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)
OLD PUSS HEAD-BRAIN DEAD DEMENTIA STAGE 5 CHINA JOE BIDEN FINALLY GETS OUT AND GOES TO OLD AGE HOME.
WELL
OLD CRIMINAL CARTEL CHINA JOE BRAID-DEAD BIDEN IS FINALLY OUT.HE NEVER
SAID HE WANTS HARRIS AS PRESIDENT UNTILL A HALF HOUR AFTER HE RESIGNED
OR QUIT AS 3RD WORLD COUNTRY AMERICAS EX LEADER.NOW BIDEN CAN COUNT HIS
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS HE GOT OFF COMMUNIST COUNTRIES WHILE HE ROCKS ON HIS
ROCKING CHAIR IN AN OLD AGE HOME.ONE LESS BABY MURDERER TO PROMOTE
KILLING YOUR OWN CHILDREN GONE.
Biden drops out of the
2024 presidential race-The president announced his decision in an open
letter shared to social media Sunday.Yahoo News Staff-Updated Sun, July
21, 2024 at 2:17 PM EDT
California Governor Gavin Newsom
addressed Biden's decision to step down from the 2024 presidential
race."President Biden has been an extraordinary, history-making
president — a leader who has fought hard for working people and
delivered astonishing results for all Americans," he wrote on X. "He
will go down in history as one of the most impactful and selfless
presidents."David Artavia-Biden's granddaughter Naomi calls him 'the
most effective president of our lifetime'Biden's eldest granddaughter
Naomi, the daughter of Hunter Biden, said she's "nothing but proud" of
her grandfather after he announced his decision to step down from the
2024 presidential race."I’m nothing but proud today of my Pop, our
President, Joe Biden, who has served our country with every bit of his
soul and with unmatched distinction," she wrote on X. "Not only has he
been — and will continue to be — the most effective president of our
lifetime, but he has likely already cemented himself as the most
effective and impactful public servant in our nation’s history."She
continued, "Our world is better today in so many ways thanks to him. To
the Americans who have always had his back, keep the faith. He will
always have ours."I’m nothing but proud today of my Pop, our President,
Joe Biden, who has served our country with every bit of his soul and
with unmatched distinction. Not only has he been—and will continue to
be—the most effective president of our lifetime, but he has likely
already cemented…— Naomi Biden (@NaomiBiden) July 21, 2024-David
Artavia-"It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your
President," Biden wrote in an open letter shared on social media. "And
while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in
the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and
to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder
of my term."Biden added that he will address the nation later this week
to discuss his decision "in more detail.""For now, let me express my
deepest gratitude to all those who have worked so hard to see me
reelected," the statement read. "I want to thank Vice President Kamala
Harris for being an extraordinary partner in all this work. And let me
express my heartfelt appreciation to the American people for the faith
and trust you have placed in me."Biden continued, "I believe today what I
always have: that there is nothing America can’t do — when we do it
tougher. We just have to remember we are the United States of
America."pic.twitter.com/RMIRvlSOYwJoe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21,
2024-Biden pulls out: How rare is it for sitting US presidents to
withdraw? Biden is the first sitting president since 1968 to drop out of
a presidential race. But in previous decades, others have quit after
seeing public support plummet.By Al Jazeera Staff-Published On 21 Jul
202421 Jul 2024-After weeks of mounting pressure, United States
President Joe Biden on Sunday dropped out of the November presidential
election.Biden’s withdrawal from the race opens up questions over who
might replace him on the Democrat ticket less than four months before
the vote. Biden himself endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for the
party’s nomination, but the Democratic National Convention, scheduled
for August, is where Biden’s successor as standard bearer might well be
decided.The pressure on the president to pull out started building up
from within his party following a disastrous performance in the
presidential debate on June 27, when he mumbled his answers and appeared
to lose his train of thought at times. In recent days, a flood of
Democratic leaders, including members of Congress and influential
supporters of the party, have called on him to step aside from the race.
On Thursday, it was announced that he was suffering from COVID-19.Yet,
Biden had the delegates needed to secure his nomination at the party’s
August convention.So, just how rare is this moment in US history? We
press rewind to look at previous incumbents who have dropped out – or
been forced out – of presidential elections they had hoped to win.1968
election: Lyndon B Johnson-Before Biden, no incumbent eligible for
another term had opted out of the election in nearly half a century.Back
in 1968, Democrat Lyndon B Johnson was the sitting President. He had
served as the vice president to John F Kennedy following the 1960
election and then had taken charge as president after Kennedy’s
assassination in November 1963. Johnson then won the 1964 election.At
the start of 1968, Johnson was the frontrunner for his party’s
nomination, but only narrowly won the New Hampshire primary against
anti-Vietnam war challenger Eugene McCarthy.His approval ratings were in
free fall, as popular sentiment against the Vietnam war grew. By March
10, his approval rating had fallen to 36 percent, the lowest it had been
in his presidency.Then, on March 31, about seven months before the
election, Johnson, announced on national television that he would not be
seeking re-election. He was 60 at the time.Johnson’s VP Hubert Humphrey
eventually replaced him on the ticket and Republican challenger Richard
Nixon won the election.2nd December 1963: American President Lyndon
Baines Johnson addresses the nation on his first thanksgiving day
television programme, broadcast from the executive offices of the White
House.1952 election: Harry S Truman-Like Johnson would some years later,
Truman came to the top job via the vice presidency. He was VP to
Franklin Roosevelt until the latter’s death in early 1945, when Truman
took charge. He served the remainder of that term, won the election in
1948, and was eligible to run for his second full term in the 1952
election.Indeed, Truman started the primary season as the incumbent
seeking re-election. But by February 9, 1952, his approval rating had
cratered to 22 percent, an all-time low.On March 29, 1952, Truman
announced that he would not be running again. Initially reluctant,
Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson ran in place of Truman and lost to
Republican Dwight Eisenhower.(Original Caption) President Truman's
address to the nation on the Korean War was broadcast and telecast from
the projection room of the White House last night, July 19. The
President called upon the people for hard work and steady effort to win
the Korean War.1884 election: Chester Arthur-Arthur was the running mate
of Republican James Garfield who won the presidency in 1880. Garfield
was assassinated in 1881 and Arthur assumed office in his place. While
he was president, Arthur contracted a kidney disease, which remained
unknown to the public.He lost the support of his strongest allies by
going against the patronage system, signing a law that banned kickbacks
in the civil services and made merit the criteria for determining
salaries and promotions.During the Republican nomination convention in
June 1884, when he was seeking re-election, Arthur lost his nomination
to James Blaine.In the November 4 election, Democrat Grover Cleveland
defeated Blaine.1868 election: Andrew Johnson-Democrat Johnson was the
running mate of Abraham Lincoln on the National Union Party Ticket in
1865.The same year, Lincoln was assassinated and Johnson took his
place.He was impeached in May 1868 and convicted by a Republican
Congress. He was convicted of violating the Tenure of Office Act after
he removed Republican Secretary of War Edwin Stanton.Johnson failed to
be nominated by the Democrats, who nominated Horatio Seymour. In the
election, Republican Ulysses Grant defeated Seymour.1856 election:
Franklin Pierce-Sitting Democratic President Pierce was the first
full-term president of the US to not be nominated by his party for a
second term. This decision came on June 2, 1856, five months before the
November 4 election.Pierce had bled support among northern Democrats
since the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, which allowed the
two new states to decide on the legality of slavery in their
territories. This upset anti-slavery northern Democrats.At the
Democratic National Convention, those tensions came to a head. The party
dumped Pierce’s candidature and instead chose James Buchanan as their
nominee. Buchanan won the election.Engraved portrait of Franklin Pierce,
14th President of the United States whose actions exacerbated the
conditions that lead to the American Civil War, 1834. From the New York
Public Library.1852 election: Millard Filmore-Filmore was the Vice
President of conservative Whig Party President Zachary Taylor who died
in 1850, a little more than a year after assuming office.The Whig Party
convention in June 1852 did not choose Filmore and instead went with
Winfield Scott to run in the November 2 election. This followed a split
between the supporters of Filmore and Secretary of State Daniel
Webster.Scott lost the election to Democrat Franklin Pierce.1844
election: John Tyler-Tyler was the running mate of Whig President
William Henry Harrison who took office after winning the 1840
election.Harrison died of an acute illness in 1841. Following this,
Tyler was sworn in as president – it was the first time a VP was taking
over as president mid-term after the death of an incumbent.During his
presidency, Tyler lost support within his party and was expelled by the
Whigs in 1842. In 1844, he nonetheless sought re-election after his
drive for the annexation of Texas – which would have expanded the
territorial ambit of slavery while risking war with Mexico – divided the
nation.However, the Democratic Party picked James Polk. The Whig party,
meanwhile, denied Tyler its nomination at the party’s national
Convention, picking Henry Clay instead. On August 20, 1844, Tyler
dropped out of the race.Polk won the election against Clay.circa 1845:
US statesman John Tyler (1790 - 1862), the 10th President of the United
States of America. Elected as vice-president to William Henry Harrison,
he became President upon his death.Source: Al Jazeera.
LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun,(HEATING UP-SOLAR ECLIPSES) and in the moon,(MAN ON MOON-LUNAR ECLIPSES) and in the stars;(ASTEROIDS ETC) and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26
Men’s hearts failing them for fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and
for looking after those things which are coming on the
earth:(DESTRUCTION) for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(FROM
QUAKES,NUKES ETC)
And here are the bounderies of the land that
Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future.
God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every
inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the
Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern
part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen
13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL
THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT
ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE.
Fires sparked
by rockets burn 50 dunams in Banias reserve-Rockets hit empty school,
preschool in north after IDF strikes arms depot in Lebanon-No injuries
in Hezbollah attacks on evacuated communities; Lebanese media report
massive secondary explosions after strikes on arms cache-By Emanuel
Fabian-and ToI Staff Today, 7:20 pm
An empty school and preschool
were hit in rocket barrages fired from southern Lebanon toward Israeli
communities on Sunday, as several fires sparked by Hezbollah missile
attacks raged in the north of the country.There were no injuries as the
rocket struck a school in Kibbutz Dafna in the Upper Galilee, which has
been largely evacuated of civilians since cross-border attacks from the
Lebanon-based terror group began on October 8.Another rocket hit the
yard of a preschool in Kibbutz Hanita in the Western Galilee, similarly
causing no casualties.Hezbollah took responsibility for the attacks,
saying that they came “in response to the Israeli enemy’s attacks that
targeted civilians in the town of Adloun, injuring several of them,”
referring to overnight IDF strikes on terror targets in Lebanon.Rocket
and drone alert sirens rung out across northern communities near the
border with Lebanon several times throughout the day on Sunday, with
impacts and shrapnel from interceptor missiles sparking fires in the
Golan Heights, potentially increasing risk of damage, due to the blazing
summer temperatures.Earlier in the day, the IDF carried out a drone
strike on a Hezbollah cell spotted in southern Lebanon’s Houla, while
two Hezbollah weapon depots were struck by Israeli fighter jets in
southern Lebanon overnight Saturday, which the IDF said were used to
store rockets and other weaponry.Lebanese media reported that one of the
strikes targeted the southern coastal village of Adloun, some 30
kilometers (some 18.5 miles) north of the border, hitting an arms depot
and causing a series of secondary explosions that hit nearby villages
with shrapnel.Overnight, two Hezbollah weapon depots were struck by
Israeli fighter jets in southern Lebanon, the IDF says.According to the
military, the sites were used to store rockets and other weapons.
pic.twitter.com/G0DQmaVRuc— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) July
21, 2024-The state-run National News Agency, or NNA, said that three
people were slightly wounded in the nearby village of Kharayeb and
hospitalized.The agency did not provide additional details about the
arms depot, but it was believed to belong to Hezbollah, which has a wide
presence in the area. The explosions lasted more than an hour after the
airstrike, NNA reported.As Hezbollah attacks on northern Israel
continued over the weekend, some 50 dunams were burned in a fire at the
Banias nature reserve, caused either by rockets or shrapnel from
interceptor missiles. Two teams of firefighters tackled the blaze near
Kibbutz Snir in the Galilee Panhandle, close to where the borders of
Israel, Lebanon, and Syria meet.Also Saturday, Hamas said cells in
Lebanon fired rockets from toward an IDF post in the northern village of
Shomera in retaliation for the “Zionists massacres” in the Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian terror group has carried out such attacks from Lebanon
over the past several months, though they are rare.Meanwhile, the
government unanimously approved former IAF Vice Admiral (res.) Eliezer
Marom to oversee the rehabilitation of Israel’s northern communities
that have been harmed during the fighting against Hezbollah.The
appointment was initially made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in
June, when he also simultaneously appointed Maj.-Gen. (Res.) Yiftach
Ron-Tal to lead the rehabilitation in the south.Since October 8,
Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military
posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it
is doing so to support Gaza amid the war there.So far, the skirmishes
have resulted in 12 civilian deaths on the Israeli side, as well as the
deaths of 18 IDF soldiers and reservists. There have also been several
attacks from Syria, without any injuries.Hezbollah has named 373 members
who have been killed by Israel during the ongoing skirmishes, mostly in
Lebanon but some also in Syria. In Lebanon, another 67 operatives from
other terror groups, a Lebanese soldier, and dozens of civilians have
been killed.Lazar Berman and Agencies contributed to this report.
DF
working to bring more vaccines into Strip for Gazans-IDF to give
booster vaccinations to soldiers after polio virus found in Gaza
sewage-Health Ministry says it will monitor situation in Israel; no
cases of polio have been detected so far in the Gaza Strip, according to
the World Health Organization-By Diana Bletter-Today, 6:22 pm-JUL 21,24
The
IDF announced Sunday that it had begun a campaign to offer polio
vaccination boosters to all soldiers serving in the Gaza Strip.The move
comes after traces of poliovirus type 2 were found in sewage samples in
the Gaza Strip last week. No cases of polio have been detected so far in
the Gaza Strip, according to the World Health Organization.The
wide-scale vaccination campaign is for all forces in regular service as
well as reserves and is not compulsory.“The IDF will work in
coordination with the Health Ministry to ensure the health of IDF
soldiers and the public, and will continue to carry out inspections in
the Gaza Strip,” a spokesperson said.IDF soldiers were also instructed
to take preventive actions and maintain personal hygiene.Alongside the
vaccination campaign for soldiers, the IDF is working with international
organizations to bring more vaccines into the Strip for Gazans.Polio is
primarily spread through fecal-oral contamination, sometimes by
drinking contaminated water, poor sanitation, or poor control of
sewage.It is a highly infectious disease, mostly affecting young
children, that attacks the nervous system. It can lead to paralysis and
in some cases death.According to a statement by WHO, the war between
Israel and Hamas has disrupted routine immunization programs in Gaza,
and children are at increased risk for diseases such as polio.The heat,
accumulating garbage, sewage and lack of clean water are accelerating
the spread of diseases, according to the UN agency for Palestinian
refugees, UNRWA.In Israel, approximately 95% of all children receive
polio vaccines, and the country has largely wiped out the disease,
according to the Health Ministry.The polio vaccine is thought to give
lifetime immunity, but in the US, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) recommends that adults who are at increased risk of
exposure receive a one-time booster dose of IPV (inactivated polio
vaccine) to maintain immunity. The IDF does not have figures on how many
soldiers are not vaccinated at all.The polio vaccination regimen
involves four IPV shots given before the age of 18 months and another
when the child is in second grade. Babies and toddlers are also given
two oral polio vaccine (OPV) doses taken by drops into the mouth to
provide full protection and prevent the shedding of the virus through
the stool into the sewage system. It also prevents young children from
infecting others.A Health Ministry spokesperson said the ministry
conducts regular tests for polio in the sewage system in Israel.The
ministry “continues to monitor the situation to prevent the risk of the
spread of the illness in Israel,” the spokesperson said.
IAF:
Some fighter jets could be downed in war with Hezbollah-IAF issues
footage of strike on Houthi-controlled port, says it’s girding for
reprisal-Dozens of jets hit fuel depots, cranes used to unload shipments
* Probe finds deadly Houthi drone flew 2,600 km to hit Tel Aviv; in
vital minutes, radar operators were tracking UAV from Iraq-By Emanuel
Fabian-Today, 5:14 pm-JUL 21,24
The Israeli Air Force on Sunday
released footage showing its airstrikes a day earlier against the
Houthi-controlled port of Hodeida in western Yemen, which came following
a deadly drone attack on Tel Aviv Thursday overnight carried out by the
Iran-backed group.The video showed missiles launched by IAF fighter
jets striking four large container cranes at the port used to unload
shipments.The IAF also released footage showing fighter jets being
refueled amid the operation, dubbed “Outstretched Arm,” as well as the
arrival of some of the aircraft back at Israeli airbases following the
strike.The strike, carried out by dozens of Israeli aircraft, targeted
fuel depots and energy infrastructure at the port, in addition to the
cranes.The Israeli strike group included F-15, F-16, and F-35 fighter
jets, reconnaissance aircraft, and refueling planes — the latter of
which was due to the target being some 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles)
from Israel, making it one of the farthest-ever actions carried out by
the IAF.According to the military, the strike on the fuel depot was a
major blow to the Houthi economy, and the cranes being taken out of
service prevents the group from bringing in more Iranian weapons via the
port that have been used to target Israel, along with commercial and
military ships in the Red Sea.Saturday’s strike on Hodeida Port used
more force than the IAF needed, aimed at sending a message of deterrence
as well as causing financial damage to the Iran-backed group and
impeding its ability to import weapons.Strikes carried out by an
American-led coalition in Yemen have only targeted Houthi military
infrastructure, and not sites that are also used by civilians, such as
the Hodeida Port, which is also used to bring in humanitarian aid to the
war-torn country in addition to the Iranian weapon shipments.The IAF
believed that the strike would project a message to Israel’s enemies,
especially Lebanon’s Hezbollah, that Israel is capable and willing to
target dual-use civilian-military infrastructure, and carry out what
could be considered disproportionate responses to attacks.Anticipating a
response-Meanwhile, the IAF was on high alert for reprisals in response
to the airstrike. The IAF has assessed that not only the Houthis would
ramp up attacks following the strike in Yemen but other Iran-backed
groups in the region as well, including those in Syria and Iraq, and
Hezbollah in Lebanon.Following Friday’s Houthi drone attack on Tel Aviv,
which killed resident Yevgeny Ferder, 50, the IAF assessed that the
Iran-backed group in Yemen would continue to carry out attacks on Israel
regardless of an Israeli response.According to the Israeli military,
Yemen’s Houthis have in the past nine months fired over 220 ballistic
missiles, cruise missiles, and drones at Israel, the latest on Sunday
morning — mostly toward the southernmost city of Eilat — in solidarity
with the Gaza Strip, where Israel is battling Hamas terrorists.The vast
majority of the Iran-backed group’s projectiles have been intercepted by
US forces stationed in the Red Sea and Israeli air defenses and fighter
jets, or have missed their target. Before the attack on Tel Aviv early
on Friday, only one Houthi projectile, a cruise missile, had
successfully struck Israel, hitting an open area near Eilat in
March.Until Friday’s deadly attack in Tel Aviv, Israel chose not to
respond to those attacks, preferring that a United States-led coalition
continue to strike the Houthis, mostly in response to the Iran-backed
group’s attacks on commercial and military ships in the Red Sea.The
military said Sunday there was no change to instructions for Israeli
civilians, although it was anticipating a response by the
Houthis.Israel’s air defenses are not “hermetic,” military officials
said, warning that there would likely be more successful drone attacks
on the country, but adding that the IAF is doing everything to prevent
them.The IAF also said it was unfazed by the fact that social media
clips had shown the Israeli fighter jets, refueler tankers, and spy
planes as they headed toward Yemen in the afternoon hours of Saturday —
which may have given the Houthis an early warning that an attack was
coming.IAF officials viewed the social media footage, as well as the
fact that the strike was carried out in broad daylight, as a form of
deterrence against Israel’s enemies.Israel acted alone in the strike
with no American military involvement.An Israeli military official said
US Central Command had been updated ahead of the attack, and in turn
updated its allies in the region.Houthi drone flew 2,600 kilometers to
reach Tel Aviv-The Iranian-made drone launched by the Houthis at Tel
Aviv early Friday morning traveled more than 2,600 kilometers (1,600
miles) to reach Israel, according to an Israeli Air Force probe.The
modified Iranian-made Samad-3 took a non-direct flight path. This may
have contributed to it not being classified as a threat by air defense
troops, which resulted in it not being intercepted and striking a
residential building in Tel Aviv.According to the IAF investigation, the
explosive-laden drone apparently flew west from Yemen over the Red Sea,
reaching Eritrea, before then flying north over Sudan and Egypt and
reaching the Mediterranean Sea. The drone then turned to approach Tel
Aviv from the west.It was only at this point that the drone showed up on
Israeli radar, as an unidentified target. The army can now say the
drone was tracked for six minutes while it approached Tel Aviv from the
direction of the sea, before dropping in and out of radar for several
minutes after that, according to the probe.The drone, according to the
probe, was in the air for some 16 hours, flying at a speed of between 80
and 100 knots, or 148-185 kilometers per hour.The IAF was aware of such
capabilities in the hands of the Houthis, but had no specific prior
information on the attack itself.More radar operators after failure to
recognize threat-The probe found that if the target had been classified
as a suspected drone when it was first identified, the IAF would have
had enough time to engage it, using fighter jets or ground or sea-based
air defense systems. Instead, the target was not classified as a threat
due to a human error by the air defense soldiers, and it impacted Tel
Aviv.Human operators who analyze the IAF’s radar were at the time
focused on tracking a drone launched by another Iran-backed group, from
Iraq. That drone was shot down by fighter jets. The IAF has explained
that the operators also frequently see targets drop in and out of radar,
which in some cases are birds or distortions caused by clouds.
Additionally, the IAF’s focus had been on targets approaching Israel
from the north, east, and south, and less so from the west.Following the
attack, the IAF doubled the number of operators analyzing radar systems
so that targets are not missed and are correctly classified. It has
also increased aerial patrols, especially in the Mediterranean, to
better detect incoming threats.Fighter jets face threat in an all-out
war with Hezbollah-Separately, assessments described to The Times of
Israel on Sunday showed that in the event of an all-out war with
Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Israeli Air Force would need to take risks to
combat Hezbollah’s air defenses.The IAF has assessed that some fighter
jets may be shot down, and risks will need to be taken to obtain aerial
superiority during the first days of a major conflict.So far, amid
ongoing skirmishes along the border, Hezbollah has shot down at least
five Israeli drones, and in one case, fired missiles at Israeli jets
without success.The IAF has knowledge of the Iranian-made anti-aircraft
systems that Hezbollah possesses, and has repeatedly made efforts to
target them amid the ongoing fighting.Since October 8, Hezbollah-led
forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the
border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to
support Gaza amid the war there.Other Iran-backed groups, in Iraq and
Syria, have also claimed to have launched dozens of drones and cruise
missiles at Israel during the ongoing war sparked by Hamas’s devastating
October 7 terror onslaught.Iran itself also carried out an
unprecedented attack on Israel in April with hundreds of drones and
missiles, almost all of which were intercepted.The Israeli military has
detailed plans ready for the event of an escalation with Hezbollah,
although Israel’s political leadership has not yet made a decision on
launching a major offensive in Lebanon. Regardless, the IAF has said it
maintains readiness in the event of a sudden escalation as a result of
Hezbollah’s actions.
Believed used from era of King Josiah almost
3,000 years ago-Solving mystery, archaeologists find vast moat that
protected Jerusalem’s biblical kings-Researchers say fortification
required major engineering and resources, separated Temple Mount and
king’s palace from rest of Jerusalem; discovery accords with biblical
references-By ToI Staff Today, 1:59 pm-JUL 21,24
Archaeologists
have solved a 150-year-old mystery in the City of David, discovering a
massive moat that was used to fortify and protect the Temple Mount and
the king’s palace in biblical-era Jerusalem, the Israel Antiquities
Authority and Tel Aviv University announced on Sunday.The city’s
northern fortification eluded archaeologists for a century and a half as
they could not trace its full route. But recent excavations of the
Givati Parking Lot, adjacent to the Old City walls, have revealed a moat
that split the City of David in half, separating the palace and Temple
Mount from the rest of the city.The vast moat, which was at least nine
meters deep and 30 meters wide, the IAA said in a press release, was
“one of the monumental fortifications that protected the kings of
Jerusalem.”“It is not known when the moat was originally cut, but
evidence suggests it was used during the centuries when Jerusalem was
the capital of the Kingdom of Judah, almost 3,000 years ago, beginning
with King Josiah,” said excavation directors Prof. Yuval Gadot and Dr.
Yiftah Shalev. “During those years, the moat separated the southern
residential part of the city from the ruling Acropolis in the north —
the upper city where the palace and the temple were located.”According
to the researchers, the fortification altered the natural topography of
Jerusalem and required significant engineering skills and resources.
“The creation of the moat was a large-scale, monumental operation,
designed to change and modify the natural topography to demonstrate the
power of Jerusalem’s rulers to those who entered its gates,” the IAA
said in the press release. “Following the dramatic discovery, we
reexamined the past excavations reports written by the British
archaeologist Kathleen Kenyon, who excavated in the City of David in the
1960s, in an area located slightly east of today’s Givati Parking Lot,”
said Gadot.“It became clear to us that Kenyon noticed that the natural
rock slopes towards the north, in a place where it should naturally have
risen. She thought it was a natural valley, but now it turns out that
she had uncovered the continuation of the moat, carved to the west. The
connection of the two uncovered sections creates a deep and wide moat
that extends across at least 70 meters, from west to east.”He added that
the discovery corresponds to references in the Bible to the topography
of the area. In one such reference in the first Book of Kings (11:27),
King Solomon is described as building the construction, which was dubbed
the “Millo.”: “… Solomon built up the ‘Millo’ and closed up the breach
in the wall of the City of David his father.”The results of the
excavation are set to be presented at the City of David’s Jerusalem
Studies Experience conference in August.IAA director Eli Escusido said
that “the excavations in the City of David never cease to amaze.”“Once
again, discoveries are being revealed that shed new and vivid light on
the biblical literature. When you stand at the bottom of this giant
excavation, surrounded by enormous hewn walls, it is impossible not to
be filled with wonder and appreciation for those ancient people who,
about 3,800 years ago, literally moved mountains and hills,” he said.
