On Friday morning, Israel’s Air Force shot down a Syrian ballistic missile. It posed a direct threat to Israel’s safety, according to the commander of the Israeli Air Defense Command. Three Syrian missiles were fired at Israeli jets who were trying to take out a Hezbollah* arms convoy that was traveling through Syria. The jets had already returned to Israeli airspace when they were attacked. The commander reported that the Syrian missile had a 200-kg. warhead.
An Arrow anti-ballistic missile system, which was jointly developed by the U.S. and Israel, took down the missile. The system was designed to fight Scuds, but not anti-aircraft missiles. Scuds are long-range surface-to-surface guided missiles fired from a mobile unit. They are a Soviet re-design of a weapon developed by the Nazis.
Because the Syrian SAM (surface-to-air-missile) behaved like a Scud, the Arrow 2 interceptor was deployed.
This was the most serious incident between the two countries since the Syrian civil war began in 2011.
*Hezbollah is an anti-Semitic terror group that operates throughout the Middle East. They were placed under orders by the UN Security Council not to arm themselves.
Experts have criticized Israel for launching Arrow at a missile headed for distant aircraft–they say it posed no threat to the homeland. However, when the downed missile was examined, it appeared to have been very old and did not self-destruct as designed. Therefore it posed a grave danger to Israel.
The Israeli defense minister said, “We have no interest in intervening in the civil war in Syria, either in favor of or against [Syrian President] Assad. We do not want to clash with the Russians. Our main issue is with the transfer of advanced weaponry from Syria to Lebanon, and so whenever we detect an attempt to smuggle weapons, we will act to prevent it.”
The IAF (Israeli Air Force) struck a second target inside Syria over the weekend. On Sunday, an Israeli drone killed a man who was driving a van. Reports said that the targeted individual was Yasser al-Sayed, a commander in Syria’s air defense unit.
Russia summoned the Israeli ambassador to a receive a stern warning. It is being reported that the ambassador was told that the rules of the game have changed, and that Israel is not free to act in Syrian skies.
Why this Matters: Israel and Syria share a border, and the downing of the Syrian missile has ramped up tensions between these two neighbors. Syria is now threatening to activate more air defense systems agains Israel.
One expert believes that Syria has the capacity to do them harm, such as a large volley of missiles that would overwhelm Israel’s defense systems. Dr. Mordechai Kedar believes that Assad is escalating tensions in order to give himself legitimacy and bring Israel into a conflict with his allies, the Russians and Iranians.
Bible prophecy speaks of the demise of Damascus, Syria, and some scholars believe that event is a sign that we are nearing the end of days.
Sources:
http://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/syria/1.778343
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4937538,00.html
http://hamodia.com/2017/03/21/idf-confirms-drone-fell-inside-syria/
Is. 17:1, 4 – The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city,
and it shall be a ruinous heap.
And in that day it shall come to pass, that the glory of Jacob shall be made thin, and the fatness of his flesh shall wax lean.
OPINION
What Went Wrong in Comey’s Testimony
The testimony on Monday of FBI Director Comey before Congress is troubling. He revealed that there is an ongoing investigation of collusion between the Trump team and Russia. He also said there was no evidence to support Trump’s belief that he was wiretapped.
Here’s the problem. There are repeated criminal acts being committed by the government, all of it meant to harm President Trump and his administration. These are the leaks by “unnamed sources” who impart classified information that suggests Trump worked with the Russians to win the election.
During Comey’s hearing, Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) asked, “I thought it was against the law to disseminate classified information. Is it?”
Comey responded that yes, it is a serious crime.
Gowdy asked if there is an exception for current or former U.S. officials who request anonymity.
Comey answered, “No.”
The case in point is the wiretapping or surveillance of former Trump adviser Michael Flynn. Because the U.S. government surveils all Russian diplomats, it caught a conversation between Flynn and one Russian official that took place over the Christmas holidays. The conversation was not illegal, but leaking the text of the conversation is.
Flynn was not the subject of the surveillance, and therefore his portion of the conversation shouldn’t have been reported. But it was, and he was “unmasked.” And because Flynn didn’t inform the Vice President of the full scope of the conversation, which had been leaked to the press, he was forced to resign.
Gowdy pressed Comey to promise that the FBI would launch an investigation into the illegal wiretapping of Flynn.
Comey said, “I can’t, but I hope people watching know how seriously we take leaks of classified information.”
In other words, he can comment on what has been drummed up as a conspiracy against Trump, but he cannot (or will not) assure Americans that an admitted illegal action against a Trump adviser will be investigated.
Remember, it was James Clapper, Obama’s Director of National Intelligence, who publicly stated that the Russians did not change American votes and the intelligence community cannot gauge the impact Russia had on the election.
Why this Matters: The Obama administration did illegally spy on Michael Flynn. And although there is no evidence the Russians hacked the election, the Democrats, mainstream media, and some Republicans continue to perpetrate the impression that they did.
As Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels famously said, “If you tell a lie long enough and loud enough, people will eventually believe that it is the truth.”
John 8:32 – And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Illegal immigrant Henry Sanchez, accused of rape.
Girl Raped by Illegals in Sanctuary City
A 14-year-old girl in Rockville, Maryland, was raped, sodomized and forced to perform oral sex in a high school bathroom stall by two male students. Both males are illegal teen immigrants: Henry Sanchez, 18, from Guatemala, and Jose Montano, 17, from El Salvador.
A border patrol agent stopped Sanchez last August and determined he had entered the U.S. illegally. A deportation order was issued and Sanchez was ordered to appear before an immigration judge, but a date wasn’t set. According to WND.com, activists tried to block his deportation.
Rockville is in Montgomery County, which has an reputation for welcoming and harboring illegals. Many gang members and criminals are allowed to remain in the county. Rockville has a long-standing policy that no illegals will be questioned about their status, and even provides in-state tuition for college-aged illegals. Rockville does not cooperate with federal immigration authorities, and is about to make itself a sanctuary city.
The school system where the rape occurred issued a letter to parents about the incident, insisting that their top priority is to ensure a safe, secure and welcoming learning environment for all students.
Pray for the victim and that the people of Maryland, Montgomery, and Rockville will reconsider what they are doing. May God provide a way for the immigration officials and police to work around the policies of these sanctuary cities. Pray that the citizens will wake from their slumber and begin thinking rationally about illegal immigration.
Ps. 12:1, 5 – Help, LORD, for no one is faithful anymore; those who are loyal have vanished from the human race…
“Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan, I will now arise,” says at the LORD. “I will protect them from those who malign them.”
Praying Citizen 
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