More on Syria and Jordan

The New York Times actually has another good article regarding the Middle East:

Unrest in Syria, Jordan Poses New Test for U.S. Policy

Even as the Obama administration defends the NATO-led air war in Libya, the latest violent clashes in Syria and Jordan are raising new alarm among senior officials who view those countries, in the heartland of the Arab world, as far more vital to American interests.

Deepening chaos in Syria, in particular, could dash any remaining hopes for a Middle East peace agreement, several analysts said. It could also alter the American rivalry with Iran for influence in the region and pose challenges to the United States’ greatest ally in the region, Israel

Officials fear the unrest there and in Jordan could leave Israel further isolated. The Israeli government was already rattled by the overthrow of Egypt’s leader, Hosni Mubarak, worrying that a new government might not be as committed to Egypt’s 1979 peace treaty with Israel.

While Israel has largely managed to avoid being drawn into the region’s turmoil, last week’s bombing of a bus in Jerusalem, which killed one person and wounded 30, and a rain of rocket attacks from Gaza, have fanned fears that the militant group Hamas is trying to exploit the uncertainty.

The unrest in Jordan, which has its own peace treaty with Israel, is also extremely worrying, a senior administration official said. The United States does not believe Jordan is close to a tipping point, this official said. But the clashes, which left one person dead and more than a hundred wounded, pose the gravest challenge yet to King Abdullah II, a close American ally.

Interestingly, below we see agreement between the Israeli papers and the NYTimes:

Mr. Assad has said that he wants to negotiate a peace agreement with Israel. But with his population up in arms, analysts said, he might actually have an incentive to pick a fight with its neighbor, if only to deflect attention from the festering problems at home.

Again, we see speculation that Assad could "pick a fight" with Israel in order to deflect attention from his internal problems.

But officials also concede that Mr. Assad has been an endless source of frustration — deepening ties with Iran and the Islamic militant group Hezbollah; undermining the government of Saad Hariri in Lebanon; pursuing a nuclear program; and failing to deliver on promises of reform.

Who knows what tomorrow will bring?

Things are happening fast in the Middle East right now with so many uprisings in so many different countries. It is hard to imagine that the situation in Lebanon has been rendered to "page 4" of the news, if that. It is hard to imagine that Egypt isn't talked about much anymore (even with elections looming), since this has been replaced in the news by what? An epic earthquake in Japan and its aftermath, which replaced (in the news) the quake in Chile, which replaced the news about the quake in Haiti.

And it was just a few weeks ago that we saw the news about the EU's new military group (EAS) who has the capability to perform border control in contested regions (confirming a covenant?). All of the above have replaced the news about the worldwide financial situation and the need for international control of a single currency. The list goes on and on.

But for now, the hot news is the turmoil in the Middle East and how radical Islam seems to be getting more access to power in a growing number of regions. In other words, those who are sword to destroy Israel are gaining strength both politically and militarily and doing so very rapidly right now. Even in those countries whose leaders are still in power - but who are now experiencing internal revolt with riots and violence beginning to increase (Syria and Jordan to name two) - they may have to prove themselves by taking action against Israel.

Israel seems to be caught in a "lose-lose" scenario right now.

In the News:

1. Israel:


Bombing attempt on Egypt-Israel gas pipeline fails

Six gunmen in Sinai targeted the pipeline that carries natural gas from Egypt to Israel and Jordan on Sunday, overpowering a guard and planting an explosive device before fleeing, The Associated Press reported.

The explosive device failed to detonate and was eventually defused by soldiers at the gas terminal in the village of el-Sabil near el-Arish, AP quoted an Egyptian security official as saying.

Last month, the Egyptian army deployed hundreds of additional soldiers to the northern Sinai Peninsula to guard the pipeline.

Israeli Airstrike Kills 2 Gaza Militants

Israeli aircraft killed two Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip Sunday, as Israel's military prepared to deploy a new defense system to shoot down rockets fired from Gaza.

The French news agency, AFP, quoted an Israeli army spokeswoman confirming the attack and saying the air force plane had hit a "terrorist cell" that she said was "preparing to fire a rocket at Israel."

Tensions between the two sides have escalated during the past week, with Palestinian militants firing dozens of rockets and mortar shells into Israel and Israeli forces responding with air strikes.

Israel deploys Iron Dome missile defense system for first time

The Israel Defense Forces on Sunday deployed the Iron Dome anti-rocket system for the first time ever on Sunday in southern Israel.

Weeks of stepped-up rocket and mortar attacks have drawn fears of renewed war and led to new calls in Israel for the military to deploy the $200 million system.

The Israel Defense Forces on Sunday deployed the Iron Dome anti-rocket system for the first time ever on Sunday in southern Israel.

Weeks of stepped-up rocket and mortar attacks have drawn fears of renewed war and led to new calls in Israel for the military to deploy the $200 million system.

The components of the battery – which include launchers, a radar, the control system and monitor – were each placed a few kilometers from one another on desert terrain, as soldiers from the Israel Air Force air defense unit began configuring the system.

The IDF said the system should begin operating on Sunday afternoon, but has described the step as an "operational experiment," saying the deployment of the Iron Dome and beginning its actual use will take some time.

The Israeli-developed system uses cameras and radar to track incoming rockets and is supposed to shoot them down within seconds of their launch.

The Israel Air Force has stressed that even the first two batteries will not be enough, and that at least three more will be needed to provide ample defense from Gaza rocket attacks.

Once deployed, however, the Iron Dome still cannot provide full protection to residents of Israel's south, Home Front Minister Matan Vilnai told Army Radio on Sunday.

And one must ask - why is this "Iron Dome" needed? After all, according to the MSM's reporting, there is nothing happening in Israel which would require such a defense system. Right?

Palestinian militants have fired dozens of rockets at Israel over the last week, prompting Israeli air strikes against targeted areas in the Gaza Strip.

Oh...Almost forgot - the daily barrage of missiles being fired into Israeli civilian areas.

The renewed hostilities have fed concerns of another large-scale Israeli military operation. In December 2008, Israel invaded Gaza in response to years of rocket and mortar barrages on its southern communities, killing 1,400 Palestinians, including more than 900 civilians, and causing widespread destruction. Thirteen Israelis also died in that war.

Israel says that Hamas, which suffered heavy losses in the fighting, has largely recovered from the fighting and restocked its arsenal with more powerful weapons.

2. Japan:

Radioactivity soars in Japan reactor, workers evacuated

Japanese authorities evacuated workers on Sunday from a reactor building they were working in after radiation in water at the crippled nuclear power plant reached potentially lethal levels, the plant's operator said.

Tokyo Electric Power Co said radiation in the water of the No. 2 reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi plant was measured at more than 1,000 millisieverts an hour. That compares with a national safety standard of 250 millisieverts over a year. The US Environmental Protection Agency says a dose of 1,000 millisieverts is enough to cause hemorrhaging.

The latest radiation scare was confined to inside the reactor. Radiation levels in the air beyond the evacuation zone around the plant and in Tokyo have been in normal ranges.

3. Syria

Syrian army enters tense port city

Syrian army units deployed in a seaside Mediterranean city rocked by protests and unrest, eyewitnesses and activists said Sunday.

The government on Saturday said armed groups had attacked people in the religiously mixed resort city, adding that at least two people were killed by rooftop snipers.

Protesters accused government forces of opening fire on them. Activists said some demonstrators burned tires, attacked businesses and set fire to an office of the ruling party Saturday.

Demonstrators on Saturday also attacked a police station and offices of the Baath party in the town of Tafas, six miles (10 kilometers) north of the southern border city of Daraa, the epicenter of more than a week of anti-government protests

Perhaps of greater importance, at least to a prophecy watcher is the following:

Assad has placed his fellow Alawites, adherents of a mystical offshoot of Shiite Islam, into most positions of power in Syria. He has built a close relationship with Iran, allowing the Shiite powerhouse to extend its influence into Lebanon, where it provides money and weapons to Hezbollah militants.

There it goes again - it seems that every time one turns over a rock in the Middle East - Iran is lurking behind the scenes. One would expect Iran to begin protecting the Assad regime in order to ensure that they continue to have a puppet government who is easily manipulated. Unless, of course, the protesters could represent a more favorable option for Iran.

But whatever happens - whatever the eventual outcome - one can safely bet that Iran will be behind it.

Syria army beefs up presence in city at heart of protests

Syria's army has beefed up its presence in the southern restive city of Daraa, as soldiers took to the streets in the northern port city Latakia where tensions are rising, residents said Sunday.

The protests began eight days ago in Daraa, the city which has remained a focal point of a bloody government crackdown on opponents, and pose the most serious challenge to the 48-year rule of the Baath Party and its leader, President Bashar al-Assad.

At least 55 people have been killed in and around Daraa alone, as secret police and special forces try to quell the protests.

Syrian activists also called Sunday for a nationwide general strike in the wake of a crackdown on anti-government protesters that has left dozens dead.

We just saw yesterday, where the protesters were calling for action by Assad to retake the Golan Heights, so the protesters are more arguably more radically opposed to Israel than Assad is - as hard as that is to believe (how could anyone be more opposed to Israel than Assad?)

Therefore, taking a simplistic approach, the argument could be made as follows:

- Either Assad makes political points by taking some action against Israel, or
- Assad is taken over by coup and the next government installation makes good on the promise/desire to retake Golan.

Either scenario isn't favorable to Israel, but highly prophetic, as we know there will be a major battle between Syria (and others) against Israel. This can be found in the pages of Isaiah 17.

This situation is worth watching very closely.

And last but not least, Carolne Glick turns in yet another excellent commentary:

Understanding the third terror war

Wednesday's bombing was not a stand-alone event. It was part and parcel of the new Palestinian terror war that is just coming into view. As Israel considers how to contend with the emerging onslaught, it is important to notice how it differs from its predecessors.

On a military level, the tactics the Palestinians have so far adopted are an interesting blend of state-of-the-art missile attacks with old fashioned knife and bomb-in-the- briefcase attacks.

The diverse tactics demonstrate that this war is a combination of Iranian-proxy war and local terror pick-up cells. The attacks are also notable for their geographic dispersion and for the absence thus far of suicide attacks.

Israelis understand that we are entering a new period of unremitting fear, where we understand that we are in danger no matter where we are. Whether we're in bed asleep, or our way to work or school, or sitting down on a park bench or at a restaurant; whether we're in Rishon Lezion, Sderot, Jerusalem, Itamar or Beersheba, we are in the Palestinians' crosshairs. All of us are "settlers." All of us are in danger.

After describing the various attacks and the tactics being used, we see this - and these facts are worth reading VERY closely, as these facts reveal the world that we are rapidly approaching:

Palestinians no longer feel they need to pretend to oppose terror to maintain European support for their war against Israel.

The Palestinians assess that Europe is swiftly moving towards the point where it no longer needs to pretend to be fair to Israel.

The British, French and German votes in favor of the Palestinians' anti-Israel UN Security Council resolution last month were the latest sign that the key European governments have adopted openly hostile policies towards Israel.

Between the rapidly expanding political power of Europe's Muslim communities and the virulently anti-Israel positions nearly universally adopted by the European media, European governments are compelled to adopt ever more hostile positions towards Israel to appease their Israel-hating publics and Muslim communities.

The bottom line? Its right here:

The Palestinians recognize that they don't need to pretend to be good to get Europe to support them.

After the people of Europe have been brainwashed by their media and intimidated by the Muslim communities, they have developed a Pavlovian response regarding Israel whereby every mention of Israel makes them hate it more. It doesn't matter if the story is about the massacre of Israeli children or the bombing of synagogues and nursery schools. They know that Israel is the guilty party and expect their governments to punish it.

What the Palestinian silence on who committed what atrocity tells us is that in this new terror war, the Palestinians believe they cannot lose. With Europe in tow, Fatah and Hamas feel free to combine their forces and advance both militarily and politically.

There you have it. The world we see today in and around Israel is precisely as it was described by the prophets Ezekiel and Zechariah. Exactly what we have today. And the future wars, also foretold by these ancient prophets will also come, exactly as described.

What we are seeing now is the stage being set - the pieces of the puzzle being assembled as we watch in real time.

Its an amazing time to be alive on planet earth. We are living in a biblical age. For those of us who know, we watch in utter amazement - amazement that we have a merciful God who gave us this information - information which indicates that Jesus will be coming for His church soon.

Its a promise that we can count on. It was given by God Himself.

The New Roman Empire Making Renewed Effort For M.E. Peace

This is interesting to a prophecy watcher because we know that the coming antichrist will be the only person who finalizes ("confirms" per Daniel 9:27) the peace plan, and we know that he will ultimately come from the expanded version of the EU, also known as the "10 kings" phase of EU development.

Therefore, as a precursor to his final plan, we would expect to see the current EU making progress in terms of developing this plan, as "road-paving" towards that eventuality. This is exactly what we are seeing:

Diplomats: New European peace proposal

Britain, France and Germany want the United Nations and the European Union to propose the outlines of a final settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that would lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state, UN diplomats said.

The three European countries, all members of the UN Security Council, are pressing for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the European Union to propose a settlement text at a meeting in mid-April of the Quartet of Mideast mediators, the diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity because talks are taking place in private. The quartet includes the UN, EU, US and Russia.

Based upon biblical prophecy, we have also been predicting that the role of the U.S. would diminish and the EU's role would increase. We also know that U.S. troops would never be allowed into and around Israel as "peace-keeping" forces, (which seems the only way to truly "confirm" a covenant). With the establishment of the EAS within the EU, we now have the perfect group to perform such duties.

Putting the job in the hands of the EU and the UN would sideline the United States, Israel's closest ally which has tried unsuccessfully for months to get face-to-face negotiations going, as well as Russia, an ally of the Palestinians.

The big question mark is whether the United States would allow the Europeans and UN to take the lead in trying to resolve the standoff, and that is likely to depend on whether the Israelis give a green light, the diplomats sai

The diplomats said the three European countries have delivered the message in key capitals –including Washington and Jerusalem – that if the parameters of a final settlement are endorsed, the Palestinians will return to the negotiating table.

In their joint statement of Feb. 18, Britain, France and Germany said their goal "remains an agreement on final status issues and the welcoming of Palestine as a full member of the United Nations by September 2011."

If direct negotiations don't resume and succeed, one diplomat said, the Palestinians are likely to demand UN recognition of a Palestinian state.

Everything seems to be moving along right on schedule. The U.S. is seemingly taking a back seat in these negotiations, and the EU is moving to the forefront. Exactly as predicted.

Soon, we will hear more and more about how, as part of this peace plan, EU troops can maintain border control

External Action Service: Shaping the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy

Also, we have a few other news updates from the Middle East:

Qassam strikes near southern Israel

Cross-border tensions between Israel and Gaza have been escalating recently, the latest being two Grad rockets and a Qassam fired at southern Israel from Gaza on Thursday. One of the rockets struck north of Ashdod and could be heard in Yavneh, some 25 kilometers from Tel Aviv.

Fayyad updates U.S. on plan for Palestinian statehood in 2011

Politicians Warn Against PA State

The upcoming UN General Assembly session in September, where many countries are poised to recognize a Palestinian state, does not bode well for Israel.

Even Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who, as Prime Minister in 1998, once offered Yasser Arafat close to 98% of Judea, Samaria and Gaza for such a state, is concerned. In a speech last week, Barak said he considers this scenario a “political tsunami” against Israel. He even said that this political development will carry a strong element of de-legitimizing the State of Israel.

PM Netanyahu weighs in on the possibility of a PA State:

Netanyahu himself made perhaps the clearest case against a Palestinian state, when he addressed the Likud Central Committee in May 2002

Such an entity, he said, “will demand all the powers of a state, such as controlling borders, bringing in weapons, control of airspace and the ability to knock down any Israeli plane that enters its area, the ability to sign peace treaties and military alliances with other countries.

"We will thus have created with our own hands a threat to our very existence,” Netanyahu continued

Even now, the Palestinians are removing all the restrictions to which they agreed in Oslo – they are smuggling in arms, polluting the water sources, building an army, making military deals with Iran and others, and more… But when we try to take action against this, the world opposes us – and not them...

The overall plan was actually disclosed by Yasser Arafat who made the intentions quite clear:

Netanyahu quoted Yasser Arafat: "Arafat said it best when talking to reporters the day he signed the Oslo Accords: 'Since we can't defeat Israel in war, we must do it in stages, we must take whatever area of Palestine we can get, establish sovereignty there, and then at the right time, we will have to convince the Arab nations to join us in dealing the final blow to Israel.'

Its part of the plan - a plan which includes the complete destruction of Israel. Unfortunately, "the nations" don't really care so much about Israel nor the threats to their existence, as we watch the world coming together against the Nation of Israel.

This is exactly what has been described to us through the prophets Zechariah (Zechariah 12) and Ezekiel (Ezekiel 37-38). We know what is coming - its just a matter of time.

God is going to place Israel in such a state that they will have to call upon God for His protection. Fortunately, God comes through for Israel, as He has so many times throughout history. And He will do so in a huge, dramatic fashion - just read the pages of Ezekiel 38-39 to see how this happens.

Japan:

Japan is back in the news today and it looks like the nuclear situation is worsening:

Radioactive Cesium With A Half-Life of Approximately 30 Years Is Being Released At 60% of Chernobyl Levels

Why does it seem as though the nuclear crisis in Japan just keeps getting worse with each passing day?

TEPCO has announced that extremely radioactive water is now leaking from reactors 1, 2, and 3 at their damaged nuclear complex.

On Thursday, three workers stepped into water in reactor 3 that contained 10,000 times the normal amount of radiation. Two of the workers experienced significant radiation burns and all three were sent to the hospital. Authorities have also announced that it is very likely that the containment vessel in reactor 3 has been breached. That is extremely alarming because reactor 3 is the one that uses plutonium-uranium mixed oxide fuel ("MOX fuel").

...radioactive cesium-137 is being released at 60% of the level that it was being released at during the Chernobyl disaster. Cesium-137 has a half-life of approximately 30 years. That means that all of this cesium is going to be with us for a very, very long time.

So how much cesium are we talking about?

Keith Harmon Snow is estimating that each spent fuel pool at the Fukushima nuclear complex could have 24,000 times the amount of cesium that was produced by the nuclear bomb that the U.S. dropped on Hiroshima at the end of World War 2.

Already there is quite a bit of evidence of cesium contamination across northern Japan.

For example, 25 miles from the Fukushima complex, one batch of a leafy green vegetable known as kukitachin was recently discovered to contain 11 times the legal limit of radioactive iodine and 82 times the legal limit of cesium.

So when the Japanese prime minister calls the situation at Fukushima "very grave and serious" he is perhaps understating things.

And this:

A recent CNN article explained why reactor 3 is such a concern....

That reactor is of particular concern, experts have said, because it is the only one at the plant to use a combination of uranium and plutonium fuel, called MOX, that is considered to be more dangerous than the pure uranium fuel used in other reactors.

Largely absent from most mainstream media reports on the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster is the fact that a highly-dangerous "mixed-oxide" (MOX) fuel in present in six percent of the fuel rods at the plant's Unit 3 reactor. Why is MOX a big deal? According to the Nuclear Information Resource Center (NIRS), this plutonium-uranium fuel mixture is far more dangerous than typical enriched uranium -- a single milligram (mg) of MOX is as deadly as 2,000,000 mg of normal enriched uranium

Also see:

Japan reactor nuclear core may have been breached

Japanese nuclear safety officials said Friday that they suspect that the reactor core at one unit of the troubled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant may have breached, raising the possibility of more severe contamination to the environment.

High radiation levels found in Japan seawater

Tests of seawater outside Fukushima plant show radiation levels 1,250 times higher than normal. US rushes freshwater to help remove contaminated water from plant. Government official: Situation not getting worse, but vigilance is needed

On Friday, nuclear safety officials revealed that they suspected a breach in one or more of the plant's units, possibly a crack or hole in the stainless steel chamber around a reactor core containing fuel rods or the concrete wall surrounding a pool where spent fuel rods are stored.

Suspicions were aroused when two workers suffered skin burns after unexpectedly encountering water that was 10,000 times more radioactive than levels normally found in the units, NISA said.

Such a breach could mean a much larger release of radioactive contaminants. The most likely consequence would be contamination of the groundwater, experts said.

Thi ssituation appears to be deteriorating rapidly. We can only pray for the people of Japan and that somehow this situation can be fixed, but unfortunately that doesn't seem likely at this point. We'll continue to update this situation as the story evolves.

More Updates From The Middle East

It really is amazing how much is happening in the Middle East right now - there is hardly time to take a deep breath before the next wave of relevant news comes in:

What Riots? Syria in denial

As protests across Syria continue to grow, prompting increasingly violent clashes and a mounting death toll, local officials insist on dismissing the reports while providing their own creative accounts of the situation.

On Friday, violent clashes were reported in several Syrian cities, with more than 30 protestors shot to death by security forces in Deraa, Damascus, Latakia and Sanamein.

That does indeed sound much larger than what we had been led to believe in earlier reports.

Meanwhile, an official source claimed that an "armed gang" attacked headquarters of the people's army in the town of Sanamein, south of the capital Damascus, in an attempt to storm it, Syrian news agency Sana reported.

In sharp contradiction to the official Syrian statements, human rights group Amnesty International said on Friday at least 55 people are believed to have been killed since protests erupted in and around the southern Syrian city of Deraa a week ago.

The figure may not include the most recent deaths in the country.

This is the bad news for Israel as these uprisings increase:

Syrian protestors: Liberate Golan

Protesters in the Syrian city of Deraa shouted slogans on Friday denouncing Maher Assad, brother of the Syrian president and head of the Republican Guard, a Reuters witness said.

"Maher you coward. Send your troops to liberate the Golan," thousands chanted as they headed to the main square in the city after the funeral of at least five protesters killed by security forces this week.

Israel captured the Golan Heights in a 1967 war.

We can't forget that the Golan Heights give a tremendous military advantage to whoever maintains that land. It is also possibly highly prophetic because we know that the "Gog-MaGog" battle of Ezekiel 38-39 will take place on the "mountains of Israel".

Bloody day in Syria, Jordan

Dozens of people were killed in Syria on Friday as troops opened fire on protesters in several cities and pro- and anti-government crowds clashed on the tense streets of the capital in the most widespread unrest in years, witnesses said.

The violence erupted after tens of thousands of Syrians took to the streets across the country. The demonstrations and ensuing crackdown were a major escalation of the showdown between President Bashar Assad's regime and the protestors.

An activist in Damascus in touch with eyewitnesses in the southern village of Sanamein said troops there opened fire on demonstrators trying to march to Deraa, a short distance away. He said there had been witness reports of fatalities, some claiming as many as 20 slain, but those could not be independently confirmed.

And now Jordan's situation is also worsening?

Dozens hurt in Jordan

In Jordan, one bystander was killed when Jordanian security forces used batons and sprayed water to disperse a clash between pro-monarchy demonstrators who hurled stones at protesters calling for political reform, a witness said.

"The (pro-monarchy) thugs were throwing stones from one side and police were attacking protesters with sticks to push them back," protester Mahmoud Hamawi told Reuters.

A member of the medical team with the pro-reform protesters, some of whom camped out on the roundabout on Thursday night, said more than 50 people had been injured, some seriously.

At the same time we are witnessing the unrest in Jordan and Syria, we are continuing to see significant escalations in and around Gaza:

2 Kassam rockets fall in Negev damaging property

Rocket lands on home in Eshkol Regional Council causing damage but no injuries; Barak says Iron Drome anti-rocket system to be deployed within days, cautions system is not a 100% solution.

A Kassam rocket exploded in Eshkol Regional Council area late Friday night, causing damage to one house but no injuries.

A second Kassam had fell in an open area.

The rocket fire comes a day after nearly a dozen rockets were fired deep into Israel, including in Beersheva, Asdod, Ashkelon, and in the Rishon Lezion area.

Israel has decided its time to try the Iron Dome system we have heard so much about:

Speaking during a tour of the Gaza region, Barak said: "I authorized the IDF in the coming days to authorize the first operational deployment of Iron Dome batteries, here in the southern region."

He noted that "some 100 rockets and mortars that reached communities further [from the Strip] than usual" were hit, including Beersheba, Ashdod, Sderot, Ashkelon, and the Gaza border-region communities. "We have no intention to allow terrorist organizations to renew the situation and breaking the status quo," he said. The defense minister added, "We will act as it is needed to return the operations back to the [border] line itself."

The defense minister praised Iron Dome's technology, calling it an "extraordinary development" by the defense industry.

The Iron Dome system will be part of the IDF's solution to the barrage of rockets fired into southern Israel from Gaza in the last week, a statement from the IDF spokesperson said.

it seems that in every corner of the Middle East things are shifting even more in a direction that is opposed to Israel. And it isn't that these previous regimes had any particular love of Israel - quite the opposite. Egypt, Syria and Lebanon all had good reasons to at least try and keep the peace (mainly monetary) and the leaders could maintain their authority and current position.

But resulting from the protests and riots - with Egypt serving as the perfect example - we see a highly organized and ready Islamic group, such as the Muslim Brotherhood (or Hezbollah in Lebanon) come in and gain power.

When that tipping point occurs, these nations shift from a stable regime (albeit with a strong dislike of Israel but motivated to keep relative peace) - to - a regime who will maintain an active policy which plans for the destruction of the Nation of Israel based on a religious mandate.

We are watching this evolution in both Egypt and Lebanon, but Syria may not be far behind and Syria hasn't exactly been in Israel's camp before this. It is hard to imagine what a more radical regime would be like in Syria - but the calls for taking the Golan Heights have already begun. The current Syrian government may feel pressure to begin conflict around Golan just in order to relieve some of this internal pressure.

There are more questions than answers now - but one thing is for sure. The significant events that we have observed thus far in the region are increasing in frequency and intensity, and our prophetic answers may be coming soon.