Israel and Syria - Several news items that look towards Isaiah 17

[Shammu]

IDF ups alert level on northern border
yaakov katz and jpost staff , THE JERUSALEM POST    Sep. 21, 2007

The IDF has raised the level of alert along Israel's northern border out of concern that Syria will attempt to retaliate for an alleged IAF attack within its borders on September 6.

Meanwhile, the IDF has also declared a closure on the Gaza Strip and the West Bank to remain in effect until the end of the Yom Kippur fast.

In Gaza, IDF forces attacked a cell responsible for firing mortar shells at Israel, including a round of five mortars that landed on the Israeli side of the Gaza security fence earlier Friday.

Also Friday, a Kassam rocket hit the western Negev. No wounded or damage were reported as a result of either the rocket or the shelling.

Overnight Thursday, IDF forces arrested a man who security forces believed had masterminded a terror attack planned for Tel Aviv this weekend.

The suspect, a senior commander of Hamas and the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), was captured during an IDF operation in Nablus.

Earlier on Thursday, IDF forces thwarted the suicide bombing by capturing members of the terrorist cell who were expected to carry out the attack.

In Nablus, troops from the Haruv and Paratrooper reconnaissance battalions entered the Ein Bet Ilmeh refugee camp on Tuesday to hunt down the three-man cell - the bomber, the recruiter and the dispatcher. The explosives belt was not found.

The operation, in which 31 fugitives were detained, had been scheduled to end by Friday, security sources said.

IDF ups alert level on northern border

[Shammu]

Damascus eager to respond to Israel flyover

Senior Ba'ath official tells Arab-Israeli reporter there is growing consensus among Syrian leadership for need to retaliate to reported Israeli violation of Syrian airspace

Roee Nahmias
Published: 09.20.07, 21:05
Israel News

A senior official in the ruling Syrian Ba'ath party said Thursday there was growing consensus among the Syrian leadership for the need to launch a military response to Israel's reported airstrike in Syria two weeks ago.

The official said the Syrian air force has been placed on high alert.

The official made the remarks to a reporter from the Arab-Israeli newspaper Al-Hadath during a visit to Jordan.

The official said Israel ordered the flyover in Syrian airspace to test air defense systems newly acquired from Russia.

The official reject reports that Israel destroyed nuclear equipment sent to Syria from North Korea who has agreed to dismantle its nuclear facilities in exchange for generous aide packages.

The official accused Israel and the United States of conspiring to ignite a war in the region in Iran and Syria did not bow to Washington's demands.

Washington has accused Syria of smuggling Iranian arms to Hizbullah in Lebanon and of facilitating the flow of insurgents into Iraq. The United States is also pushing for a third round of UN sanctions against Iran over its disputed nuclear program.

"The Syrians are well aware of the Israel threat and are following Israel's military maneuvers in the north and in the Golan Heights and are wary that Israel would seek to salvage itself from the internal crisis by igniting crises abroad," he said.
The official also brushed off reports that Israel had targeted an Iranian weapons shipment to Hizbullah.

"Israel is seeking to impose a certain policy on the Syrian leadership so that it retracts on its national objective to reclaim occupied lands and to punish it for supporting the resistance in Lebanon, Palestine and Iraq," the official said.

Damascus eager to respond to Israel flyover

[Shammu]

North Korea, Syria hold talks amid suspicions

Fri Sep 21, 5:34 AM ET

SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea and Syria held high-level talks Friday in Pyongyang, the North's state media reported, amid suspicions that the two countries might be cooperating on a nuclear weapons program.

The talks took place between Choe Tae Bok, secretary of the Central Committee of the North's ruling Workers' Party, and Saaeed Eleia Dawood, director of the organizational department of Syria's Baath Arab Socialist Party, the official Korean Central News Agency reported.

The two sides discussed ways of improving friendship and cooperation and other issues of bilateral interest, KCNA said without elaborating.

Their meeting drew attention because it came amid suspicions that North Korea may be providing nuclear assistance to Syria, a charge that both Pyongyang and Damascus deny.

The allegations arose after an alleged Israeli air raid earlier this month on unknown Syrian targets possibly connected to a weapons program.

Andrew Semmel, acting U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for nuclear nonproliferation policy, said last week that North Koreans were in Syria, and that Syria may have had contacts with "secret suppliers" to obtain nuclear equipment.

Semmel did not identify the suppliers, but said North Koreans were in Syria and that he could not exclude that the network run by the disgraced Pakistan nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan may have been involved.

President Bush, when asked at a news conference Thursday about the suspicions that North Korea is giving nuclear assistance to Syria, said, "We expect them not to."

North Korea, Syria hold talks amid suspicions

[Shammu]

Israel wants peace but knows how to fight wars

Defense minister says during commemoration ceremony for fallen paratroopers, 'We want peace even when voices of war arise in Syria and swords are being readied in Iran'

Yonit Atlas
Published: 09.20.07, 20:55
Israel News

Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Thursday that Israel was not interested in war but is strong enough to defend itself should its neighbors attack.

"We can win in every situation. We want peace even when voices of war arise in Syria and swords are being readied in Iran," Barak said during a ceremony at the Har Nof air force base to commemorate fallen IDF paratroopers.

"I promise to continue to defend the state of Israel. The threats are now different in nature and are more dangerous. It is now the 60th year since Israel's inception, and are still conspiring to wage war against us, but we are not resting - we are dreaming of peace, building, sowing and fighting," he said.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi told those on hand that "many failures were exposed during last summer's war in Lebanon, and we are constantly working to correct them.

"Only a strong, capable and prepared IDF can serve as a true security net for Israel's continued existence," he said.

The army chief also addressed last Tuesday's incident in Nablus in which an IDF soldier was killed, saying "the fighters of the Paratrooper Brigade's reconnaissance unit raided a refugee camp with the aim of apprehending terrorists and thwarting a terror attack in Israel's home front.

"There, in the alleyways of the camp in the heart of the Casba, a battle erupted in which our soldiers once again showed determination, professionalism and courage. We paid a heavy price - Ben-Zion Haim Henman was shot and killed. His comrades were not deterred and continued fighting. They killed the terrorists who shot their friend and are completing the mission, in keeping with the Paratrooper Brigade's tradition and the spirit of the IDF."

Israel wants peace but knows how to fight wars

[Shammu]

Israel to Syria: Use chem weapons & we'll wipe you off map

BY MATTHEW KALMAN in Jerusalem and BILL HUTCHINSON in New York
DAILY NEWS WRITERS

Thursday, September 20th 2007, 4:00 AM

Israeli officials vowed to wipe Syria off the map if it is attacked with chemical weapons like one that reportedly exploded in July at a secret Syrian base staffed with Iranian engineers.

Politicians in Israel said yesterday they were not picking a fight with their neighbor, but pledged to forcefully retaliate if chemical warheads come screaming across its shared border.

"We will not attack them first. But if they ever use these weapons against Israel, then we must be clear — it will be the end of this evil and brutal dictatorship," Yuval Steinitz, a right-wing member of the Israeli parliament, told the Daily News yesterday.

Sparking shock waves across the Middle East was a report in Jane's Defence Weekly about an accidental explosion at a top secret Syrian base in July.

Citing Syrian intelligence sources, the report claimed a team of Iranian and Syrian engineers were killed July 26 while trying to arm a Scud-C missile with a mustard gas warhead.

Syrian official news agency, SANA, reported that least 15 Syrian military personnel had been "martyred" and 50 others injured in the blast near the northern city of Aleppo on the Turkish border. It claimed the early morning explosion was caused by the high temperatures.

The SANA report mentioned nothing of Iranian personnel killed in the mishap.

Jane's said dozens of Iranian workers were among those who died when a fire in the missile's engine triggered the explosion and release of a toxic cloud of lethal chemical agents banned under international law.

U.S. intelligence sources played down the report saying they've seen no credible evidence  chemical weapons were involved in the Syrian accident.

Israel to Syria: Use chem weapons & we'll wipe you off map

[Shammu]

For those of you, that don't know Isaiah 17.

Isaiah 17:1-7 THE MOURNFUL, inspired prediction (a burden to be lifted up) concerning Damascus [capital of Syria, and Israel's bulwark against Assyria]. Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city and will become a heap of ruins. 2 The cities of Aroer [east of the Jordan] are forsaken; they shall be for flocks, which shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid. 3 His bulwark [Syria] and the fortress shall disappear from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus; and the remnant of Syria will be like the [departed] glory of the children of Israel [her ally], says the Lord of hosts. 4 And in that day the former glory of Jacob [Israel--his might, his population, his prosperity] shall be enfeebled, and the fat of his flesh shall become lean. 5 And it shall be as when the reaper gathers the standing grain and his arm harvests the ears; yes, it shall be as when one gathers the ears of grain in the fertile Valley of Rephaim. 6 Yet gleanings [of grapes] shall be left in it [the land of Israel], as after the beating of an olive tree [with a stick], two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the outermost branches of the fruitful tree, says the Lord, the God of Israel. 7 In that day will men look to their Maker, and their eyes shall regard the Holy One of Israel.

[Soldier4Christ]

Amen, brother. We are about to see more of Biblical prophecy in the making.

[Shammu]

Amen, brother. We are about to see more of Biblical prophecy in the making.

Amen brother I just checked WND and guess who posted an article....... Hal Lindsey
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Prophesied destruction of Damascus imminent?
Hal Lindsey
Posted: September 21, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern

A stunning report published by Jane's Defense Weekly confirms rumors of a July explosion at a Syrian military base at al-Safir, near Aleppo, in which reportedly "dozens" of Iranian engineers were killed along with their Syrian counterparts.

Syria had originally dismissed reports of the explosion by saying the blast was generated by the desert heat causing the accidental detonation of a stockpile of explosives.

Jane's reported that the explosion was actually triggered while the engineers were fitting a chemical warhead onto a Scud-C missile. The explosion and fire released containers of the deadly nerve agents VX and sarin gas, as well as a mustard gas blistering agent.

Israeli Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter told reporters this week, "Iran has entered into strategic cooperation with Syria on conventional and nonconventional weapons development," adding, "The Iranians are very big in Syria."

Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is preparing Syria to cover his flank, should war break out between Israel and Iran over Tehran's nuclear arsenal. Ahmadinejad is evidently gambling on Syria taking out Israel while Iran squares off against the United States. Were Iran and Israel to face each other head-to-head, one or the other would inevitably cease to exist. Israel would have no choice but to annihilate Iran before Iran annihilated Israel.

Israel's "Samson Option" is named after the biblical judge who sacrificed himself in order to take his enemies with him. In the event of its impending destruction, Israel's retaliatory plan involves taking the Middle East along with it.

As the Iraq experience has proved, war with the United States is survivable. The terms of Israel's "Samson Option" mean war with Israel involving first-use weapons of mass destruction is not.

To Ahmadinejad's way of thinking, if somebody has to be martyred to the Mahdi's cause, why not Syria? Twenty-five hundred odd years ago, the Hebrew prophet Isaiah prophesied of the destruction of Damascus. This prophecy is made more fascinating by the fact it remains unfulfilled in history.

Damascus is the oldest continually inhabited city on earth. Although conquered many times, its status as an economic and cultural center of antiquity preserved it intact to this day.

But Isaiah predicted Damascus would one day face utter destruction: "Behold, Damascus is about to be removed from being a city and it will become a fallen ruin," he writes in Isaiah 17:1.

The prophet also predicts Damascus' destruction will come at a time when "the glory of Jacob" had begun to fade (verse 4), at a time when Israel is in great peril of being "shaken like an olive tree," leaving only a few "on the topmost bough."

Isaiah prophesies that, when Damascus' destruction comes, there will be "an uproar of many peoples" and "the rumbling of nations" but that they will flee at God's rebuke.

It seems clear from recent events that Syria is preparing chemical and biological weapons, and possibly some form of nuclear weapon for use in some future war against Israel. Syria and Iran have been outfitting Hezbollah with the latest in offensive weaponry since the war of June 2006.

Israel is unlikely to sit back and wait for a first-use chemical or gas attack from Damascus. Neither is it likely to wait until Ahmadinejad can use Syria to flank them in the event of conflict with Iran. So the number of Israeli raids against Syrian targets is likely to escalate until either Israel has destroyed the threat or Syria responds militarily. If Syria attacks with weapons of mass destruction, it can expect a massive, in-kind Israeli response.

Bible prophecy doesn't make allowances for a full-scale unconventional war of annihilation of Israel by Iran, however. Ezekiel predicts Iran's participation of the Gog-Magog invasion as part of a Russian-led alliance, not a regional alliance with Syria. Both Iran and Israel are listed as participants in that future conflict.

But Syria isn't.

Syria isn't numbered among any of the various protagonists prophesied to participate in the conflicts of the last days.

Isaiah describes the destruction of Damascus in much the same terms that would be used today to describe the effects of all-out, no-holds-barred Israeli retaliatory strike against a Syrian gas attack.

"At evening time, behold, there is terror! Before morning, they are no more" (Isaiah 17:13-14).

Assad had better reconsider his options – while he still has some.
~~~~~~~~

In the mean time brothers, and sisters...................

KEEP LOOKING UP!!

[Soldier4Christ]

Yes, I saw that.

[Shammu]

The demise of Damascus is prophesied in three different places in the Bible. Isaiah 17 is one of them. This prophecy is in the future, awaiting fulfillment, it could happen soon.

Damascus is a central hub of terrorism today. Several of the most prominent terrorist organizations have their headquarters there, and coordinate their operations from there. With the United States and Israel aligning against Iran, Syria, and Hezbollah, it is not hard to see today how circumstances could quickly fall into place.

Isaiah 17:1 THE MOURNFUL, inspired prediction (a burden to be lifted up) concerning Damascus [capital of Syria, and Israel's bulwark against Assyria]. Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city and will become a heap of ruins.

Looking at this, I see the prophecy is not only about the destruction of Damascus, but the thorough dissolution of its status as a city. The city will be taken away. After this scripture is fulfilled, there will never be a city called Damascus again. If Isaiah had only said "Damascus will be destroyed", then presumably, it could be rebuilt. But the impact is stronger than that. Damascus will be negated from being a city.

A phrase in verse three also confirms this. The sovereignty, the royal power, the kingdom "will disappear from Damascus." Though it is the seat of government, capital of Syria, that status will be removed, and it will no longer function as such.

So I can see that this prophecy could not have taken place, or else Damascus would not now exist as a city. Yet some folks claim this was historically fulfilled in 732 BC by the Assyrians under Tiglath-Pileser III. However, neither the Bible (which records the incident in 2 Kings 16:9) nor the ancient Assyrian inscriptions found at Ninevah say the city was destroyed, just captured. It certainly did not cease to exist.

Also, it is important to note that the three Biblical prophecies about the doom of Damascus Isaiah 17, Jeremiah 49, Zechariah 9 were written over a span of 200 years. Therefore, even a fulfillment in Isaiah's day would not satisfy the requirements of the other prophecies, written later. Regarding Jeremiah's prophecy about Damascus, the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar did conquer the city in 605 BC, but there is no record of it being destroyed then. Neither did Zechariah's prophecy receive a fulfillment. Alexander the Great did also subsequently take Damascus in 332 BC, but without bloodshed or destruction.

Isaiah 17:2 The cities of Aroer [east of the Jordan] are forsaken; they shall be for flocks, which shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid.

This reference to "Aroer" it is a region on the northern bank of the Arnon River in what is today Jordan. At the time of Moses, it marked the southern boundary of the territory given to the two and a half tribes who received their land inheritance on the east side of the Jordan River. That Aroer was in the territory of Reuben. There was another Aroer in the territory of Gad as well, very near Rabbah. Rabbah is today called Amman, the modern capital of Jordan. So Isaiah may be indicating that the Jordanians will be involved as well. Either by accident, or

Does this mean that the nation of Jordan will be party to whatever conflict causes the destruction of Damascus? The textual proximity of prophecies against Moab and Ammon who resided in today's Jordan in Isaiah 15-16 and Jeremiah 48-49 to the prophecies against Damascus provide circumstantial evidence for this. In fact, Jeremiah 49:1-2 uses similar terminology when describing the fate of Rabbah, Amman as Israel regains possession of its land on the east bank of the Jordan. So it is possible that both Amman and Damascus will be destroyed in the same actions, and the "flocks that will lie down" there in safety are the Jews who will repossess that land.

Isaiah 17:3 His bulwark [Syria] and the fortress shall disappear from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus; and the remnant of Syria will be like the [departed] glory of the children of Israel [her ally], says the Lord of hosts.

Just as in the previous verse we saw a possible hidden reference to Amman, Jordan, here we see a possible hidden reference to the Palestinian Authority. The territory allocated to the tribe of Ephraim sits at the very heart of the so-called "West Bank". So the "fortifications" described in verse 3 are probably a symbolic reference to the terrorist strongholds that will be eliminated. If Isaiah were writing it today, he might say, "The PLO forces will vanish from the West Bank."

This seems to hint that the Palestinians as well will be involved in whatever events lead to the destruction of Damascus. At the same time the governing authority disappears from Damascus, the military units of the Palestinians disappear from the West Bank.

The final phrase in verse 3, "the remnant of Aram will be like the glory of the sons of Israel," is another emphatic statement about the scope of the judgment against Syria. Isaiah was writing in the days when the Assyrians had devastated the northern kingdom (ten tribes) of Israel. So Isaiah is saying that Syria's ultimate fate would be similar.

Isaiah 17:4-6 And in that day the former glory of Jacob [Israel--his might, his population, his prosperity] shall be enfeebled, and the fat of his flesh shall become lean.5 And it shall be as when the reaper gathers the standing grain and his arm harvests the ears; yes, it shall be as when one gathers the ears of grain in the fertile Valley of Rephaim.6 Yet gleanings [of grapes] shall be left in it [the land of Israel], as after the beating of an olive tree [with a stick], two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the outermost branches of the fruitful tree, says the Lord, the God of Israel.

In the this section, the focus changes from Damascus to Israel. In fact, Damascus is not even directly mentioned in the rest of the chapter. However, because of the structure of this oracle, we surmise that the effects on Israel described in the remaining verses are in conjunction with the conflict with Damascus.

Isaiah uses several metaphors to describe the consequences on Israel. Some of those consequences are very negative, but they lead to a positive spiritual revolution described in verses 7-8.

But first, the negatives. Verse 4 describes a process of enfeeblement and emaciation for Israel. Then verses 5-6 depict visuals of privation and desolation. This desolation seems to effect Israel's "strong cities", according to verse 9. This would be a reference to Israel's population center on the Mediterranean coast, where the major cities are. Later on in the chapter, Isaiah calls it "a day of grief and incurable pain."

How might we interpret these scenes, given the context?? It seems plausible that the destruction leveled against Damascus is God's response to devastation it has wreaked upon Israel's population center, the "strong cities".

Isaiah 17:7 In that day will men look to their Maker, and their eyes shall regard the Holy One of Israel.

God will use the desperate circumstances to turn the gaze of Israel to Himself. This seems to be the answer to the question "what will it take for the nation of Israel to come back to their God?" It is confirmed in Zechariah 9 as well, one of the other places where doom is declared upon Damascus.

Zechariah 9:1 THE BURDEN or oracle (the thing to be lifted up) of the word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrach [in Syria], and Damascus shall be its resting place, for the Lord has an eye upon mankind as upon all the tribes of Israel,

What happens to Damascus, and the misery for Israel, will be a very effective attention getting world wide.

[Shammu]

Israel scrambles warplanes to intercept 'Syrian' birds     
Sep 21 04:31 AM US/Eastern

Israeli fighter pilots scrambled warplanes on Friday after radar spotted a potential airborne enemy flying from Syria only to discover the culprits were migratory birds, army radio reported.

Israeli radar picked up the birds over the Syrian border but officers were unable to rule them out as enemy aircraft from the screen, the radio said.

Tensions have soared on Israel's northern border with Syria since Damascus said its air defences fired on Israeli warplanes that dropped munitions deep inside its territory in the early hours of September 6.

The Israeli government has maintained a total blackout on the operation, but the army radio said that military commanders were preferring not to take any risk.

A military official quoted by the radio emphasised that false alerts are common and warplanes are frequently scrambled to head off any precaution.

Israel and Syria are technically at war and the last round of peace negotiations collapsed in 2000, largely over the fate of the Golan Heights which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed in 1981.

Israel scrambles warplanes to intercept 'Syrian' birds

[Shammu]

Israel scrambles warplanes to intercept 'Syrian' birds

Good news bad news Department:

The good news: the IDF radar is sophisticated enough to see a formation of birds. Israel is far more technologically advanced than everyone knows.

Birds have a radar cross section so small, that if the radar picks them up no aircraft are going to be missed.

The bad news: it is that tense that you don't take a chance on anything!!

[Shammu]

Israel, U.S. Shared Data On Suspected Nuclear Site
Bush Was Told of North Korean Presence in Syria, Sources Say

By Glenn Kessler and Robin Wright
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, September 21, 2007; Page A01 <--- (You notice how far back in the paper this was printed?)

Israel's decision to attack Syria on Sept. 6, bombing a suspected nuclear site set up in apparent collaboration with North Korea, came after Israel shared intelligence with President Bush this summer indicating that North Korean nuclear personnel were in Syria, U.S. government sources said.

The Bush administration has not commented on the Israeli raid or the underlying intelligence. Although the administration was deeply troubled by Israel's assertion that North Korea was assisting the nuclear ambitions of a country closely linked with Iran, sources said, the White House opted against an immediate response because of concerns it would undermine long-running negotiations aimed at persuading North Korea to abandon its nuclear program.

Ultimately, however, the United States is believed to have provided Israel with some corroboration of the original intelligence before Israel proceeded with the raid, which hit the Syrian facility in the dead of night to minimize possible casualties, the sources said.

The target of Israel's attack was said to be in northern Syria, near the Turkish border. A Middle East expert who interviewed one of the pilots involved said they operated under such strict operational security that the airmen flying air cover for the attack aircraft did not know the details of the mission. The pilots who conducted the attack were briefed only after they were in the air, he said. Syrian authorities said there were no casualties.

U.S. sources would discuss the Israeli intelligence, which included satellite imagery, only on condition of anonymity, and many details about the North Korean-Syrian connection remain unknown. The quality of the Israeli intelligence, the extent of North Korean assistance and the seriousness of the Syrian effort are uncertain, raising the possibility that North Korea was merely unloading items it no longer needed. Syria has actively pursued chemical weapons in the past but not nuclear arms -- leaving some proliferation experts skeptical of the intelligence that prompted Israel's attack.

Syria and North Korea both denied this week that they were cooperating on a nuclear program. Bush refused to comment yesterday on the attack, but he issued a blunt warning to North Korea that "the exportation of information and/or materials" would affect negotiations under which North Korea would give up its nuclear programs in exchanges for energy aid and diplomatic recognition.

"To the extent that they are proliferating, we expect them to stop that proliferation, if they want the six-party talks to be successful," he said at a news conference, referring to negotiations that also include China, Japan, South Korea and Russia.

Unlike its destruction of an Iraqi nuclear reactor in 1981, Israel made no announcement of the recent raid and imposed strict censorship on reporting by the Israeli media. Syria made only muted protests, and Arab leaders have remained silent. As a result, a daring and apparently successful attack to eliminate a potential nuclear threat has been shrouded in mystery.

"There is no question it was a major raid. It was an extremely important target," said Bruce Riedel, a former intelligence officer at Brookings Institution's Saban Center for Middle East Policy. "It came at a time the Israelis were very concerned about war with Syria and wanted to dampen down the prospects of war. The decision was taken despite their concerns it could produce a war. That decision reflects how important this target was to Israeli military planners."

Israel has long known about Syria's interest in chemical and even biological weapons, but "if Syria decided to go beyond that, Israel would think that was a real red line," Riedel said.

Edward Djerejian, a former U.S. ambassador to Syria and founding director of Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy, said that when he was in Israel this summer he noticed "a great deal of concern in official Israeli circles about the situation in the north," in particular whether Syria's young ruler, Bashar al-Assad, "had the same sensitivity to red lines that his father had." Bashar succeeded his Hafez al-Assad as president of Syria in 2000.

The Israeli attack came just three days after a North Korean ship docked at the Syrian port of Tartus, carrying a cargo that was officially listed as cement.

The ship's role remains obscure. Israeli sources have suggested it carried nuclear equipment. Others have maintained that it contained only missile parts, and some have said the ship's arrival and the attack are merely coincidental. One source suggested that Israel's attack was prompted by a fear of media leaks on the intelligence.

The Bush administration's wariness when presented with the Israeli intelligence contrasts with its reaction in 2002, when U.S. officials believed they had caught North Korea building a clandestine nuclear program in violation of a nuclear-freeze deal arranged by the Clinton administration.

After the Bush administration's accusation, the Clinton deal collapsed and North Korea restarted a nuclear reactor, stockpiled plutonium and eventually conducted a nuclear test. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice convinced Bush this year to accept a deal with North Korea to shut down the reactor, infuriating conservatives inside and outside the administration.

But for years, Bush has also warned North Korea against engaging in nuclear proliferation, specifically making that a red line that could not be crossed after North Korea tested a nuclear device last year. The Israeli intelligence therefore suggested North Korea was both undermining the agreement and crossing that line.

Conservative critics of the administration's recent diplomacy with North Korea have seized on reports of the Israeli intelligence as evidence that the White House is misguided if it thinks it can ever strike a lasting deal with Pyongyang. "However bad it might be for the six-party talks, U.S. security requires taking this sort of thing seriously," said John R. Bolton, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations who was a top arms control official in Bush's first term.

But advocates of engagement have accused critics of trying to sabotage the talks. China on Monday abruptly postponed a round of six-party talks scheduled to begin this week, but U.S. officials now say the talks should start again Thursday.

Some North Korean experts said they are puzzled why, if the reports are true, Pyongyang would jeopardize the hard-won deal with the United States and the other four countries. "It does not make any sense at all in the context of the last nine months," said Charles "Jack" Pritchard, a former U.S. negotiator with North Korea and now president of the Korea Economic Institute.

Israel, U.S. Shared Data On Suspected Nuclear Site

[nChrist]

Bible Prophecy appears to be unfolding, and nothing will stop it.

The irony is that it's difficult to get real news these days. Major Biblical events will probably start happening while news media are obsessing with things like Paris Hilton and O.J. Simpson.

The world is lulled off to sleep with garbage, and the real news is almost ignored. One can put little bits and pieces of news together and see that the entire world is a time bomb, and the fuse is lit. I don't expect the world news media to believe in Bible Prophecy, but those who are left will believe it one day. Christians, I would simply tell you to believe every word of Bible Prophecy. It's GOD'S WORD, and it will happen at HIS Appointed time. There is NOTHING in the Bible to make fun of or ignore. Every word is there for a reason.

Many will rightfully say that the study of Bible Prophecy is difficult, but I would remind everyone that it's there for a reason. GOD wants us to know about it, or it wouldn't be in the Holy Bible. Some Portions of Scripture dealing with Bible Prophecy are difficult, and others simply and bluntly state future events. The Bible Prophecy concerning Damascus is extremely simple and blunt. Damascus will cease to exist, and one can be sure that other events will naturally follow the demise of Damascus. The Bible is fairly plain about many events, and the places are named. Those named places do exist and they can be identified.

So, why do Christians need to pay attention and realize that Bible Prophecy might be about to unfold? Brothers and Sisters, do you have an unfinished business for GOD? Do you have a burden on your heart that you've been putting off? What would you do if you knew that tomorrow is the end of this life for you?

Brothers and Sisters, I'm sure there are more important things for you to do than dwell on Paris Hilton or O.J. Simpson. We could all be face to face with Eternity! For Christians, should this be a time of prayer and sharing the blunt TRUTH? Should this be a time for serious Bible Study? Should Christians be concerned with the great hosts of people who are lost? How much time do we have left to do the Will of GOD?

Brothers and Sisters, horrible things ARE GOING to happen in this world, but this world isn't our home. 75% of the people in this world are going to die, so is it business as usual for Christians? GOD is going to give people their last chance to accept CHRIST soon, and Eternity will be sealed in either Heaven or Hell. So, is it business as usual for Christians?

GOD'S Appointed Time for the Rapture of the CHURCH WHICH IS THE BODY OF CHRIST will also come, and Christians will be caught up to meet the LORD in the air - there forever to remain with HIM - JESUS CHRIST - our LORD and SAVIOUR forever. We will go to our Real Home and enjoy our Eternal Citizenship in Heaven. We really don't know when the Rapture will take place, but couldn't it happen right now? YES! Regardless, it will most certainly happen! This is part of our HOPE and PROMISES from GOD.

SO, let's make things real simple and say there are two possible ETERNAL outcomes. Those who accept JESUS CHRIST as LORD and SAVIOUR will spend an Eternity of Joy in Heaven with JESUS CHRIST. Those who reject JESUS CHRIST as LORD and SAVIOUR will spend an Eternity of punishment in the fires of HELL. Have you made your decision for CHRIST? Quit putting it off and make your decision RIGHT NOW!

Love In Christ,
Tom

KEEP LOOKING UP!!

[Shammu]

Israelis seized nuclear material in Syrian raid
Uzi Mahnaimi and Sarah Baxter
September 23, 2007

Israeli commandos seized nuclear material of North Korean origin during a daring raid on a secret military site in Syria before Israel bombed it this month, according to informed sources in Washington and Jerusalem.

The attack was launched with American approval on September 6 after Washington was shown evidence the material was nuclear related, the well-placed sources say.

They confirmed that samples taken from Syria for testing had been identified as North Korean. This raised fears that Syria might have joined North Korea and Iran in seeking to acquire nuclear weapons.

Israeli special forces had been gathering intelligence for several months in Syria, according to Israeli sources. They located the nuclear material at a compound near Dayr az-Zwar in the north.

Evidence that North Korean personnel were at the site is said to have been shared with President George W Bush over the summer. A senior American source said the administration sought proof of nuclear-related activities before giving the attack its blessing.

Diplomats in North Korea and China believe a number of North Koreans were killed in the strike, based on reports reaching Asian governments about conversations between Chinese and North Korean officials.

Syrian officials flew to Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, last week, reinforcing the view that the two nations were coordinating their response.

Israelis seized nuclear material in Syrian raid