"Sinai on high alert after rocket attack in Israel, Jordan"
Egypt on Thursday deployed hundreds of extra troops to the border between the Sinai Peninsula and southern Israel, just days after terrorists used the Egyptian territory to fire at least five Grad missiles at the nearby Israeli and Jordanian resort towns of Eilat and Aqaba.
One Jordanian man was killed and three others were wounded when one of the missiles landed in front of an Aqaba hotel.
"Security forces will search the area and conduct investigations into the possible hiding place of Palestinians," and Egyptian official told the Egyptian Gazette, indicating that Cairo agrees with Israel's assessment that Palestinian terror groups were behind the attack.
This article, below, reveals several current issues. One such issue is the utter destruction that followed the Israeli "evacuation" of Gaza, and how the Gaza Arabs destroyed what was previously a thriving community:
"Gaza Arabs Get Second Chance on Greenhouses"
The U.S. will be giving Gaza Arabs a second chance, providing them with new greenhouses to replace the Gush Katif originals they demolished.
In 2005, as Israel withdrew its troops from Gaza and forcibly removed the Jewish residents of the area, a group of Jewish American donors came together to ensure that the famed Israeli greenhouses that produced $200 million of produce per year would not go to waste. The greenhouses were purchased for $14 million – much of it provided by the Gates Foundation - and turned over to Gaza Arabs.
But within hours of the withdrawal, many of the buildings had been damaged beyond repair. Terrorists and looters stripped them of their piping and electronic equipment and tore down their walls. Some greenhouses remained, several of which were destroyed in a second round of looting in 2006.
Now Gaza Arabs are going to get a second chance to try to recreate the thriving greenhouses of Gush Katif. The United States Agency for International Development is to sponsor a project termed Family Agricultural Greenhouses, which will construct three new greenhouses.
Anita Tucker, a former resident of Gush Katif, doubts that the new plan will be successful. Tucker explained that while Gaza Arabs were at one point beginning to succeed in agriculture with help from their Jewish neighbors, the rise of the PA and later of Hamas created a situation in which rival terrorist groups battle for control at the expense of civilians, and ultimately destroy efforts to build local industry.
As long as the atmosphere in Gaza is one of hostility, the rivalry between local Arab groups will make any attempts to build a better future fruitless, she predicted.
More on the build-up to war:
"Inside Look at Advanced Hamas Arsenal"
Gaza's ruling Hamas terrorist organization has managed to amass an advanced arsenal as it prepares to wage war against Israel, despite the best efforts of the Jewish State to prevent the entry of materials that would allow the group to manufacture the advanced weapons. With the help of a translation by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), Israel National News provides an inside look at the group's war machine.
A detailed description of the weaponry is posted on the web site of the group's military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, explaining the new weapons that have been stockpiled, in addition to the various types of short-range Kassam rockets already produced by Hamas.
This article continues to describe the various weapons which have been stockpiled and the list is impressive. It includes:
- Kassam Rockets
- Rocket Launchers
- Anti-Tank Missiles
- Mortars
- Explosively-Formed Penetrator (EFP)
- Explosive Belts
- Launcher Grenades
In addition to the above, the article brings out the following information:
'Made in Palestine' ?
Each rocket produced in Gaza is stamped with the words, “Made in Palestine.”
It is interesting to note that nowhere on the site is a description of the more-recently employed, and exponentially more powerful Grad-class Katyusha missiles, known in Gaza as the Al-Quds 3.
The rockets were allegedly developed in Gaza, albeit with Iranian technical assistance, according to intelligence sources. The technology is based on the Russian Grad rocket and the BM21 Katyusha missile, and the rockets have a range of up to 30 kilometers -- allowing them to reach as far north as Ashkelon, Ashdod, Netivot and Ofakim, and as far east as Be'er Sheva.
Recently, however, Hamas has again begun to launch Grad missile attacks as well, including one less than two weeks ago that targeted a residential neighborhood in the coastal city of Ashkelon.
Last week, the terrorist group launched a similar attack on the twin cities of Eilat and Aqaba, located in Israel and Jordan, respectively, as rockets landed in both resort cities as well as in the Red Sea. It is believed that Hamas managed to smuggle operatives and missiles out of Gaza and into the Sinai Peninsula, from where the attack was launched. One Jordanian citizen was killed, and several others were wounded.
Also in the news ("rumors of war"):
"South Korea accuses North of artillery fire, amid rising tensions"
Angered over a recent joint U.S.-South Korea navy drill, North Korea has vowed to respond with 'a sacred war and a powerful nuclear deterrence.'
North Korea fired 10 artillery rounds into the sea off its west coast on Monday, South Korean media quoted government sources in Seoul as saying.
Tension between the neighboring countries have risen sharply lately after an international investigation has blamed the North for the sinking of a South Korean warship, killing 46 sailors in what officials called the worst military attack on the South since the 1950-53 Korean War.
The unease between the Koreas was also exacerbated by a recent joint four-day naval exercise with ally the United States involving 8,000 troops.
"Tensions rising" seems to be a common phrase from a variety of places around the world right now - from the Middle East to Korea, to Taiwan and China, to Northern Africa, to Egypt, to Jordan, etc. You name a region and you will find something about tensions rising. It's exactly the world that was predicted biblically in these last days and it shows no signs of reversing course. The world is desperately awaiting a leader who can solve the world's problems. Such a leader will emerge soon and appear to have the solutions. Revelation 13 gives a nice overview of this leader. The world has been warned, but unfortunately, those who are listening now won't be here to give further warnings once he does appear on the world stage.
Still having trouble with the comments section of the blog - see comments above. My apologies.
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