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Israel Signals To Syria That There Is More Coming

Vice Premier Silvan Shalom, warned this week that Israel could be forced to carry out a pre-emptive attack under certain circumstances. The same day, Israel suddenly moved a new, state-of-the-art rocket-defense system to the northern city of Haifa

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BEIRUT (AP) — An Israeli air attack staged in Syria this week may be a sign of things to come.

Israeli military officials appear to have concluded that the risks of attacking Syria are worth taking when compared to the dangers of allowing sophisticated weapons to reach Hezbollah guerrillas in neighboring Lebanon.

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This week’s airstrike targeted trucks containing Russian-made SA-17 anti-aircraft missiles, according to a U.S. official. The trucks were next to the military research facility identified by the Syrians, and the strike hit both the trucks and the facility, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about the operation.

With Syrian President Bashar Assad’s grip on power weakening, Israeli officials fear he could soon lose control over his substantial arsenal of chemical and advanced weapons, which could slip into the hands of Hezbollah or other hostile groups. These concerns, combined with Hezbollah’s own domestic problems, mean further military action could be likely.

Tzachi Hanegbi, an incoming lawmaker in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party and a former chairman of parliament’s influential foreign affairs and defense committee, signaled Thursday that Israel could be compelled to act on its own. While Israel’s preference is for Western powers to gain control over Syria’s arms stockpile, he said there are no signs of that happening.

“Israel finds itself, like it has many times in the past, facing a dilemma that only it knows how to respond to. And it could well be that we will reach a stage where we will have to make decisions,” Hanegbi told Israel’s Army Radio Thursday. Hanegbi, like other Israeli officials, would not confirm Israeli involvement in the airstrike.

In this week’s incident, Israeli warplanes conducted a rare airstrike inside Syria, according to U.S. officials who said the target was a convoy carrying anti-aircraft weapons bound for Hezbollah, the powerful Lebanese militant group allied with Syria and Iran.

The Syrian military has denied the existence of any weapons shipment and said a military research facility outside Damascus was hit.

On Thursday, Syria threatened to retaliate, while Hezbollah condemned the attack as “barbaric aggression.” Iran, which supplies arms to Syria, Hezbollah and the Hamas militant group in Gaza, said the airstrike would have significant implications for Israel. Syrian ally Russia said it appeared to be an unprovoked attack on a sovereign nation.

Syria’s ambassador to Lebanon, Ali Abdul-Karim Ali, said Damascus “has the option and the capacity to surprise in retaliation.” He told Hezbollah’s al-Ahd news website that it was up to the relevant authorities to choose the time and place.

For now, Israeli officials seem to be playing down the threats

“Israel took a big gamble out of the belief that Iran and Hezbollah won’t retaliate. The question is, `Are they right or not?'” said Moshe Maoz, a professor emeritus at Hebrew University who specializes in Syria.

Officials believe that Assad’s position in Syria is so precarious that he cannot risk opening a new front with Israel. With an estimated 60,000 Syrians killed in the civil war, Israeli officials also think it’s too late for Assad to rally his bitterly divided nation behind him.

“Syria is in such a bad state right now that an Israeli retaliation to a Syrian action would be harsh and could topple the regime. Therefore Syria is not responding,” Maoz said.

Israel is far more worried about the threat of sophisticated weapons reaching Hezbollah. In a monthlong 2006 war, Hezbollah fired some 4,000 rockets and missiles into Israel before the conflict ended in a stalemate. Israeli officials believe the guerrilla group has restocked its arsenal with tens of thousands of missiles, some capable of striking deep inside the Jewish state.

Resigned to this fact, Israel has set a number of “red lines” for Hezbollah that it says are unacceptable, in particular the acquisition of new weapons that it believes would change the balance of power in the region. These include chemical weapons and sophisticated anti-aircraft and surface-to-sea missiles.

If the SA-17s were to have reached Hezbollah, they would have greatly inhibited the Israeli air force’s ability to operate in Lebanon. Israel has frequently flown sorties over Lebanese skies since 2006.

The airstrike is part of an Israeli strategy known to military planners as “the policy of prevention,” or the “war between wars.” In recent years, Israel is believed to have launched a number of covert missions, including airstrikes in Sudan and assassinations of key Hezbollah and Hamas militants, aimed at disrupting the flow of weapons to its Iranian-backed enemies. Israel has never acknowledged involvement.

Israeli security officials believe that Hezbollah, despite its claims of victory, is still deterred by the experience of the 2006 war, in which it lost hundreds of fighters. Instead of a direct war, Israel fears Hezbollah might try to strike Israeli or Jewish targets around the world. Israel has accused Hezbollah of a string of attacks on Israeli targets in recent years, including a deadly attack on Israeli tourists in Bulgaria last July.

The Israeli airstrike comes at a particularly sensitive and vulnerable time for Hezbollah in Lebanon. Despite its formidable weapons arsenal and political clout in the country, the group’s credibility and maneuvering space has been significantly reduced in the past few years.

Hezbollah still suffers from the fallout of the 2006 war, which many in Lebanon accused it of provoking by kidnapping soldiers from the border area. Since then, the group has come under increasing pressure at home to disarm, leading to sectarian tensions between its Shiite supporters and Sunnis from the opposing camp that have often spilled into deadly street fighting.

When Hezbollah sent an Iranian-made reconnaissance drone over Israel in November, the group boasted of its capabilities – but critics in Lebanon slammed it for embarking on a unilateral adventure that could provoke Israel.

Despite persistent reports and accusations that Hezbollah members are fighting alongside the military in Syria, Hezbollah has largely approached the Syria conflict with caution, mindful that any action it takes could backfire.

“In different times, Hezbollah would have reacted to Israel’s surgical strike, but not today,” said Bilal Saab, director of the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis, North America. “This is a time for hunkering down and weathering the storm.”

The uprising in Syria, the main transit point of weapons brought from Iran to Hezbollah, presents the group with its toughest challenge since its inception in 1982.

The group could still get weapons, but would struggle to get them as easily without the Syria supply route. Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah’s public support for the Assad regime has proved costly and the group’s reputation has taken a severe beating. Former champions of the group now describe it as hypocritical for supporting Arab Spring uprisings in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt, but not in Syria.

As for Israel and Syria, although they are bitter enemies, they have avoided direct conflict for most of the past 40 years. Israel has been careful to stay out of Syria’s civil war, not wanting to be seen as supporting any side in the conflict.

While the attack overnight Tuesday, believed to be the first by Israel on Syrian soil since 2007, appeared to come out of nowhere, signs of impending action were evident in recent days. On Jan. 23, the day after national elections, Netanyahu convened top security officials for an emergency meeting to discuss the situation in Syria.

One of the meeting participants, Vice Premier Silvan Shalom, warned this week that Israel could be forced to carry out a pre-emptive attack under certain circumstances. The same day, Israel suddenly moved a new, state-of-the-art rocket-defense system to the northern city of Haifa, which was hit hard by Hezbollah rocket fire during a 2006 war.

Uzi Rabi, a military analyst at Tel Aviv University’s Dayan Center, said the attack was a “kind of message” sent by Israel to Syria and Hezbollah.

“It says we do have capabilities when it comes to intelligence gathering … and this would serve as kind of a warning sign to Hezbollah not to transfer chemical weaponry from Syria to Hezbollah,” he said. source – AP

 

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Shock at 1600: President Trump Hosts Former Al-Qaeda Commander Abu Mohammad al-Jolani At The White House In Stunning Display of End Times Politics

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Abu Mohammad al-Jolani receives a hero’s welcome at White House as the red carpet is rolled out for the former Al-Qaeda commander as sanctions on Syria lifted

In one of the most prophetically charged moments in modern geopolitics, Donald Trump has opened the doors of the White House to Syrian strongman Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, the onetime head of Al-Qaeda’s Syrian branch. The same man who once had a $10 million bounty on his head has now been greeted as a world leader by America’s Commander-in-Chief. Sanctions totaling over $120 billion have been rescinded, and Syria finds itself back in the money again. What will they do with it? That’s the memo.

“I will break also the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the plain of Aven, and him that holdeth the sceptre from the house of Eden: and the people of Syria shall go into captivity unto Kir, saith the LORD.” Amos 1:5 (KJB)

As Bible believers, we recognize exactly what’s happening here. The nations of the world are being reshaped before our very eyes to fit the prophetic pattern foretold in Scripture. The Word of God says plainly, “For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.” (1 Thessalonians 5:3 KJB). What the world calls diplomacy, Heaven calls delusion. President Trump, a man who has long styled himself as a deal-maker, is now attempting to make peace with one who has the blood of Christians and innocents on his hands — and yet the global elites hail it as progress. That, Christian, is how the end times begin to look in real time.

Just a few short years ago, the name Abu Mohammad al-Jolani was synonymous with terror, jihad, and Al-Qaeda’s campaign to establish a caliphate in Syria. Washington listed him among the most wanted terrorists on earth. Now, he’s walking the marbled halls of the White House, shaking hands with an American president.

How did we get here? The Department of State quietly lobbied the United Nations to lift sanctions against him. The Department of War has reportedly been exploring “security cooperation.” And the media, ever eager to rewrite the narrative, now calls him a “stabilizing influence.”

The last time Donald Trump was in office, he shocked the world by moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem and brokering the Abraham Accords — deals that aligned Israel with Muslim nations like the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco. Bible believers cheered those moves as prophetic milestones. But now, Trump’s second act is different. In trying to “make peace” with a man whose past is drenched in blood, he’s venturing into dangerous spiritual territory. Remember what the Lord said about the last-days confederation of nations:

“Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.”  Zechariah 12:2 (KJB)

The modern Middle East isn’t moving toward peace; it’s being maneuvered toward the final confrontation described in Revelation 16. Every handshake, every summit, every “peace pact” is another step toward that fateful day.

In a historic and controversial moment, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa — once known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, the feared al-Qaeda commander — walked into the White House to meet US President Donald Trump on Monday. Once hunted by Washington with a $10 million bounty, al-Sharaa is now being welcomed as a partner, marking a stunning shift in Middle East diplomacy. The meeting aims to secure a political win for Trump, counter Russian influence in Syria, and support a fragile regional peace framework after the Israel–Hamas truce. Yet the visit raises global questions about morality, power, and realpolitik in Washington’s new Middle East strategy.  

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.

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But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORTTO THE FIGHT!!!

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

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Houthi Drones And Missiles Supplied By Iran Causing Massive Disruption That The Combined Might Of The United States And Israel Seem Unable To Stop

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When a $20,000 missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels can bring down a US Reaper drone worth over $30 million, the cost of war takes on a new, troubling shape.

The is a perplexing problem in the Middle East, and no one seems willing or able to solve it. The problem? Houthi drones supplied to the rebels from Iran continue to cause major damage, as recently as yesterday, Houthi drones targeted and hit the Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. Netanyahu is fuming because Trump won’t allow Israel to attack Iran, and the United States also does not appear to have an appetite to do that, either. In the meantime, Iran has free reign to wreak havoc, through the Houthi drones, on targets in Israel and on US and international shipping interests in the Red Sea.

“And Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here? Numbers 32:6 (KJB)

The Houthi missile that hit the Ben Gurion Airport this weekend was somehow able to make its way through Iron Dome and US THAAD interceptors, that’s a bad sign. The missiles and drones used by the Houthis are supplied to them from Iran who continues to wage war by proxy against Israel and the United States with seeming impunity. I am beyond disappointed with the results of the first 100 days of the new Trump administration, it’s been nothing but a self-aggrandizing, flaming, chaotic mess. Somebody needs to step up and start showing some leadership and put Iran in their place before it’s too late.

Houthi drones drain billions from West as Red Sea chaos escalates, experts say

FROM THE JERUSALEM POST: That imbalance is now defining the crisis in the Red Sea, where sustained attacks from Iranian-backed terrorists are draining Western defense budgets and disrupting the arteries of global commerce.

Over 800 strikes have been carried out by the United States against Houthi positions since March 15, yet the barrage of drones and missiles has not ceased. As Houthi forces target American, British, and Israeli-linked ships across one of the world’s most vital maritime corridors, military and economic pressure is intensifying on the US and its allies, with no end in sight.

According to British Colonel (ret.) Richard Kemp, who commanded forces in Afghanistan and has advised on Middle East security, said Iran’s fingerprints are all over the conflict. “This is Iran flexing its muscles,” Kemp said in an exclusive interview with The Media Line. “It’s not only about attacking Israel—it’s about showing that Tehran can hurt the West, especially economically, without ever firing a shot directly.” Kemp described the Houthis as one arm of what he called the “Iranian octopus,” used to deter Western attacks on Iran by threatening both military and commercial targets.

“It’s a way of saying: if you hit us, we’ll unleash chaos through our proxies,” he said. “And the Red Sea is one of the best places to do that.”

The economic disparity between offensive and defensive action in this conflict is staggering. While the Houthis fire relatively cheap projectiles—often made with imported components from Iran—intercepting them requires millions of dollars in sophisticated Western systems.

Janatan Sayeh, a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, explained that this isn’t accidental—it’s strategic. “This is asymmetric warfare by design,” Sayeh told The Media Line. “You don’t need to inflict mass casualties. You just need to make your adversary bleed money.” Sayeh detailed how the Houthis now assemble most of their weaponry inside Yemen. “Iran no longer sends complete missiles,” he said. “They send parts—drones, guidance systems, warheads—and the Houthis put them together locally, based on instructions. This modular system makes interception harder and enables a continuous supply chain.”

As long as the Houthis receive weapons, training, and political backing from Tehran, none of the experts interviewed believe the threat will disappear. “So long as the weapons are coming from Tehran,” said Sayeh, “this issue is going to persist.” Kemp echoed the same warning: “Unless we start thinking of this as a global strategy by Iran, we’ll keep losing this battle—one overpriced missile at a time.” READ MORE

American THAAD And Israeli Arrow Systems Failed To Stop Houthi Missile From Hitting Ben Gurion

A Houthi ballistic missile struck near Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport, exposing a stunning failure of both Israel’s Arrow and America’s THAAD air defense systems. Flights were halted, air raid sirens blared, and at least six people were injured as the missile penetrated all layers of defense. The attack, claimed by Yemen’s Houthis, left both Israel and the U.S. embarrassed and scrambling for answers.

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.

nteb-free-king-james-bible-program-750-550

But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORTTO THE FIGHT!!!

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

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Residents Of North Texas Debate Plans For The All-Muslim ‘Epic City’ 400 Acre Compound To Be Built By The East Plano Islamic Center

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The East Plano Islamic Center in north Texas wants to create an exclusive Muslim enclave called ‘Epic City’ on 400 acre tract of unincorporated land in Collin County

There are dumb ideas, bad ideas, and ideas so incomprehensible they beggar description, Epic City is one of those ideas that ought never to come to pass. Now we know that not all Muslims are terrorists, but ten percent of them are. We know that there are many fine, upstanding and patriotic Muslim Americans who love this country and would fight to defend it. We also know that we live in the age of global Islamic terrorism, and building a all-Muslim supercity in the beating heart of Texas is an idea that should be shot down the first time it’s brought to light.

And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.” Genesis 16:12 (KJB)

Residents in Collin County, Texas, spent over half the day debating the merits of the proposed and so-called Epic City, and as much as I would like to think the idea was roundly rejected, I don’t think it was. Ever see those videos where hundreds of rug-carrying Muslims have descended on a busy downtown street, and with police protection, they are somehow allowed to stop all traffic while they pray to their god? Ever ask yourself how could that happen, and could that happen in my town? The answer is simple. America is a nation built on Christian principles, and while we have freedom of religion which is a good thing, a 400 acre Muslim Epic City is not. To quote DL Moody, “no, NO, a thousand times no!” to the plans for Epic City. Epic City would become it’s own town, and would govern itself according to Sharia Law. Remember the Alamo, that’s the memo.

Community divided over proposed Muslim-focused EPIC City in Collin County amid state investigations

FROM CBS NEWS TEXAS: Dozens of North Texas residents are speaking out about a proposed community catering to Muslims in an unincorporated part of Collin County near Josephine after several state investigations were recently launched into the project and the mosque it is tied to – The East Plano Islamic Center.

A four-and-a-half-hour meeting at Collin County Commissioner Court Monday gave residents their first chance to share their comments on EPIC City, the proposed Muslim-focused community that includes a thousand homes, a mosque, a community college and more spanning 400 acres about 40 miles northeast of Dallas.

“We all want safe, inclusive communities that require transparency, accountability, and respect for the rule of law. EPIC City fails on all three,” one speaker said.

“To allow a new group to claim and execute a 400-acre segregated city is the height of insanity,” another speaker said.

“These individuals deserve treatment and real representation. We must advocate for an inclusive Texas,” said Collin County resident, Dylan Evans, supporting the project.

Monday’s meeting comes after the state launched five investigations into EPIC City, as well as East Plano Islamic Center and investment group Community Capital Partners, which is heading the project.

Attorney General Ken Paxton is investigating CCP for potential consumer protection violations. In a news release, Paxton said the development raised several concerns.

“Under my watch, there will be zero tolerance for any person or entity that breaks Texas law,” Paxton said.

On Monday, Gov. Greg Abbott announced the latest investigation into EPIC City, saying in a statement he has directed the Texas Rangers to investigate EPIC and any affiliated entities for “potential criminal activities.”

“I think this is just adding more fuel to the fire. And, you know, I’m not happy about that,” said Texas State Rep. Salman Bhojani, D-District 92.

Bhojani is the first Muslim elected official in Texas history and said the attack on the project is a violation of religious freedom.

“I’m here to fight for every Texan’s right to religious freedom,” Bhojani said. “I’m also a real estate attorney. I know a lot of developments in North Texas that exactly mimic [EPIC City]. So, there’s nothing illegal about that. This is something that we should be protecting in the state of Texas, not demonizing it. Also, I think this is going to really increase the property value around Josephine.”

EPIC public relations representative Erin Ragsdale told county leaders that the plan is open to everyone and will comply with local, state, and federal laws.

“The idea for EPIC City came from the idea of building a master plan neighborhood that would be for all generations,” Ragsdale said. “Their vision is to build an inclusive community for everyone. I don’t think that we would be here today at this early stage if there were plans to float around for a master-planned community with a place of worship that was Christian.”

Commissioners shared their concerns in lieu of the active investigations, making the future of the project even more uncertain.

“This is not building a place of worship or attending a place of worship, it’s about the vision of building a housing development that would limit access and control housing opportunities,” said Collin County Judge Chris Hill. READ MORE

Iranian Canadian politician Goldie Ghamari has expressed concern over recent footage showing hundreds of Muslims gathering on Toronto’s streets to pray for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.

nteb-free-king-james-bible-program-750-550

But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORTTO THE FIGHT!!!

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

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