News Articles for Episode 22 - Signs Of The Times

News Articles for Episode 22

1 - Israel Hits Back at Iran and Syria as
Border Region Boils
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-02-10/syria-downs-israeli-f16-jet-
pilots-safe-israeli-army-says
Israel Hits Back at Iran and Syria as Border Region Boils
By Donna Abu-Nasr @DonnaAN1 More stories by Donna Abu-Nasr and Gwen
Ackerman @GwenSahar More stories by Gwen Ackerman
February 10, 2018, 1:27 AM EST Updated on February 10, 2018, 2:31 PM EST
 •   Strikes follow Iranian drone’s reported infiltration to Israel
 •   Israeli F-16 crashes as situation threatens to escalate
Israel launched attacks on Iranian and Syrian positions after it said Iran sent a military
drone into its airspace Saturday, raising the prospect of further escalation over the
Islamic Republic’s growing presence in Syria.
Israel struck 12 targets in Syria, including four Iranian targets, in a “large-scale attack”
after the drone infiltration, the Israel Defense Forces said. An F-16 fighter plane
crashed in northern Israel after coming under fire from Syrian anti-aircraft missiles,
and the pilots were hospitalized with moderate to severe injuries.
Saturday’s confrontation, the most serious between the sides since the Syrian civil war
began, comes amid Israeli warnings that it won’t let Syria become an Iranian base and
will intercept weapons shipments bound for Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in
Lebanon. Iran and allied militias have fought alongside government troops against
rebels and Islamist factions in the seven-year-old Syrian war.
“The question is whether the Iranians will respond or lower the fire at this stage,” said
Ephraim Kam, a senior researcher at Tel Aviv University’s Institute for National
Security Studies. “My feeling is that they don’t have an interest in escalation.”
‘Right and duty’
On Saturday night, after hours of consultations with the defense minister and military
chief of staff, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the Iranian drone as a
“brazen” attempt to violate Israel’s sovereignty, and said it was Israel’s “right and duty”
to respond.
“Israel’s face is turned toward peace, but we will continue to defend ourselves with
determination against any attack on us and against any Iranian attempt to base itself in
Syria or anywhere else,” Netanyahu said.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Iranian television Saturday that countries
are mistaken if they think bombing their neighbors will bring good results, Reuters
reported.
Israel has attacked inside Syria frequently since the civil war there began in March
2011, targeting Syrian military posts and arms shipments bound for Hezbollah. Until
this weekend, counterstrikes by Syria and Hezbollah against Israel had caused little
damage.
Israeli officials wouldn’t confirm if the F-16 had been downed by a Syrian missile, as
teams combed the crash site for remains to analyze. Across the border the event was
taken as a victory, with dozens of Lebanese celebrating and waving Hezbollah’s flag.
New rules
The downing of the plane marks "the beginning of a new strategic stage that puts an
end to violations of Syrian airspace and territory," Hezbollah said in a statement.
"Today’s formulas mean the old formulas have fallen."
Israeli media reported that the drone was shot down near Beit Shean, close to the
border with Jordan, after flying for about 90 seconds in Israeli airspace. Hadashot
News reported the Israeli counterattack was believed to have destroyed a significant
portion of Syria’s air-defense system.
Netanyahu has made a number of visits to Russia, the dominant player in Syria, to lay
out Israel’s red lines and ask President Vladimir Putin to rein in Iran. Netanyahu said
he spoke to Putin again Saturday, as well as U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and
that the Israeli and Russian militaries would continue their coordination to avoid
inadvertent confrontation in Syria.
In a statement on its website Saturday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said it was
concerned about the Israeli attack and said it was unacceptable to create threats to the
safety of Russian military personnel in Syria.
‘Red Card’
Israeli politicians from across the spectrum largely backed the government’s response.
Regional Cooperation Minister Tzachi Hanegbi, from Netanyahu’s Likud Party, said
that after Israel’s repeated warnings on Iran in Syria -- what he called a “yellow card”
for the Islamic Republic -- Saturday’s strike represented a “red card.” Tzipi Livni of the
opposition Zionist Union faction said the government must do more to build
international backing for Israeli attacks in Syria.
“What we’re watching is an attempt by the Iranians to shape the situation in Syria as
we approach the end of the civil war in a way that serves Iranian interests,” said Yossi
Kuperwasser, former director general of Israel’s Strategic Affairs Ministry and now a
senior fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. Israel “showed how
determined it is not to allow Iran to have the Middle East the way it wants it.”

A statement attributed to a war operations room that includes the Syrian army and
allied militias said the Israeli strike targeted a drone base in the Tayfour military
airbase, calling claims that the drone entered Israeli airspace “lies.” It said the drones
collect information on militant groups, including Islamic State, for the Syrian army,
and said the drone was on a routine mission Saturday morning targeting Islamic State
remnants.
“Any new aggression will be met with a tough and serious response,” the
statement said.
The current violence is the first direct engagement between Iran and Israel, said Sami
Nader, head of the Beirut-based Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs.
“Before, it was done through proxies,” for example by the Syrian regime or the Iranian-
backed Hezbollah, Nader said. “The risk is a direct confrontation between Israel and
Iran that will encompass Syria and Lebanon.”
— With assistance by Nadeem Hamid, Anatoly Medetsky, and David Wainer

2 - Israel warns over Iran's presence in
Syria after air strikes
https://www.yahoo.com/news/israel-warns-over-irans-presence-syria-air-strikes-
155202407.html
February 11, 2018
Jerusalem (AFP) - Israel issued stark warnings on Sunday over Iran's presence in
neighbouring Syria after a confrontation threatened to open a new and unpredictable
period in the country's seven-year civil war.
Israel carried out major air raids in Syria on Saturday, including against what it
described as Iranian targets -- the first time it had publicly acknowledged doing so
since the war began.
The raids came after an Israeli F16 fighter was shot down by Syrian air defences. The
pilots survived, but it was Israel's first loss of a warplane in battle since 1982.
"We inflicted on Saturday a heavy blow to Iranian and Syrian forces," Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu said at the start of Sunday's cabinet meeting.
"We made clear to everyone that our rules of engagement will not change in any way.
We will continue to harm anyone who tries to harm us. This was our policy and this will
remain our policy."
Other Israeli ministers spoke of refusing to accept Iran entrenching itself militarily in
Syria, as Netanyahu has said repeatedly. Tehran denies it is doing so.
While several analysts said they did not expect a further escalation in the coming days,
some spoke of the possibility of the Syrian war entering a new phase.
Syria has become more emboldened to try to stop Israeli strikes inside the country,
while Israel wants to maintain its ability to operate there when it sees fit, said Ofer
Zalzberg of the International Crisis Group think tank.
Israel has sought to stay out of direct involvement in the Syrian war, but it
acknowledges carrying out dozens of air strikes there to stop what it describes as
deliveries of advanced weapons to Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah.
Israel fought a devastating war in 2006 with Hezbollah, which along with Iran and
Russia backs the Syrian regime in the conflict.
"I think this incident is more likely to be contained because fundamentally it is a
gradual attempt to renegotiate the so-called rules of the game," Zalzberg said, adding
that Russia should mediate.
Witnesses said Israel had deployed a missile defence system in the Israeli-occupied
Golan Heights near the demarcation line with Syria on Sunday morning.

- 'Playing with fire' -
Saturday's events began with Israel shooting down what it described as an Iranian
drone that had entered Israeli airspace from Syria -- which Tehran has denied.
On Sunday, Israeli military spokesman Jonathan Conricus alleged the drone was a copy
of a US model captured by Iran in 2011. He said the conclusion was made from an
analysis of the drone's debris.
Israel responded on Saturday with a raid on what it said was the Iranian control
systems in Syria that sent the drone.
During that raid, the Israeli F16 met heavy Syrian anti-aircraft fire and was hit, Israeli
Air Force Brigadier General Amnon Ein Dar told army radio.
The pilots ejected and the plane crashed inside Israel. One crew member was severely
wounded, but his condition was said to be improving on Sunday.
Israel then carried out what it called "large-scale" air strikes inside Syria, including
against what it described as Iranian targets.
Conricus warned on Saturday that Syria and Iran were "playing with fire", but stressed
that Israel was not seeking an escalation.
"This is the most blatant and severe Iranian violation of Israeli sovereignty" in recent
years, Conricus said.
Iran dismissed Israeli "lies" and said Syria had the right to defend itself against Israeli
attacks.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said "Iran does not have a
military presence in Syria, and has only sent military advisers at the request of the
Syrian government."
Russia stressed the need to "avoid any measure that could lead to a dangerous
escalation".
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres called for an immediate de-
escalation.
Netanyahu spoke with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and US Secretary of
State Rex Tillerson after Saturday's confrontation.
Washington backed Israel and blamed Iran for the escalation.
Tillerson on Sunday begins a Middle East tour that will take him to Jordan, Turkey,
Lebanon, Egypt and Kuwait.
Netanyahu has met regularly with Putin in recent months in a bid to convince Russia to
keep Iranian forces away from Israeli territory.

Russia and Israel have also established a hotline to avoid accidental clashes in Syria.
Israel is technically at war with Syria and occupies a swathe of the Golan Heights that it
seized in the Six-Day War of 1967 and later annexed in a move never recognised by the
international community.

3 - Israel: We Caused 'Significant Harm' to
Syrian Air Defenses
http://www.breitbart.com/jerusalem/2018/02/11/iaf-commander-israel-caused-
significant-harm-to-syrian-air-defenses/
February 12, 2018
The Associated Press
TEL AVIV – Israel caused serious harm to Syria’s air defenses with Saturday’s strikes,
the IAF Air Staff Commander Brig. Gen. Tomer Bar said after the IDF responded to the
incursion of an Iranian drone in Israeli airspace.
Bar said the response to “Syrian chutzpah” was “the biggest and most significant attack
the air force has conducted against Syrian air defenses since Operation Peace for the
Galilee” in 1982 during the First Lebanon War. He added that the airstrikes inflicted
“significant harm to the Syrian Air Force’s defenses,” which included “anti-aircraft
batteries purchased in recent deals [with the Russians].”
Syria responded with a barrage of missiles that resulted in the downing of an Israeli F-
16 in which two pilots were injured, one seriously and another lightly.
Israel said the drone infiltration was a “severe and irregular violation of Israeli
sovereignty” and warned of further military action against Iran.
“This is a serious Iranian attack on Israeli territory. Iran is dragging the region into an
adventure in which it doesn’t know how it will end,” Israel’s chief military spokesman
Brig. Gen. Ronen Manelis said in a statement earlier Saturday. “Whoever is responsible
for this incident is the one who will pay the price.”
The Iranian drone entered Israeli airspace and remained there for a minute and a half
before being downed by a combat helicopter. Israel launched airstrikes on 12 Syrian
and Iranian targets in Syria, including three air-defense batteries and four Iranian
targets such as the control center that launched the drone.
The UAV, which has Western characteristics, was sophisticated and would be studied
by Israel, Bar said.
The two pilots ejected from the F-16 after facing intense anti-aircraft missiles.
At the weekly cabinet meeting Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that
the condition of both pilots had improved.
“A few minutes ago I spoke with the navigator and was pleased to hear that he is
standing up, with all that entails,” he said, referring to the second pilot who was lightly
injured.

“I was also pleased to hear that there has been an improvement in the condition of the
pilot,” he said of the pilot who sustained more serious injuries and underwent surgery
at Rambam Medical Center in Haifa.
“We wish both of them a quick and full recovery,” the prime minister added.
Netanyahu also said that Israel “dealt severe blows to the Iranian and Syrian forces.”
“We made it unequivocally clear to everyone that our rules of action have not changed
one bit; we will continue to strike at every attempt to strike at us. This has been our
policy and it will remain our policy,” he added.
On Saturday, Netanyahu had telephone conversations with both Secretary of State Rex
Tillerson and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who have agreed that Israeli-Russian
security coordination on Syria will continue.
Putin told Netanyahu to avoid “any steps which might trigger a new spiral of
dangerous-for-all confrontation in the region,” the state-owned TASS news agency
said.

6 - Syria warns Israel of 'more surprises' as
tensions boil over following Iranian drone
incident
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2018/02/13/syria-warns-israel-more-surprises-as-
tensions-boil-over-following-iranian-drone-incident.html
Israel warned Syrian President Bashar Assad to stop letting his war-torn country be
used by Iran as a launching pad for attacks, and tensions in the region remained high
Tuesday following a weekend skirmish and a new Syrian threat of "more surprises."
The warning from Syria's Assistant Foreign Minister Ayman Sussan came after an
Israeli fighter jet was shot down inside Syrian territory Saturday as it was flying home
from a blitz that reportedly wiped out around half of Syria’s anti-aircraft batteries. The
raid was directed at a site Jerusalem believes Iran used to launch a drone that was
destroyed in Israel earlier in the day.
“God willing, they will see more surprises whenever they try to attack Syria,” Sussan
was quoted by Reuters as saying during a news conference in Damascus.
He added Syria has “full confidence the aggressor will be greatly surprised, because it
thought this war -- this war of attrition Syria has been exposed to for years -- had made
it incapable of confronting attacks.”
The drone Iran launched was based off a U.S. model the Islamic Republic captured
during the Obama administration, according to Israeli officials. The two Israeli pilots
ejected from the F-16 jet when it came under Syrian anti-aircraft fire and suffered only
minor injuries.
“We do not know what the mission of the Iranian drone was. It is their most advanced
drone and they did not expect our radar to detect its penetration into our territory,” an
unnamed senior Israeli defense official told the Jerusalem Post on Sunday, a day after
the infiltration. “Our aerial freedom will not be harmed. We will continue to destroy
targets.”
The official also said “as far as we are concerned, the event is over but the Iranians are
determined to continue to establish themselves in Syria; the next incident is only a
matter of time.”
An Israeli military spokesperson said Iran and its Revolutionary Guard forces have
been operating at the drone launch site in Syria “for a long time, backed by Syrian army
forces and with the approval of the Syrian regime,” according to the Jerusalem Post.
“Iran has been using the base in recent months for the purpose of transferring
weaponry to be used against Israel,” the spokesperson added.

Israel suspects Assad is helping Iran upgrade Hezbollah’s missile capabilities, and
Israeli security cabinet minister Yuval Steinitz warned the Syrian president on Monday
that his country will not hesitate to strike back if necessary.
“Assad and Hezbollah are the same, and if there will be an attack against us, we will not
be obligated to act only against the source of the attack,” he said during an interview on
Army Radio. “We will reserve the right to choose the right front.”
Steinitz also blasted the Assad regime, calling it the “weak link in the Iranian-Shia axis.
“I think Assad should think very well whether he wants to turn Syria into a forward
base for Iran or allow precision missiles through Syria to Lebanon, because he himself,
his regime, his government and his army can be hurt in that situation,” Steinitz said
Witnesses told the Jerusalem Post that even before Steinitz’s comments, a convoy of
Israeli missile-defense batteries were seen Sunday heading north to the city of Baka al-
Gharbiya.
An Iranian general, meanwhile, said Monday the Islamic Republic is doubling down on
efforts to bolster its missile launching capabilities.
“The nation is also more determined than ever to support the Islamic establishment in
order to strengthen the country’s defense and missile power,” said Ahmad Vahidi,
president of the Supreme National Defense University of Iran, according to the Tehran
Times.

5 - Iran Unveils New Homemade Nuclear-
Capable Ballistic Missiles Amid Massive
War Celebrations
http://freebeacon.com/national-security/iran-unveils-new-homemade-nuclear-
capable-ballistic-missiles-amid-massive-war-celebrations/
As Tehran cracks down of protesters, military rolls out nuclear technology
BY: Adam Kredo
February 12, 2018 1:40 pm
Iran unveiled a series of new homemade nuclear-capable ballistic missiles during
military parades held over the weekend, a move that experts view as a bid to bolster the
hardline ruling regime as dissidents continue efforts to stir protest.
On the heels of an encounter between an Iranian drone and Israeli forces, Iranian
leaders showcased their ballistic missile capabilities, which includes a nuclear-capable
medium-range missile that appears to share similarities with North Korean technology,
according to experts.
The nuclear-capable missile can strike Israel even when fired from Iranian territory,
raising concerns about an impending conflict between Tehran and the Jewish state that
could further inflame the region.
Iranian military leaders bragged the ballistic missile "can be launched from mobile
platforms or silos in different positions and can escape missile defense shields due to
their radar-evading capability," according to reports in Iran's state-controlled media.
The latest technology could further inflame tensions between Israel and Iran, which
funds and controls terror organizations operating along Israel's border. Concerns that
this nuclear-capable technology could be shared by Iran with its terrorist proxies are
fueling longstanding concerns among the Israelis that an attack is imminent.
As Iranian dissidents continue to protest over the country's ailing economy, the ruling
regime continues to invest millions of dollars it received as part of the landmark
nuclear deal with the United States on its military technology, specifically ballistic
missiles, which are subject to a ban under international statutes.
However, Iran has not only continued this work but also invested heavily in it since
receiving the cash windfalls from the nuclear deal. Conservative estimates from open
sources indicate the Iranian regime has spent at least $16 billion in recent years on its
military buildup and rogue operations in Syria, as well as other countries.
"Thirty-nine years in, the Islamic Revolution has little to show for its decades in power
other than growing the country's asymmetric military capabilities in order to continue

their export of the revolution," Behnam Ben Taleblu, an Iran expert with the
Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told the Washington Free Beacon. "The
Islamic Republic has considerably grown the country's missile and rocket arsenal, both
through production and procurement."
The two missiles featured over the weekend by Iran include the Ghadr, a medium-
range ballistic missile that was modified and upgraded by the Islamic Republic
"The Ghadr can strike Israel when fired from Iranian territory, and in March 2016, was
flight-tested while bearing genocidal slogans against the state of Israel," according to
Ben Taleblu, who has researched Iranian missile procurement.
Iranian military leaders also rolled out a rocket called the Fajr-5, which is becoming a
new favorite of Iranian-backed terror proxy groups operating against Israel.
"The Fajr-5 is an Iranian rocket that has been proliferated to anti-Israel groups like
Hamas and Hezbollah. It can travel up to 75 km, and is therefore a long-range artillery
rocket. It uses solid fuel for propulsion," Ben Taleblu explained. "Both the Qadr missile
and Fajr rocket represents Iran's commitment to developing stand-off weaponry that it
uses for purposes of deterrence and coercion."
The new weaponry could fuel ongoing efforts by Congress to crackdown on Iran's
continued proliferation of ballistic missile technology, a large part of which has been
incubated by the North Korean regime, which continues to have a technology-sharing
agreement with Tehran.
Iran already has the region's largest arsenal of ballistic missiles and is seeking to
continue building this technology.
The Trump administration has said that any effort to fix the nuclear deal with Iran
must focus on constricting the regime's access to ballistic missile technology.

8 - Russian official: If Iran attacks Israel,
we'll stand with you
https://www.timesofisrael.com/russian-official-if-iran-attacks-israel-well-stand-with-
you/
Moscow's deputy ambassador in Tel Aviv says while Israel was right to shoot down
intruding drone, he doesn't buy IDF's assertion that Tehran was behind Saturday's
launch
Were Iran to attack Israel, Moscow would stand by the Jewish state’s side, a Russian
official said this week, days after an Iranian-made drone infiltrated Israel from Syria
and was shot down by the IDF.
“In the case of aggression against Israel, not only will the United States stand by
Israel’s side — Russia, too, will be on Israel’s side,” Russian Deputy Ambassador to
Israel Leonid Frolov said. “Many of our countrymen live here in Israel, and Israel in
general is a friendly nation, and therefore we won’t allow any aggression against
Israel.”
Still, in a wide-ranging interview conducted at the Russian Embassy in Tel Aviv on
Monday, Frolov cast doubt on Israel’s assertion that Iran was behind the drone
incursion and suggested Israeli intelligence agencies establish contacts with its Syrian
counterparts.
He also predicted that Israelis would not be happy about the forthcoming American
peace plan, and dismissed the outrage against Palestinian Authority President
Mahmoud Abbas’s condemnation of Israel as a European colonial project with no
connection to Judaism.
“We certainly support Israel’s right to defend itself, and the actions of Israeli pilots
were entirely correct,” he said of Saturday’s flareup in the north, during which an
Israeli fighter jet was shot down by a Syrian anti-aircraft battery and two pilots were
injured.
“We certainly regret that in this incident two Israeli pilots were injured,” Frolov said.
“On behalf of the Russian embassy I am wishing a speedy recovery to the wounded
pilots.”
On Saturday morning, an Israeli Apache helicopter shot down the unmanned aerial
vehicle a minute and a half after it had entered Israeli airspace. In retaliation for the
infiltration, the Israeli Air Force attacked several targets in Syria, severely damaging
the regime’s air defense systems.
Russia is a staunch ally of both Iran and Syria, assisting both countries in their efforts
to help the Syrian regime fend off rebels trying to bring down President Bashar Assad
in a bloody seven-year civil war.

“Syria is a sovereign country and the Syrian people, too, have the right to self-defense,”
Frolov said.
Israel has repeatedly vowed to do whatever it takes to prevent Iran’s efforts to entrench
itself militarily in Syria. Jerusalem, which has reportedly attacked Iranian targets in
Syria, and Moscow have established a so-called deconfliction mechanism to avoid
clashes in the skies of the war-torn country.
Israel’s demand that Iran not be allowed to establish a strong military presence in Syria
is “absolutely legitimate,” Frolov said.
Moscow agrees that Iranian forces must leave the country as soon as the bloody civil
war ends and a new democratic government is established, he said. In the meantime,
however, anti-regime rebels — or “terrorists,” as Frolov called them — are trying to
destabilize Syria, prompting Assad to invite Iranian forces to help defeat them, he said.
Russia is convinced that all foreign military personnel will leave the country once calm
has been reestablished.
In seeking to prevent Iran’s entrenchment in Syria, Israel should “have established
closer ties with Syrian secret services,” he added. “Israel is surrounded by many enemy
states. But that doesn’t prevent the Israeli leadership from announcing that their secret
services have contacts with counterparts from Saudi Arabia or Qatar, for instance.”
Part of the remains of the UAV the #Iranians tried to sneak into Israel. Not much left of
it, similar to some parts of the #Syrian air defense array. pic.twitter.com/TqVr3vNPcu
— Jonathan Conricus (@LTCJonathan) February 11, 2018
Though he agreed that Israel was well within its rights to shoot done the drone, Frolov
cast doubt on its assertion that Iran was behind the incursion. Rather, he suggested
that anti-regime forces launched the drone in order to trigger an Israeli attack on the
forces loyal to Assad.
“I am sure that every UAV that intrudes into Israeli airspace needs to be shot down. It
would be even better to bring down the UAV [without destroying it] and to see who
created it, to whom it belongs,” he said, speaking in Russian through an interpreter.
What would the Iranians gain from sending a UAV to Israel? After all, the Iranians
know it would be shot down
“One can accuse the Iranians of many things, but they’re not stupid,” he went on. “They
know what would happen if they sent a drone over to Israel. No one doubts that Israel
has the capability to defeat Iranian military forces in Syria. But we don’t want to
assume, without proof, that the Iranians in Syria are insane.”
The IDF stated unequivocally that the drone — a replica of the American RQ-170 — was
built and piloted by Iranian troops stationed in Syria. US Ambassador to the UN Nikki
Haley on Wednesday told the Security Council that “Iranian-backed militias” were

behind the drone attack, which she described as an “egregious and unprompted
escalation” and a “wake-up call for all of us.”
But Frolov, a soft spoken, gray-haired veteran diplomat who previously served
in Ramallah and the Libyan capital of Tripoli, adamantly disagreed with the Israeli
assertion, saying that the photos of the destroyed drone published in Israel in no way
proved that Iran has behind Saturday’s launch.
“I don’t know who did it,” he said, adding that rebel groups are present in the location
where the UAV was launched. “It would fit these gangs to make provocations in order
for Israel to attack positions in Syria. We always need to ask ourselves who gains from
this. What would the Iranians gain from sending a UAV into Israel? After all, the
Iranians know it would be shut down and afterwards the Israelis would attack several
targets in Syria.”
Jerusalem usually updates Moscow before launching strikes in Syria, and therefore it
was unlikely that any Russians were hit by Israel’s attacks on Saturday, Frolov said.
Asked if Russia gives Israel the green light for those attacks, he replied, “I don’t think
that Israel is the type of country that takes instructions or waits for green light from
anyone.”
While it was natural for President Vladimir Putin to demand that Israel not harm
Russian servicemen, Frolov denied reports that the Kremlin relayed any threats to
Jerusalem over that matter. “This is not our modus operandi,” he said.
In the interview, granted to The Times of Israel on the occasion of Russian Diplomats
Day last Saturday, Frolov also addressed at great length Kremlin’s position on the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The US administration’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital “greatly disrupted
the peace process,” he said, adding that he failed to understand why Israelis so
jubilantly celebrated President Donald Trump’s December 6 declaration. Besides
acknowledging the obvious — that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital — Trump also made
plain that the final borders will be determined by negotiations between Israelis and
Palestinians.
“You see in Trump’s declaration what you like. But the fact that the declaration disturbs
the peace process doesn’t bother you. No one doubts that Israel’s capital will be in
Jerusalem. We are simply saying that the Arab population that lives in the Palestinian
territories also deserves a capital in this holy city,” he said.
No one in Israel applauded when Moscow recognized western Jerusalem as Israel’s
capital in April of 2017, Frolov noted, adding that the Russian Embassy in Israel was
considering hosting its June 12 Russia Day ceremony in the city.

Russia would like to play a more significant role in the peace process, Frolov said,
acknowledging, however, that “without the US it’s impossible to reach agreements”
between Israelis and Palestinians.
“We remember the French effort to launch a peace conference and we also remember
how it ended,” he said referring to a January 2017 meeting in Paris, which concluded
with little more than a joint statement calling for a two-state solution.
Abbas is simply looking for someone who will prevent President Trump from ruining
the situation even more
Moscow would actually like the US to take a more active approach to the Israeli-
Palestinian conflict, Frolov said, noting that after a year of the administration talking
about a peace proposal nobody has seen a draft.
“I don’t think that you will be as happy to see the proposal as you were happy to see the
first sentence of Trump’s Jerusalem declaration,” he predicted, hinting that it may ask
Israel for painful concessions.
Despite the Palestinians’ rejection of the US as a mediator with Israel, Abbas, who
visited Moscow this week, does not seek to exclude the administration from the peace
process, the Russian diplomat said. “He is simply looking for someone who will prevent
President Trump from ruining the situation even more. [Abbas] is an intelligent man
who knows the history [of the peace process] very well.”
Frolov also played down the Palestinian leader’s controversial January 14 speech to
the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Central Council in Ramallah, in which he
claimed that the State of Israel is “a colonial project that has nothing to do with
Judaism” to safeguard European interests.
“We’re not little children who get upset over statements made in anger and
excitement,” Frolov said, adding that there are also Israelis who make outrageous and
historically questionable statements.
As opposed to some Arab states that used to finance wars against Israel but now
clandestinely cooperate with the Jewish state, the Palestinians have for some time now
been ready to “live in good neighborly relations with Israel,” he said.

9 - Did the War of Gog and Magog Begin on
Saturday?
https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/102613/war-gog-magog-begin-saturday/#/
“Therefore prophesy, O mortal, and say to Gog: Thus said Hashem: Surely, on that day,
when My people Yisrael are living secure, you will take note, and you will come from
your home in the farthest north, you and many peoples with you—all of them mounted
on horses, a vast horde, a mighty arm.” Ezekiel 38:14 (The Israel Bible™)
Israel and Iran made direct military contact on Saturday for the first time, signaling a
significant escalation in the multinational entanglement in Syria. This development
contains unique elements that several end-of-days experts say presages the Messianic
war of Gog and Magog.
On Shabbat at around 4 AM, Iran sent a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) into Israeli
airspace from a base in Syria. An Israeli Air Force (IAF) Apache helicopter shot down
the UAV, and Israel subsequently launched multiple airstrikes inside Syria. Syria
launched a barrage of surface-to-air-missiles (SAM) at the Israeli warplanes, damaging
one F-16 and forcing the two-man crew to eject with one pilot suffering serious injuries.
This was the first time since 2006 that an Israeli warplane had been shot down by an
enemy and the first time that an Iranian drone entered Israel.
The confrontation on Saturday marks a serious escalation in an already volatile region
that brings the armies of many nations in closer proximity with one another. This
explosive mix is coming to a boil and last week, two other aircrafts were shot down.
One of the aircrafts, a Turkish plane, was shot down on Saturday and a Russian close-
support SU-25 one week earlier.
Rabbi Pinchas Winston, a prolific end-of-days author and educator, believes that the
confrontation on Saturday may very well have been a major step in
the Geula (redemption) process.
“In many aspects, the situation in Syria conforms to the descriptions in the prophecies
of the War of Gog and Magog,” Rabbi Winston told Breaking Israel News. “What
happened on Shabbat could easily be the trigger to set off. Shooting down an airplane,
especially inside Israeli airspace as was the case with the F-16, is an act of war.”
The rabbi noted that the War of Gog and Magog is supposed to begin in the North but
that one essential factor mentioned in Ezekiel and hinting to Iran’s role had been
missing up until now.
I will turn you around and put hooks in your jaws, and lead you out with all your army,
horses, and horsemen, all of them clothed in splendor, a vast assembly, all of them with
bucklers and shields, wielding swords. Among them shall be Persia, Nubia, and Put,
everyone with shield and helmet; Ezekiel 38:4-5

“Iran is the modern incarnation of Persia and though they have been openly
antagonistic towards Israel,” Rabbi Winston noted. “Saturday marked the first time
they have come into direct contact with Israel.”
Rabbi Winston emphasized that the escalation on Israel’s Syrian border over the
weekend may have helped actualize a step in the process of Geula. He explained that
the War of Gog and Magog is the second part of a two stage process for the Messiah’s
arrival.
“There are two stages to redemption,” he elaborated. “P’keda (preparation)
and zechira the (actualization).”
“P’keda clearly culminated in the formation of the State of Israel and included the
building up of the land,” he continued. “The only thing missing right now is the stage
of zechira which includes the War of Gog and Magog. This is a much more active
process that culminates in the return of the shechina (divine presence) to Israel.”
“The Arabs will play a major role in zechira because they are from Ishmael, which
means ‘hear God,’” Rabbi Winston added. “Their function is to make the Jews listen to
God and to wake us up to action.”
Rabbi Yosef Berger, the Rabbi in charge of the site of King David’s Tomb, is also
convinced that the events on Saturday helped hasten the Messianic process.
“I recently heard from several hidden tzaddikim (righteous individuals) that the war of
Gog and Magog had finally begun,” Rabbi Berger told Breaking Israel News.
Rabbi Berger also noted that in many significant ways, the situation is different from
confrontations that Israel has faced in the past.
“Since Israel became a state, we have faced coalitions of Arab states that joined
together against us,” he said. “This is the first time that a coalition of foreign nations
faces another coalition of foreign nations, precisely as the War of Gog and Magog is
described.”
“Therefore prophesy, O mortal, and say to Gog: Thus said Hashem: Surely, on that day,
when My people Yisrael are living secure, you will take note, and you will come from
your home in the farthest north, you and many peoples with you—all of them mounted
on horses, a vast horde, a mighty arm. Ezekiel 38:14-15
Rabbi Berger cited an esoteric source for there being a coalition of foreign nations in
the War of Gog and Magog. Rabbi Haim Shvili, a 20th-century Jewish mystic wrote a
book of predictions concerning the Messiah in 1935. Remarkably, Rabbi Shvili
understands the prophet Ezekiel to foresee the War of Gog and Magog as being
launched by a Russian-led coalition.
O mortal, turn your face toward Gog of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech
and Tubal. Prophesy against him Ezekiel 38:2

Rabbi Shvili understood the Hebrew word in the verse, rosh (chief) as identifying
Russia to be the leader of the Gog and Magog coalition. Rabbi Shvili predicted that the
Russian-led coalition will be opposed by a coalition of comparable size, comprising
soldiers from all 70 nations.
Rabbi Berger emphasized that the participation of foreign armies in the War of Gog
and Magog is a necessary condition for revealing God’s greatness to all the nations
involved in the war.
Thus will I manifest My greatness and My holiness, and make Myself known in the
sight of many nations. And they shall know that I am Hashem. Ezekiel 38:23
Rabbi Berger noted, however, that the developing situation in Syria differs from the
War of Gog and Magog as described by the prophets in at least one significant aspect.
“The prophets say that the war will be fought inside Israel and will reach Jerusalem,”
Rabbi Berger said.
Citing his father, Rabbi Sholom Berger, a prominent Hasidic rabbi with thousands of
followers in Israel, Rabbi Yosef Burger said that “as an act of mercy to the Jews, the war
will not be fought in Israel.”
Rabbi Sholom Berger made the analysis at a gathering with his followers during the
holiday of Simchat Torah in 2015 in which he spoke about the imminent arrival of the
Messiah and the War of Gog and Magog.
“My heart tells me that God has mercy on Israel. Despite what the prophets
prophesized that the War of Gog and Magog needs to be inside Jerusalem, God is
sweetening the judgment and is making this war happen in Syria,” he stated.
“In the future, the gates of Jerusalem will reach Damascus,’” he continued, quoting
Sifre, a medieval collection of homiletic Biblical stories. “In that case, instead of the war
being inside Jerusalem, and the people of Israel suffering as a result, God has extended
Jerusalem to include Damascus in order that the enormous war will be there like we
are seeing now,” he explained.
Rabbi Winston said that events on Saturday should be clear even to those who do not
accept Biblical and mystic sources.
“The main thing is what is happening over here. Iran is moving in and Russia is not
reliable,’ Rabbi Winston said. “It is not a matter of whether or not the War of Gog and
Magog is coming. It is a matter of time and at this point, we are counting the days.”

10 - Iran Waging Desperate Campaign to
Stop the Rise of Christianity in Its Country |
American Center for Law and Justice
https://aclj.org/persecuted-church/iran-waging-desperate-campaign-to-stop-the-rise-
of-christianity-in-its-country
Iran Waging Campaign Against Christianity
Christianity has ignited like a flame across the country of Iran, making the Iranian
government so nervous they’re desperate to extinguish it quickly.
The people of Iran are converting to Christianity at a record-setting pace. According to
a recent story by Mohabat, the Iranian Christian News Agency, there are approximately
360,000 Christians living in the Muslim theocracy today, as compared to just 500 less
than 40 years ago. Some reports claim as many as 800,000.
It’s difficult to take an accurate census because fears of retribution, arrest, and violence
keep many Christian converts from self-identifying. Iranian authorities have been
raiding the homes of suspected Christians, confiscating their books, computers, and
other media and arresting the men.
Whatever the true figure, Iran’s leaders have been shaken. They’ve reportedly spent
millions on a campaign against Christianity, focusing on raids and intimidation. Last
Christmas Eve a Christian service was raided and 5 men were taken into custody. To
date, it is still not known if they are alive or dead.
As a result of the regime’s cruel intimidation efforts many of Iran’s Christians have
little choice but to hide their faith to protect themselves and their families. In Iran,
being caught worshipping Jesus will get you arrested, and very possibly get you killed.
Despite the dangers, according to Mohabat, church leaders in the region believe
Christianity will continue to rise in the country due to a “spiritual hunger.” Particularly
due to a groundswell of young converts, disillusioned with the harsh, oppressive dogma
of the faith that’s been imposed on them.
This is something we at the ACLJ have witnessed first hand, advocating for a number of
imprisoned Christians pastors in Iran – including Youcef Nadarkhani, who we
successfully fought to free from multiple false imprisonments for his faith. In each of
these cases, Iran has targeted pastors in an attempt to squelch the Christian church. It
has failed each and every time. In fact, the attempts to silence the church has only
made it louder as Christianity grows in Iran.
We’ve been reporting to you in recent weeks about unrest in Iran. The people are tired
of living under tyranny and grow desperate for change. Early this year the citizens took

to the streets in protest all over Iran chanting cries such as “we don’t want an Islamic
Republic” and “we are getting poor and clerics are driving fancy cars.”
The ACLJ revealed our own five-point plan to suggest how the U.S. can support the
people of Iran and their fight to break free from the current undemocratic, draconian
system. This is a government that is racing to acquire nuclear weapons, as it profiteers
from sanctions relief courtesy of Obama’s heinous Iran deal – the same deal the Obama
deep state wanted to protect so badly, they refused to prosecute Hezbollah terrorists.
We have launched our own investigation into Obama’s Iran lie and the Hezbollah
cover-up – filing critical legal demands of the deep state. Obama’s deadly Iran deal
must be thrown out before the dangerous, repressive regime grows even stronger as a
result.
We stand in support of Iranian Christians and pray the movement continues to grow.
Iran’s people are crying out for freedom. Take action with us.

4 - Google's New Earbuds Instantly
Translate 40 Languages
https://www.inc.com/kevin-j-ryan/google-pixel-buds-translator.html
Your holiday wish list just got one item longer.
Google held its annual hardware event Wednesday, at which it unveiled its newest Pixel
and Google Home, among other products. But, it was an item revealed late in the
presentation that might have been the most mind-blowing.
Google's Pixel Buds are essentially the company's answer to Apple's AirPods. They're
earbuds that connect to a smartphone--in this case, the Pixel--via Bluetooth. At $159,
they're priced exactly the same as AirPods.
But, because they pair with the Pixel smartphone, and thus Google's software, the
headphones can do something Apple's headphones can't do: Translate spoken language
in real time.
The operation is performed using Google Translate, which is built into the Google Pixel.
The wearer taps the right earbud and says something like, "Help me speak Spanish,"
and Google gets to work. A person standing nearby can speak out loud in Spanish, and
the earbuds will give the wearer the English translation in her ear. She can then hold
down her right earbud and speak in English, and her phone will project the Spanish
translation from the Pixel's speaker. The live translation begins only a second or two
after the person stops speaking.
Google demoed the technology in action on Wednesday, and the earbuds quickly
translated a conversation between English and Swedish--to much applause from the
audience. The platform operates in 40 different languages. That's essentially like
having a translator that can speak in 1,600 different language combinations right in
your ear.
The Pixel Buds can be used with the iPhone too, but only Pixel owners will be able to
use tools like Translate and the Google Assistant.
The earbuds don't have any buttons--you can adjust the volume by swiping or change
music tracks by swiping. They connect to your phone wirelessly, but the two earbuds
are tethered together by a cloth-like cord.
The Pixel Buds come with a case that's also used to charge them. According to a blog
post on Google's site, they can play music for about 24 hours without needing a
charge.They will be available in November, conveniently just in time for your holiday
shopping.

7 - Alien news: NASA to investigate 10,000
year old paintings 'of UFOs'
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/weird-news/681762/Alien-news-NASA-ISRO-
prehistoric-paintings-UFO-discovered-India-Charama-spaceship-video
A NUMBER of prehistoric drawings have sparked a local government to seek the help
of NASA after the images appeared to depict extraterrestrial life.
In the footage, a narrator explains how a number of art pieces have been revealed.
Discovered in Charama, India, the images appear to show aliens and UFOs, similar to
scenes of a sci-fi movie.
According to local archaeologist JR Bhagat it is unclear as to what the images reveal.
The government have asked NASA for help
He said: "The findings suggest that humans in prehistoric times may have seen or
imagined beings from other planets which still create curiosity among people and
researchers.
“Extensive research is needed for further findings.
“Charama presently doesn't have any such expert who could give clarity on the subject.“
He also revealed that some of the features of the paintings were unclear and the
characters appeared to be wielding weapons.
He added: "The paintings are done in natural colours that have hardly faded despite
the years.
“The strangely carved figures are seen holding weapon-like objects and do not have
clear features.
“Specially, the nose and mouth are missing.
“In few pictures, they are even shown wearing space suits. We can't refute possibility of
imagination by prehistoric men but humans usually fancy such things.”
Many ufologists have been hoarding 'evidence' of alien interference in human affairs.
Many of this centres on the time of the pharoahs and ancient Egypt. Could the
pyramids have been built by extraterrestrial beings?

Mysteriousearth.net
This coin was discovered in Egypt – could that be an alien being?
The video was uploaded to YouTube channel The Lost History Channel on Sunday and
has already received more than 7,000 views.
One comment read: "Evidence is everywhere, we need opened eyes, that's all."
And another claimed: "We dont need to find aliens, they are already here all around
us."
The archaeologists have contacted NASA and ISRO to help solve the mystery.