Tag Archives: Israel

Massive Sandstorm Strikes Middle East

An out-of-season sandstorm has struck the Middle East causing thousands to have medical issues and reducing visibility in region.

The Times of Israel called the storm “a brownish-yellow fog throughout the country.”  The storm has been working across Israel and into Lebanon, Iraq and Syria.  Meteorologists say the storm will be followed by an intense heat wave that will last through the weekend.

Health officials through the region are telling residents to stay inside to avoid breathing problems.  Schools were either closed to keep children inside to avoid the fine particulates in the air.

The head of a major hospital in Damascus told reporters that over 1,200 people had been treated for breathing problems.  At least 100 of the victims were children.

“It is unbelievable. This must be some test,” said Mansour, a Damascus resident, who gave only his first name told the Associated Press. “It’s hot. Temperatures are high and above that we have this dusty weather! It is something beyond reasonable. Enough please!”

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that some villages such as al-Mayadeen were so short of medical supplies that they ran out of oxygen canisters and had to turn away victims of the storm.

Iranian Naval Vessels Confront US Navy Daily

US naval ships operating in the Strait of Hormuz have been reporting daily contacts with Iranian vessels and aircraft.

“US Naval forces are routinely approached by Iranian warships and aircraft as they operate in the region, with the majority of all interaction by the Iranians conducted in a safe and professional manner,” a Pentagon official confirmed to the Washington Free Beacon. “This happens on a near daily basis.”

The Strait is considered a vital shipping lane for the region and US forces have patrolled the area to keep ships safe from interference from Iran and terror groups.

The Iranian ships and drones appear to be videotaping the US forces.  An Iranian government news agency released footage of some of the flights including a close up inspection of a US aircraft carrier.

“The latest IRGC operation is a mission to identify an American aircraft carrier passing through the region, carried out by a navy reconnaissance plane called the Harbin Y-2,” the report said.

Pentagon officials say they are recording the incidents.

“During these interactions we, too, capture imagery for the record,” the official said. “Safe, professional, and routine interactions are of no concern, and we are fully confident in the ability of US Naval forces to defend themselves. We also publicly acknowledge those interactions with the Iranians which we consider to be unsafe.”

Iranian officials have restated their intent to support groups that will attack Israel or the US.

“I officially declare that under no circumstances will we refrain from providing material and moral support to Hezbollah, or to any group of the resistance to the US and Israel,” said Hossein Dehghan, Iran’s defense minister, earlier this month.

ISIS “Mein Kampf” Document Discovered

Intelligence officials are calling a document found in Pakistan as the ISIS version of “Mein Kampf” that blames Israel for the rise of the terrorist group and calls President Obama “the mule of the Jews.”

“It reads like the caliphate’s own Mein Kampf,” said a U.S. intelligence official, who reviewed the document. “While the world is watching videos of beheadings and crucifixions in Iraq and Syria the Islamic State is moving into North Africa the Middle East, and now we see it has a strategy in South Asia. It’s a magician’s trick, watch this hand and you’ll never see what the other is doing.”

The document, “A Brief History of the Islamic State Caliphate (ISC), The Caliphate According to the Prophet,” is aimed to recruit Pakistani and Afghani Taliban members into ISIS.  The document provides the group’s version of their history along with various battle plans that would make their leader ruler of the world.

“Accept the fact that this caliphate will survive and prosper until it takes over the entire world and beheads every last person that rebels against Allah,” it proclaims. “This is the bitter truth, swallow it.”

Retired Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn called the document “a red flag to which we must pay attention.”

“If I were in their shoes, I would say, ‘We are winning, we are achieving our objectives,’” Flynn said. “They have demonstrated an incredible level of resiliency and they will not be defeated by military means alone.”

Captured Hamas Terrorist Gives Up Tunnel Locations

Israel’s Shin Bet General Security Service announced Tuesday they had captured a Hamas terrorist who has given up a trove of information on the terrorist group’s tunnel system into Israel.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has confirmed much of the terrorist’s information including a tunnel in the area of the Kerem Shalom border crossing.  The IDF says they are working “around the clock” to take care of the threat from the newly discovered tunnels.

The terrorist, Ibraheem Adel Shehadeh Shaer, was a tunnel digger for the terror group.  In addition to the locations of new parts to the Hamas tunnel system, Shaer provided information emergency procedures and how they plan to use the tunnels to attack Israel.

Shaer told Shin Bet that Iran provided cash to Hamas along with advanced weapons and electronic equipment.  Some of the advanced equipment is designed to interfere with the control signals for Israeli drone aircraft.

The fighter detailed the advanced units of Hamas along with the group’s anti-tank and anti-aircraft capabilities.  He also gave up the location of observation posts and photographic capabilities into Israel.

Shaer also confirmed that Hamas commanders keep weapons and explosives in their homes around their families because of fear of Israeli airstrikes.

Hamas Strikes Israel; IDF Responds with Air Strikes

Two terrorist attacks were carried out against Israel in the last 24 hours, resulting in a stern response from the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).

The first was a car attack against Israeli soldiers in the West Bank. Three soldiers were standing along a road in the northern West Bank when the Palestinian driver drove straight into them.  Two of the soldiers were seriously wounded with the third suffering slight injuries.

“We welcome the brave attack that was carried out against the Zionists,” a Hamas spokesperson said, according to the Hebrew-language Maariv website.

“We demand from our people in the West Bank to carry out more attacks, in order to teach the occupation a lesson,” the Hamas statement continued.

Then Friday two rockets were fired by Hamas toward Israel that landed in the Gaza Strip.  The rockets never made it across the Israeli border and no reports of damage or injuries were reported by Hamas.

However, the Israeli Defense Forces struck against Hamas, continuing the policy that Israel will retaliate for any attempted attack upon them by the terrorist group.

“The IDF, by means of Israeli air force aircraft, attacked the Hamas terror organization’s infrastructure in the central Gaza Strip a short time ago,” the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit announced in a press release.

“The attack was executed in response to the rocket fire at Israeli territory earlier in the afternoon,” the military said. “Hamas is the party responsible for what takes place in the Gaza Strip.”

The IDF reported a direct hit against their target.

U.S. Pledges to Defend Israel from Iranian Attacks

The United States has told Israeli officials that if Iran attacks the nation in any way, the U.S. will be there to defend them.

“We have an ally relationship. The word ‘ally’ means something to us. It means that if you are attacked, we will defend you. That is what an ally relationship means… We use that term sparingly,” the senior defense official told the Times of Israel.

“We think that this deal decreases the need and likelihood of an attack. That’s why we signed it. We understand that military action is always an option. It’s an option for the United States,” the official said. “It’s an option for Israel. But the goal is to have an agreement that makes a military attack less needed. But Israel has the right to self-defense. We understand that.”

The two nations are reportedly working on a new “memorandum of understanding” that will increase America’s defense commitment to Israel.

The officials told the Times that administration officials are not pleased with Iran’s continued calls for wiping Israel off the map.

“That is not the way countries should act in today’s world,” the official said of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei’s calls for Israel’s annihilation. “That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t sign a deal that helps decrease the likelihood of them becoming a nuclear state. That’s the very reason we signed it.”

Israeli Archaeologists Unearth Gate of Gath

The Biblical city of Gath has been discovered in the Judean foothills.

The scientists with Bar-Ilan University discovered the fortifications and the gate to the city.  Gath was once home to Goliath, the giant slain by David as described in 1 Samuel 17.  The city was destroyed in 830 B.C. by Aramean King Hazael as described in 2 Kings 12:17.

Professor Aren Maeir, who is heading up the project, says the discovery is among the largest ever found in Israel and provides “substantial evidence” that Gath was a significant part of the Philistine empire.

The archeologists also found many other artifacts of life in Gath, including jugs that are nearly 3,000 years old, one featuring a rust-red frame and black spiral indicating the ancient Greek art found in the Philistine’s original region in the Aegean.

A temple and an iron production facility have also been found during the excavation.

The scientists said the temple has two pillars that are similar to the Samson story in Judges 28.  They say that the discovery shows the design with the pillars was common in Philistine architecture.

Dr. Maeir also said they have found evidence of the ongoing wars between the nation of Israel and the Philistines although people shouldn’t get too hopeful about one particular find.

“It doesn’t mean that we’re one day going to find a skull with a hole in its head from the stone that David slung at him, but it nevertheless tells that this reflects a cultural milieu that was actually there at the time,” Maeir said.

Tensions High in Israel Following Alleged Jewish Terror Attack

An attack on two Palestinian homes in the West Bank that burned the homes and killed an 18-month-old boy is causing a major increase in the region’s tension.

The buildings were marked with graffiti that lead authorities to believe it was carried out by Jewish terrorists.  A star of David was painted on one building along with the message “Long live the Messiah.”

The family of the murdered boy has been hospitalized in critical condition, including a 4-year-old-boy.

“I am shocked by the murder of Ali Dawabshe,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a statement released on Facebook.  “This is a reprehensible and horrific act of terrorism in every respect. The State of Israel takes a strong line against terrorism regardless of who the perpetrators are. I have ordered the security forces to use all means at their disposal to apprehend the murderers and bring them to justice forthwith. The Government of Israel is united in its strong opposition to such deplorable and awful acts. On behalf of the citizens of Israel, I would like to share in the sorrow of the family of Ali Dawabshe and wish a quick recovery to the family members who were injured.”

The Palestinian Authority said they will take the Israeli government in front of the International Criminal Court and say that the action is a war crime by the Israeli government.

Other nations around the world condemned the attack but welcomed Israel’s position they will go after the terrorists and bring them to justice.

“[The U.S.] condemns in the strongest possible terms last night’s vicious terrorist attack in the Palestinian village of Duma. We convey our profound condolences to the Dawabsha family and extend our prayers for a full recovery to those injured,” US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said.

“We welcome Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu’s order to Israel’s security forces to use all means at their disposal to apprehend the murderers for what he called an act of terrorism and bring them to justice.”

Both Netanyahu and Israeli President Reuben Rivlin visited the family at the hospital and told them they would seek swift justice to whoever carried out the attack.

Palestinians have already begun to carry out acts of terrorism in response to the Thursday night action.  Israelis across the nation are reporting various acts of arson by Palestinians.  Israeli cars have been hit by gunfire and at least one policeman was wounded in an attack at the Temple Mount.

Whose Side Are You On?

In the news, Iran celebrates while chanting ‘Death to Israel and America’. Israel reels from a proposed contract that threatens their nation’s very existence and leaders of our American government congratulate themselves on making a deal regarding nuclear weapon capabilities with Iran.  As a lifelong, passionate student of the Word of God, I should be saying that this doesn’t surprise me.  Although the Bible has been warning of these last days and what will happen, I would not have imagined that America would turn on Israel as it has now. I am witnessing what is happening with my own eyes all the while knowing deep in my heart that it is our relationship with Israel that has that has kept us from Judgment rather than ‘given us grace with God’.   It seems the world has gone topsy turvy.  What made sense in our lives even a year ago in our country and around the world has changed. What do we do? Continue reading →

U.S To Release Israeli Spy on November 20

An Israeli official has told reporters that the United States will release Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard on November 20th.

Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked confirmed the spy’s release on Twitter.

The likelihood of the release of Pollard was exposed Friday by the Wall Street Journal but the comment from Shaked is the first official confirmation of Pollard’s release. The Journal said the release of Pollard is an attempt to appease Israel over the Iran nuclear deal. The Obama administration denied the Journal’s claims.

“The Department of Justice has always and continues to maintain that Jonathan Pollard should serve his full sentence for the serious crimes he committed, which in this case is a 30-year sentence as mandated by statute,” said Department of Justice spokesman Marc Raimondi.

Pollard was arrested in 1985, convicted and sentenced to life in prison for his actions. He is the only American to be sentenced to life in prison for passing secrets to an American ally.

Supporters of Pollard had called for his release for years, saying the information provided to Israel caused no damage to the U.S. and was information that Israel could already access; he also is suffering from health issues such as diabetes and high blood pressure.