grave which will very soon be mandatory for anyone wishing to participate in human society, had not been heard of. The plan of micro-chipping each and every person allowing them to buy and sell is already in its infancy and maturing quickly was generally scoffed at..
One catastrophic world event, planned or not, will see the globe plunged into utter chaos and a terrified humanity will clamour for leadership and grasp any restrictions on freedom that will save their lives.
Earthquakes, firestorms, cyclones, hurricanes, most likely engineered, are already erupting in many places in an effort to prove that Climate Change has become a danger and a threat. Imagine the paralysis if many people suddenly disappear or an alien invasion occurs? Or both?
Prophecy no longer foretells the future – we live in those days NOW. Humanity is without excuse. These times are exquisitely outlined in God’s Word, and are ignored, as they largely seem to be, at one’s great peril and then an eternity without the Mercies and Grace of a loving creator.
As Jesus was wont to rhetorically warn; “And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? [Luke 18:7-8]
Sadly, it is now crystal clear. He was telling the TRUTH.
China launches military drills around Taiwan after Lai’s visit to U.S…………
China launched military drills around Taiwan on Saturday after a stopover in the United States by the island’s vice president, William Lai, sparked anger in Beijing.
The Eastern Theatre Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army “launched joint air and sea patrols and military exercises of the navy and air force around the island of Taiwan,” state media outlet Xinhua quoted military spokesperson Shi Yi as saying.
China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has pledged to take it one day, by force if necessary/ That day maybe now sooner rather than later?
Meeting in Washington, Dermer, Blinken discuss potential Israel–Saudi Deal……
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on August 17, 2023.
The U.S. State Department described Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s Thursday morning meeting with Israel Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who is known as “Bibi’s brain,” as low-key.
“The secretary reaffirmed the United States’ enduring friendship and steadfast commitment to Israel’s security,” Matthew Miller, the department spokesman, stated.
The two officials discussed “cooperation on regional challenges, including threats posed by Iran and its regional proxies in Lebanon and elsewhere. They also discussed ongoing efforts to further Israel’s full integration into the Middle East,”[?] Miller added.
Blinken “emphasized the importance of Israel and the Palestinians taking affirmative steps to de-escalate tensions and bolster stability” in Judea and Samaria, per the department’s readout.
The same day, Blinken spoke on the phone with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, according to Miller. While no statement was made about a potential Israel-Saudi normalization deal specifically, Dermer’s visit reportedly revolved around it.
On 1st Saudi visit since ties restored, Iran FM touts Islamic unity, slams ‘Zionists’……..
Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan held a joint press conference in Riyadh on August 17, 2023.
Iran’s top diplomat preached unity and dialogue during a visit to Saudi Arabia on Thursday, his first since the two Middle East rivals announced a surprise rapprochement in March.
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian also took the opportunity to reiterate the Islamic Republic’s support for the Arab Palestinian cause at a time when Riyadh is in discussions with the United States about potentially normalizing ties with Israel.
Such a deal would see Saudi Arabia recognize Israel in exchange for conditions including security guarantees from the United States and concessions from Israel on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Egypt, Jordan voice ‘full support’ for Arab Palestinians, Slam Israel ………..
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Jordan’s King Abdullah met this week and affirmed their “full support” for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and urged Israel to fulfil its obligations in accordance with international law to honour all agreements signed with the Arab Palestinians. Agreements never honoured by the Palestinian Authority either!
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Finding a suitable solution to the Palestinian cause and achieving a just and comprehensive peace is a “strategic option and a regional and international requirement,” the three leaders said in a joint communiqué after the tripartite summit in the Egyptian city of El Alamein.
The summit was held amid ongoing talk about a possible normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia. In their communiqué, Sisi, Abdullah, and Abbas did not make any direct reference to reports about US efforts to broker a deal between Jerusalem and Riyadh.
They stressed their “adherence” to the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, however, which stipulates that the Arab states would normalize their relations with Israel only after a full Israeli withdrawal to the pre-1967 lines and the establishment of an independent and sovereign Arab Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
US Palestinian Affairs Office Silent on Abbas sacking 12 governors………
The U.S. Office of Palestinian Affairs, whose offices are located at the American Embassy to Israel in Jerusalem but which is an entirely separate institution, had “no comment” on Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas’s firing this month of 12 regional governors.
“We don’t have a comment on this. Please reach out to the Palestinian Authority officials/bodies directly,” the office stated in response to a query by the Jewish News Service..
On August 10, Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree removing 12 of his 16 regional governors from their posts, the P.A.’s Wafa news agency reported.
In Judea and Samaria, Abbas ordered the forced retirement of the heads of the P.A.’s governorates of Jenin, Nablus, Qalqilya, Tulkarm, Bethlehem, Hebron, Tubas and Jericho (the latter includes a large section of the Jordan Valley).
Russia’s Putin aims for closer North Korean strategic partnership…………
In a significant move on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un jointly called for enhanced cooperation, particularly within the realm of defence.
This marked yet another instance of the growing rapport between these two historical adversaries of the United States, a trend that has been underscored since the initiation of Russia’s offensive in Ukraine.
Pyongyang characterizes the conflict in Ukraine as a “proxy war” orchestrated by the U.S., aimed at undermining Russia. It has consistently condemned Western military support to Kyiv, echoing Moscow’s rhetoric.
Iran ask Russia to join BRICS in Putin-Raisi phone call…………
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi discussed Iran’s possible future membership of the BRICS grouping during a phone call on Thursday, Russian state news agency TASS reported, citing the Kremlin.
The BRICS grouping of emerging economies – comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – is due to discuss its possible expansion at a summit in South Africa later month.
Putin and Raisi also reaffirmed their support for further developing bilateral ties in trade, transport and logistics, and energy, TASS reported.
US, Japan, South Korea to hold joint exercises, commit to consult in crises……………
The United States, Japan and South Korea will hold years of joint exercises and promise to consult one another in crises, the White House said Friday hours before a three-way summit.
“What the leaders will commit to today is a multi-year planning process for the military exercises in all domains,” Jake Sullivan, President Joe Biden’s national security advisor, told reporters.
Biden, Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will agree to a multiyear going beyond one-off drills in response to North Korea, and will announce a “commitment to consult” during crises, Sullivan said.
As Syria burns, and its economy collapses, fire-fighters appeal for support……….
BEIRUT — As fires rage across Syria’s Mediterranean coast, President Bashar al-Assad visited fire-fighters in the northern countryside of Latakia, a government stronghold.
“You have made great efforts in very difficult circumstances that can be likened to the battles that were taking place,” Assad told them, referring to the country’s devastating decade-long civil war. “There’s terrorists and real battles, and there’s the weather and the wind itself manoeuvring forces from side to side.”
The fires sweeping across north-western Syria this summer have compounded a dire humanitarian situation.
The region, still reeling from two massive earthquakes in February and a grinding economic crisis, remains divided among rival factions and isolated from the world.
Fire-fighters on both sides of the conflict are now trying to confront a common enemy, but are hobbled by a lack of support from the government and the international community.
Ukrainian Update; Drones Target Moscow, Black Sea Fleet………..
An attempted Ukrainian drone strike on Moscow resulted in damage while a Black Sea Fleet corvette came under attack by a drone boat.
Ukraine has launched strikes targeting Moscow as well as the Black Sea Fleet and involving both aerial drones and drone boats, or unmanned surface vehicles (USVs). Videos and photos reveal damage inflicted in the centre of the Russian capital, although the Russian Ministry of Defence has said it thwarted two separate attacks.
At the same time, other footage shows a major blaze at a fuel oil terminal in the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, although it’s not immediately clear if that was the result of a drone strike, another kind of hostile activity, or an accident.
Drone war on Moscow continues
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According to the Russian Ministry of Defence, air defence units downed a Ukrainian drone over Moscow at around 4:00 AM local time yesterday.
“The UAV, after being exposed to air defence weapons, changed its flight path and fell on a non-residential building in the Krasnopresnenskaya embankment area of Moscow,” the ministry said on Telegram. The intended target of the drone strike is not known.
Footage from the Russian capital showed damage to an exhibition centre on the Krasnopresnenskaya embankment, located on the Moskva River, close to the centre of Moscow.
The Washington Post on Thursday revealed new details about a Russian plan to domestically manufacture Iranian Shahed-136 drones. Russia is trying to improve on Iran’s dated manufacturing techniques and is exploring ways to introduce swarming technology as well.
However, the process is at least a month behind schedule already, the Post reported. The drones will be built in a facility 500 miles east of Moscow in the Tatarstan region. The goal is to “domestically build 6,000 drones by summer 2025.”
If it succeeds, “the sprawling new drone factory could help Russia preserve its dwindling supply of precision munitions, thwart Ukraine’s effort to retake occupied territory and dramatically advance Moscow’s position in the drone arms race that is remaking modern warfare.”
The existence of the factory and the cooperation between Russia and Iran is not new. But the Post said the leaked documents it obtained “provide new information” that “despite delays and a production process that is deeply reliant on foreign-produced electronic components, Moscow has made steady progress toward its goal of manufacturing a variant the Iranian Shahed-136, an attack drone capable of traveling more than 1,000 miles.”
Russia’s use of Iranian drones has created widespread destruction across Ukraine. It began in earnest last Autumn and continued throughout the winter, hitting critical power infrastructure and into this year. Just yesterday, a Ukrainian port on the Danube River were hit by a Shahed-136 drone attack.
Still, the plan has troubling implications for Ukraine.
“Russia has a credible way of building over the next year or so a capability to go from periodically launching tens of imported Shahed-136 kamikaze drones against Ukrainian targets to more regularly attacking with hundreds of them,” David Albright, a former U.N. weapons inspector who helped lead the research team that studied the documents, told the Post.
Hurricane Hilary to Strike Southern California – a First Time Warning….
Hurricane Hilary, a powerful storm off Mexico’s Pacific coast, has prompted a first ever tropical storm watch in Southern California, where gusty winds and dangerous flash flooding are expected, as well as other parts of the Desert Southwest.
As Hilary intensifies into a Category 4 hurricane with 140 mph winds it is expected to STRENGTHEN before pummelling the California coast: LA and San Diego brace for first tropical storm to make landfall in 84 years on SUNDAY
Hilary is currently located several hundred miles south-southwest of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and is moving toward the northwest.
A tropical storm watch has been issued for Orange and San Diego Counties. This is the first time the National Hurricane Centre has issued such a watch for Southern California.
Australia’s Intelligence Agencies Are Instructed To Tackle Online “Misinformation” …………
In a robust appeal for accountability, Australian intelligence agencies have been encouraged to counter online “misinformation” that potentially endangers national security. The recommendation comes from a parliamentary committee overseeing Australia’s six intelligence bodies, including the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), the Australian Signals Directorate, and the Australian Secret Intelligence Service.
The committee’s chair, Peter Khalil, announced the recommendation during a parliamentary session. “The committee sees an opportunity for Australia’s intelligence agencies to take an increasing role in sharing information with the Australian public – where appropriate – on matters relating to misinformation, disinformation, and harmful propaganda.”
This push follows a significant increase in what was deemed to be misinformation during the turbulent years of 2020 and 2021, a period accompanied by COVID-19 lockdowns and a rapidly fluctuating security environment. Surprising to some, the parliamentary committee found that this wave of misinformation significantly amplified security concerns, necessitating its robust redressal.
The suggestion to publicly tackle misinformation, while controversial to many free-speech advocates who caution about overreach, is among four recommendations proffered in the committee’s recent annual review. These include enhancing inter-agency information sharing and finding effective solutions to workforce issues within the intelligence community.
Khalil remains steadfast in his conviction that this human-centric approach could be transformative. “The people who work in Australia’s intelligence agencies are our greatest asset,” he said. “By developing a whole of national intelligence community recruitment and retention strategy, Australia will be better positioned to deliver on its intelligence priorities.”
WORLD NEWS BRIEFING – with Tom Hughes and Greg Denham – 17 August 2023
Israel Report Editor; Mike Claydon israelreport@mail.com
“None of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand”. [Daniel 12;10]