Attack!

Iran has been flexing its muscles in the Middle East for a long time. Now the Islamist stronghold is downright pumping iron. In their zeal to get rid of Israel, the mullahs are allowing the military to talk a good game.

Israel is taking notice.

In a report this week from Breitbart:

Israel’s military has a multi-tiered network of integrated air defense systems “on alert” for any attack by Iran’s missiles, Israeli Air Force chief Amikam Norkin confirmed on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier this month Iran intends to attack Israel, and any attack which emanates from Yemen complicates the IDF’s response as its intermediate and long-range air defenses are better positioned to shoot down incoming attacks from Israel’s north, rather than from the south.

“Even as we speak, Arrow, Patriot, David’s Sling and Iron Dome batteries are on alert,” Norkin said Wednesday night at a graduation ceremony for air defense officers.

Attack drones and cruise missiles are now also part of the mix. Lebanon’s Hezbollah terrorists have also been stockpiling rockets for more than 10 years.

Recently, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards commander, Major General Hossein Salami, said that wiping out Israel is now “an achievable goal.”

What we must keep in mind though is that Israel’s defensive capabilities are multi-layered. And there is another factor.

Israel’s defensive capabilities are enhanced by her offensive capabilities. I am confident—no, I am certain—Israel will meet any challenge. In fact, if Iran poses an existential threat to Israel, the mullahs will cease to exist.

One can also hope that as time goes on, young people in these countries will revolt. That is happening in Lebanon, where the country’s billionaires have more than 99 percent of the country. Added to this misery is a proxy war between supporters of Iran and Saudi Arabia. Iran’s mischief is curtailed somewhat by US sanctions, which impact the trouble Hezbollah can make.

As we follow closely the military threats to Israel in the region, let’s let things play out and not despair. Pray hard for Israel, and pray hard for the return of the Lord!

Israel will be okay. God has promised.

Jim1fletcher@yahoo.com

No Time Like the Present

The present moment is a time to savor, as Israel is still led by a good man, and the White House is friendly. But political and military realities are liable to shift at any time.

First, we have the ongoing chaos in Israel’s political system, with neither Benjamin Netanyahu or Benny Gantz able to form a government. They are that evenly divided. It is rumored that Gantz’s Blue and White Party is willing to bring Arab blocs into a coalition, and as one writer noted this week, can you imagine them having access to classified information?

Then we have the American Democrat Party, a now-radicalized community holding frightening views both domestically and abroad.

Writing in Israel Hayom, Caroline Glick noted the danger lurking for Israel in Washington:

“The radicalization of the Democratic Party and party members in the media and government should be deeply worrying to Israel because as the party has radicalized it has shifted ever farther away from Israel.”

“With the Democrats in the media and the federal bureaucracy now full partners in their party’s radical actions and initiatives, there is every reason to expect that after they finish with Trump, they will turn their attention to Israel.”

Enjoy this moment, while Donald Trump still sits in the Oval Office! Once he leaves office, Israel might face someone even worse than Barack Obama.

Then there are the military threats to Israel, both in the north and the south. The shifting sands of Syria bring new challenges. From the Times of Israel:

“The winds of war are blowing into Israel again, an event as common as an eastern Mediterranean ‘medicane’ [hurricane] is rare. On Thursday, IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi warned that Israel is facing a threat of conflict in both the north and the south, forcing the military to rapidly prepare for war.

“While it is the job of military leaders to keep their guard up and constantly warn of conflict (you don’t want to be the general who says everything is fine before war breaks out — just ask Eli Zeira), Kohavi was described by Channel 13 news as ‘very worried’ following the announcement, and some are taking him a little more seriously than usual.

“’The level of alarm varies according to the person speaking, but the underlying message is the same. It doesn’t matter if it’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kohavi, or Mossad chief Yossi Cohen (who recently used an event for retired Mossad officials to sound the alarm over the Iranian threat) – all are warning of the looming danger rising up against us from the northeast,’ writes Yoav Limor in Israel Hayom.

“’A possible conclusion is that the next round of clashes between the two sides is imminent. This could be a result of pre-emptive Israeli action against an Iranian retaliatory attack or a deliberate IDF strike against growing Iranian power in the region or the smuggling of weapons to Hezbollah,’ Haaretz’s Amos Harel writes.

While Israel has been dealing with and meeting threats for several years—witness the bold airstrikes that have set back Syria’s chemical and nuclear ambitions—the U.S. withdrawal from the region has left room for both Turkey and Iran to move in. Iran of course is the main threat.

Rather than fret about these realities, l think it’s really important right now to pray as never before. Pray for all Israelis as they navigate a potential third election in the spring. Pray for their military leaders, that they make good decisions. Pray that the Lord would blind Israel’s enemies. And pray that America will continue to be a friend to the Jewish state.

Finally, pray for opportunities to be a witness for Christ. The prophetic landscape is a perfect tool for this, so be sure to have confidence and be bold when you can discuss Bible prophecy with an unbeliever.

There’s no time like the present.

Someday you’ll be very glad you did.

Jim1fletcher@yahoo.com