JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER. 1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)
IRAN ATTACKS ISRAEL WITH DRONES AND MISSLES.
GENESIS 6:11-13
11
The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with
violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13
And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the
earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and,
behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
LUKE 21:11
11 And
great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and
pestilences;(BIOLOGICAL/CHEMICAL/NUCLEAR) and fearful sights and great
signs shall there be from heaven.
ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And
this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people
that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while
they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their
holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.
13 And it
shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall
be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his
neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his
neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)
Leviticus 26:15-17 (KJV)
15-and
if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so
that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant:
16-I
also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror,
consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and
cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your
enemies shall eat it.
17-And I will set my face against you, and ye
shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over
you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you.
Job 22:4-22 (KJV)
4-Will he reprove you for fear of you? will he enter with you into judgment?
5-Is not your wickedness great? and your iniquities without end?
6-For you have taken a pledge from your brother for nothing, and stripped the naked of their clothing.
7-You have not given water to the weary to drink, and you have withheld bread from the hungry.
8-But as for the mighty man, he had the earth; and the honorable man dwelt in it.
9-You have sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.
10-Therefore snares are round about you, and sudden fear troubles you;
11-Or darkness, that you can not see; and abundance of waters cover you.
12-Is not God in the height of heaven? and behold the height of the stars, how high they are!
13-And you say, How does God know? can he judge through the dark cloud?
14-Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he sees not; and he walks in the circle of heaven.
15-Have you marked the old way which wicked men have trodden?
16-Who were cut down before their time, whose foundation was swept away with a flood:
17-Who said unto God, Depart from us: and what can the Almighty do to us?
18-Yet he filled their houses with good things: but the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
19-The righteous see it, and are glad: and the innocent laugh them to scorn.
20-Surely our substance is not cut down, but the remnant of them the fire consumes.
21-Acquaint now yourself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto you.
22-Receive, I pray you, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in your heart.
REVELATION 16:3-7
3
And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as
the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the
sea.(enviromentalists won't like this result)
4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.
5
And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord,
which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
6
For they(False World Church and Dictator) have shed the blood of saints
and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are
worthy.
2 Peter 3:6-7 Amplified Bible (AMP)
through which the
world at that time was destroyed by being flooded with water. But by His
word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, being
kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly people.
Elam passed into the hands of the Persians" (A.H. Sayce). (IRAN)
Jeremiah 49:35-39
35-Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the chief of their might.
36-And
upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven,
and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no
nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come.
37-For I will
cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies, and before them that
seek their life: and I will bring evil upon them, [even] my fierce
anger, saith the LORD; and I will send the sword after them, till I have
consumed them:
38-And I will set my throne in Elam, and will destroy from thence the king and the princes, saith the LORD.
39-But it shall come to pass in the latter days, [that] I will bring again the captivity of Elam, saith the LORD.
Ezekiel 32:24
24-There
[is] Elam and all her multitude round about her grave, all of them
slain, fallen by the sword, which are gone down uncircumcised into the
nether parts of the earth, which caused their terror in the land of the
living; yet have they borne their shame with them that go down to the
pit.
7-year-old girl in south seriously hurt by shrapnel-Iran
fires drones, missiles at Israel in first-ever direct attack; IDF says
most downed Sirens and booms heard throughout country; Israel, US and
Jordan down Iranian projectiles en route to Jewish state; Iran-backed
Hezbollah in Lebanon and Yemen’s Houthis attack simultaneously-By
Emanuel Fabian-and ToI Staff Today, 12:03 amUpdated at 4:28 am-APR 14,24
Iran
on Saturday night launched a large wave of attack drones and missiles
from its territory toward the Jewish state, in the first-ever direct
attack on Israel by the Islamic Republic, triggering air raid sirens
throughout the country early Sunday as the military worked to intercept
the Iranian projectiles.IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari first
confirmed at 11 p.m. that the attack, anticipated for several days, had
begun. He later said Iran also fired missiles at Israel, while
“numerous” fighter jets were in the sky countering Tehran’s
attacks.Sirens began sounding in southern Israeli communities around
1:42 a.m., before extending to large swathes of the country. Loud booms
sounded across north and south, as well as in Jerusalem and many towns
in the northern West Bank.The Magen David Adom ambulance service said
its medics were treating a young girl in southern Israel who was wounded
by shrapnel following the interception of an Iranian drone over the
area.The 7-year-old girl, from a Bedouin town near Arad, was taken to
Soroka Hospital in Beersheba, where she was listed in serious
condition.There were no other reports of injuries as a result of the
Iranian attack.Surreal footage of the Iranian attack over Jerusalem's
Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif pic.twitter.com/NuSvF25HLX— Emanuel
(Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) April 13, 2024-Iran’s Revolutionary
Guards confirmed launching dozens of drones and missiles against
specific targets in Israel, Iranian state media quoted a statement by
the elite force as saying. The state-run IRNA news agency quoted an
anonymous official saying that ballistic missiles were launched as part
of the attack.Hagari said that in total, Iran launched more than 200
projectiles at Israel, including dozens of ballistic missiles.According
to the IDF spokesman, most of the missiles were intercepted by the
long-range Arrow air defense system. The missiles were mostly downed
outside of Israeli airspace, he said, adding that fighter jets also
intercepted dozens of cruise missiles and dozens of drones.Along with
the impact that wounded the young girl in the Negev, Hagari said
additional impacts caused “slight damage to infrastructure” at a
military base in southern Israel.In a separate statement, the IDF
stressed it intercepted “the vast majority” of the dozens of ballistic
missiles, with the Arrow system shooting them down before they entered
Israeli skies.“Dozens of Air Force planes continue at this hour to
intercept all air threats that are making their way toward the territory
of the State of Israel,” the military added.Hagari stressed the
incident was not over. The IDF’s Home Front Command later announced
Israelis nationwide no longer need to stay near protected rooms, but
said restrictions on gatherings and the cancellation of all educational
activities and school trips remained in force as announced
earlier.Footage shows interceptions over southern Israel a short while
ago.pic.twitter.com/eBjCXZ4NvE— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian)
April 13, 2024-Three US officials said the American military shot down
Iranian drones headed toward Israel, without disclosing how many were
shot down or the precise locations. Security sources told Reuters that
US forces operating from undisclosed bases in the region shot down a
number of Iranian drones in Sweida and Deraa provinces in southern Syria
near the Jordanian border.Jordanian jets downed dozens of Iranian
drones flying across northern and central Jordan heading to Israel, two
regional security sources said in a dramatic show of support from Amman,
which has heavily criticized Israel’s prosecution of its war against
Hamas in Gaza.The sources said the drones were brought down in the air
on the Jordanian side of the Jordan Valley and were heading in the
direction of Jerusalem. Others were intercepted close to the
Iraqi-Syrian border. They gave no further details.Britain said royal
Royal Air Force jets in the Middle East “will intercept any airborne
attacks within range of our existing missions, as required.”“In response
to increased Iranian threats and the growing risk of escalation in the
Middle East, the UK Government has been working with partners across the
region to encourage de-escalation and prevent further attacks,” the
statement added.The incoming attack led Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon to shut
down their airspace for a period of several hours. Israel also
announced that its airspace would shutter as of Sunday at 12:30 a.m.
until an unspecified time, leading to various flight
cancellations.Egyptian military and security sources said Egypt’s air
defenses were on alert. They added that Egypt’s military General Command
have formed a team to monitor the situation and make any necessary
decisions regarding the country’s airspace.Syria also put on high alert
its Russian-made Pantsir ground-to-air defense systems around the
capital Damascus and major bases in the event of an Israeli strike,
Syrian army sources told Reuters, explaining they expected Israel to
retaliate against army bases and installations where pro-Iranian militia
were based.Iranian Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani meanwhile
threatened a firm response to any country that “opens its airspace or
territory for attacks on Iran by Israel,” Iran’s semi-official Mehr news
agency reported.Shortly after midnight, Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu and top defense leaders convened at military headquarters in
Tel Aviv for a security assessment.A “senior Israeli official” was later
quoted by Channel 12 news pledging an ‘unprecedented response’ to
Iran’s attack and urging Israelis not to go to bed due to what was
coming Tehran’s way.The network also reported that the security cabinet
authorized the war cabinet to make decisions regarding Israel’s response
to the Iran attack. The decision meant that the war cabinet would not
have to return to the security cabinet in order to get decisions
approved, thereby streamlining the process when quick decisions are
required.In an earlier press statement, Hagari said the Air Force was
tracking the drones, while noting that they would take several hours to
reach the country. He said there would be GPS disruptions as the
military works to intercept the drones.“The defense and offense systems
of the Israeli Air Force are on alert, and dozens of planes are in the
skies — prepared and ready,” said Hagari, adding: “We have an excellent
aerial defense array, but the defense is not hermetic.”Sirens will only
sound if the drones enter Israeli airspace, at the relevant locations,
Hagari said. He added that the IDF will seek to intercept the targets as
early as possible.He added that the military would update the public if
there were any additional attacks that require a separate
warning.Channel 12 said the US was the first to identify the launch and
immediately notified Israel, leading to a flurry of activity in recent
hours in Israel and its surroundings that led to widespread public
assessment that an attack was imminent.State-linked media in Iran
reported that a second wave of drones had been launched at Israel.Two
security sources in Iraq said dozens of drones had been spotted flying
from Iran toward Israel over Iraqi airspace in what Iranian Press TV
called “extensive drone strikes” by the Revolutionary Guards.Channel 12
aired video from Iraq that purported to show a wave of drones passing
overhead in the night sky. Several such videos were shared on social
media.???????????????? BREAKING: Iranian drones heard flying over Iraq
towards Israel pic.twitter.com/agNKmerk65— DD Geopolitics
(@DD_Geopolitics) April 13, 2024-Earlier in the evening, presaging the
attack, the White House announced that US President Joe Biden would cut
short a weekend trip to Delaware to hold consultations with his national
security team on the potential Iranian strike on Israel.“I just met
with my national security team for an update on Iran’s attacks against
Israel. Our commitment to Israel’s security against threats from Iran
and its proxies is ironclad,” Biden wrote on X, formerly Twitter, after
returning to the White House.Biden’s defense secretary, Lloyd Austin,
called his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant for the second time in three
days to discuss US support for Israel’s defense, the Pentagon
said.“Secretary Austin made clear that Israel could count on full US
support to defend Israel against any attacks by Iran and its regional
proxies,” read the statement.The two later spoke again following the
Iranian attack, with Gallant’s office saying he informed Austin “about
Israel’s defense actions.”The minister also thanked Austin for standing
by Israel’s side, and “emphasized that the defense establishment
maintains maximum readiness against further attack attempts.”National
Security Adviser Jake Sullivan also spoke with his counterpart Tzachi
Hanegbi to reinforce Washington’s “ironclad commitment” to Israel’s
security.British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak denounced Iran’s “reckless”
attack against Israel, which he said showed that it was “intent on
sowing chaos in its own backyard.”“These strikes risk inflaming tensions
and destabilizing the region. Iran has once again demonstrated that it
is intent on sowing chaos in its own backyard,” Sunak said in a
statement.“The UK will continue to stand up for Israel’s security and
that of all our regional partners, including Jordan and Iraq.”France’s
Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne condemned Iran’s attack as a “new
level” in the threat to security.“France condemns with the greatest
firmness the attack launched by Iran against Israel,” he said on the
platform X.“In deciding to take this unprecedented action, Iran has
reached a new level of destabilization and is risking a military
escalation,” he added, reiterating France’s commitment to Israel’s
security.Before the incoming attack was confirmed, the IDF’s Home
Command issued new guidelines shuttering all schools and educational
activity the next day — action that would not affect most
schoolchildren, who started their vacation ahead of the Passover holiday
at the weekend.In addition to the closure of educational facilities,
the military announced it would be forbidden for more than 1,000 people
to assemble outdoors.The IDF also canceled its planned enlistment day
Sunday amid the Iranian attack on Israel. New conscripts will receive a
new date for their draft at a later time.Residents of the northern Golan
Heights, the Nevatim area of southern Israel, Dimona, and Eilat, were
instructed to remain close to bomb shelters until further notice.“We
have been at war on several fronts for over six months,” said Maj. Gen.
Rafi Milo, the chief of the IDF Home Front Command, said in a video
statement stressing that civilians should continue to follow its
guidelines.“Throughout the war we have faced and have confronted a large
number of challenges in a very wide variety of threats, we learned and
improved. We are prepared and strong in both defense and offense,” he
said“In light of the situational assessment, we have decided to change
the defensive guidelines. Starting tomorrow, throughout the country,
there will be no educational activity. Also, gatherings of over 1,000
people are prohibited,” Milo continued.“You are required to continue to
vigilantly adhere to the guidelines, they may change based on the
situational assessment. So far, your conduct and adherence to the
guidelines has been exceptional, keep it up, it saves lives,” he
said.“The alert system is prepared and ready, together with the heads of
the authorities and the emergency response organizations, we will
overcome this challenge,” Milo added.As Israel braced for the Iranian
drones and missiles, warning sirens sounded in the northern community of
Snir, as the Hezbollah terror group claimed to have fired dozens of
rockets from Lebanon at an Israeli army base in the Golan Heights.The
Iran-backed Hezbollah has been carrying out daily attacks on Israel amid
the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.Security firm Ambrey said
Yemen’s Houthi rebels had launched multiple drones at Israel in
coordination with Iran, adding that the projectiles were likely timed to
reach Israel simultaneously.“Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVS) were
reportedly launched by the Huthis toward Israel. The UAVs were launched
in coordination with Iran,” the company said. “Israeli ports are
assessed to be potential targets,” it added, and warned of “collateral
damage” to shipping.Tensions between Israel and Iran had reached a new
high in recent days as the Islamic Republic vowed to avenge seven
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps members, including two generals, who
were killed in an alleged Israeli airstrike on a building near Tehran’s
consulate in Damascus on April 1.“In response to the numerous crimes
committed by the Zionist regime, including the attack on the consular
section… the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired dozens of missiles
and drones at specific targets inside the occupied territories
(Israel),” state television quoted an IRGC statement as saying as the
strikes on Israel were announced.Operation Honest Promise was “being
carried out with the approval of the Supreme National Security Council
under the supervision of the General Staff of the Armed Forces,” the
IRGC statement said.Within minutes of the launch, the account on X of
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reposted his pledge that
the “evil (Israeli) regime will be punished.”Defense Minister Gallant
said in a video statement that Israel had “added new capabilities, on
land, in the air, at sea, in intelligence, within the State of Israel,
and together with our partners, led by the US,” in preparation for
attacks from the “terror state” Iran.Citing unnamed sources, CNN
reported Saturday that the US expected Iran to target multiple sites
inside Israel and in the region in the coming days, with one of the
sources cited as saying that the US had observed Iran preparing as many
as 100 cruise missiles to strike Israel. A senior US administration
official told CNN that Iran’s proxies could be involved in the attack as
well.Also citing unnamed sources, Channel 12 reported that by the
Israeli security establishment’s estimation, Iran would strike military
rather than civilian targets.On Saturday morning, the IRGC seized a
Portuguese-flagged cargo ship, at least partially Israel-owned, near the
Strait of Hormuz.Following the incident, Foreign Minister Israel Katz
called “on the European Union and the free world” to designate the IRGC
as a terrorist organization and slap sanctions on Iran.“The Ayatollah
regime of Khamenei is a criminal regime that supports Hamas’s crimes and
is now conducting a pirate operation in violation of international
law,” said Katz.Several international entities have made adjustments to
regular business amid the expected Iranian attacks.Australia’s Qantas
and Germany’s Lufthansa airlines on Saturday announced they would
reroute flights in the Middle East, with the German airline saying it
would avoid Iranian airspace altogether until Tuesday.Canada on Saturday
warned its citizens to avoid all travel to Israel, Gaza, and the West
Bank, as Ottawa upgraded its risk assessment in the region.The
Netherlands announced it would keep its embassy in Tehran closed on
Sunday, and would decide then whether or not to reopen on
Monday.Agencies contributed to this report.
‘Everybody’s running
home’: Israelis hunker down, stock up on supplies as Iran
attacks-Jerusalem resident says he expects his family’s routine to be
interrupted for several days as both work and school canceled; shop
owner stays open late so people can buy food, water By AFP and ToI Staff
Today, 4:32 am-APR 14,24
Jerusalem residents took cover on
Sunday as Iran launched an unprecedented drone and missile attack on
Israel.Blasts rang out across the city and explosions lit the skyline
red, while residents stockpiled water and sought shelter in bunkers.“As
you can see it’s empty, everybody is running home,” said Eliyahu
Barakat, a 49-year-old grocery shop owner in Jerusalem’s Mamilla
neighborhood.Barakat said many people visited his shop to stock up on
supplies, “water, food, everything.”“Normally, we close at one o’clock,
but we will stay open,” he added.The Israel Defense Forces said that in
total, Iran launched more than 200 projectiles at Israel, including
dozens of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones.IDF Spokesman
Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari warned people to get ready to seek shelter.“I
remind you that no matter where the threat is launched from, when an
alarm sounds you must enter the shelter and wait there for no less than
10 minutes,” Hagari said.The IDF Home Front Command later announced
Israelis nationwide no longer need to stay near protected rooms,
indicating the attack was over for now, but said restrictions on
gatherings and the cancellation of all educational activities and school
trips remained in force as announced Saturday.Michael Uzan, a
52-year-old dentist, said his family had gathered at his father-in-law’s
house to be together.They followed the government’s instructions,
bought non-perishable food and were ready to head to the apartment
building’s bunker.He said he expected everyday life to be disrupted over
the coming days.“No work tomorrow. Even meetings, everything is
canceled. For children, schools are closed. I have a daughter who was
supposed to take an important exam tomorrow, but everything is
canceled,” he told AFP.Residents of northern Israel also braced for
attacks.“I’m really afraid of war, this is serious,” Summer Khalil, 52,
told AFP from the Galilee village of Majd al-Krum.“If I hear the sirens,
I don’t know what to do, we are near the Lebanese border.“I bought 30
bottles of water, they were almost the last bottles. There was no milk
in the shop,” she said.
Biden cuts weekend trip short to hold
consultations-Iran launches wave of drones at Israel in first-ever
direct attack; IDF braces to intercept
Suicide drones expected to
take hours to arrive; airspace shuttered in Israel, Jordan, Iraq; all
education Sunday canceled; army says air force ‘prepared and ready’By
Emanuel Fabian-and ToI Staff 14 April 2024, 12:03 am
Israel said
Saturday night that Iran had launched a wave of attack drones from its
territory toward the Jewish state and that the military was tracking and
preparing to intercept them, in the first-ever direct attack on Israel
by the Islamic Republic.Iran’s Revolutionary Guards confirmed it had
launched dozens of drones and missiles against specific targets in
Israel, Iranian state media quoted a statement by the elite force as
saying.Unconfirmed reports in Israeli media said the number could be in
the hundreds, and that missiles may be launched as well.Israel Defense
Forces Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari confirmed that the attack,
anticipated for several days, had begun.It led Jordan and Iraq to shut
down their airspace for a period of several hours, and Israel too
announced that its airspace would shutter as of Sunday at 12:30
a.m.Israel’s prime minister and top defense leaders were set to hold a
security assessment at military headquarters in Tel Aviv shortly after
midnight.In a press statement, Hagari said the Air Force was tracking
the drones, while noting that they would take several hours to reach the
country. He said there would be GPS disruptions as the military works
to intercept the drones.“The defense and offense systems of the Israeli
Air Force are on alert, and dozens of planes are in the skies — prepared
and ready,” said Hagari, adding: “We have an excellent aerial defense
array, but the defense is not hermetic.”If there are any additional
attacks, that require a separate warning, Hagari said the IDF will
update the public.Sirens will only sound if the drones enter Israeli
airspace, at the relevant locations, Hagari said. He added that the IDF
will seek to intercept the targets as early as possible.Channel 12 said
the US was the first to identify the launch and immediately notified
Israel, leading to a flurry of activity in recent hours in Israel and
its surroundings that led to widespread public assessment that an attack
was imminent.State-linked media in Iran reported that a second wave of
drones had been launched at Israel.Two security sources in Iraq said
dozens of drones had been spotted flying from Iran toward Israel over
Iraqi airspace in what Iranian Press TV called “extensive drone strikes”
by the Revolutionary Guards.Channel 12 aired video from Iraq that
purported to show a wave of drones passing overhead in the night sky.
Several such videos were shared on social media.????????????????
BREAKING: Iranian drones heard flying over Iraq towards Israel
pic.twitter.com/agNKmerk65— DD Geopolitics (@DD_Geopolitics) April 13,
2024-Jordan’s air defenses were ready to intercept and shoot down any
Iranian drones or aircraft that violate its airspace, two regional
security sources said.Earlier in the evening, presaging the attack, the
White House announced that US President Joe Biden would cut short a
weekend trip to Delaware to hold consultations with his national
security team on the potential Iranian strike on Israel.Biden’s defense
secretary, Lloyd Austin, called his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant for
the second time in three days to discuss US support for Israel’s
defense, the Pentagon said.“Secretary Austin made clear that Israel
could count on full US support to defend Israel against any attacks by
Iran and its regional proxies,” read the statement.Before the incoming
attack was confirmed, the IDF’s Home Command issued new guidelines
shuttering all schools and educational activity the next day — action
that would not affect most schoolchildren, who started their vacation
ahead of the Passover holiday at the weekend.In addition to the closure
of educational facilities, the military announced it would be forbidden
for more than 1,000 people to assemble outdoors.Tensions between Israel
and Iran had reached a new high in recent days as the Islamic Republic
vowed to avenge seven Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps members,
including two generals, who were killed in an alleged Israeli airstrike
on a building near Tehran’s consulate in Damascus on April 1.Defense
Minister Gallant said in a video statement that Israel had “added new
capabilities, on land, in the air, at sea, in intelligence, within the
State of Israel, and together with our partners, led by the US,” in
preparation for attacks from the “terror state” Iran.Citing unnamed
sources, CNN reported Saturday that the US expected Iran to target
multiple sites inside Israel and in the region in the coming days, with
one of the sources cited as saying that the US had observed Iran
preparing as many as 100 cruise missiles to strike Israel. A senior US
administration official told CNN that Iran’s proxies could be involved
in the attack as well.Also citing unnamed sources, Channel 12 reported
that by the Israeli security establishment’s estimation, Iran would
strike military rather than civilian targets.On Saturday morning, the
IRGC seized a Portuguese-flagged cargo ship, at least partially
Israel-owned, near the Strait of Hormuz.Following the incident, Foreign
Minister Israel Katz called “on the European Union and the free world”
to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization and slap sanctions on
Iran.“The Ayatollah regime of [Iranian Supreme Leader Ali] Khamenei is a
criminal regime that supports Hamas’s crimes and is now conducting a
pirate operation in violation of international law,” said Katz.Several
international entities have made adjustments to regular business amid
the expected Iranian attacks.Australia’s Qantas and Germany’s Lufthansa
airlines on Saturday announced they would reroute flights in the Middle
East, with the German airline saying it would avoid Iranian airspace
altogether until Tuesday.Canada on Saturday warned its citizens to avoid
all travel to Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank, as Ottawa upgraded its
risk assessment in the region.The Netherlands announced it would keep
its embassy in Tehran closed on Sunday, and would decide then whether or
not to reopen on Monday.
Op-ed-Waiting for the rockets, at the
opening of a regional conflict-Iran has never previously directly
attacked Israel in this way. The prime minister says the IDF is prepared
for any scenario. Let’s hope so-By David Horovitz-14 April 2024, 12:01
am
In the surreal circumstances in which I write these lines,
waves of drones have been launched from Iran at Israel, and the nation
is now waiting to see whether its air defenses will prove capable of
intercepting them over the next few hours.Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu has assured Israelis in a brief video message that Israel has
been readying for weeks for precisely such an eventuality, and “we are
prepared for any scenario.” The IDF Spokesman, Daniel Hagari, has
assured the public that every effort will be made to intercept the
drones en route. A former IDF intelligence chief, Amos Yadlin, has said
on national television that the drones carry a payload that “the
simplest bomb shelter” can protect against.Iran has never previously
directly attacked Israel in this way. And its attack marks the
transition from the Israel-Hamas war, along with heavy violence on the
northern front, to a regional conflict. It will be very interesting to
see what Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah does next.Right now, the precise
dimensions of the Iranian attack are, unsurprisingly, not clear: Reports
in the last few minutes say cruise missiles may also be en route.In the
days and hours before this attack, the Biden Administration attempted
to deter Iran, underlining that it will fight at Israel’s side as
necessary — evidently to no avail. The airstrike two weeks ago,
allegedly by Israel, on commanders of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard
Corps inside Iran’s embassy compound in Damascus, was apparently too
painful for the regime to allow to pass without a significant
response.The Islamic Republic’s attack represents a victory for Gaza’s
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who hoped that his terror-government’s
October 7 massacre in southern Israel would trigger a multi-front war
against Israel. Six months later, on a day that also saw an escalation
of violence in the West Bank, that hope is coming to fruition.Israel was
unconscionably unprepared for October 7 — insistently blind to all the
early warnings. Its border defenses proved utterly inadequate, and
Hamas’s scrambling of its communications systems deeply hampered its
initial response to the invasion.Israel and those who care for it are
hoping that it is genuinely “prepared for any scenario” this time.
Many
fear economic impact of conflict-In Tehran, locals are wary of
potential war with Israel-‘I don’t know who is at fault but it’s better
to reach compromise,’ says one resident; ‘God willing, our government
will favor reason over emotion,’ says another By Majid Sourati and Ahmad
Parisi 13 April 2024, 10:22 pm
TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — After three
days off, people in Tehran returned to work as normal on Saturday, but
with a lingering cloud of concern that soaring tensions between Iran and
its arch-foe Israel could tip over into war.“I don’t know who is at
fault and who is not, but it is better to reach a compromise so that the
war does not begin, and innocent people don’t die,” said Maryam, a
43-year-old private sector worker.Like most Iranians, Maryam has been
following the news about a stand-off between Iran and Israel since a
strike hit a building in Iran’s embassy compound in Damascus on April
1.The attack, which Tehran has blamed on Israel, killed seven members of
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps, including two generals.Iran has
since vowed to punish Israel for the attack, without specifying how.The
United States and other nations have urged restraint.The conflict
escalated further on Saturday, when Iran seized an Israeli-linked ship
in the Gulf of Oman.Israel then issued a warning that Iran would “bear
the consequences for choosing to escalate the situation any further.”The
Iranian reformist newspaper Shargh said on Saturday that “the longer
Tehran’s response is delayed, the more it has negative consequences on
the country’s economy and intensifies concerns in society.”This
uncertainty has weighed on the return to school for students after the
long holidays that follow the Iranian New Year, celebrated on March 31 —
as well as the end of Ramadan.“God willing, our government will favor
reason over emotion,” said Salehi, a 75-year-old retired government
employee in central Tehran.“If that is the case, there should be no
conflict,” he told AFP.‘War is always bad’But other Tehran residents
would like the government to have a stronger response than was seen
after previous killings of Iranian soldiers blamed on Israel.“This time
we must respond to it with more seriousness and determination,” said
Yusof, a 37-year-old private sector employee.Ehsan, a 43-year-old
university professor, said it was “logical” to retaliate, because the
Israelis had “attacked an Iranian diplomatic building” in Syria’s
capital Damascus.“War is always bad and worrying — a person who has
experienced war would never support it, but sometimes to achieve peace, a
war is necessary,” he added.Ahmad Zeidabadi, an expert in international
relations, said “it seems that the authorities have not yet made a
final decision, as it will probably have serious consequences.”Tehran
has to also take into account any response’s impact on public opinion,
which appears to currently be more concerned about economic difficulties
than by the war in Gaza, he said.“The possibility of war worries
business leaders, in particular those who depend on the rate of foreign
currencies,” Zeidabadi told AFP.“Some of them fear that it will cause a
shortage of food.”In a sign of these fears, Iran’s rial has plunged to a
historic low of around 650,000 to the US dollar on the black market.The
government also faces “a dilemma” on a strategic level, said Ali
Bigdeli, an academic specializing in international affairs.“Israel’s
attack can drag Iran to the edge of an unwanted war,” Bigdeli told the
reformist newspaper Ham Mihan.“Entering the war and attacking Israel
from Iran’s territory is in the interest of Israel,” he said.It could
offer Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “a justification for the Gaza
war, and will end the Gaza war in the shadow of the war with Iran,” he
added.Former Iranian deputy foreign minister Hossein Jaberi Ansari said
that Tehran “should choose the least costly and at the same time most
profitable option to respond to Israel.”“The most legitimate target for
an Iranian strike would be Israel’s security and military installations
in the territories occupied since 1967, particularly in the Golan
Heights,” he said.
