Displaying items by tag: Middle East

The future of Syria is being debated between Iran, Russia and Turkey. Prominent on the agenda at a leaders’ meeting in Tehran on 7 Sept is Idlib, the remaining rebel-held province in Syria (population 1.5 million). Turkey, fearing a mass exodus of civilians towards its border, is trying to ensure the offensive will be as limited as possible. Most believe there are three scenarios. First, Turkey and Russia could agree to uphold the Idlib de-escalation zone if Turkey deals with the al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay'et Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and persuades them to relocate elsewhere. This could avert a Russian attack on Idlib as long as a lasting peace is achieved in Syria. The second scenario would allow for a limited Russian-led military action in Idlib against HTS.  Given the high population density, Russia and Syria seem to be trying to avoid massive military attacks. The most feared scenario is Iran’s preference - an all-out offensive against Idlib. See

Syria is preparing to take back the last stronghold, Idlib, and Russia is warning of a terrorist chemical attack. American warships, cruise missile delivery systems, strategic bombers and other hardware arrived in the Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf on 27/28 August, and NATO has called for restraint (see ) If violence escalates in Idlib, the two million people in the area will be in grave danger. Militants seem reluctant to lay down their arms, which makes the coming days crucial for the fate of Idlib and all Syria. A Russian press release (see) stated, ‘A military strike against terrorists occupying Idlib will inevitably happen, and Moscow and Ankara see eye to eye here.’ However, Turkey has twelve military outposts in Idlib governorate under an agreement with Russia and Iran for ‘de-escalation zones’, and there are intense diplomatic talks between Ankara and Moscow to prevent a Russian-backed Syrian army invasion. See

On 17 August, Friday prayers from Intercessors for Israel stated: ‘There has been much spoken and written about the possibility of a ceasefire agreement being made between Hamas and Israel. Only the Lord knows for sure whether it is the right time for such a deal. Lord, we want Your plans to be put in place rather than any plans of men. Isaiah 55:8 says, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord”.’ Their prayers asked God to ‘invade’ the meetings of Israel’s leaders - Netanyahu, Liberman and Eizenkott - so that they might know God’s wisdom. They also asked God to reveal any deception in these negotiations according to Proverbs 26:26: ‘The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.’

On 31 July a Hamas-affiliated TV station was shut down, and the four Palestinians operating it were arrested. Israel had said Al-Quds TV was a terror organisation, and the four suspects are charged with incitement to terrorism as the station was a Hamas mouthpiece. One of the driving forces behind Palestinian aggression is incitement by clergy and Palestinian leadership through its state and local media. Israel is now shutting down all Palestinian media outlets and publications that incite against Israelis and promote terror attacks. The Hamas student groups in Hebron universities were also raided and incitement materials were confiscated. The students’ families were given a warning and told to stay away from terrorism. Twenty wanted Palestinians were arrested.

Under the terms of a 1974 UN armistice that demilitarised much of the Golan, Israel withdrew from the capital of Quneitra province which it had captured in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. Now, backed by Russian aircraft, Syrian pro-Assad regime forces pushed into the Golan border area and raised the Syrian flag and President al-Assad’s Baath Party flag in Quneitra on the 26 July. They are tightening their hold on the strategic Syrian sector of the Golan Heights bordering Israel and Jordan, and have been pushing into Quneitra province since their May offensive that routed rebels in adjoining Deraa province (rebels once backed by Washington, Jordan and Gulf states). The Russians reached a deal with the remaining rebels, which effectively brings the whole of the border frontier under Syrian state control.

The Irish Senate has voted to approve a proposal to criminalise doing business with Jews in settlement areas, parts of Jerusalem and the Golan Heights - areas that came under Israel’s control after the 1967 Six-Day War. After the vote the Irish ambassador was summoned to a meeting at the Israeli foreign ministry’s office. If Eire officially approves the proposal, it will become the first country in the European Union to criminalise import of goods from Israel. The proposal’s initiator, Senator Frances Black, slammed Israeli settlements as ‘war crimes’ and compared her initiative to Ireland’s anti-apartheid actions against South Africa. Ireland’s government strongly opposes the initiative, which creates trade restrictions contrary to EU values and undermines Ireland’s influence in the region. EU law states that its members can only mark products coming from settlements - not boycott or impose sanctions on their imports.

The Israel Defence Force (IDF) launched military exercises on 15 July, including one simulating conquering Gaza city. The IDF stressed that this exercise was part of its annual training programme and not connected to major exchanges of fire with Hamas two days earlier when 200 rockets and mortar shells were fired at Israel, threatening the lives of tens of thousands. Their defence system intercepted 20 rockets. Several Israelis were injured and many buildings were damaged, including a synagogue. While relative peace has returned, Israelis fear that soon civilians will again have to run for shelter from Hamas rockets. On 16 June 22 people, including 9 Iranians, were killed in an IDF attack on a Syrian base. On 18 July Gaza’s self-described ‘airborne firebomb squad’ accused Israel of spreading lies about a deal reached between Egypt and Hamas to phase out the launching of bomb-laden kites and balloons against Israel. See https://worldisraelnews.com/rebel-terror-group-in-gaza-rejects-egyptian-hamas-deal-to-stop-fire-kites/

In order to thwart attempts by terrorists to tunnel from Gaza into Israel, the Israeli government has an underground wall along the border. On 18 June, Gaza terrorists blew themselves up trying to destroy the underground barrier. The incident occurred after an escalation of rocket fire and firebomb-laden kites and balloons sent from Gaza into southern Israel. Defence minister Avigdor Lieberman warned that Israel would not allow Gazans to continue launching incendiary devices into Israeli territory, which have caused hundreds of brush fires and burned thousands of acres of land. ‘If anyone thinks it will be possible to continue with the daily kites and fires, they are wrong,’ Lieberman said. Meanwhile housing minister Yoav Galant said, ‘When an eight-year-old boy flies a kite strapped with a firebomb because someone told him to, it is problematic to send a drone to shoot him dead.’

Hamas said fifty of the people killed by Israeli forces on Gaza’s border recently were its fighters and named them online, including photographs and details of their ranks within the group. Yet the IDF’s response to the clashes was condemned worldwide. See If this was the first time the media caused Israel’s self-defence actions to kill civilians, they could be excused, but this is something that Hamas repeatedly does. Fathi Hamad of the Palestinian Legislative Council said, ‘For the Palestinian people, death has become an industry in which women stand out, and all the people who live in this land. Older people excel in this, as do mujahedeen and children. This is why we have made human shields for women, children, the elderly and mujahedeen, to challenge the Zionist bombing machine. It's like telling the Zionist enemy, “We want death as much as you do life”.’

The USA wasn’t the only country to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem this week. Just days after the historic - and contentious - opening in the holy city, Guatemala did the same. President Jimmy Morales, a strong evangelical, said, ‘We have had an excellent relationship with Israel since it was founded. I believe we will be receiving a blessing for both peoples by doing the right thing.’ Citing prayer and prophecy as their motivation, Morales and vice president Jafeth Cabrera officially recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital last year and pledged to return their embassy there. ‘People in Guatemala pray for peace in this region, pray for Jerusalem, and they are excited’, said Sarah Solis, the country’s ambassador to Israel.