The chances of a large Mideast war have just risen further. Today, Israeli warplanes have attacked at least 20 targets in Gaza and killed a top Hamas commander. The Israeli attacks were caused by a wave of Hamas rocket attacks against Israeli civilians. The Israelis had no choice but to defend their citizens and put a stop to Hamas’ ability to launch rockets at Israeli targets with impunity.
The first link describes the fears of the Israeli citizens who live in constant fear of the Hamas rocket attacks. The second link and third link describe today’s Israeli attacks against targets in Gaza, and reveal that Hamas has fired approximately 14,000 rockets at Israeli targets in the last 11 years and 115 rockets in a recent wave of attacks. No nation can stand by idly while they are attacked by such a hostile entity on their border. Given the endless rocket attacks against Israel from Gaza, the patience of the Israelis has been incredible. That patience is now apparently at a complete end.
Israeli Prime Minister warned that these Hamas attacks (combined with a mortar attack by Syrian forces against Israeli military targets in the Golan region) could lead to a “major conflict,” and added that “a ground offensive by Israel may be inevitable” (see first link).
The entire Mideast seems to be headed toward a major war. Unless current trends are reversed soon, a large war does seem unavoidable. The war could start between Israel and Hamas, Turkey and Syria, Iran and Israel, Hezbollah and Israel, or all of these confrontations could erupt at once into warfare. This larger war (if it occurs) could redraw the borders of the Mideast. The results of this struggle will determine which nations will be in the prophesied Gog-Magog alliance and which nations will not be in that alliance. Ezekiel 38:5 specifically states Persia (Iran) will be in the Gog-Magog alliance at the end of this age so that is a certainty. The Ishmaelites (the Arabs) and the Edomites (Turkey and other nations) are not mentioned in Ezekiel 38 as being in the Gog-Magog alliance, so it strongly infers that they will remain in the global alliance headed by the modern ten tribes of Israel (NATO and their allies). However, since Ezekiel 38:6 adds that “many [unnamed] people” will be a part of the Gog-Magog alliance, that allows for nations not mentioned to be in the Gog-Magog alliance. The struggle in Syria will determine whether that nation will stay in the Russian-Chinese-Iranian orbit or whether it will be pulled out of it. We will have to wait and see what the result will be.
If a large war erupts which involves Israel, Genesis 49:8-9 and Zechariah 12 (latter days prophecies) argue that we should expect an Israeli victory. Indeed, the Israelis are so weary of being targets for Hamas rockets that the Israeli strike (if it comes) may be on a scale not previously seen in Mideast geopolitics. Hamas is likely acting as a surrogate for the Iranians and /or the Syrian regime in attacking Israel. The attacks vs. the Israelis are likely being orchestrated by decisions made in Tehran, and I think the Israeli leaders are well aware of this.
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-11-14/hamas-militant-leader-killed-by-israeli-strike
