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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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