Amir Tsarfati
The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan which culminated on Tuesday has been a failure of historic proportions. The Biden administration continues with its Pollyanna perspective of the process. When confronted with the hundreds of American civilians left behind, their pathetic answer was essentially, “Well, sure, but look at all the ones we didn’t leave behind.” Also, while it is disputed just how much military equipment was abandoned and how much of that is functional, there is still no doubt that America has armed and upgraded the Taliban’s firepower exponentially.
The conditions in Taliban-led Afghanistan are horrific, as expected. Watching their military parade as they show off all their new American-made equipment, it is easy to imagine just how violent life is away from the media and camera coverage. Just yesterday, 45 military soldiers were killed by the Taliban in Badakhshan province, and their bodies were simply thrown into the Kukcha River. Reports are rampant of summary executions of anyone suspected of having been a collaborator with the Americans. As a result, there is a mass exodus of thousands upon thousands of people from through the wilderness of Afghanistan toward Iran. From there, they hope to make their way into Europe. As I mentioned last week, for detailed updates as they happen, please subscribe to my Telegram channel.
I want to emphasize again the global geopolitical ramifications of this show of U.S. weakness. Russia has been emboldened in its aspirations toward its former Soviet satellites, particularly Ukraine. North Korea has restarted the Yongbyon nuclear reactor according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). “The bottom line is North Korea wants to improve the number and quality of its nuclear weapons,” said David Albright, president of the Institute for Science and International Security. Iran understands America’s weakness and is pushing ahead with their uranium enrichment. Turkey is ready to recognize the Taliban as a legitimate government and is about to be given authority to jointly control Kabul airport with Qatar. China is anxiously waiting their opportunity to exploit the $1-3 trillion worth of minerals in Afghanistan. They also are becoming more emboldened at home issuing a demand that any vessel entering their waters or the disputed waters around Taiwan and Japan must report in advance to the PRC. Essentially, they have declared those seas their own.
Iran continues to spread havoc around the Middle East. On Tuesday, Iranian-backed Houthi rebels are suspected of striking a Yemeni airbase in the southwest region of the country. The missile and drone attack left more than 30 dead and 50 injured.
An Iranian oil tanker is on its way to Lebanon in violation of international sanctions. The terrorist group Hezbollah has said that it is awaiting its arrival. It will be interesting to see if either the U.S. or Israel will defy Iranian threats of retaliation against any country looking to intercept the ship. In other oil news, a massive spill from a powerplant in Jableh, just north of Baniyas, Syria, has poured 15,000 tons of fuel into the Mediterranean which is spreading along the coast and is reaching westward toward Cyprus.
Also in Syria, a new shipment of Iranian Barkan H2 surface to surface advanced missiles has arrived in country. The weapons, which were hidden in vegetable trucks, were transferred to the city of Al-Miyadin in Dier a-Zor district. From that location, these medium range missiles can easily hit targets in Israel.
In one more development in the shaky relationship between the new U.S. administration and the new Israeli administration, the Biden administration said that it plans to reopen its consulate in Jerusalem. This is significant, because that consulate has always been a base for diplomatic outreach to Palestinians. “We think it’s a bad idea,” Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said very bluntly. The move, which some think could destabilize Prime Minister Bennett’s government, is a major step backwards from the advancement in relationship under the previous U.S. administration. This is where so many pastors got it wrong, claiming that the previous president was seeking to divide Jerusalem. It is the new president who is dividing the city, and this ill-conceived move could lead to serious consequences.
As we look at this world, it seems that much of it is falling apart. However, sometimes the bad times are not as bad as we think they are. We simply need a biblical perspective. That is the viewpoint that I provide in my teaching, The Days of Ezekiel. What looks like global insanity actually fits exactly into what was prophesied 2500 years ago. The miraculous restorations of the land and the people of Israel tell us that the time of the Lord’s return is likely short. It also reminds us that in the midst of what appears to be a world run amuck, God is working out His plan.
At the end of John 13, Jesus tells His disciples that He is going away and lets them know that where He is going they cannot come. This was troubling to the disciples, who had spent the last several years following around their Teacher. Sensing their fear, Jesus said to them, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.” (John 14:1)
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