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Monday, July 17, 2006
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MIDEAST CRISIS
Jerusalem . 7/16/2006
Israeli officials have today declared an official state of emergency in
northern Israel, giving them the ability to order closed all businesses,
public
institutions and schools. This comes as thousands of stricken residents
continue to flee the Galilee region for hopefully safer areas in the middle
of
the country. This follows today's unprecedented Hizbullah rocket attacks
upon strategic targets located along Haifa Bay, which significantly
increases
the chances that the region will erupt into a much larger conflict, as I
will explain below.
Late reports say residents in the Tel Aviv area are being warned to prepare
for possible rocket assaults upon Israel's largest urban center following
Hizbullah
threats today to launch a "full war" upon Israel. Such longer-range
Hizbullah missiles are believed to be directly controlled and manned by
Iranian Revolutionary
Guards who have been stationed for many years with Hizbullah forces in south
Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley.
FULLSCALE MIDEAST WAR?
When I sent out my technically-delayed monthly news update a few days after
an Israeli soldier was kidnapped on June 25th during an audacious Hamas
attack
on an army outpost next to the Gaza Strip, I mentioned that, "Since the
orders to Hamas are believed to be coming via Damascus from Iran, the
potential
for another major Middle East war is growing every day." This of course is
doubly the case concerning the unprovoked Hizbullah ground and rocket attack
inside of Israel last Wednesday which left seven Israeli soldiers dead and
two taken captive alive into Lebanon. This is due to the undisputed fact
that
the powerful Lebanese paramilitary force was founded (when I was working in
Lebanon in the early 1980's) by Iran, and is largely funded and commanded by
the world's largest and most dangerous Islamic fundamentalist state,
assisted by Syria. (International media reports I've seen in recent days
saying this
is merely "an Israeli claim" are laughable, given that Hizbullah leader
Sheik Nasrallah has been publicly feted in Tehran many times, as has
Damascus-based
Hamas leader Mashaal).
During my latest speaking tour, I spelled out the five main strategic issues
that I felt the new Olmert government would have to deal with in the
immediate
future. Among them was the Hamas takeover of the Palestinian Authority
government and the serious Hizbullah threat along Israel's northern border.
I
noted that the Hizbullah threat-and indeed the growing Hamas militancy-was
directly connected to Iran's nuclear program and its leader's repeated vows
(not threats, but pledges) since last December to wipe Israel off of the
Middle East map. So in effect, Israel is already at war with Iran and
Syria,
although the conflict is still at this stage being fought against their
proxy Lebanese and Palestinian forces.
HAIFA ATTACKS
Today's rocket attacks upon Haifa are the most serious to date for several
reasons. First of all is that fact that they produced the largest number of
Israeli civilian casualties in any single rocket barrage since the 1967 war
(at latest count eight are dead and around 20 wounded, several seriously).
The victims were all working at a railway repair garage located along Haifa
Bay. Even Saddam's powerful Scud missile attacks in 1991 did not produce
such a deadly outcome. Secondly is the indication that new Iranian-produced
Raad 2 and 3 rockets, probably manned by Iranians themselves, hit Israeli
soil for the first time.
But the most serious aspect of today's attack is the fact that it was
directed at an area containing Israel's largest sea port, fuel depots, oil
refineries,
and seaborne oil tankers. More than that, Israel's main petrochemical
plant, originally built under British rule in the 1930's, is located along
the Bay.
Hizbullah said in a statement today that it deliberately avoided hitting
that plant, but would do so if Israeli Air Force strikes continue upon
Hizbullah
strongholds in southern Beirut.
As many of you personally know, I have spoken of this potentially disastrous
situation to audiences around the world since 2003. When I interviewed the
mayor of Haifa in March 2003 during the funeral of an American Christian
teenager killed in a terrorist bus bombing, he told me Israeli government
officials
were not so concerned over the prospect that Saddam would hit Israel with
chemical weapons during the then-pending US-British attack upon the Iraqi
Baathist
regime. Instead, he said they feared a massive Iranian-backed Hizbullah
rocket blitz upon Haifa Bay's chemical plants, which he told me could
potentially
produce thousands of casualties if deadly poisons were released upon Israel's
third largest urban area. Although Hizbullah claims it deliberately avoided
hitting those targets today, analysts say they came far too close for
comfort. Any such strike that released deadly poisons would produce severe
consequences
for sure.
PROPHERTIC POSSIBILITIES
Several have written in recent days to ask my opinion on the possible
prophetic implications of the escalating crisis. It is clear to all that
the fighting
in Lebanon could easily mushroom into a direct Israel-Syria conflict, since
the police state regime in Damascus actively supports and arms Hizbullah and
has close ties to radical Iran. Just today Syrian officials stated that
they would attack Israel if IDF jets strike any targets inside Syria.
Iranian leaders say they will back Syria to the hilt if such a conflict
erupts. While there were always questions as to Saddam's chemical weapons
capabilities
before the Iraqi war began in early 2003, there is no question that Syria
possesses huge quantities of deadly VX nerve gas and a significant arsenal
of
Soviet-produced strategic missiles, including multiple SS-21 warheads
capable of delivering the deadly gas to all portions of Israel. The use of
such
weapons against Israeli civilian centers would spark an Israeli
non-conventional response-probably a nuclear one-as Israeli leaders have
long made clear.
Thus, we could be on the verge of the fulfillment of a prophecy I have
publicly spoken about since the mid-1980s, found in Isaiah 17. It details a
future
complete destruction of the city of Damascus and also great suffering in
Israel, indicating an Israel-Syria conflict is being foretold. As many of
you
know, this is the opening scenario in my end time novel, THE END OF DAYS
(beginning with Hizbullah strikes upon northern Israel), and is also
detailed
in my 2002 book ISRAEL IN CRISIS.
GOG AND MAGOG?
Some Christian and Jewish subscribers to my updates have suggested to me
that we might instead be on the verge of the fulfillment of Ezekiel 38 and
39,
which describe a massive attempted invasion of Israel led by a great power
to the "far north" of Israel, assisted by Persia (modern Iran) and other
regional
countries. I detailed in both books why I believe that will only occur
towards the very end of the prophesied final climax of history known as the
time
of Jacob's Troubles, or the Tribulation. I think Iran's prophesied
inclusion in that massive assault-which Ezekiel says will end with God's
miraculous
intervention and Israel's full salvation-may well be a result of something
that could occur at this very period of time; either the destruction of
Damascus
alone, or that along with an Israeli military assault upon Iran's nuclear
facilities.
Obviously nobody but the Sovereign Lord knows for sure when these prophecies
will be fulfilled, and so I remain very cautious about specific
speculations.
But it is clear to me and many others that all the ingredients for the
fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy at least are now in active play. Whether
world
powers outside the region will once again intervene and bring about a halt
to the escalating conflict or not remains to be seen. But it is quite
evident
that terror-weary Israeli leaders are determined to deal with the huge and
ongoing Hizbullah threat once and for all at this time, and probably with
the
Hamas organization as well. This is bolstered by the fact that world opinion
concerning such radical Muslim groups has significantly hardened since the
9/11 Al Qaida attacks upon America, followed by the Bali, Madrid, and London
assaults, along with the horrendous Chechen Muslim school attack in Russia
and the recent carnage in India.
Indeed, for all of the supposed ferocity of Israel's assault upon targets in
Lebanon over the past five days, the civilian casualty tool is still less
than
half those killed last week during the atrocious terrorist attacks in
Bombay. On top of that, Israel does not deliberately target civilian
targets, unlike
its terrorist enemies. Still, I know many folks in Lebanon from my days
working there, and am sorry for their current renewed suffering, as I am for
those
in the north of Israel where I lived (and slept in bomb shelters) for over
three years. Prayer for all those concerned, and for regional leaders, is
obviously
urgently needed.
Speaking of prayer, I found myself breaking into deep tears during periods
of prayer and intercession during my recent vacation. At first, I did not
fully
understand why this was occurring, but then it began to dawn on me that we
were probably on the verge of a major crisis, involving significant loss of
life, when I first heard radio reports of the Hamas assault next to the Gaza
Strip.
I will send out more updates as the situation warrants, and will be doing my
regular weekly radio news updates over the Moody Broadcasting Network
beginning
this Monday, and probably frequently after that if the situation continues
to deteriorate. If no Moody stations or affiliates are located in your
area,
you can listen live on line between 5:00 and 6:30 EST in North America,
which is 2:00 and 3:30 PM in the west and 21:00 to 22:30 GMT, via links on
this
web address:
www.mbn.org
Thanks for your prayers and concern at this critical juncture in His Story.
DAVID DOLAN is a Jerusalem-based author and journalist who has lived and
worked in Israel since 1980.
List of 2 items
. HOLY WAR FOR THE PROMISED LAND
(Broadman & Holman), his latest book, is an overview of the history of the
Israel and of the bitter Arab-Israeli conflict that rages there, plus some
autobiographical
details about the author's experiences living in the land since 1980. It
especially examines the important role that militant Islam plays in the
conflict.
. ISRAEL IN CRISIS: WHAT LIES AHEAD?
(Baker/Revell), which examines the political and biblical prospects for a
regional attack upon Israel, settlement in the disputed territories, and
related
topics, is also available for purchase, along with an updated edition of his
popular end-time novel, THE END OF DAYS (21st Century Press).
list end
You may order these books at a special discount price by visiting his web
site at
www.ddolan.com,
or by phoning toll free 888-890-6938 in North America, or by e mail at:
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