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

[Shammu]

Jordan signs uranium agreement
28 August 2008

An agreement on uranium exploration and mining signed by the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC) and French nuclear company Areva has been welcomed by King Abdullah II of Jordan and French president Nicolas Sarkozy.

The memorandum of understanding, signed by the two companies during King Abdullah's state visit to France, provides for the establishment of a joint venture to explore for uranium in the Middle Eastern country. A mining convention is to be drawn up to cover the exploration and exploitation stages of the project. The two country's leaders voiced their approval in a joint declaration released at the end of the visit, as well as welcoming the memorandum of understanding between the two countries on the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

The Jordanian government has previously estimated its conventional uranium reserves at 140,000 tonnes, plus a further 59,000 tonnes in phosphate deposits. A study into the possible extraction of uranium as a by-product of phosphoric acid production was commissioned by the Jordan Phosphate Mines Company according to reports in July.

Jordan, an energy resource-poor country that currently imports about 95% of its needs, is working towards introducing nuclear power for both energy and water desalination with plans for its first nuclear plant to start up in 2015. Earlier this month it signed a nuclear cooperation agreement with China, adding to similar agreements with the USA, France and UK. Additionally, JAEC recently signed an agreement with Canadian reactor vendor AECL and SNC-Lavalin to look into the feasibility of setting up a nuclear power program based on the Canadian-designed Candu reactor. It is also reported to be discussing the possibility of buying a reactor from Areva.

Jordan joined the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP), the US-led initiative to expand nuclear energy use worldwide while reducing the threat of nuclear weapons proliferation, in 2007.

Jordan signs uranium agreement

[Shammu]

Jordan King Warns Israel against War with Iran
2008-08-30

TEHRAN (FNA)- Jordan warned against a possible Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, saying Tel Aviv is not capable of defeating Tehran.
   

"An attack against Iran would provoke reprisals and Israel doesn't have the capability to destroy Iran's nuclear sites", King Abdullah II said

"Iranians assert that their nuclear program has no military nature and an American report, which was published recently, apparently recognizes their claim," said King Abdullah II in an interview with French magazine L'Express.

King Abdullah hinted at Iran's increasing power and influence in the Middle East and said, "What Tehran wants to tell us, I think, is that Iran is an important player in the region and that we should note it well".

The King of Jordan said his country hopes that there would be no military intervention against Iran as such a move would bear dire consequences for the whole region.

"All the countries in the region will pay the price for such a situation," he concluded.

Washington and its Western allies accuse Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian nuclear program, while they have never presented any corroborative document to substantiate their allegations. Iran denies the charges and insists that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.

Tehran stresses that the country has always pursued a civilian path to provide power to the growing number of Iranian population, whose fossil fuel would eventually run dry.

Despite the rules enshrined in the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) entitling every member state, including Iran, to the right of uranium enrichment, Tehran is now under three rounds of UN Security Council sanctions for turning down West's illegitimate calls to give up its right of uranium enrichment.

Tehran has dismissed West's demands as politically tainted and illogical, stressing that sanctions and pressures merely consolidate Iranians' national resolve to continue the path.

Iran insists that it should continue enriching uranium because it needs to provide fuel to a 300-megawatt light-water reactor it is building in the southwestern town of Darkhoveyn as well as its first nuclear power plant in the southern port city of Bushehr.

Iran currently suffers from an electricity shortage that has forced the country into adopting a rationing program by scheduling power outages - of up to two hours a day - across both urban and rural areas.

Iran plans to construct additional nuclear power plants to provide for the electricity needs of its growing population.

The Islamic Republic says that it considers its nuclear case closed as it has come clean of IAEA's questions and suspicions about its past nuclear activities.

Yet, the United States has remained at loggerheads with Iran over the independent and home-grown nature of Tehran's nuclear technology, which gives the Islamic Republic the potential to turn into a world power and a role model for other third-world countries. Washington has laid much pressure on Iran to make it give up the most sensitive and advanced part of the technology, which is uranium enrichment, a process used for producing nuclear fuel for power plants.

Washington's push for additional UN penalties contradicts the report by 16 US intelligence bodies that endorsed the civilian nature of Iran's programs. Following the US National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) and similar reports by the IAEA head - one in November and the other one in February - which praised Iran's truthfulness about key aspects of its past nuclear activities and announced settlement of outstanding issues with Tehran, any effort to impose further sanctions on Iran seems to be completely irrational.

The February report by the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, praised Iran's cooperation in clearing up all of the past questions over its nuclear program, vindicating Iran's nuclear program and leaving no justification for any new UN sanctions.

The UN nuclear watchdog has also carried out at least 14 surprise inspections of Iran's nuclear sites so far, but found nothing to support West's allegations.

The Vienna-based UN nuclear watchdog continues snap inspections of Iranian nuclear sites and has reported that all "declared nuclear material in Iran has been accounted for, and therefore such material is not diverted to prohibited activities."

Observers believe that the shift of policy by the White House to send William Burns - the third highest-ranking diplomat in the US - to the latest round of Iran-West talks happened after Bush's attempt to rally international pressure against Iran lost steam due to the growing international vigilance.

US President George W. Bush finished a tour of the Middle East in winter to gain the consensus of his Arab allies to unite against Iran.

But hosting officials of the regional nations dismissed Bush's allegations, describing Tehran as a good friend of their countries.

Many world nations have called the UN Security Council pressure against Iran unjustified, especially in the wake of recent IAEA reports, stressing that Tehran's case should be normalized and returned to the UN nuclear watchdog due to the Islamic Republic's increased cooperation with the agency.

Jordan King Warns Israel against War with Iran

[Shammu]

Syria makes peace proposal to Israel

By ZEINA KARAM, Associated Press Writer Thu Sep 4, 5:04 PM ET

DAMASCUS, Syria - Syria's leader said Thursday he offered a proposal for peace with Israel but also refused to break off ties with Hezbollah and militant Palestinians — a key Israeli demand.

President Bashar Assad also said indirect negotiations with Israel were on hold until that country chooses a new prime minister and that direct talks would have to wait until a new U.S. president takes office.

Assad's comments came after meetings with France's leader and regional mediators in talks focusing on Mideast peace and Iran's nuclear program. France hopes that warmer relations with Syria, Iran's ally, could help the West in its efforts to persuade Iran to curb its nuclear program.

Assad said his proposal for Israel was intended to serve as a basis for direct talks. He said he would wait for a similar document laying out Israel's positions before any face-to-face talks. So far, negotiations between the two foes have been held indirectly through Turkish mediators.

Although Assad didn't divulge details of his proposal, the move reflected a desire to break with Syria's past policies. The quest was given a boost by France's President Nicolas Sarkozy, who visited Damascus on Wednesday and Thursday, becoming the first Western leader in several years to come to Syria.

Sarkozy has encouraged face-to-face Syria-Israel negotiations and offered to sponsor such talks in the future. The French president has been trying to forge better relations with both Syria and Libya, a longtime international pariah that has significantly improved ties with the West.

Assad and Sarkozy were joined Thursday in a four-way summit by Turkey's prime minister and the leader of Qatar, a key broker in inter-Arab disputes, to discuss Mideast stability and peace.

Washington made clear it expects more from Syria before any warming of ties. "Overall what we'd like to see out of Syria is for it to play a much more productive role in the region. It hasn't until now. We'd like to see it not meddle in the affairs of the sovereign government of Lebanon," State Department spokesman Robert Wood said. He said the U.S. "would like to see" Syria reach a peace with Israel and establish diplomatic relations.

In an interview with French television, Assad ruled out any recognition of Israel before a peace deal. But "when there is a peace accord, of course there will be reciprocal recognition. This is natural," he said.

Syria and Israel have held four rounds of indirect talks through Turkish mediation in the last year.

Assad said at the summit that in the peace proposal, given to Turkish mediators, Syria outlined six points on the issue of the "withdrawal line" — a reference to the extent of an Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights.

This has been a major sticking point in the previous talks, causing the collapse of U.S.-brokered direct negotiations in 2000. Syria has long demanded the complete return of the heights, captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war. Israel has sought to keep a strip of land around the Sea of Galilee.

Assad did not say whether the six points changed the demand for a full withdrawal.

Assad said a fifth planned round of indirect talks with Israel had been postponed until after Israeli leadership elections and that the future of negotiations rested on whether a new prime minister in Israel will be committed to pursuing peace with Syria.

Any direct talks would also have to wait until a new American administration is in place, Assad added, acknowledging the importance of strong U.S. backing for such an effort.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, the target of several corruption investigations, has announced he will step down after his party chooses a new leader this month. That has left peace prospects with both Syria and the Palestinians uncertain.

"We want the support of all states, basically France, Qatar and Turkey in order to be assured that the next (Israeli) prime minister will follow the same direction Olmert had followed through his readiness for complete withdrawal from the occupied territories in order for peace to be achieved," he said.

In Israel, an official said contacts were already being made to set up more talks. He said Israel has a "genuine intention to reach an agreement." The official declined to be identified because the diplomatic efforts are ongoing.

Israeli officials have insisted that Syria also must end its support for militant groups opposed to Israel, namely Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Palestinian Hamas and the Islamic Jihad.

But Assad on Thursday sought to reassure the groups that he would continue to back what he described as the "resistance" against Israeli occupation.

"We don't see any interest in abandoning the resistance," he told Hezbollah's Al-Manar television. "Our position has always been clear. Our position toward the resistance against any occupation in Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine is firm and has not changed."

Syria makes peace proposal to Israel

[Shammu]

Russia seeks stronger ties with Syria
Sep. 13, 2008
Associated Press , THE JERUSALEM POST

Russia announced Friday it was renovating a Syrian port for use by the Russian fleet in what signals an effort for a better foothold in the Mediterranean amid the rift with the United States over Georgia.

Syria was Moscow's strongest Middle East ally during the Cold War. The alliance largely waned after the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union, though Russia has continued some weapons sales to Damascus. Syrian President Bashar Assad has increasingly reached out to Russia recently, including seeking weapons and offering broader military cooperation.

Friday's announcement was the first tangible sign of any new cooperation. The Itar-Tass news agency said Friday that a vessel from Russia's Black Sea fleet had begun restoring facilities at Syria's Mediterranean port of Tartus for use by the Russian military.

The two countries' naval chiefs also met in Moscow on Friday and discussed "further strengthening mutual trust and mutual understanding between the two states' fleets," a Russian naval official, Igor Dygalo, told Itar-Tass.

The Tartus renovations could signal an intention to have a long-term Russian naval presence there. In late August, Russia's ambassador to Damascus, Igor Belyev, said that Russian ships already patrol the area, but "a new development is that the Russian presence in the Mediterranean will become permanent."

The Russian navy's closest access to the Mediterranean is through the Black Sea, where they have strong naval presence. But that area has seen an increase in NATO naval activity after the Georgia conflict, prompting Russian complaints that NATO has exceeded ship numbers permitted there under international agreements.

The move comes amid heightened tensions between the US and Russia after last month's brief war in Georgia. The rift has raised concerns Moscow might start reaching out to US rivals around the world to beef up military alliances. Russian bombers this month arrived in Venezuela for training exercises and the two countries are to hold joint exercises in the Caribbean in November.

Syrian media made no mention of the Russian announcement Friday, and Syrian officials could not be reached for comment. In Syria, military activities are rarely discussed or divulged by authorities who keep a tight lid on state security matters.

Russian military experts said Tartus would be a considerable boost for operations in the Mediterranean.

"It is much more advantageous to have such a facility than to return ships patrolling the Mediterranean to their home bases," former Black Sea Fleet commander Adm. Eduard Baltin said, according to the Russian Interfax-AVN service.

The former first deputy commander the Russian Navy, Adm. Igor Kasatonov, said Tartus "is of great geopolitical significance considering that it is the only such Russian facility abroad."

The former Soviet Union had a maintenance and supply facility in Tartus under a 1971 agreement with Damascus, but the deal ended with the fall of the Communist regime in Moscow. Currently the facility at Tartus consists of three floating piers, one of which is currently operational, one floating repair shop, warehouses, barracks and other facilities, according to Russian press reports.

Security expert David Hartwell cautioned against reading too much into a connection between the Russia-Syria ties and the Georgia crisis.

"Talks about naval cooperation have been ongoing for several years. It would wrong to suggest this is a reaction to NATO's action in Georgia," said Hartwell, Middle East and North Africa editor for Jane's Country Risk in London.

The Tartus move may be as much aimed at placating Syria's appeals for greater cooperation. he said from London.

Assad made a visit to Moscow last month, and before the trip told the Russian business daily Kommersant that Syria was "ready to cooperate with Russia in any way," including discussing deploying missile defense systems on Syrian territory.

Assad also said Syria was ready to help Moscow respond to the planned US missile defense shield in Europe, although the Russians have not asked for such help, the newspaper said.

Syria's government later denied that Assad had made such an offer to host Russian missiles on Syrian land, or even discussed it with Russia - apparently wary of overly antagonizing the United States.

Russia seeks stronger ties with Syria
~~~~~~~~~~~

The stage keeps getting set, ever closer.....

[Shammu]

IDF plans to use disproportionate force in next war
By Amos Harel
05/10/2008

What will the next war look like? Recent statements from several senior Israeli military officials offer a surprising answer: Perhaps much like the last one.

Following on the Israel Defense Forces' failure in the 2006 Second Lebanon War, the army is likely to resume fortifying its maneuvering capability, represented by the Armored and Infantry Corps, at the expense of its firepower, particularly that of the Air Force.

However, a recent interview with GOC Northern Command Gadi Eisenkot, and articles written by two senior reserve officers, indicate that the IDF will continue to give first priority to firepower, even if the targets it chooses are different than those chosen in previous conflicts.

This is not merely a theoretical matter. Though neither Israel nor Hezbollah seems particularly interested in another round of fighting, another conflagration is certainly possible. This could come as a result of a revenge attack for the February killing of senior Hezbollah operative Imad Mughniyeh, for which the group blames Israel, or as an Israeli response to the group's smuggling of anti-aircraft weapons into Lebanon.

In an interview Friday with the daily Yedioth Ahronoth, Eisenkot presented his "Dahiyah Doctrine," under which the IDF would expand its destructive power beyond what it demonstrated two years ago against the Beirut suburb of Dahiyah, considered a Hezbollah stronghold.

"We will wield disproportionate power against every village from which shots are fired on Israel, and cause immense damage and destruction. From our perspective, these are military bases," he said. "This isn't a suggestion. This is a plan that has already been authorized."

Colonel (Res.) Gabriel Siboni recently authored a report through Tel Aviv University's Institute for National Security Studies backing Eisenkot's statements.

The answer to rocket and missile threats from Syria, Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, he believes, is "a disproportionate strike at the heart of the enemy's weak spot, in which efforts to hurt launch capability are secondary. As soon as the conflict breaks out, the IDF will have to operate in a rapid, determined, powerful and disproportionate way against the enemy's actions."

"This strike has to be carried out as quickly as possible, through prioritizing strikes at its assets, rather than chasing after launch sites. Such a response is likely to be remembered by decision makers in Syria and Lebanon for many years, thus deepening deterrence," he said.

Major General (Res.) Giora Eiland, formerly head of the National Security Council, belongs to a similar school of thought, and even goes a step further.

He believes Israel failed in the Second Lebanon War and is liable to fail in a third such war, because it is fighting the wrong enemy: Hezbollah, instead of the state of Lebanon itself.

Writing for an INSS publication set to come out this week, Eiland states it is impossible to beat an efficient guerrilla army supported by a state immune from retribution. The fact that Hezbollah has rebuilt its strongholds beneath the Shi'ite villages in southern Lebanon will make any IDF maneuvering efforts difficult, he writes, adding that targeted strikes against rocket launch sites will not decrease the number of rockets fired at Israel.

"Hezbollah operates under optimal conditions from our perspective. A legitimate government runs Lebanon, supported by the West, but it is in fact entirely subordinate to the will of the Shi'ite organization," he writes.

Eiland recommends preemptive action: that Israel pass a clear message to the Lebanese government, as soon as possible, stating that in the next war, the Lebanese army will be destroyed, as will the civilian infrastructure.

"People won't be going to the beach in Beirut while Haifa residents are in shelters," he writes.

While Eisenkot and Siboni deal primarily with striking Shi'ite strongholds, Eiland sees Lebanon's infrastructure as a primary target, in a plan highly reminiscent of the one proposed by then-IDF chief of staff Dan Halutz, which was eventually shot down by U.S. opposition.

Eisenkot's "Dahiyah Doctrine" also raises a number of questions about a possible international backlash, which could end the conflict under conditions favorable to the enemy.

What the three officials have in common, surprisingly, is their emphasis on air power. Anyone who thinks the Air Force will step aside given the results of the last Lebanon war will likely be proven wrong.

IDF plans to use disproportionate force in next war

[Shammu]

Hezbollah dismisses Israeli threats of destruction in next war
By Yoav Stern and Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondents
05/10/2008

Hezbollah officials have dismissed Israeli threats of massive destruction in a future conflict in Lebanon as "media war," speaking to the United Arab Emirates newspaper Al Ittihad.

The officials said the Lebanon-based militant group is ready for any Israeli assault, including a surprise attack. They told the paper that Israel is a "cardboard state" that will collapse in a conflict with Hezbollah.

"Israel is wrestling with its many problems and has no capability to start a war over Lebanon," Al Ittihad quoted them as saying.

The Hezbollah officials were responding to recent comments by senior Israel Defense Forces officers who intimated that the next war will appear very similar to the last one. In particular, GOC Northern Command Gadi Eisenkot spoke of the IDF using of "disproportionate power" as it did in 2006 Second Lebanon War.

Hezbollah dismisses Israeli threats of destruction in next war

[nChrist]

GREAT ARTICLES DREAMWEAVER!

Thanks Brother! The pieces to a massive Bible Prophecy puzzle are being prepared to fall into place.

"NEVER AGAIN!" is a slogan that Israel uses in reference to the holocaust. This is quite serious, and it should be. There is no doubt in my mind that Israel will defend itself with great expertise and valor. You're also correct that this would ramp up retaliation thoughts by many other world entities. In short, Israel is between a rock and a hard place, just like they've been for 40 plus years. ONE CAN ALMOST HEAR THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE MESSIAH!

Love In Christ,
Tom

Favorite Bible Quotes 116 - Ephesians 1:11-14 In whom also we have
obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose
of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 12
That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in
Christ. 13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of
truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye
believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is
the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased
possession, unto the praise of his glory.

[Shammu]

Syria Massing Troops Along Border with Lebanon
By Edward Yeranian
Beirut
07 October 2008
   
Eyewitness reports say that Syria is continuing to mass troops along its border with Lebanon, prompting the warning from the United States not to meddle or to intervene militarily. For VOA, Edward Yeranian reports from Beirut.

Fresh reports of a Syrian troop buildup along Lebanon's eastern Beka'a Valley are ringing alarm bells in Beirut and Washington.

Quoting Lebanese security sources, the Arab daily al-Hayat, reports the Syrian army has deployed tanks to the Beka'a Valley border town of al-Qa'a. Eyewitnesses also report that the Syrian Army has dug trenches and erected earthen barriers.

Two weeks ago, Lebanon's LBC TV broadcast images of Syrian troops camped along Lebanon's northern border, sparking initial fears of an invasion.

The latest Syrian troop buildup follows a series of defense protocols signed Monday by U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense Mary Beth Long and Lebanese Defense Minister Elias Murr.

The three agreements include a one-time U.S. gift of $63 million in military equipment to the Lebanese army. The Israeli Web site Debka File claims the gift includes a number of Cobra helicopters now stationed in Jordan.

U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State David Hale told a Lebanese radio station the United States has "no intention of changing its policy towards either Lebanon or Syria," and it is "committed to Lebanese sovereignty."

Monday, State Department Spokesman Robert Wood said the United States told Syria any "intervention" in Lebanon is "unacceptable."

Syrian officials have repeatedly insisted the troop build-up along the border is merely intended to "combat smuggling."

The head of the Political Science Department at the American University of Beirut, Professor Hilal Kashan, thinks Syria is preparing the ground for an eventual Lebanon incursion by using the Fatah al-Islam guerrilla group, which Syria created, as a pretext.

"If terrorist attacks against the Lebanese Army in the north continue to go ahead, and it is my understanding that Fatah al-Islam is engaged in these activities against the army, and we all know that Fatah al Islam is a [Syrian] intelligence creation, and reports from Syria say that the Syrians have arrested their leader, Chaker al Abssi, and that they aborted, last month, a terrorist attack against a packed stadium in Damascus. So, all that is designed to show that there is a wedge between Fatah al Islam and Syria," said Kashan.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said last week that Islamic militants inside Lebanon "pose a threat to Syrian stability."

Lebanon's parliamentary majority leader Sa'ad Hariri responded to Mr. Assad, asserting that "Syria represents a threat to Lebanese stability."

Syria Massing Troops Along Border with Lebanon

[Shammu]

I haven't seen any weird movement from Egypt along Gaza border. I hope Syria doesn't know something we don't know, and are ready to take advantage of panic, due to something happening here.

[Shammu]

Israel Threatens to Decimate Lebanon
By CHERRIE HEYWOOD (Middle East Times)
Published: October 07, 2008

JERUSALEM -- Three senior Israeli military commanders have threatened to decimate Lebanon's infrastructure with disproportionate firepower, wipe out villages in the south from where they believe attacks on Israel originate and to treat both the Lebanese government and the entire country as the enemy not just Hezbollah, in the next war.

In an interview Friday with the Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot, GOC Northern Command Gadi Eisenkot presented his "Dahiyeh Doctrine." This doctrine would allow the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to expand its destructive power beyond what it demonstrated two years ago against the Beirut suburb or, dahiyeh in Arabic, a Hezbollah stronghold, during the Second Lebanon War.

"We will wield disproportionate power against every village from which shots are fired on Israel, and cause immense damage and destruction. From our perspective, these are military bases," he said. "This isn't a suggestion. This is a plan that has already been authorized," he added.

During the 2006 war, well over 1,000 Lebanese, the vast majority of them civilian, were killed by Israeli firepower. Simultaneously, over 100 Israelis were killed, the majority of them military personnel, by Hezbollah missile fire into northern Israel.

Human Rights Watch in New York accused Israel of using disproportionate force against civilians and deliberately targeting Lebanese villages in the south, and disputed Israeli claims that Hezbollah fighters had used the villages as bases, stating that in the majority of cases the group had launched attacks from areas outside of the villages.

Currently, Israel believes it is just a matter of time before another war between Hezbollah and the Jewish state breaks out. This assumption is based on Hezbollah threats to take revenge for the assassination of senior Hezbollah commander Imad Mughnieh, who was killed in a car bombing in Damascus earlier this year.

While Tel Aviv denies being involved, the Lebanese Shiite group is adamant that the Jewish state was behind the killing and has threatened to target either Israel directly or Israeli targets abroad.

However, Israel itself might launch an attack to stop Hezbollah's smuggling of weapons into Lebanon. Syria has allowed this smuggling to continue despite it being in violation of U.N. Resolution 1701 which brought the Second Lebanon War to a halt.

The Israelis have long complained about the smuggling and the inability of U.N. peacekeepers to prevent this.

Following the fallout from the Second Lebanon War, Israel's political echelon did a lot of soul searching in the wake of the critical conclusions drawn by Israel's Winograd Commission which investigated the war.

The IDF too, has been analyzing where it went wrong in a bid to avoid future heavy military casualties. And the military's conclusion is that not only will the IDF resort to massive firepower from the air but it will also concentrate on fortifying its maneuvering capabilities represented by the Armored and Infantry Corps.

And while Eisenkot has threatened a Middle Eastern version of the London blitz, Major General (Res.) Giora Eiland, a former head of Israel's National Security Council, has voiced similar opinions but taken it one step further.

Eiland believes that Israel should not only be fighting Hezbollah but it should target the Lebanese army as well as Lebanon's infrastructure. He believes Israel failed during the 2006 war and will fail in the next military encounter if it doesn't adopt this approach.

"People won't be going to the beach in Beirut while Haifa residents are in shelters," he added.

Colonel (Res.) Gabriel Siboni is on the same page as his two colleagues. He argues that the answer to rocket and missile threats from Syria, Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, is "a disproportionate strike at the heart of the enemy's weak spot, in which efforts to hurt launch capability are secondary.

"As soon as the conflict breaks out, the IDF will have to operate in a rapid, determined, powerful and disproportionate way against the enemy's actions.

"This strike has to be carried out as quickly as possible, through prioritizing strikes at its assets, rather than chasing after launch sites. Such a response is likely to be remembered by decision makers in Syria and Lebanon for many years, thus deepening deterrence," added the colonel.

The rationale behind the thinking of the three men is that it is basically impossible to beat an efficient guerilla army supported by a state immune from retribution. The IDF also believes that Hezbollah has built fortified strongholds beneath the Shiite villages in the south so that even targeted strikes against rocket launchers will not diminish the ability of the guerilla movement to launch missiles into northern Israel.

However, there is some concern that such a ferocious attack on the Lebanese state could provoke a massive international backlash as the Lebanese government is recognized as legitimate and supported by the West, while a large element of this government is in fact pro-Western.

As could be predicted Hezbollah responded to Israel's threats with bellicose rhetoric of its own, stating that not only was it ready for another stoush but that Israel was a "cardboard state and would be destroyed" in any future confrontation.

And while it appears that neither side wants a battle just yet, the mutual animosity and desire for more bloodshed hasn't abated either.

Israel Threatens to Decimate Lebanon

[Shammu]

Iran nukes take Damascus road
Channel seen as way to bypass United Nations sanctions
Posted: October 06, 2008
3:12 pm Eastern

© 2008 WorldNetDaily

Those worried about Iran's nuclear capabilities and intentions perhaps should be watching Syria more closely, as that nation may be acting as a covert channel for Iran's program, and it may be getting help from North Korea and elements of Paksitan's A.Q. Khan nuclear network, according to a report from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.

Syria also is being eyed as a storage area for North Korea's nuclear weapons development program as the government there tries to bypass requirements that its components are dismantled in order to qualify for increased U.S. economic aid.

Until now, security experts thought Syria was developing its own nuclear weapons program with North Korea's help.

In fact, Israel in September 2007 launched an air raid on what was thought to be the beginning of construction of a nuclear reactor at al-Kibar in the northeast part of Syria to extract uranium from phosphates.

Israeli intelligence has suggested North Korean technicians were at the facility. In addition, the U.S. claims that it had intelligence and photographic evidence that the site was a nuclear facility built with North Korean help and due to become operational in the near future.

The bombing also was the subject of criticism by Mohamed El-Baradei, chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA. He said that the IAEA should have been notified of the attack and given information on the al-Kibar facility beforehand.

Syria, which like Iran is a member of the nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, denies that it has a covert nuclear weapons development program.

As a member of the NPT, a country such as Iran and Syria can develop a nuclear program so long as it is under IAEA supervision.

While Iran has allowed IAEA inspections over some facilities, it has barred IAEA from other sites. In turn, this refusal to visit all nuclear sites scattered around Iran has prompted concerns that Iran is embarked on a nuclear weapons development program.

Despite severe criticism, a recent U.S. National Intelligence Estimate claimed that Iran had halted such a program three years earlier. Yet, Israel as well as policymakers in Washington insist that Iran has not given up on such a program.

This has prompted fears that Iran's nuclear facilities could be subject to similar attacks in the near future.

[Shammu]

If Obama wins, and takes us out of Iraq, then we would no longer be in Iran's way to get to Israel. If the rapture happens, we would be out of their way as well due to military men and women disappearing.

This only strengthens Isaiah 17, Syria shall see its beloved city gone. If this is true, we could be seeing some interesting stuff soon.

I expect to see interesting things very soon. Probably shortly after our election. I pray that Obamah doesn't win the election, but do not see him not winning. All the news channels that I could watch last night after the debates only had Obama supporters talking, and they thought he was great.

I believe that we are watching the beginning of the end for this nation, at least from the way it has been. I watched the debates and Obama's answers sound good, but his tax increases won't begin to cover what they will cost, and the bail out is a failure. America is done as a great nation even if our leaders don't know it yet.

[nChrist]

If Obama wins, and takes us out of Iraq, then we would no longer be in Iran's way to get to Israel. If the rapture happens, we would be out of their way as well due to military men and women disappearing.

This only strengthens Isaiah 17, Syria shall see its beloved city gone. If this is true, we could be seeing some interesting stuff soon.

I expect to see interesting things very soon. Probably shortly after our election. I pray that Obamah doesn't win the election, but do not see him not winning. All the news channels that I could watch last night after the debates only had Obama supporters talking, and they thought he was great.

I believe that we are watching the beginning of the end for this nation, at least from the way it has been. I watched the debates and Obama's answers sound good, but his tax increases won't begin to cover what they will cost, and the bail out is a failure. America is done as a great nation even if our leaders don't know it yet.

AMEN BROTHER BOB!

GOD'S WILL BE DONE!

Brother, we can read about GOD'S WILL and GOD'S Promises for the END DAYS. As Christians, we should be very sad about what we KNOW is going to happen to the lost. We can pray, and we can also yield to GOD'S Will for our own lives. However, it ultimately boils down to an individual decision that each person must make. SADLY, great hosts of people have rejected CHRIST. In fact, many have done nothing except to speed their descent down into the evil darkness.

GOD has given us 2,000 years of HIS Patience, and this was AFTER JESUS CHRIST - VERY GOD! - died on the CROSS for us in the ULTIMATE ACT OF LOVE! Those who reject HIM are without excuse! GOD told us what was in the darkness, and great hosts are determined to experience the darkness for themselves for ETERNITY! We have a limited amount of time to pray for them, and we should keep trying to share the GOSPEL with them for the remainder of our short lives here. Ultimately, they will be responsible for their own decisions and any consequences associated with their decisions. The decision for or against CHRIST has ETERNAL CONSEQUENCES, and there is much more than just this short life. PHYSICAL DEATH IS NOT THE END!

Love In Christ,
Tom

Favorite Bible Quotes 439 - Revelation 6:15-16 And the kings of the
earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains,
and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid
themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16 And said
to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of
him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:

[Shammu]

Palestinian president arrives in Syria
The Associated Press
Published: October 11, 2008

DAMASCUS, Syria: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Damascus on Saturday to hold talks with Syrian officials on the Middle East peace process and ways to end Palestinian infighting.

Abbas is not expected to meet officials from the rival Hamas group, which is based in Syria. Abbas' Fatah group and Hamas have been at odds since the latter's violent takeover of the Gaza Strip in June 2007.

Abbas told reporters upon his arrival that his two-day visit was aimed at coordinating with Syria on the peace process.

"The Syrian track is important for us, and the Palestinian track is important for the Syrians," said Abbas. "There must be coordination and consultation."

Syria has recently held four rounds of indirect peace talks with Israel through Turkish mediation. Both sides have said they were satisfied with the talks.

Israel and the Palestinians resumed talks last November at an international conference hosted by U.S. President George W. Bush. They expressed hope of completing a peace deal by the time Bush leaves office in January. But both sides have since cast doubt on meeting that target.

Abbas is scheduled to meet Syrian president Bashar Assad Sunday and is expected to brief him on recent meetings between Fatah and Hamas in Egypt. Syria has significant influence with Hamas and hosts several other Palestinian groups opposed to Abbas.

When asked about the reconciliation efforts, Abbas said Egyptian mediation had reached an advanced stage. He said there will be a declaration in Cairo followed by a meeting with all Palestinian factions, but did not give details.

Cairo has called for a meeting at the beginning of next month between senior Fatah and Hamas officials.

On Wednesday, a high-level Hamas delegation, including members from Syria and Gaza, met with Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman to discuss Egyptian proposals to resolve the split between Fatah and Hamas, especially over the issue of the timing of new presidential and parliamentary elections.

Egypt has proposed the two elections be held simultaneously, an idea backed by Fatah but not Hamas.

Abbas' term ends Jan. 8, but the Hamas-controlled parliament is scheduled to remain in power until January 2010.

Palestinian president arrives in Syria

[Shammu]

Bush to Assad: Sever Ties with Iran and Take the Golan Heights
10/17/08
by Hana Levi Julian

(IsraelNN.com) U.S. President George W. Bush offered Syrian President Bashar Assad a secret deal to pull Israel out of the Golan Heights in exchange for Damascus breaking off ties with Tehran, according to a report published Friday in the Kuwaiti newspaper al-Jarida.

A Palestinian Authority (PA) source quoted in the report said Bush reportedly proposed "a quick and satisfactory solution" to Syria's dispute with Israel over the Golan Heights. The "solution" was to be finalized "within several weeks, before the U.S. presidential elections, in order to push the Middle East peace process, an achievement the president will be able to proudly present before leaving the White House in January," according to Cairo-based journalist Abdel-Wahab Al-Nasser.

The offer allegedly came in a letter sent via PA Chairman and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas, who arrived in Damascus for meetings with Assad and other Syrian officials beginning last Saturday.

Abbas's visit was billed at the time as an attempt by Abbas to shore up his political position within the PA due to the fact that his current term in office ends on January 9, 2009, and as part of his effort to reconcile his Fatah faction with the rival Hamas terrorist organization that took over complete control of Gaza in June 2007.

According to the PA source, the real purpose of Abbas's visit, however, was to deliver the secret letter, the knowledge of which was kept secret from the American Ambassador in Damascus and the members of Abbas's entourage. It was delivered personally by Abbas to Assad, said the source, who added that "the United States stressed the importance of this confidential letter outside the usual official channels."

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's spokesman David Baker said in response to a call from Israel National News, "We have nothing to comment regarding that report."

Bush to Assad: Sever Ties with Iran and Take the Golan Heights