Last month, Prime Minister Netanyahu quoted the book of Ecclesiastes, declaring, “The Bible says there’s a time for peace and a time for war. This is a time for war.” He’s dead right about that. Israel’s most important priority right now is to defeat and displace Hamas. That is the predicate for any future lasting peace in the Middle East.
Prime Minister Netanyahu called the current conflict Israel’s “second War of Independence.”
The first War of Independence was in 1948, the rebirth of the modern state of Israel, when they were invaded by five nations simultaneously. Calling this their “second war of independence” is a powerful statement. Netanyahu also said Israel is “only at the beginning” regarding the conflict with the terrorist organization.
Israel has now penetrated deeply into Gaza and is “tightening the noose” on Hamas. Hamas’ days, I believe, are numbered.
The bigger concern right now is up on the northern front with Hezbollah, which is another surrogate/proxy of Iran. They are a much more formidable foe than Hamas.
There has been a recent increase in heavy barrages coming into Israel from Hezbollah. They’re hitting further and further into Israel, which then is causing Israel to respond with its airpower hitting further and further into Lebanon. We are seeing a major escalation between Hezbollah and Israel, both in the terrorist group’s attacks, aggression, and rhetoric.
So far, Hezbollah is just a major distraction. But the question is, will they open a full-scale second front? Many believe they will. The calculus right now for Hezbollah is that once Israel deals a death blow to Hamas, they’re going to be next and that this is the best time, while Israel is distracted with Hamas, for them to make their all-out attack.
One other interesting development this month surrounded a paramilitary group in Russia, the Wagner group. They were headed by Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led a brief coup against Vladimir Putin before dying under very suspicious circumstances earlier this year. The Wagner group is transferring air defense systems to Hezbollah.
So, we now have Russia, one of the nations from Ezekiel chapter 38 that will attempt to invade Israel in the end times, providing air defense systems to Hezbollah through the Wagner group.
What about Iran? Is Iran going to get involved in a greater way, other than just through proxies? Currently, their proxies are attacking American troops and bases in Syria and Iraq. They are also the main power behind Hamas and Hezbollah.
Prime Minister Netanyahu is right, “this is a time for war.” But what about peace? This may seem like a very strange time to talk about peace in the Middle East. Yet some experts are saying that this current war will actually pave the way for an expanded peace.
It’s an ironic twist. Iran unleashed Hamas, many believe, to torpedo and derail the peace talks between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Yet some are saying that, in the end, this may ultimately accelerate that process.
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