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)
RAISI AND FM OF IRAN BURNING IN HELL FIRE FOREVER NOW.AFTER DYING IN COPTER CRASH.
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.
NUCLEAR WEAPONS WILL BE USED.
JESUS SHED HIS BLOOD FOR US THAT WE CAN BE SAVED FOREVER.AND DURING WW3 PEOPLES BLOOD WILL BE SHED AS A JUDGEMENT FOR HATING HIM AND ISRAEL.GOD IS NOT MOCKED.
ZEPHANIAH 1:2-3
2 I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the LORD.
3 I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD.
PSALMS 97:3
3 A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about.
EZEKIEL 5:15-17
15 So it shall be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction and an astonishment unto the (ARAB/MUSLIM) nations that are round about thee,(ISRAEL) when I shall execute judgments in thee in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I the LORD have spoken it.
16 When I shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be for their destruction, and which I will send to destroy you: and I will increase the famine upon you, and will break your staff of bread:
17 So will I send upon you famine and evil beasts,(WHEN RUSSIA/MUSLIMS GET DEFEATED THIER BODIES GET EATEN BY BIRDS,ANIMALS IN ISRAEL MIGRATION SEASON) and they shall bereave thee; and pestilence and blood shall pass through thee;(NUKES) and I will bring the sword upon thee. I the LORD have spoken it.
REVELATION 14:18-20
18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
20 And the winepress was trodden without the city,(JERUSALEM) and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.(200 MILES) (THE SIZE OF ISRAEL)
ISAIAH 66:15-18
15 For, behold, the LORD will come with fire,(NUKES) and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
16 For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.
17 They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD.
18 For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.
ISAIAH 26:21
21 For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity:(GOD/ISRAEL HATE AND BRAKING OF HIS COMMANDMENTS) the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.(WW3,1/2 earths population die - 3 BILLION).
ISAIAH 13:6-13 KJV
6 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt:(FROM FRIGHT)
8 And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.
9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.
ISAIAH 24:17-23 KJV
17 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.
18 And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.
19 The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.
20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.
21 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.
22 And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.
23 Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.
2 TIMOTHY 3:1
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous (DANGEROUS) times shall come.
JOEL 2:3,30
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,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
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)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)
EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
MALACHI 4:1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven;(FROM ATOMIC BOMBS) and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
REVELATION 9:18
18 By these three was the third part of men killed,(2 BILLION) by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(ATOMIC BOMBS)(RUSSIA CHINA DESTROYED BY ISRAELS ATOMIC BOMBS)
REVELATION 16:12-16
12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates;(WERE WW3 STARTS IN IRAQ OR SYRIA OR TURKEY) and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon,(SATAN) and out of the mouth of the beast,(WORLD DICTATOR) and out of the mouth of the false prophet.(FALSE POPE)
14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.(WERE 2 BILLION DIE FROM NUKE WAR)
15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
17 And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.
PROOF HALF ON EARTH DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD (8 BILLION ON EARTH)
REVELATION 6:7-8 (8 BILLION- 2 BILLION = 6 BILLION)
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth,(2 BILLION) to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).
REVELATION 9:15,18 (6 BILLION - 2 BILLION = 4 BILLION)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,
18 By these three was the third part of men killed,(2 BILLION) by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMBS)
HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION.(THESE VERSES ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
LUKE 17:34-37 (8 TOTAL BILLION - 4 BILLION DEAD IN TRIB = 4 BILLION TO JESUS KINGDOM) (HALF DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD JUST LIKE THE BIBLE SAYS)(GOD DOES NOT LIE)(AND NOTICE MOST DIE IN WAR AND DISEASES-NOT COMETS-ASTEROIDS-QUAKES OR TSUNAMIS)
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other shall be left.(half earths population 4 billion die in the 7 yr trib)
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.(Christians have new bodies,this is the people against Jerusalem during the 7 yr treaty)(Christians bodies are not being eaten by the birds).THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES.BECAUSE NOT HALF OF PEOPLE ON EARTH ARE CHRISTIANS.AND THE CONTEXT IN LUKE 17 IS THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION OR 7 YR TREATY PERIOD.WHICH IS JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH.NOT 50% RAPTURED TO HEAVEN.
MATTHEW 24:37-42 (THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-SURE NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
42 Watch therefore:(FOR THE LAST DAYS SIGNS HAPPENING) for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
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,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
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)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)
EZEKIEL 32:18-29 (NOTICE ALL THE COUNTRIES LAND PROMISED ISRAEL BY GOD ARE IN THE JORDAN VALLEY BURIED)
18 “Son of man, wail for the multitudes of Egypt, and consign her and the daughters of the mighty nations to the depths of the earth with those who descend to the Pit:
19 Whom do you surpass in beauty? Go down and be placed with the uncircumcised! (IN HELL FIRES)
20 They will fall among those slain by the sword. The sword is appointed! Let them drag her away along with all her multitudes.
21 Mighty chiefs will speak from the midst of Sheol about Egypt and her allies: ‘They have come down and lie with the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword.’
22 Assyria (SYRIA) is there with her whole company; her graves are all around her. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword.
23 Her graves are set in the depths of the Pit, and her company is all around her grave. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword—those who once spread terror in the land of the living.
24 Elam (IRAN) is there with all her multitudes around her grave. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword—those who went down uncircumcised to the earth below, who once spread their terror in the land of the living. They bear their disgrace with those who descend to the Pit.
25 Among the slain they prepare a resting place for Elam with all her hordes, with her graves all around her. All of them are uncircumcised, slain by the sword, although their terror was once spread in the land of the living. They bear their disgrace with those who descend to the Pit. They are placed among the slain.
26 Meshech and Tubal (RUSSIA) are there with all their multitudes, with their graves all around them. All of them are uncircumcised, slain by the sword, because they spread their terror in the land of the living.
27 They do not lie down with the fallen warriors of old, who went down to Sheol with their weapons of war, whose swords were placed under their heads, whose shields rested on their bones, although the terror of the mighty was once in the land of the living.
28 But you too will be shattered and lie down among the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword.
29 Edom (JORDAN) is there, and all her kings and princes, who despite their might are laid among those slain by the sword. They lie down with the uncircumcised, with those who descend to the Pit.THIS IS RIGHT FROM 93:
PSALMS 83:1-8 (GODS LAND PROMISED TO ISRAEL)
1 O God, do not remain silent;do not turn a deaf ear,do not stand aloof, O God.
2 See how your enemies growl, how your foes rear their heads.
3 With cunning they (ARAB,MUSLIMS) conspire against your people;they plot against those you cherish.(ISRAELIS)
4 “Come,” they say, “let us destroy them as a nation, so that Israel’s name is remembered no more.”
5 With one mind they plot together;(TREATIES) they form an alliance against you—
6 the tents of Edom (JORDAN) and the Ishmaelites, (EGYPTIAN ARABS SO CALLED PALESTIANS) of Moab (JORDAN) and the Hagrites,(EGYPT)
7 Byblos,(HEZBOLLOH) Ammon (JORDAN) and Amalek,(SYRIAN ARABS IN THE SINAI) Philistia,(ARABS) with the people of Tyre (LEBANON).
8 Even Assyria (SYRIA) has joined them to reinforce Lot’s descendants.
DR SAMUEL DOCTORIANS VISION - SECOND ANGEL: MIDDLE EAST
Then I saw that the second angel had a sickle in his hand, such as is used in harvesting.The second angel said: "Harvest time has come in Israel and the countries all the way to Iran."I saw those countries in a few split seconds."All of Turkey and those [inaudible] countries that have refused me and refused my message of love shall hate each other and kill one another."I saw the angel raise the sickle and come down on all the Middle East countries. I saw Iran, Persia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, all of Georgia - Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, all of Asia Minor - full of blood. I saw blood all over these countries. And I saw fire; Nuclear weapons used in many of those countries. Smoke rising from everywhere. Sudden destruction – men destroying one another. I heard these words:"Israel, Oh Israel, the great judgment has come." The angel said, "The chosen, the church, the remnant, shall be purified. The Spirit of God shall prepare the children of God."I saw fires rising to heaven.The angel said: "This is the final judgment. My church shall be purified, protected and ready for the final day. Men will die from thirst. Water shall be scarce all over the Middle East. Rivers shall dry up, and men will fight for water in those countries."The angel showed me that the United Nations shall be broken in pieces because of the crisis in the Middle East. There shall be no more United Nations. The angel with the sickle shall reap the harvest.
STATUTE OF ROME ICC POWER HUNGRY CULT
https://www.icc-cpi.int/sites/default/files/Publications/Rome-Statute.pdf
WELL OF COURSE I AM SO SAD TO HEAR THAT RAISI AND THE FM OF IRANIAN COCKROACHES DIED IN THAT HELICOPTER CRASH YESTERDAY. AND THE SECOND THEY CLOSED THEIR EYES IN DEATH THEY OPENED THEIR EYES IN HELL FIRE FOREVER WITH THEIR NEVER DYING BODIES AND SOULS. THESE 2 TERRORISTS WILL BE BURIED.BUT THE SECOND THEY CLOSED THIER EYES IN DEATH IN THAT COPTER.NO SUCH THING AS REINCARNATION.THESE TERRORISTS WENT DIRECTLY TO HELL FIRE AND TORMENTS.FOR THE DEMONS TO TAKE CARE OF REAL GOOD.I SHOULD BE LIKE ISLAM HANDING OUT CANDY FOR THE DEATH OF THESE COCKROACH TERRORISTS IN IRAN.
AND JUST BREAKING-THE UN ICC HAS WARRANTS OF ARREST OUT FOR 3 HAMAS TERRORISTS LEADERS.AND NETANYAHU AND GALLANT.
Israeli jets hit Hezbollah cell, weapons depot in southern Lebanon-By Emanuel Fabian
Israeli fighter jets struck a Hezbollah cell in southern Lebanon’s Mays al-Jabal a short while ago, the military says.The IDF says artillery forces of the 91st Division spotted the cell at a position used in recent days to launch rockets at Israel.Earlier, fighter jets hit a weapons depot belonging to Hezbollah in Naqoura, the IDF says.The military says it identified secondary blasts following the strike, indicating that munitions were stored there.ICC prosecutor seeking international arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant, 3 Hamas leaders-Iran’s president Raisi, FM Amir-Abdollahian declared dead as teams find wreckage of crashed helicopter * Israel says 2 top Hamas military operatives killed in recent Gaza strikes-By ToI Staff Today, 5:25 am-MAY 20,24-By Jeremy Sharon-MAY 20,24
In an unprecedented and hugely controversial development, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Karim Kahn says he has requested arrest warrants from the judges of the court for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.Kahn says that the charges are for the crimes of “causing extermination, causing starvation as a method of war including the denial of humanitarian relief supplies, deliberately targeting civilians in conflict.”Kahn says he is also applying for arrest warrants against Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammad Deif, and Ismail Haniyeh.“Today we have applied for warrants to the pretrial chamber of the international criminal court in relation to three individuals who are Hamas members,” says Kahn listing Sinwar, Deif and Haniyeh.He says they would be charged with extermination, murder, hostage taking, rape and sexual assault in detention.
Iran’s Raisi confirmed dead in helicopter crash near Azerbaijan border-Officials declare deaths of president and foreign minister after lengthy overnight search in difficult conditions; Hamas conveys ‘deepest condolences’ to the Iranian government-By Agencies and ToI Staff Today, 9:08 am-MAY 20,24
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, a hardliner long seen as a potential successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in a helicopter crash in a mountainous northwestern region near the Azerbaijan border, officials and state media said on Monday.The charred wreckage of the helicopter, which crashed on Sunday carrying Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, along with seven others, was found early on Monday after a 15-hour search in foggy weather conditions.“With the discovery of the crash site, no signs of life have been detected among the helicopter’s passengers,” the head of Iran’s Red Crescent, Pirhossein Kolivand, told Iranian state television.The Red Crescent later said that the bodies of Raisi and the others on board had been recovered and that the search operations had ended.“We are in the process of transferring the bodies of the martyrs to Tabriz” in Iran’s northwest, Kolivand told state TV.The deaths of all those onboard were confirmed in a statement on social media by Vice President Mohsen Mansouri, who posted a Quranic verse used to express condolences.In an official statement, the Iranian government said on Monday that it would continue to operate “without the slightest disruption.”“We assure the loyal nation that the path of service will continue with the tireless spirit of Raisi,” said the statement.State television reported that images from the site showed the aircraft slammed into a mountain peak, and Fars news agency shared drone images of what it said was the helicopter wreckage, although there was no official word on the cause of the crash.???? BREAKING: The first image of President Ebrahim Raisi's helicopter pic.twitter.com/z3du7gi4p7— Holly Dagres (@hdagres) May 20, 2024-According to the state-run IRNA news agency, Raisi had been flying in a US-made Bell 212 helicopter.Condolence messages poured in from Iran’s allies and proxies on Monday morning.Palestinian terror group Hamas conveyed “deepest condolences and solidarity” to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Iranian government and the Iranian people for “this immense loss.”It praised the deceased Iranian leaders for supporting the Palestinian cause and its “resistance against Israel,” and expressed confidence that Iran’s “deep-rooted institutions” will enable it to overcome “the repercussions of this great loss.”In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi, the head of the Iran-backed Houthi Supreme Revolutionary Committee, sent his condolences “to the Iranian people, the Iranian leadership, and the families of President Raisi and the accompanying delegation on their reported martyrdom.”Raisi, 63, was elected president in 2021, and since taking office ordered a tightening of morality laws, oversaw a bloody crackdown on anti-government protests and pushed hard in nuclear talks with world powers.Before becoming president, Raisi held various positions inside the judiciary under the purview of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. As a prosecutor, and at the end of the Iran-Iraq War in 1988, he sat on the committee that sentenced thousands of political prisoners to death.The executions earned him the moniker “Butcher of Tehran,” and he was subsequently subjected to sanctions by the United States and to condemnation by the United Nations and international human rights organizations.From 2006 until his death, Raisi served on the Assembly of Experts, a body that appoints and supervises the supreme leader.Khamenei, who holds ultimate power with a final say on foreign policy and Iran’s nuclear program, had earlier sought to reassure Iranians, saying there would be no disruption to state affairs.Raisi’s convoy had included three helicopters, and the other two had “reached their destination safely,” said the Tasnim news agency.Expressions of concern and offers of help came from abroad, including Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Russia, China and Turkey, as well as from the European Union which activated its rapid response mapping service to aid in the search effort. US President Joe Biden had also been briefed on the crash, a US official said on condition of anonymity.Possible successor to Khamenei-The crash came at a time of growing dissent within Iran over an array of political, social and economic crises. Iran’s clerical rulers have faced international pressure over Tehran’s nuclear program and its deepening military ties with Russia during the war in Ukraine.In Iran’s dual political system, split between the clerical establishment and the government, it is Raisi’s 85-year-old mentor Khamenei, supreme leader since 1989, who holds decision-making power on all major policies.For years, many have seen Raisi as a strong contender to succeed Khamenei, who has endorsed Raisi’s main policies.Raisi’s victory in a closely managed election in 2021 brought all branches of power under the control of hardliners, after eight years when the presidency had been held by pragmatist Hassan Rouhani and a nuclear deal was negotiated with powers including Washington.However, Raisi’s standing may have been dented by widespread protests against clerical rule and a failure to turn around Iran’s economy, hamstrung by Western sanctions.Raisi had been at the Azerbaijani border on Sunday to inaugurate the Qiz-Qalasi Dam, a joint project. Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, who said he had bid a “friendly farewell” to Raisi earlier in the day, had offered assistance in the rescue.
Netanyahu said repeatedly stopping Israeli security chiefs from meeting US officials-Since war began, PM has reportedly blocked heads of IDF, Mossad and Shin Bet from meeting with Antony Blinken, Marco Rubio and others, allegedly to control info given to Washington-By ToI Staff Today, 12:29 pm-MAY 20,24
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has blocked Israeli intelligence and security chiefs from meeting with US officials multiple times amid the ongoing war in Gaza, according to officials quoted Sunday by the Axios news site.Most recently, Netanyahu banned Mossad chief David Barnea and Shin Bet head Ronen Bar from meeting with US Senator Marco Rubio while the latter was in Israel last month, according to unnamed US officials quoted in the report.Instead, the prime minister met himself with the senator, the report added. The officials said the move was not a shot at Rubio, who sits on the Senate’s intelligence committee and, according to the report, had requested to meet with Barnea and Bar.According to the report, Netanyahu’s office has also blocked several meetings between Shin Bet leaders and US State Department officials since Hamas’s October 7 onslaught, and, a few months ago, tried to prevent a meeting between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi.As a compromise, the officials said, Halevi joined a meeting of the war cabinet at which Blinken was present.Officials quoted in the report said they believe Netanyahu is trying to control what US politicians and lawmakers hear from Israel amid deep divides in his cabinet about the handling of the war.“It was clear to us that Bibi was just trying to keep the US government from getting information that is contrary to his line,” one official told Axios, using the premier’s nickname. The same US source noted, however, that officials in both countries have found ways to work around Netanyahu’s ban.The site noted that US officials routinely meet with Israeli military and security chiefs, who are seen as “credible, professional and apolitical.”The report comes as Netanyahu faces open criticism from other members of the war cabinet.Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, in a speech last week, accused Netanyahu of dithering on a plan for a post-Hamas Gaza, and demanded that the prime minister rule out full Israeli military and civilian control of the Strip.On Saturday night, war cabinet minister Benny Gantz said that “personal and political considerations have begun to penetrate” security policy, and announced that he would pull his National Unity party out of the coalition if a series of demands is not met by June 8.US officials have communicated a vision of postwar Gaza that includes a reformed Palestinian Authority and a path to Palestinian statehood. Netanyahu, however, has repeatedly expressed opposition to PA control of Gaza, asserting that it will inevitably be used as a base for terrorism.
Protector of the resistance’: Iran’s allies, proxy terror groups mourn Raisi’s death-Hamas, Hezbollah praise hardline president for his support; Putin hails ‘true friend’; Syria’s Assad affirms solidarity with Tehran; EU, China also among those sending condolences-By Agencies Today, 12:15 pm-MAY 20,24
Iran’s allies and proxies around the globe sent condolences on Monday after President Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash along with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.The charred wreckage of the helicopter, which crashed on Sunday in a mountainous northwestern region near the Azerbaijan border while carrying Raisi, Amir-Abdollahian and seven others, was found early Monday after a 15-hour search in foggy weather conditions.Tehran-backed Palestinian terror group Hamas mourned Raisi in a statement as an “honorable supporter.”Hamas said it appreciated Raisi’s “support for the Palestinian resistance and tireless efforts in solidarity” with Palestinians since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, which started with the October 7 massacre when Hamas-led terrorists rampaged through southern Israel, murdering some 1,200 people and taking 252 hostages to Gaza.Iran’s proxy Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon, which has launched attacks against Israel since October 8 in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, praised him as a “protector” of anti-Israel groups in the region.“Hezbollah in Lebanon extends its deepest condolences,” the group said in a statement, adding that he was “a strong supporter and a staunch defender of our causes… and a protector of the resistance movements.”The terror group said it appreciated Raisi and Amir-Abdollahian for their “intense political and diplomatic efforts to stop the Zionist aggression against our Palestinian people.”Syrian President Bashar Assad expressed solidarity with close ally Tehran, which has backed him during years of civil war.Assad “affirmed Syria’s solidarity with the Islamic Republic of Iran and with the families of the late deceased and his comrades,” the Syrian presidency said in a statement, adding: “We worked with the late president to ensure that strategic relations between Syria and Iran flourish always.”The oil-rich United Arab Emirates, which has mended ties with Tehran after a years-long rift, “stands in solidarity with Iran at this difficult time,” said Emirati President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.“I extend my deepest condolences to the Iranian government and people over the passing of President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and those accompanying them following a tragic accident,” Sheikh Mohammed posted on social media platform X.In another statement on X, Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, called the news “painful,” expressing his “sincere condolences to the government and people of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also mourned the loss in a press conference in Islamabad.“From the first moment we heard of the accident, we have been in contact with the Iranian authorities and mobilized all means to assist [rescue] efforts. Relevant institutions including our Defense Ministry and AFAD disaster authority did their best but unfortunately we weren’t able to hear good news,” Fidan told a joint news conference on Monday with his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar.Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani expressed “profound sadness and deep sorrow” at the news of Raisi and Amir-Abdollahian’s deaths.“We extend our heartfelt condolences and sympathies to the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic, Ali Khamenei, and to the nation of Iran, its government and people. We express our solidarity with the brotherly Iranian people and the officials of the Islamic Republic during this painful tragedy,” a statement read.Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declared a day of mourning after reports of Raisi’s death came in.“Pakistan will observe a day of mourning and the flag will fly at half mast as a mark of respect for President Raisi and his companions and in solidarity with Brotherly Iran,” Shehbaz posted on X, formerly Twitter.“I, along with the government and people of Pakistan, extend our deepest condolences and sympathies to the Iranian nation on this terrible loss,” he added. “The great Iranian nation will overcome this tragedy with customary courage.”The Pakistani leader hosted Raisi in Islamabad for a three-day visit in April in a bid to mend ties between the neighbors after they traded deadly strikes earlier this year.Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a statement hailing Raisi as an “outstanding politician whose entire life was dedicated to serving his homeland.”“As a true friend of Russia, he made an invaluable personal contribution to the development of good-neighborly relations between our countries,” he said.China’s President Xi Jinping said “the tragic death is a great loss to the Iranian people, and the Chinese people have lost a good friend,” China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin conveyed at a regular press conference.Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he was “deeply saddened” by the deaths, noting their shared commitment to bolstering ties.The European Union expressed its “sincere condolences” over the death of Raisi and other officials in a helicopter crash.“Our thoughts go to the families,” EU Council President Charles Michel said in a statement.South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa, who recently invited Iran to join the BRICS group, expressed deep regret over the fatal crash.“This is an extraordinary, unthinkable tragedy that has claimed a remarkable leader of a nation with whom South Africa enjoys strong bilateral relations,” Ramaphosa said.
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, 60, Iran’s hardline FM who died in helicopter crash-A consistent supporter of Tehran’s radical policies, country’s top diplomat oversaw reconciliation efforts with Saudi Arabia, held meetings with top Hamas officials amid Gaza war-By AP and ToI Staff Today, 11:12 am-MAY 20,24
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who died Sunday in a helicopter crash that also killed the country’s president, was a hardliner close to the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who oversaw indirect talks with the US over the country’s nuclear program.Amir-Abdollahian represented the hardline shift in Iran following the collapse of Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers after then-US president Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the accord. He served under now-deceased president Ebrahim Raisi, a protégé of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and followed their policies.He first served in the Foreign Ministry under Ali Akbar Salehi in 2011-2013. He then returned for several years under then-foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who was a key player in the nuclear deal reached under the administration of the relatively moderate president Hassan Rouhani in 2015.But Zarif and Amir-Abdollahian had a falling out, likely over internal differences in Iran’s foreign policy. Zarif offered him the ambassadorship to Oman, still a strategically important post given the sultanate long serving as an interlocutor between Iran and the West, but he refused.Amir-Abdollahian became foreign minister under Raisi with the latter’s election in 2021, and was a consistent supporter of the government’s policies, even as mass protests swept the country in 2022 after the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who had been detained by Iran’s morality police over allegedly not wearing a hijab, or headscarf, to the liking of authorities. The months-long security crackdown that followed the demonstrations killed more than 500 people and saw over 22,000 detained.In March, a United Nations investigative panel found that Iran was responsible for the “physical violence” that led to Amini’s death.Amir-Abdollahian had a close relationship with senior IRGC commander Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a US drone strike in Baghdad in 2020.“You should thank the Islamic Republic and Qassem Soleimani because Soleimani has contributed to world peace and security,” Amir-Abdollahian once said. “If there was no Islamic Republic, your metro stations and gathering centers in Brussels, London and Paris would not be safe.”More recently, he was also involved in efforts to reach a détente with regional rival Saudi Arabia in 2023, a move eclipsed almost immediately later by tensions that arose over the war between Israel and the Iran-backed Palestinian terror group Hamas.In September 2023, just a month before the October 7 Hamas massacre in southern Israel, Amir-Abdollahian met with his Saudi Arabian counterpart, ending a seven-year break in diplomatic ties between the two countries, which have historically backed opposing sides in conflict zones throughout the Middle East.While Iran claimed it had no prior knowledge of Hamas’s unprecedented terror assault, it publicly praised the attack and warned that its proxies would not hesitate to join the fight against Israel.In December 2023, Amir-Abdollahian met with Hamas politburo leader Ismail Haniyeh in Qatar. A month prior, he held meetings with senior Hamas politburo member Khalil Al-Hayya, and with Palestinian Islamic Jihad Secretary General Ziad al-Nakhaleh in Lebanon.He met with Haniyeh twice more, once in February during a visit to Doha and again in March during the Hamas political chief’s visit to Tehran.He issued repeated statements accusing Israel of warmongering, and following the alleged Israeli airstrike on an Iranian consulate building in Damascus on April 1, he again accused Jerusalem of trying to start a regional war.Elsewhere in the region, Amir-Abdollahian also oversaw Iran’s response to a brief exchange of airstrikes with its nuclear-armed neighbor Pakistan and worked on diplomacy with the Taliban in Afghanistan, with whom Iran had tense relations.He is survived by his wife and two children.
Ebrahim Raisi, 63, ‘Butcher of Tehran’ and Khamenei protégé who died in chopper crash-Potential successor to supreme leader oversaw wave of executions in 1988; as president, he led bloody repression of Mahsa Amini protests in 2022, missile attack on Israel in April-By Agencies and ToI Staff Today, 10:26 am-MAY 20,24
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash Sunday at the age of 63, was a hardline protégé of the country’s supreme leader, was nicknamed “The Butcher of Tehran” for his role in overseeing the mass executions of thousands in 1988, and led the country as it enriched uranium near weapons-grade levels and launched a major drone and missile attack on Israel.Raisi’s sudden death, along with Iran’s foreign minister and other officials, comes as Iran struggles with internal dissent and its relations with the wider world. A cleric first, Raisi once kissed the Quran, the Islamic holy book, before the United Nations and spoke more like a preacher than a statesman when addressing the world.Raisi, who lost a presidential election to the relatively moderate incumbent Hassan Rouhani in 2017, ended up coming to power four years later in a vote carefully managed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to clear any major opposition candidate.Raisi was defiant when asked at a news conference after his election about the 1988 executions, which saw sham retrials of political prisoners, militants and others that would become known as “death commissions.”After Iran’s then-supreme leader ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini accepted a UN-brokered ceasefire to the Iran-Iraq war, members of the Iranian opposition group Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, heavily armed by Saddam Hussein, stormed across the Iranian border from Iraq in a surprise attack. Iran blunted their assault.The trials began around that time, with defendants asked to identify themselves. Those who responded “mujahedeen” were sent to their deaths, while others were questioned about their willingness to “clear minefields for the army of the Islamic Republic,” according to a 1990 Amnesty International report. International rights groups estimate that as many as 5,000 people were executed. Raisi served on the commissions.“I am proud of being a defender of human rights and of people’s security and comfort as a prosecutor wherever I was,” Raisi said.Raisi’s hardline approach again surfaced when mass protests swept the country in 2022, after the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who had been detained over allegedly not wearing a hijab, or headscarf, to the liking of authorities. The months-long security crackdown that followed the demonstrations killed more than 500 people, and over 22,000 others were detained.In March, a United Nations investigative panel found that Iran was responsible for the “physical violence” that led to Amini’s death.Raisi’s election came as Rouhani’s signature nuclear deal with world powers remained in tatters after then-US president Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the accord, setting in motion years of renewed tensions between Tehran and Washington.But while saying he wanted to rejoin the deal, Raisi’s new administration instead pushed back against international inspections, in part over an ongoing suspected sabotage campaign carried out by Israel targeting its nuclear program. Talks in Vienna at restoring the accord remained stalled in his government’s first months.“Sanctions are the US’s new way of war with the nations of the world,” Raisi told the United Nations in September 2021.He added: “The policy of ‘maximum oppression’ is still on. We want nothing more than what is rightfully ours.”Then came the Israel-Hamas war, which erupted last October when the Iranian-backed Hamas terror group launched its devastating massacre in southern Israeli communities, murdering some 1,200 people and taking 252 hostages to Gaza. The Islamic Republic’s other proxies have also been attacking Israel in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza since the resulting war began.Only a day after the October 7 onslaught, Raisi hailed the “legitimate defense of the Palestinian nation” and met with leaders of terror groups. The late president has repeatedly praised Hamas and threatened Israel’s annihilation, but denied Tehran had a direct role in the onslaught.When an alleged Israeli strike killed senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard officers in Iran’s embassy in Damascus last month, Tehran launched an extraordinary direct attack on Israel, in which hundreds of drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles were fired. Israel, the US and its allies shot down the projectiles, but it showed just how much the years-long shadow war between Iran and Israel had boiled.Khamenei appointed Raisi, a former Iranian attorney general, in 2016 to run the Imam Reza charity foundation, which manages a conglomerate of businesses and endowments in Iran. It is one of many bonyads, or charitable foundations, fueled by donations or assets seized after Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.These foundations offer no public accounting of their spending and answer only to Iran’s supreme leader. The Imam Reza charity, known as “Astan-e Quds-e Razavi” in Farsi, is believed to be one of the biggest. Analysts estimate its worth at tens of billions of dollars as it owns almost half the land in Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city.At Raisi’s appointment to the foundation, Khamenei called him a “trustworthy person with high-profile experience.” That led to analyst speculation that Khamenei could be grooming Raisi as a possible candidate to be Iran’s third-ever supreme leader, a Shiite cleric who has the final say on all state matters and serves as the country’s commander-in-chief.Though Raisi lost his 2017 campaign, he still garnered nearly 16 million votes. Khamenei installed him as the head of Iran’s internationally criticized judiciary, long known for its closed-door trials of human rights activists and those with Western ties. The US Treasury in 2019 sanctioned Raisi “for his administrative oversight over the executions of individuals who were juveniles at the time of their crime and the torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment of prisoners in Iran, including amputations. ”“Raisi is a pillar of a system that jails, tortures and kills people for daring to criticize state policies,” said Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of New York-based advocacy group the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI). Iran denies torturing prisoners.By 2021, Raisi became the dominant figure in the election after a panel under Khamenei disqualified candidates who posed the greatest challenge to his protégé. He swept nearly 62 percent of the 28.9 million votes in that vote, the lowest turnout by percentage in the Islamic Republic’s history. Millions stayed home and others voided ballots.Born in Mashhad on December 14, 1960, Raisi was born into a family that traces its lineage to Islam’s Prophet Muhammad, marked by the black turban he would later wear. His father died when he was 5. He would go to the seminary in the Shiite holy city of Qom and later would describe himself as an ayatollah, a high-ranking Shiite cleric.He is survived by his wife and two daughters.
How would a US-Saudi civil nuclear deal work, and what are the challenges? Conceived as part of wider Mideast deal that includes Israeli-Saudi normalization, nuclear program would be subject to nonproliferation conditions-By Reuters and ToI Staff Today, 10:18 am-MAY 20,24
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan will visit Saudi Arabia this weekend for talks expected to touch on a civil nuclear cooperation agreement, one piece of a wider arrangement Washington hopes will lead to the normalization of Israeli-Saudi relations.Below is a description of the key issues involved in a US-Saudi civil nuclear deal, what risks and benefits it may offer the United States and Saudi Arabia, and how it fits within US efforts to broker Israeli-Saudi reconciliation.Civil nuclear cooperation agreementsUnder Section 123 of the US Atomic Energy Act of 1954, the United States may negotiate agreements to engage in significant civil nuclear cooperation with other nations.It specifies nine nonproliferation criteria those states must meet to keep them from using the technology to develop nuclear arms or transfer sensitive materials to others.The law stipulates congressional review of such pacts.As the world’s largest oil exporter, Saudi Arabia at first glance is not an obvious candidate for a nuclear pact typically aimed at building power plants to generate electricity.There are two reasons Riyadh may wish to do so.The first is that under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s ambitious Vision 2030 reform plan, the kingdom aims to generate substantial renewable energy and reduce emissions. At least some of this is expected to come from nuclear energy.Critics cite a second potential reason: that Riyadh might wish to develop nuclear expertise in case it someday wished to acquire nuclear weapons despite the safeguards enshrined in any deal with Washington to prevent this.The Saudi crown prince has long said that if Iran developed a nuclear weapon, Saudi Arabia would follow suit, a stance that has fueled deep concern among arms control advocates and some US lawmakers over a possible US-Saudi civil nuclear deal.The Sunni Muslim kingdom and Shiite revolutionary Iran have been at odds for decades.What the US hopes to gain-There could be strategic and commercial gains.US President Jor Biden’s administration has made no secret of its hope to broker a long-shot, multi-part arrangement leading Saudi Arabia and Israel to normalize relations. It believes Saudi support for normalization may hinge partly on striking a civil nuclear deal.The strategic benefits would be to shore up Israel’s security, build a wider coalition against Iran, and reinforce US ties to one of the wealthiest Arab nations at a time when China is seeking to extend its influence in the Gulf.The commercial benefit would be to put US industry in a prime spot to win contracts to build Saudi nuclear power plants, as US atomic companies compete with Russia, China and other countries for global business.Hurdles to a deal-A civil nuclear deal is envisaged as part of a wider arrangement on Israeli-Saudi normalization, something that is all but inconceivable while the war between Israel and Hamas rages in the Gaza Strip.War erupted in October when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists burst across the border into Israel by land, air and sea, killing some 1,200 people and seizing 252 hostages amid acts of brutality and sexual assault.The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 35,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting so far, though only some 24,000 fatalities have been identified at hospitals. The tolls, which cannot be verified, include some 15,000 terror operatives Israel says it has killed in battle. Israel also says it killed some 1,000 terrorists inside Israel on October 7.It is hard to imagine the Saudis being willing to normalize relations while the Arab world fumes at the scale of reported Palestinian fatalities.Wider agreement that could include nuclear component-The United States hopes to find a way to give Saudi Arabia several things it wants — a civil nuclear pact, security guarantees and a pathway toward a Palestinian state, in return for Riyadh agreeing to normalize relations with Israel.Earlier this month, seven people familiar with the matter told Reuters the Biden administration and Saudi Arabia were finalizing an agreement for US security guarantees and civilian nuclear assistance to Riyadh. However, the wider Israel-Saudi normalization envisaged as part of a Middle East “grand bargain” remains elusive.Key issues to work out-A key issue is whether Washington might agree to build a uranium enrichment facility on Saudi territory, when it might do so, and whether Saudi personnel might have access to it or it would be run solely by US staff in a “black box” arrangement.Without rigorous safeguards built into an agreement, Saudi Arabia, which has uranium ore, could theoretically use an enrichment facility to produce highly enriched uranium, which, if purified enough, can yield fissile material for bombs.Another issue is whether Riyadh would agree to make a Saudi investment in a US-based and US-owned uranium enrichment plant and to hire US companies to build Saudi nuclear reactors.
