Wars And Rumors Of War III - The Syrian-Israeli Border Heating Up

At some point the powder-keg will be ignited, leading directly into the wars/battles mentioned in both Isaiah 17 and Ezekiel 38-39. At this point, only God Himself knows which tipping point will lead to these wars, but currently there are several hot spots in play. We have seen the Iranian nuclear situation as one potential tipping point. Then we have the Temple Mount violence which is rapidly escalating. We have missiles coming in from Gaza. The West Bank. Lebanon/Hezbollah and their build-up of arms. We have the Russian interest in Israel's new gas and oil finds. Egypt. 

But we can's forget the Syrian crisis which threatens the Golan Heights - arguably the most important piece of land in the region - at least from a military perspective:

IDF: Explosion On Israeli-Syrian Border Preplanned

The explosion that took place on the Israeli-Syrian border on Friday evening was caused by explosives intended to target the IDF unit that was patrolling the border, the IDF said Saturday.

The explosives were placed on the eastern, or Syrian, side of the border fence.

The explosion occurred Friday evening near an IDF unit that was patrolling the Israeli-Syrian border in the area of Mount Hermon, in the northern Golan Heights

A larger IDF force was called to the scene to investigate, and remained in the area on Saturday to boost security.

Initial reports indicated that it was unclear whether the explosion was the result of a planned attack. However, on Saturday, the IDF said that the attack had been planned, and that it had been launched from the Syrian side of the border.

As of Saturday afternoon, no group had taken responsibility for the attack.

The IDF has ruled out the possibility of mortar fire from Syria, reported Ynet. Sporadic mortar shells have landed on the Israeli side of the border in recent months, presumed spillover from that country’s nearly three-year-old civil war.

Earlier Friday, Israeli prosecutors filed charges against a Druze resident of the Golan for passing information on IDF movements to Syria. According to the indictment, Rafat Halabi, 28, crossed into Syria three months ago to join the Bashar Assad regime in its fight against opposition rebels.

IDF: Explosive Device On Syria Border Targeted Patrol Investigation Finds

An initial IDF investigation into Friday's blast that damaged a military vehicle in the northern Golan Heights found that an explosive device had been planted on the Syrian side of the border and detonated by unknown attackers.

The device targeted an IDF patrol as it passed on the Israeli side of the border, damaging the rear window of the vehicle. There were no injuries in the incident.

After identifying the source of the fire and seeing that they were being targeted on purpose, an IDF infantry unit returned fire, striking the attacker's position. It remains unclear if the Syrian shooter was killed or injured in the return fire.

Earlier that day, a Syrian mortar shell crossed into Israel and exploded near the Druse village of Majdal Shams. There were no injuries in the incident, and the IDF did not return fire.

In southern Syria near the border with Israel, rebels and the Syrian army have been clashing on a daily basis in recent days, with rebel forces defending a strip of villages under their control from a regime push to retake them. Some of the border regions are under the control of the Syrian army.

Liberman: Kerry Win't Achieve Deal In Current Peace Talks, Must Temper Expectations

Peace between Israelis and the Palestinians is unlikely, but talks must continue if only to manage the conflict, Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman said.

“Trust between the two sides is about zero,” Liberman said Friday evening at the annual Saban Forum, a gathering in Washington of Israeli and US persons of influence.

Liberman said US Secretary of State John Kerry would not achieve an agreement within a year,as Kerry has anticipated,and cautioned against creating “expectations.” Liberman excoriated Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas as undemocratic and unrepresentative.