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Prophetic Significance of Israel

Large explosion reported at Syrian army missile base

Oct. 31, 2013 -

Strike follows Lebanese media reports that Israeli aircraft circled above southern Lebanon

Details are sketchy, but a Facebook page belonging to a group of Syrian rebels said that a missile fired from the sea struck the military base in Latakia. It was not known if there were any casualties. Many people think that Israel conducted the attack, but so far Israeli sources have declined to comment about it.

Source: Haaretz - This article reports on several other recent Israeli strikes.

Syrian base targeted in blast may have housed advanced missiles - Times of Israel

The shadow war against the Iranian-Hezbollah armament program - Jerusalem Post

Prophetic Significance of Israel

As Iran nears nuclear capability, the West needs to prepare

Oct. 27, 2013 - David Albright, head of The Institution for Science and International Security (ISIS), warns that Iran could finalize production of nuclear weapons in four to six weeks after deciding to do so.

Albright’s forecasts are usually harsher than those of similar research institutions or those made by Western intelligence agencies. The Obama administration believes that it will take Iran a year to produce a nuclear warhead.

It is believed that the final production of warheads would be carried out at several sites that are unknown to the international community, and that it is unlikely that this final step would be discovered.

Meanwhile, discussions with Iran should resume in a few days. Saudi Arabia is critical of U.S. leniency toward Iran, and concerned that Americans will abandon Saudi interests in the final arrangements.

Source: Haaretz

Israel issues warning to Iran over nuclear bomb report - Fox

Israel capable of setting back Iran’s nuclear program, ex-air force chief indicates - Times of Israel

Israel to US: Pass more sanctions, Iran could have material for bomb within weeks - Jerusalem Post

Iran Announces 34 New Nuke Sites - The Washington Free Beacon

US could accept Israeli strike on Iran soon, says former IDF intel chief

Oct. 24, 2013 - Israel's former intelligence chief Amos Yadlin says that the coming year would be the year of decision for Israel on Iran.

The next several months, he said, would provide the last opportunity for Israel to confidently and effectively strike the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program, if that’s what it chooses to do.

Yadlin said that Israel has two other options. They could decide to leave the Iranian issue to the Obama administration, or they could decide to live with a nuclear-capable Iran.

He also said that if America feels that Iran is only trying to buy time to finish their nuclear weapons development, the U.S. might be willing to accept an Israeli attack against Iran.

Source: Times of Israel

‘Israel strikes Hezbollah-bound missile shipment’

Oct. 23, 2013 - According to a Kuwaiti newspaper, Israeli warplanes attacked a convoy of advanced missiles coming from Syria on their way to Hezbollah in Lebanon. There was no comment from Israeli officials.

Source: Times of Israel

Epicenter: Israel hit by four earthquakes in four days. “An earthquake in Israel is more dangerous than war."

Oct. 21, 2013 -

“Officials from the IDF Home Front Command and the emergency services held a status meeting Sunday night to discuss the readiness of the Israeli home front, following a fourth earthquake in northern Israel in just four days."

The meeting was attended by paramedic, firefighting and police services, and members of the Defense, Health and Education ministries. Some of the issues that were discussed were:

- Most buildings in the earthquake area were built before 1990 and are not properly reinforced.
- An earthquake emergency could require a great deal of assistance from around the world.
- A former chief of the Home Front Command has said, “An earthquake in Israel is more dangerous than war.”

Source: Joel Rosenberg's Blog

Fifth quake in six days rattles north - Times of Israel

Former Shin Bet head warns of ‘Palestinian Spring’

Oct. 21, 2013 - Yuval Diskin, a former head of Israel's Shin Bet security agency, warns that the floundering peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians might lead to a massive uprising in the West Bank.

“All of the conditions exist in our situation for the Palestinian masses to rise up... We must bring in Egypt and Jordan to the early stages of the negotiation process.”

Source: Times of Israel

Ex-Shin Bet chief: No chance of peace in current Israeli political climate - Jerusalem Post

Netanyahu: Iran has systematically misled the int'l community, continue the pressure

Oct. 20, 2013 - There have been conflicting and unofficial reports from secret talks that just concluded in Geneva between representatives of Iran and six world leaders. Additional talks are scheduled to begin in about a month. According to some of the reports, the U.S. wants Iran to discontinue the production of weapons-grade uranium and remove its existing stockpile from the country. Iran reportedly would be willing to compromise by removing some its enriched uranium and converting the rest for nuclear power.

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu warned the international community to keep exerting pressure on Iran.

"We must remember that the Iranian regime has systematically misled the international community. . . If the pressure on Iran increases, the likelihood that Iran will dismantle its nuclear arms program will also increase."

Source: Jerusalem Post

Report: Turkey blows cover of Israeli spy network in Iran

Oct. 17, 2013 - A Washington Post column by David Ignatius says that Turkey revealed the identity of up to ten Iranians who were spying for Israel.

Ankara's decision to expose the alleged Mossad informants came early last year as Turkish-Israeli relations continued to deteriorate following the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident.

The affair ended a 50-year working relationship between Israel's Mossad and Turkey.

Source: Jerusalem Post

Ex-spy boss rails against Turkey’s reported betrayal of Mossad - Times of Israel

Turkey Blames Israel for Report on Exposed Spies - Israel National News

Netanyahu makes a case for a preemptive strike

Oct. 15, 2013 - Speaking to members of the Israeli Knesset about lessons learned from the nearly-disastrous Yom Kippur war in 1973, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said,

“The first lesson is to never underestimate a threat, never underestimate an enemy, never ignore the signs of danger. We can’t assume the enemy will act in ways that are convenient for us.”

Three other lessons learned from the Yom Kippur war are:

- We can’t surrender the option of a preventive strike.
- Buffer zones are necessary - Israeli control of the Golan [Heights] and the Sinai Peninsula. . . prevented an enemy penetration deep into the country.
- Peace is attained from a position of strength.

Source: Times of Israel

IDF blames Hamas for ‘terror tunnel’ from Gaza to Israel

Oct. 13, 2013 - Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon halted the transfer of construction materials into the Gaza Strip after his forces discovered and destroyed an extensive tunnel from the Gaza side into Israel. Hamas had evidently been responsible for diverting 500 tons of concrete intended for civilian building into the project.

Security forces last week discovered the terminus of the tunnel some 300 meters inside Israel proper, near Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha in the western Negev, and took several days to render the passage unusable.

Source: Times of Israel

WSJ report: Iran to offer to halt 20% enrichment, close Qom

Oct. 9, 2013 - Iranian officials say that their country will offer to stop enriching uranium to the 20% level of purity and allow international inspections of their nuclear facilities. They may also offer to close the underground uranium-enrichment facility near Qom, but Israeli Minister Yuval Steinitz called the reported proposals a "joke."

"Closing the Qom facility means Iran will be able to produce five instead of six nuclear bombs in the first year, and giving up enrichment at 20% is less meaningful now that Iran has 20,000 centrifuges," Steinitz said.

He said that Israel would agree to a realistic solution - that Iran could continue producing nuclear power, but would have to purchase the nuclear fuel for their reactor from other countries.

Source: Jerusalem Post

Voices soaring in Hebrew, Christians in Jerusalem affirm God’s promise to Israel

Oct. 9, 2013 - Christians from all over the world gathered in Jerusalem to pray for the peace of God's Chosen People. They were celebrating the 10th annual Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem. The event was broadcast around the world by God TV, which reaches 900 million homes.

They were cheering the Jews in the audience, singing in Hebrew, and proclaiming God’s love for the Jewish people and the Jewish state.

The writer of this article says that this scene would have been unimaginable throughout the vast majority of Jewish history. Ne noted that "The diverse crowd was confident, joyous, articulate, and unashamed of its belief in the Bible as the literal word of God and its support for the Jewish people and the state of Israel."

Source: Lazar Berman - Times of Israel

IDF chief: Here’s how our next wars could look

Oct. 8, 2013 - Benny Gantz, The Israeli Defense Force Chief of Staff, says the military is working with a reduced budget, but it is adopting an "extensive streamlining process unprecedented in scope, which has not been done in the IDF for many years." New plans are based on the possibility that stateless enemies may launch attacks on several fronts, including cyber warfare and kidnappings.

Source: Times of Israel

Iran attempts stranglehold on Israel - Iran using Hezbollah to infiltrate Fatah in the West Bank - WND

Israel's Final Warning on Iran - Gatestone Institute

Netanyahu calls for pressure to be kept on Iran, says Israel will stand alone if needed

Oct. 1, 2013 -

UN speech, the session’s last, sees PM stress Rouhani’s central role in savage, deceitful regime; says only sanctions keep Iran from the bomb; urges international community to distrust, dismantle and verify.

Source: Times of Israel

Netanyahu says Israel won’t let Iran get nuclear weapons, even if it stands alone - Washington Post

Netanyahu addresses the United Nations General Assembly - Jerusalem Post

Full text Netanyahu’s 2013 speech to the UN General Assembly [Cites Bible Prophecy!] - Times of Israel

Netanyahu declares to world leaders: “In our time the Biblical prophecies are being realized.” - Joel Rosenberg Blog

Netanyahu: Ayatollah Khamenei ‘heads a cult’ - Times of Israel

Netanyahu takes case against Iran from White House to UN

Oct. 1, 2013 - In a meeting with President Obama, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his conviction that Iran needs to completely dismantle its nuclear program. The president and Iran's leader Hassan Rouhani had a 15-minute phone conversation just three days ago. It was the first time that the presidents of the two nations have spoken since the Islamic revolution in 1979.

President Obama said he told Netanyahu, “We have to test diplomacy.” He did promise that he will not take a U.S. military option off the table if Iran does not cooperate.

“Both the prime minister and I agree, since I came into office, that it is imperative that Iran not possess a nuclear weapon. We do not want to trigger a nuclear arms race in the most volatile region in the world.”

Today Netanyahu will speak at the UN General Assembly. He is expected to condense but dramatize his argument.

Source: Jerusalem Post

Israel’s Netanyahu warns Obama not to be fooled by Iran’s overtures - Washington Post

Iran nuclear talks are key topic as Obama, Netanyahu meet - CNN

Netanyahu Warns Obama: Don't Be Fooled by Iran

Sept. 30, 2013 - The meeting today between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Obama could be tense. President Obama and other world leaders appear to be warming up to Iran because of that country's new President's speech at the U.N. Netanyahu will warn Obama not to be fooled.

He will deliver those strong words of caution — and fresh intelligence — in an attempt to persuade the U.S. to maintain tough economic sanctions and not allow the Islamic republic to develop a bomb or even move closer to becoming a nuclear threshold state.

Source: NewsMax

PM to urge Obama to bolster sanctions, set clear parameters for Iran nuke deal - Times of Israel

Analysis: Rouhani drives wedge between Netanyahu, Obama on Iran issue

Sept. 29, 2013 - For the past six months President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have enjoyed an improved relationship, but it may be put to the test now.

A diplomatic charm offensive by new Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has suddenly opened up a gap between the White House and Netanyahu's government. How they respond could have far-reaching implications for their political legacies.

President Obama and Iran's Rouhani have just had a historic phone call - the highest-level contact between the two countries in three decades. Netanyahu will undoubtedly want Obama to set specific steps and deadlines so that Iran doesn't just "run out the clock" while it advances toward making a nuclear weapon.

It is assumed that Obama will press Netanyahu for time to test Rouhani's intentions, while trying to reassure Israel he will not ease sanctions prematurely.

Source: Jerusalem Post

Netanyahu flies to US in role as spoil-sport to Iranian Rouhani's 'charm offensive' - Jerusalem Post

Netanyahu to compare Iran with North Korea in UN speech

Sept. 24, 2013 - An Israeli official says that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will use his upcoming speech at the U.N. to warn the world not to be fooled by Iran’s new conciliatory attitude toward its nuclear weapons program. He is expected to say, “Iran must not be allowed to repeat North Korea’s ploy to get nuclear weapons.”

By 2007 North Korea had become a nuclear power after engaging in diplomatic negotiations with the West aimed at preventing it from developing such weapons.

Source: Jerusalem Post

Iran nuclear issue and Syria to dominate UN assembly - US President Barack Obama is expected to signal a new openness towards Iran in an address to the assembly. - BBC

Iran set for U.N. charm offensive - Iran's President Hasan Rouhani will address the United Nations for the first time Tuesday - USA Today

At UN, Israel likely to stand alone against Iran - Times of Israel

Obama's startling linkage of Iran and Israeli-Palestinian peace - Jerusalem Post

UN shoots down Arab push to condemn Israeli nuclear policy

Sept. 20, 2013 The United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency voted down an Arab League resolution to single out Israel for criticism over its alleged nuclear arsenal. The vote was 51 to 43, with 32 nations abstaining.

Source: Times of Israel

Bennett to Christians: Stop the lies - Jerusalem isn’t occupied - Jerusalem Post

'Jerusalem' IMAX Movie By National Geographic Is Just Stunning (EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS) (VIDEO)

Sept. 19, 2013 - See the video preview and still shots from National Geographics' amazing new IMAX movie about Jerusalem!

Source: Huffington Post

IMAX Theatre to Debut National Geographic's JERUSALEM, 9/23 - Broadway World

YouTube Preview of "Jerusalem"

Netanyahu to meet Obama, urge more pressure on Iran

Sept. 17, 2013 - Later this month Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu will be in the U.S. to speak at the United Nations General Assembly. He told his cabinet that he plans to meet first with President Obama to urge a real stop to Iran's nuclear program.

The prime minister presented four criteria for doing so: ”1. Halting all uranium enrichment; 2. Removing all enriched uranium; 3. Closing Qom; and 4. stopping the plutonium track.”

He is evidently raising this issue because of news that the US might be willing to lift or reduce some sanctions on Iran in return for diplomatic progress.

Source: Times of Israel

Iran confirms Rouhani and Obama letter exchange - Jerusalem Post

Israel has 80 nuclear warheads, can make 115 to 190 more, report says

Sept. 15, 2013 -Experts at the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, proliferation claim that Israel has 80 nuclear warheads and enough fissile material for an additional 115 to 190. They stopped producing the weapons in 2004.

The new figures agree with the 2013 Stockholm International Peace Research Institute yearbook on armament and international security. The yearbook estimated 50 of Israel's nuclear warheads were for medium-range ballistic missiles and 30 were for bombs carried by aircraft.

Source: Los Angeles Times

Declassified: Israel nearly used nukes in Yom Kippur War - Israel Today

Obama-Putin deal didn’t stop at chemical Syria: US eases sanctions on nuclear Iran

Sept. 14, 2013 - In quiet discussions between Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Obama, easing of sanctions with Iran was also considered.

The Russian leader appears to have assured Obama that an agreed formula for defusing the Syrian chemical weapons issue without military force would provide the key to progress in nuclear talks with Iran.

Source: DEBKAfile

An Israeli Strike on Iran Just Got More Likely - New Republic

Security forces on high alert as Israelis mark Yom Kippur

Sept. 13, 2013 - As Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, begins in Israel, checkpoints are closed and security measures are in effect.

Expecting many thousands of Jewish worshipers to gather at the Western Wall in Jerusalem at the start of Yom Kippur Friday evening, police have preemptively undertaken numerous security measures to safeguard them for the duration of the fast, which ends on Saturday evening.

Source: Jerusalem Post

Editor's Note: The Yom Kippur War began 40 years ago by a sneak attack from Israel's enemies while the nation was observing this most-holy day. Israel almost lost this war, but God preserved them.

Account of King Hussein’s 1973 war warning still deemed too harmful to release - Times of Israel

Golda Meir: ‘My heart was drawn to a preemptive strike, but I was scared’ - Times of Israel

Ya'alon: Israelis can relax over Rosh Hashana holiday, IDF not interfering in Syria

Sept. 4, 2013 - Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon told his troops that Israelis can relax over the upcoming Rosh Hashana holiday because Israel is not planning to interfere in Syria and its enemies understand the price of attacking Israel.

Source: Jerusalem Post

Peres: Assad has no right to lead, will disappear - Times of Israel

The Feasts of Israel - Prophecy Central

Rosh Hashanah - Time for our annual "Rapture Drill" - 2011 article from Ron's Blog

Israel announces successful joint missile test with US in Med, after Russia detects launch

Sept. 3, 2013 - Israel's Ministry of Defense annoounced that it had conducted a successful missile drill in concert with the US Missile Defense Agency in the Mediterranean. The test involved the firing and tracking of a Sparrow-type target missile. The exercise had been detected by Russian radar.

Source: Jerusalem Post

As Obama stalls on Syria, Netanyahu says Israel is 'calm and confident in itself'

Sept. 2, 2013 - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not shaken by President Obama's remarks Saturday that he would seek Congressional approval before striking Syria.

"Israel is calm and confident in itself," Netanyahu said at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting. "The citizens of Israel know very well that we are prepared for any possible scenario," he said, without mentioning Syria or referring directly to Obama's statement.

Source: Jerusalem Post