There has been an escalation in the possibility of a war breaking out in the Mideast as well as a possible major surprise.
As some readers have seen in media sources, the Israelis have carried out another air strike against weaponry in Syria. The Israelis have done this before, but this attack represents an escalation in the ante of Israeli self-defense actions as the Israelis blew up advanced Russian missiles being off-loaded at the Syrian port of Latakia (see first link and second link). It is logical to assume that these advanced Russian missiles were transported on a Russian ship and were escorted by Russian security personnel and technicians. It is unknown whether Russian forces and technicians were also killed by the Israeli attack, but that is a real possibility. The Israelis previously attacked Syrian arms shipments destined for Hezbollah (in January and May, 2013); however, those were Iranian weapons shipments. An Israeli attack on advanced Russian weaponry intended for Syria or Hezbollah is an escalation in the security threat to Israel and in the Israeli determination to act to protect itself. It is also worth noting that Iran’s firm determination to support the Assad regime has not wavered (third link).
What is quite surprising is the information (see last link) that Turkish intelligence sources secretly helped the Israelis attack and destroy the advanced Russian-made weaponry. Israeli and Turkish leaders have been at loggerheads for some time so such a development, if true, would be a surprising new development. The link further reports that Jordanian intelligence sources revealed that the Israelis and Turks have been cooperating in compiling a list of Syrian targets for destruction in future raids. It should be noted that Turkey is a Sunni Moslem nation, naturally allied to such Sunni Moslem nations like Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, etc. Syria’s regime is allied with Iran, the powerful Shiite rival of the Sunni Moslems. Syria or Hezbollah also shot down a Turkish warplane earlier this year so Turkey has additional justification to act against the Assad regime. However, alliances are very tenuous and shifting in the Mideast. The report also states that Turkey previously “burned” Iranian agents who were working with the Israeli Mossad so who can really trust who in the Mideast? There may be another factor in the bombing of Russia’s sophisticated weaponry arriving in Syria. Turkey is a NATO member and NATO has a vital interest in preventing advanced Russian weaponry being introduced into the region in the event a major war breaks out in the Mideast. Turkey may have been simply acting in behalf of NATO interests in this episode. Obviously, Russia is going to be increasingly angry with the Israelis, NATO and possibly Turkey over this matter.
These developments show that the danger of a larger war in the Mideast is growing and that the actual alliances among Mideast nations behind the scenes may be quite different that what the world thinks is the case. The “wars and rumors of wars” in the Mideast continue to intensify (Matthew 24:6). Zechariah 12:1-6 also prophesied that the region of Jerusalem and the nation the Bible calls Judah (but called “Israel” in today’s secular world) would be a primary focus of such wars and rumors of wars. The Bible is, again, right on target in its latter-day prophecies for our modern world. Those wishing in-depth information about the Bible’s prophecies that our current time is the biblically-prophesied “latter day” period are invited to read my free article, Are We Living in the Biblical Latter Days?