Escalation Continues In The Epicenter

Gaza, Golan Heights, Syria, Hamas, Hezbollah - you name it and things are heating up. Again, we seem to be seeing stage setting for the final prophecies to fall, and things are coming together rapidly. This evening's news is no exception, just take a look at any daily news from the region. The situation in both Golan and Gaza are reaching critical levels as the entire Middle East is one huge powder keg waiting to explode:

From 'Israel Today':

Israel Fires Missile At Syria, Northern Residents Prepare For War

The rocket-battered residents of southern Israel may soon have company in their war of attrition with Arab forces, as cross-border violence in the northern Golan Heights on Sunday reached the point that Israel was forced to return fire on Syrian forces.

Early Sunday morning, Syrian forces engaged in that country's civil war, fired a mortar shell that hit an Israeli army post in the Golan Heights. It was only the latest in a series of purportedly accidental cross-border attacks. Having had enough of the provocations, Israel responded by firing an anti-tank missile at a Syrian army installation just across the border.

At the same time, the Golan Regional Council ordered local communities to begin preparing for an escalation, and to ready bomb shelters and other emergency equipment.
...there is a larger concern that if the violence between Israel and Syria reaches a certain level, Lebanon's Hizballah terrorist militia, which has involved itself in the civil war, will unleash its missile arsenal on northern Israel.

At Least Two Syrian Soldiers Injured By Israel's Retaliatory Fire After Mortar Hits Golan

At least two Syrian soldiers were reported injured Monday by an Israeli tank shell, fired deliberately at a mobile Syrian Army mortar battery that had just accidentally fired a mortar shell into Israeli territory in the Golan Heights.
Israeli TV stations showed what they said was footage of a Syrian ambulance evacuating the injured soldiers.
The Syrian casualties were believed to be the first such cases since the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
Israeli media reports indicated that the target hit by the retaliatory Israeli tank fire was a Soviet-made D-30 howitzer piece manned by forces loyal to President Bashar Assad.
Israeli media said the Syrian troops are targeting rebel forces in a village in the Golan Heights Demilitarized Zone called Bir Ajam, and errant fire has led to shells falling inside Israel.
One senior Israeli official said Monday, however, that Israel is starting to question that assessment. ”We thought it was spillover, but today we’re not sure,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the issue is still being debated among intelligence commanders.
The IDF has been kept on high alert since November 3, when three Syrian tanks strayed into the demilitarized zone separating the two borders, leading Israel to lodge an official complaint with UN peacekeepers stationed in the DMZ.

Israel Hits 'Source" Of Second Syrian Mortar Shell

Israel fired at and struck two Syrian mortar launchers on Monday, following the second time in as many days that Syrian artillery shells exploded in Israeli territory.
A tank from the 401 Armored Brigade fired at the Syrian targets in what was an escalated Israeli retaliation to Syrian fire. Unlike Sunday’s exchange, the IDF fired with the intention of hitting its target, as part of a new policy designed to deter Syrian forces from firing into Israel.

Israel Will defend Itself

Below is a very interesting read, especially the last part:

Minister Yaalon said Sunday that Israel does not intend to maintain restraint in the face of the intense rocket attacks from Gaza. “If the terror organizations do not cease their fire we will be prepared to toughen our response as much as necessary, until they say ‘enough!’,” he said.“There is a complicated war here and in the end we will finish it,” he said. “This is not a one-off move. But we will put an end to it. We do not intend to maintain restraint because the situation is unbearable for us.”


“We will bring quiet to the south even if it takes some time,” he said. “Hamas’s leadership will not get off scot free and as far as we are concerned, the most extremeoptions are possible.”




The above is the latest news out of Israel as of Sunday and it describes Israel’s situation as a civil war in Syria rages on its border, and there was an exchange of fire in the area of the Golan Heights, a military acquisition of a long ago war. Syria threatens the stability of the region to include Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon.

It is noteworthy that Min. Yaalon identified the reelection of President Obama as a further complication of their military decisions, not the least of which is to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities.
It seems clear even at this point that Obama is seeking accommodation with Iran despite the fact that it has technically been at war with the United States since 1979. Israel knows that if Iran reaches a point where it can weaponize its missiles with nuclear warheads, they will be attacked.

None of this bodes well for Israel and conflict is inevitable. The only thing Arabs respect is strength and the willingness to use it.

Note the prophetic implications below, as Israel stands alone and the recent U.S. elections have ensured that Israel will receive no support from the U.S.:

Unless there are secret U.S. negotiations and plans for the coming attack by Israel, they are likely to face an unprecedented situation in which they cannot count on U.S. support. Despite his promises Obama cannot be counted upon to assist the Israelis and his antipathy toward Israel is well known. Ironically, it is the Saudis who might provide support because they, the leader of the Sunni faction of Islam, fear Iran as much or more.

All this suggests that a cornered Iran, already suffering from sanctions, may strike out, not just at the Israelis, but at the U.S. as well. That may sound like an act of madness, but we are not dealing with rational leadership in Iran.

An entire new generation or two of Americans must rely on a shrinking U.S. military and, if the sequestration cuts kick in, we will have a smaller Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard. Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta, has called it a potential catastrophe.

The U.S. now has the most inept and timid administration of the modern era.
The unfolding story of the Benghazi attack is proof of that and proof, too, that it is prepared and willing to lie to Americans about the facts of the attack; a disgraceful failure to defend our Libyan ambassador and his staff despite earlier attacks on the British and Red Cross in Libya, both of whom withdrew from the battle zone.
As it often stated, elections have consequences.

IAF Targets Three Gaza Terror Sites

IAF aircraft conducted several airstrikes in Gaza on Monday night, hitting at least three targets.
According to a statement by the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, the aircraftstruck two rocket launching sites in northern Gaza and a weaponsstorage site in central Gaza. The attack, noted the statement, is a response to the continued rocket fire by Gaza-based terrorists into Israeli territory.

"The IDF will not tolerate any attempt to harm Israeli citizens and IDF soldiers and will continue to operate against anyone who uses terror against the State of Israel,” said the IDF statement, laying the blame for any Gaza terrorist attacks on its Hamas rulers.
Southern Israel’s residents continued to be targeted by rockets and missiles on Monday, as thousands of children had to spend the day in shelters and protected spaces.

Also see:

Damaging Earthquake In Myanmar: Deaths And Injuries

- Excerpt from an article as it appeared earlier today in the Burmese newspaper “The Irrawaddy” :It was before 8 am when Nay Win Myint felt a sudden jolt in his Mandalay cottage. He put down his book to find that his home was shaking. “It was like an elephant ramming into my house,” said the famous Burmese writer who lives 169 km (105 miles) south from the epicenter of the magnitude 6.8 earthquake that struck Upper Burma on Sunday. 

So far, we can count 15-16 potential deaths, however numbers as high as 21 have been stated so far in the press.In addition, over 100 injured have been registered.

Active Seismic Monitor

'Very Strong Dangerous' Aftershock (6.2m) In Guatemala