A great shaking in the land of Israel

“For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel…Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.” Ezekiel 38

Matan Vilnai, who is stepping down as home front defence minister to become ambassador to China, said the country was “ready as never before”.

Israel prepares to fight the Great War that has been prophesied of old. Are they ready?

“The assessments are for a war that will last 30 days on a number of fronts,” he told the Maariv newspaper. “It could be that there will be less fatalities, but it could be there will be more, that is the scenario that we are preparing for according to the best experts.”

Speculation is growing that Israel is planning a unilateral attack on Iran’s nuclear programme – or that it is using the question to increase pressure on Barack Obama to launch an American strike.

Western governments share the fears about Iran’s nuclear ambitions but oppose military action and want to give more time to diplomacy. And in Israel, critics have warned that the country is not ready for the promised Iranian retaliation, pointing to a shortage of gas masks, for example.

Mr Vilnai declined to say whether he thought Israel should take military action against Iran, but warned any such decision required serious consideration. “The only question is if a clash is necessary. War is something that is better to postpone and weigh carefully,” he said.

Mr Vilnai is to be replaced by Avi Dichter, a former internal security minister and ex-head of the country’s Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency. source – Telegraph UK

Israeli military: Blasts heard in southern city

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military says explosions have been heard in the southern city ofEilat, and it’s suspected that rockets were fired from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.

The military said soldiers searched the area for several hours after the blasts were heard late Wednesday, but no exploded rockets were found. No injuries or damage were reported. There was no immediate comment from Egypt.

Eilat is next to the Sinai, scene of militant attacks in recent weeks. This month militants killed 16 Egyptian soldiers where the borders of Egypt, Israel and Gaza converge. They stole vehicles and crashed into Israel, where Israeli forces stopped them.

Eilat has been the target of previous rocket attacks, apparently from Sinai. Israel has expressed concern about extremist Islamists and Palestinian militants from Gaza operating there. source – Yahoo News