Worthy Christian News Blog » Wars and Rumors of Wars

It’s amazing how fast the ceasefire in Israel collapsed on the election of Barack Obama in the U.S.  With over 50 rockets fired into Israel in the past 48 hours and Israel retaliating targeting Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists — it appears Gaza will erupt into a firestorm with a few weeks.

On another front, Russian President Medvedev announced it would base Iskander missiles next to Poland in response to the U.S. defense shield.  Suddenly the Russian bear has re-emerged after a few month lull within hours of Obama’s election.

When Joe Biden said a few weeks ago, “Mark my words. It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking, Remember I said it standing here. if you don’t remember anything else I said. Watch, we’re gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy. And he’s gonna have to make some really tough — I don’t know what the decision’s gonna be, but I promise you it will occur. As a student of history and having served with seven presidents, I guarantee you it’s gonna happen!”

Apparently, we’ll not have to wait 6 months!

Until next time…

The first problem that the world fails to recognize in dealing with the Iranian crisis — is the underlying spiritual root of the problem!  Unless you deal with the spiritual issue, you’ll never be able to deal with their mindset.  A few months ago, there was an article published by AFP where Iranian clerics lashed out at Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Ahmadinejad has always been a devotee of the Mahdi, the twelfth imam of Shiite Islam, who Shiites believe disappeared more than a thousand years ago and who will return one day to usher in a new era of peace and harmony.

But in a speech to theology students broadcast by state television on Monday, Ahmadinejad went further than ever before in emphasising his belief that the Mahdi is playing a critical role in Iran’s day-to-day politics.

“The Imam Mahdi is in charge of the world and we see his hand directing all the affairs of the country,” he said in the speech, which appears to date from last month but has only now been broadcast.

“We must solve Iran’s internal problems as quickly as possible. Time is lacking. A movement has started for us to occupy ourselves with our global responsibilities, which are arriving with great speed.”

When you begin to understand that Ahmadinejad is being driven by a belief of the righteous Madhi, then you’ll begin to realize that you cannot negotiate with someone who truly believes he’s going to usher him into the world!  He believes he’s fulfilling Mahdaviat, which is the “belief in and efforts to prepare for the Mahdi.”

In December 2005, PBS ran a special on Iran.  This is a short excerpt of that special.

A DVD circulating secretly in Tehran and on the Internet shows the president a few days later entering a house with a senior conservative ayatollah. They sit and drink tea in the traditional manner. What he says about his experiences in New York gives a rare insight into how Mr. Ahmadinejad really thinks.

PRESIDENT MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD (Translated): On the last day when I was speaking before the assembly, one of our group told me that when I started to say “In the name of God the almighty and merciful,” he saw a light around me, and I was placed inside this aura. I felt it myself.

I felt the atmosphere suddenly change, and for those 27 or 28 minutes, the leaders of the world did not blink. When I say they didn’t bat an eyelid, I’m not exaggerating because I was looking at them. And they were rapt.

It seemed as if a hand was holding them there and had opened their eyes to receive the message from the Islamic republic.

How can you possibly negotiate with someone who has a mystical belief in their own mission to usher in the Madhi?  So it appears only war is on the horizon in the Middle East!

Until next time…

AP reported,

The U.S. has agreed to sell 1,000 buster-bunker bombs to Israel — a deal that could significantly improve Israel’s ability to strike at Iran’s nuclear facilities. — Source – AP

I’m wondering how long it’ll take the United States to deliver these bombs?

Until next time…

The NY Sun published a fascinating article detailing Israel’s Secret War with Iran!  These are a few of the excerpts from the story.

Israel and America are intensifying a clandestine war against Iran that has run hot and cold since the Islamic Revolution in 1979 but has grown more urgent as Iran races to obtain an atomic bomb.

Nonetheless, the Israeli journalist compiles a picture that suggests that the West has had some successes in the war to stop the Iranian bomb. Mr. Bergman reports, for example, that in January 2007 Iran determined that some of its nuclear suppliers in Europe were fronts for Western intelligence services, specifically Britain’s MI6.

And Mr. Bergman writes that between February 2006 and March 2007, at least three planes “belonging to the Revolutionary Guards crashed in Iran, while carrying personnel connected with the security of the nuclear project.” Specialized pipes for centrifuges sold to Iran have been modified, he writes, and specialized computers sold to Iran for its nuclear laboratories contained viruses that sabotaged the code.

The secret efforts appear not to be limited to modifying equipment: On January 18, 2007, an Iranian expert on electromagnetics who worked in an Isfahan enrichment facility, Ardeshir Hosseinpour, died in his apartment, Mr. Bergman writes.

Mr. Bergman also details a success for the CIA in the shadow war against Iran, when General Ali Reza Askari defected to the American side in February 2007. Mr. Bergman reports that General Askari was closer to the reformist President Khatami and felt threatened by his old rival in intelligence when President Ahmadinejad came to power in 2005.

General Askari, for example, warned Mr. Khatami after the attacks of September 11, 2001, that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards had given shelter to key Al Qaeda operatives fleeing American troops in Afghanistan. He said in his debriefings, according to Mr. Bergman, that Iran had entered into joint nuclear projects with both Syria and North Korea.

The defector also claimed that Iran erected a secret enrichment facility near the known centrifuge area in Natanz. – Source – NY Sun

Israel is going to do all it can to stop the Iranian Nuclear Weapons program — and hopefully it’ll be stopped without a shot being fired!

Until next time…

World Tribune reported today,

Iranian and Russian officials said Russia’s Atomstroiexport would be unable to begin operations of Iran’s Bushehr nuclear reactor before the second quarter of 2009. They said the Russian project has been hampered by unidentified technical flaws, Middle East Newsline reported.

Boroujerdi, chairman of parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, did not elaborate, but said Atomstroiexport pledged to begin operations at Bushehr in February 2009. He said Russia ended delays in the supply of nuclear fuel for Bushehr.  Officials said the delays could mark a delay of five to eight months in the opening of Iran’s 1,000 megawatt nuclear reactor. They said Moscow had pledged to launch full operations of Bushehr in November 2008. — World Tribune (Source)

If this is true, then the window of opportunity for Israel to strike Iran widens.  As I’ve said previously, the start-up of the Bushehr reactor is the Israeli deadline if they will strike Iran.  If the reactor is delayed well into 2009, perhaps Israel will patiently wait and see how the elections in Iran are shaping up since their elections are in 2009.

Until next time…

Ha’aretz reported today:

The security aid package the United States has refused to give Israel for the past few months out of concern that Israel would use it to attack nuclear facilities in Iran included a large number of “bunker-buster” bombs, permission to use an air corridor to Iran, an advanced technological system and refueling planes.

However, it appears that in compensation for turning down Israel’s “offensive” requests, the U.S. has agreed to strengthen its defensive systems.

During the Barak visit, it was agreed that an advanced U.S. radar system would be stationed in the Negev, and the order to send it was made at that time. The system would double to 2,000 kilometers the range of identification of missiles launched from the direction of Iran, and would be connected to an American early warning system.

The system is to be operated by American civilians as well as two American soldiers. This would be the first permanent U.S. force on Israeli soil.

A senior security official said the Americans were preparing “with the greatest speed” to make good on their promise, and the systems could be installed within a month.

At first glance, it appears that there’s no possible way that Israel will be able to strike Iran! But as I thought about it, it reminded me of what Sun Tzu said in the “Art of War.” He stated, “In conflict, straightforward actions generally lead to engagement, however surprising actions generally lead to victory.”

Nevertheless, it appears the United States is prepared to set up a defensive military installation in the Negev within the month. Perhaps, it’ll be operational in time for the U.S. Elections November 4th — wouldn’t that be a coincidence!

Until next time…

Israel responded to an Iranian protest over “dangerous” comments by Israeli officials, saying Wednesday it is “absurd” for a country whose president has repeatedly called for the Jewish state’s destruction to preach morality in international affairs.

Israel’s new U.N. ambassador, Gabriela Shalev, responded in a statement Wednesday saying that “it is absurd that Iran preaches morality to Israel.”

“Iran’s president repeatedly denies the Holocaust and calls _ again and again _ for the destruction of the state of Israel,” she said.

Shalev said Ahmadinejad leads a country “that develops nuclear capabilities endangering the entire world.”

“As such, Iran is under United Nations sanctions for its non-compliance with the international community,” she said. “Furthermore, Iran openly and actively supports and arms terrorist organizations.” – Source (NewsMax)