ISRAEL REPORT
Welcome back to Mike Claydon and his well informed Israel Report. Don’t forget, Israel is God’s time clock and the ticking is increasing in tempo. stay alert!
Gibber! Gibber!
Chugley
How long shall the wicked triumph?
Editorial’
We now live in an epoch unknown and remarkable to any other generation that has inhabited this planet.
The technology alone is witness to that. We can fly around the world in hours, orbit the earth from space, communicate over ten’s of thousands of miles in seconds, survey minute objects from hundreds of satellites, engineer the weather, and digitalise just about everything. If the Apostles were alive today they would be absolutely baffled by what is available to us today. Yet, with all this advancement humanity is now in more turmoil and existential danger than ever. Jesus spoke of the possibility of such eventual violence that all flesh would perish if not for His final intervention. For those few in the church today who believe and follow the Biblical prophets of the Old and News testaments it is becoming starkly obvious that practically everything foretold is now in place for a time never experienced before – labelled the “Time of Jacob’s Trouble”. [Jeremiah 30;7] Many though are beginning to voice concern and despair over what they see as an inordinate delay in Christ’s return for His church. They never expected to see so much prophetic fulfilment within their lifetime. Those that watched as Israel was quite suddenly declared a nation in 1948 – and Jerusalem liberated in 1967, were buoyed by constant victories against overwhelming odds in the many wars that followed. They were consequently convinced that they would not die and be alive at His return for them. Now many are very ill and dying, and some have already gone ahead of them in death. One dear subscriber wrote lamenting that she is now experiencing a permanent crick in her neck from looking upward! These are not scoffers, nor in unbelief, simply discouraged by a testing that seems endless. Their prayers seem not to be answered, and the evil schemes of a cadre of the elite continue to bring lawlessness and tyranny ever closer – they fear they will be forced to comply with regulations for them to even survive – digital ID’s, vaccine passports, inoculation mandates, and freedom of speech and movement threatened. Legislation now enacted globally will severely restrict the ability to present the Christian Gospel, and those who attempt to do so could well lose everything in the days ahead. To many this is a current reality. It is so easy to speak glibly about a coming persecution when all is going swimmingly and the blessings flow freely. When it becomes a possibility that unless we comply to outrageous government demands our livelihood, home, and security may be taken from us, our attitude can change from courage to fear and despair very rapidly. Let us be honest. This is exactly the situation we now face as Christian believers. As time races on more and more dangers appear. War with Russia, China, Iran and North Korea, new and supposedly deadly pandemics real or imagined, cities where every move is monitored, social behaviour scored, buying and selling restricted, As all of God’s creation is being challenged and overturned we ask, where is our Lord, why is He not challenging and judging the dreadful attempts to erase his boundaries, laws, and truths in our day? We could fill several pages with the naming of the Satanically inspired upheavals within human society today. It seems to be crashing in upon us as a giant and unstoppable wave of tsunami force sweeping away all opposition and remonstration before it. Those who are making an attempt to arrest its imposition are often mowed down as skittles and silenced. The most distressing fact of all is that the wicked oppressors have gone so far as to impugn God’s character in order to excuse their evil deeds. They have attributed their prolonged success as sinners to God’s ignorance or indifference. “God does not see,” they claim, “and if He does, He must not care”. Little wonder, then, that we appeal to God to act not only to defend His people, but also to vindicate His reputation. So, it is a perfectly natural question to ask isn’t it really? Why has our Lord not already intervened to defend His righteous holiness, to punish those that are overturning His creation in a crazy rush to lower the earth’s population, to enslave us all under tyrannical rule, and annihilate His people to make way for the devil to become the supreme and final ruler of this world? Millennia ago, whoever penned Psalm 94 [perhaps King David] had sunk into the same despondency. It is an appeal to God to save His people in a time of great threat to the nation. He appeared to the writer to be unwilling to do anything about the present danger, to be oblivious to the coming storm upon His people.
“O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongs; O God, to whom vengeance belongs, show yourself. Lift up yourself, you judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud. LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph? How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves? They break in pieces your people, O LORD, and afflict your heritage. They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless. Yet they say, The LORD shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it. Understand, you senseless among the people: and you fools, when will you be wise? He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see? He that chastises the nations, shall he not correct? he that teaches man knowledge, shall he not know? The LORD knows the thoughts of man, that they are vanity. Blessed is the man whom you chasten, O LORD, and teach him out of your law; That you may give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit is dug for the wicked. For the LORD will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance. But judgment shall return unto righteousness: and all the upright in heart shall follow it. Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity? Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence. When I said, My foot slips; your mercy, O LORD, held me up. In the multitude of my thoughts within me your comforts delight my soul. Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with you, which frames mischief by a law? They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood. But the LORD is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge. And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the LORD our God shall cut them off!”And he did then! And He will do so again VERY soon – He will not see His precious people of our time scorned, maligned, arrested, imprisoned, bullied or killed for very much longer. His fury has come up before His face and like the sword of Damocles His righteous hand hangs above those who have dared to overturn His Will for mankind and His particular people. Look up, your redemption is TRULY at hand.
Rosh Hashanah
The Jewish community lit its candles for Shabbat this evening, September 15, signifying the arrival of the Jewish new year, 5784, for Rosh Hashanah (“Head of the Year”) celebrations. It also marks the beginning of the Days of Awe that end on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, 10 days later. Globally, millions of Evangelicals will express genuine greetings especially toward Israel, our spiritual homeland. Delicious apples and honey treats served at the dinner table reflect wishes for a sweet new year. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu hosted the annual pre-Rosh Hashanah toast at his official office in Jerusalem, wishing attendees the traditional greeting of “a good and sweet year.” “I wish that we may all, this year, have more unity among the people, less division among us, and it starts with all of us—or at least most of us—remembering that we are one people, with one state, one army, a common past and a common future,” said Netanyahu. “In a democracy, there are always disagreements; that is the nature of democracy. However, if we agree to agree, we can reach consensus. This is our aspiration. I think that it is possible,” he added in reference to the ongoing internal debate in the country over the government’s judicial reform initiative. Entering 5784, Israel simultaneously inhabits two contradictory realities. The nation thrives with bold innovations, long-desired alliances in the Abraham Accords, and countries newly locating their embassies in Jerusalem. The covenant-keeping God of Heaven has kept His eternal promises, preserving a Jewish remnant for thousands of years and into their new year 5784. Unfortunately, the waves of hate—and those choosing to ignore facts about the world’s only Jewish state—are still intruding into the chosen people’s history, decisions, and privileged stature as a parliamentary democracy. And some of Israel’s most dangerous security challenges are escalating, as are the signs of the coming tribulation. First Yassar Arafat, and now Mahmoud Abbas—Arafat’s 40-year terror sidekick—have rejected Israel’s consistent efforts to restart stalled peace talks. Without fail, criticisms also emerge not only from segments of the U.S. Congress, but also from the United Nations, European Union, and others when Israel is forced to defend its civilians. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem and the salvation of God’s precious Jewish people.
Saudis insist Arab Palestinians MUST be part of Israel Peace Deal………
Saudi Arabia has let the Biden administration know that resolving Palestinian issues is critical for any normalization deal with Israel, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. “It is also clear from what we hear from the Saudis that if this process is to move forward, the [Arab] Palestinian piece is going to be very important too,” he said on Wednesday in an interview with the podcast Pod Save the World. He spoke as the Biden administration has been increasingly public about its pursuit of a security pact with Saudi Arabia that would include a normalization deal with Israel. Such a deal would come on top of the US-backed 2020 Abraham Accords, in which Israel agreed to suspend the annexation of West Bank [Judea and Samaria] settlements in exchange for normalization deals with four Arab countries: the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan. Israeli normalization with the Arab world and “any of the efforts that are going on to improve relations between Israel and its neighbours cannot be a substitute for Israel and the Palestinians resolving their differences and having a much better future for Palestinians,” Blinken said. “In our judgment that needs to involve a two-state solution” he explained. Israel’s ambassador to the US, Mike Herzog, said he believed there was a window of opportunity with regard to a Saudi deal. He pledged that Israel would do everything it could to ensure that an agreement would come to fruition. . During a panel discussion for the Washington-based think tank the Atlantic Council, Herzog said he hoped the Palestinians would seize the opportunity to join the process, rather than oppose it, as they did the Abraham Accords. “I was hoping when we broke through to the Abraham Accords that the Palestinians would realize that this would benefit them as well. Instead, they chose to oppose it, to fight it,” Herzog said. He speculated that the Palestinians might have little choice here, given that it would be hard for them to stand against Saudi Arabia. “If we move ahead with Saudi Arabia it will be much more difficult for the Palestinians to confront Saudi Arabia,” Herzog said. “There is an opportunity and I hope that they will draw the conclusion and that, rather than trying to block the tide, they will join, and ultimately I think that is important,” Herzog continued. Even members of Netanyahu’s own Likud Party have baulked at the idea of linking Israel’s foreign policy with its treatment of the Arab Palestinians. On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Eli Cohen told his Norwegian counterpart, Anniken Huitfeldt, during a Jerusalem meeting that “Israel will not submit to external dictates on the issue of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We will work to expand the Abrahamic agreements,” he said, explaining that states and entities “that will not participate in expanding and deepening the circle of peace and normalization will simply be left behind and become irrelevant.
” Israeli Air Force stages major drill in Greece practicing potential Long-Range strike on Iran………..
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) staged a major long-range strike drill in Greece this week, the latest in a series of drills aimed at preparing the military for a potential strike on Iran and its nuclear facilities. The Israeli military said Thursday that the joint two-day-long drill with the Hellenic Air Force included long-range flights, aerial refuelling, low-altitude flights and the use of live fire. During the drill, dozens of IAF fighter jets, as well as spy planes and refuelling aircraft, flew thousands of kilometres from Israel to Greece and back, the Israel Defence Forces said.
Revolutionary Guards Chief warns Israel’s life ‘will be cut short’ if it Attacks Iran…….
In an apparent retort to recent warnings by Mossad Director David Barnea, the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps boasted Thursday that should Israel threaten Iran’s security, its “life will be cut short.” “The Zionists are grappling with many problems, and signs of their decline are evident. Thus, they have resorted to empty rhetoric and threats to assassinate our commanders,” Major General Hossein Salami [pictured above] said in comments carried by multiple Iranian outlets, including Tasnim and Press TV. “Go ahead if your previous assassination operations have increased your security. However, you should know that if you make threats against [Iran’s] security, we will have more options and your life will be cut short.”
China Latest air and sea drills near Taiwan could Signal Surprise Attack Strategy………….
China’s People’s Liberation Army has mobilized aircraft from different theatre commands to take part in an “island encirclement patrol” near Taiwan, which experts said could signal a new strategy to prepare for regional military conflicts. The aircraft drills coincided with joint sea and air training conducted by the PLA’s Shandong aircraft carrier in the western Pacific Ocean since early this week. According to earlier reports it involved a total of 42 naval ships from the Eastern and Southern Theatre Commands. A post on the Eastern Theatre Command’s WeChat account said its pilots and ground crews were taking part in long-distance, cross-theatre exercises to practice landing and taking off from unfamiliar airports. Without saying when the drills took place, the post said the pilots had spent more than 10 hours conducting non-stop flights. Pictures on the social media platform showed fighter jets such as the J-10, J-16 and Su-30 flying at night and during the day, while drills covered operations such as repairs, refuelling, weapon replacement and emergency response. Zhou Chenming, a researcher from the Beijing-based Yuan Wang military science and technology think tank, said the fighter jets involved in the drill would also take part in Beijing’s regular ‘island encirclement patrol’ near Taiwan. “Like the island encirclement patrol, cross-theatre drills have become routine, taking place in the Taiwan Strait and western Pacific, which is part of combat-readiness training to prepare for the outbreak of a Taiwan contingency,” Zhou said. Zhou said mobilizing different forces from its theatre commands would put the PLA at an advantage when dealing with potential challenges from joint US-Japan forces.
Iran Update………
Iran is forming a tribal militia in eastern Syria likely to advance its campaign to expel the United States from Syria. The coalition between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Arab tribes in Deir ez Zor Province is fracturing amid clashes over long-standing grievances. Pro-regime forces launched attacks and conducted sabotage in SDF-controlled territory in late August and early September. They also directed tribal leaders to attack the US-led international coalition. These actions are consistent with the coordinated campaign that Iran, Russia, and the Syrian regime began forming in November 2022 to expel the United States from Syria. Iran has long sought to build connections with Arab tribes in eastern Syria to form militias and acquire leverage against the United States and the SDF. Iran, Russia, and the Syrian regime have been coordinating to expel the United States from Syria. Cultivating an anti-US grassroots resistance movement that conducts attacks on US forces is one component of Iran’s campaign. Iran has demonstrated an interest in using forces in SDF territory to further its campaign. The IRGC Quds Force recruited Syrians to establish “sleeper cells” in SDF-controlled territory to attack US forces in June 2023 and tasked them to monitor US positions, plant explosive devices, and spread clan strife in the SDF region. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps transported advanced weapons and weapons development experts to Damascus airport, likely to replenish Iran’s military development and defence capacity in Syria after frequent Israeli interdictions. An IRGC-affiliated civilian aircraft flew several types of anti-tank guided missiles, military development specialists, and IRGC special forces to Damascus from Iran on September 13. Israeli Air Force airstrikes destroyed shared Iranian and Syria weapons caches, development centres, and air defences in Hama and Tartus Province hours after the IRGC weapons shipment arrived in Damascus. Israel’s airstrike campaign in March and April 2023 hit over 30 air defence and advanced conventional weapons related targets. The campaign has continued since April, at a rate of roughly two airstrikes a month.[The IRGC has needed to continually replenish weapons destroyed in the campaign. Lebanese Hezbollah transferred two air defence systems capable of downing drones to Rif Dimashq province on September 13. Iran transfers conventional air defence weapons to Syria to bolster its military entrenchment and defensive capabilities. The IRGC, Iranian-backed militias, and the Syrian regime continually rebuild their air defence coverage after Israeli airstrikes.
Ukraine Update……
Today’s news from the war in Ukraine was understandably dominated by the latest attack on the Russian Black Sea Fleet port at Sevastopol, in occupied Crimea. Suffice it to say, it appears that Ukrainian cruise missiles may well have accounted for the loss — or at least the serious damage — of a Russian Navy Kilo class submarine and a Ropucha class landing ship. If it turns out to be the case that the Kilo was destroyed in this way, that would apparently be the first time in history that a cruise missile has successfully struck a submarine in a conflict scenario. Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, placed the attack on Sevastopol in the context of the ongoing ‘grain war’ with Russia, describing efforts to knock out elements of the Black Sea Fleet as “the only correct response to Russia’s attempts to turn hunger into a weapon and the only way to ensure uninterrupted grain supplies to the countries of the east and Africa.” In a post on social media, Podolyak added: “The demilitarisation of the Russian Black Sea fleet is a real long-term guarantee of security for regional trade routes and the grain corridor. The way to do this is to build up the capacity of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including by expanding the range of weapons. We can already see the results of this in Sevastopol. A professional and meaningful statement”.
Kim and Vlad Meet…..
Meanwhile, North Korean leader King Jong Un has met with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in Vladivostok, as has been expected. It’s a further sign of the burgeoning relationship between Moscow and Pyongyang — one that could have a significant effect on the war in Ukraine. In a meeting that took place at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia’s far eastern Amur region, Kim pledged to support Russia in what he described as a “sacred fight” against the West at large. Although details of a rumoured deal involving the expected transfer of more North Korean artillery ammunition were not disclosed, the talks did touch upon possible Russian assistance for North Korea’s ‘space program,’ and, more broadly, “opportunities for bilateral military-technical cooperation.” Kim added: “Russia has risen to a sacred fight to protect its sovereignty and security. We will always support the decisions of President Putin and the Russian leadership … and we will be together in the fight against imperialism.” Reportedly, Kim confirmed that he had reached an agreement with Putin that would see the two countries deepen their “strategic and tactical cooperation and solidarity in the struggle to defend sovereign rights and security.” It has just been revealed that North Korea has agreed to send three-hundred-thousand (300,000) to five-hundred thousand (500,000) troops to Russia to assist with its Special Military Operation in Ukraine, against NATO. The first deployment will be about 20,000 soldiers to assist with Logistics. North Korea will also deliver to Russia, the new KN-09 Multiple Launch Rocket For his part, Putin said: “We, of course, need to talk about questions of economic cooperation and questions of a humanitarian nature. We have a lot of questions.” Maybe one would be; why is Kim attempting to build a space program whilst his citizens starve?
Ukrainian Orthodox Church property is being seized over “ties to Moscow”
Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko on Friday ordered the closure of 74 churches belonging to the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), citing its alleged “direct ties” to the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Klitschko’s decree is similar to that used to seize the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, or Monastery of the Caves, which Ukrainian police stormed last month. The world-famous holy site, which is nearly 1,000 years old, was handed over to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, a rival organization set up by the government in 2018.
Nasa releases Groundbreaking ‘UFO’ Report as it pushes for improved tracking and use of AI in search for Alien Life………
NASA has released its ground-breaking UFO report as the space agency pushes for improved tracking using artificial intelligence (AI) to help search for alien life. The report, conducted by 16 experts from NASA, examined how data about unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAPs, is collected across the US government and private sectors. NASA defines UAPs as events in the sky that cannot be identified as aircraft or known natural phenomena from a scientific perspective. The space agency highlights how the study of UAP presents a “unique scientific opportunity that demands a rigorous, evidence-based approach. Addressing this challenge will require new and robust data acquisition methods, advanced analysis techniques, a systematic reporting framework and reducing reporting stigma.” When discussing the report during Thursday’s conference, NASA boss Bill Nelson said the study did not determine that UAPs have an extra-terrestrial origin.“Coupled with incomplete data archiving and curation, this means that the origin of numerous UAP remain uncertain,” the study said. However, Nelson said that if NASA finds evidence of alien life, you can “bet your boots” it will be disclosed to the public. “While today is a significant step for NASA, it’s certainly not our final step,” Nelson said. He continued by saying that the space agency will utilize AI and machine learning (ML) to help search for alien life across the galaxy. Nelson said that research based on findings from the James Webb Space Telescope suggests that there are at least a trillion Earth-like planets. “In a universe that is so vast – of course, I believe that there is a replication of Earth somewhere out there,” Nelson said. Yes, hold tight = the “Great Reveal” can’t be far away now?
WORLD NEWS BRIEFING – with – Tom Hughes and Pablo Frascino – 14 September 2023
Israel Report Editor; Mike Claydon israelreport@mail.com