Israel Continues to Make Preparations for Iranian Strike While Obama Promises More "Pressure" on Israel

By Chris Schang

Today it was reported that Israel continues to send strong signals to Iran about its seriousness to deal with the Iranian nuclear program. It is being reported in the Jerusalem Post news that two Sa'ar 5-class Israeli Navy ships crossed the Suez Canal on Tuesday. The two naval vessels were identified as the INS Hanit and INS Eilat. These new reports today come on the heels of recent articles that confirmed that Israel had sent a Dolphin class submarine through the Suez Canal within the last week. This was significant as Israel had not used the Suez Canal since 2005. The recent high traffic of Israeli naval vessels passing through the Suez Canal appears to be a most interesting development. The Jerusalem Post article reports:

In a new signal to Iran, two Sa'ar 5-class Israeli Navy ships crossed through the Suez Canal from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea on Tuesday to beef up Israel's naval presence near Eilat. The passage of the ships comes several weeks after a Dolphin-class submarine passed through the international waterway for the first time. One of the ships, the INS Hanit, already crossed the canal in June, in what an Egyptian source said was the first time a large missile ship used the strategic waterway, which is the fastest route to get Israeli Navy vessels from the Mediterranean, where they are based, to the Red Sea and beyond. The other ship to cross on Tuesday was the INS Eilat.

Further:

The significance of the move is debatable, but could be interpreted as a message to Iran and a demonstration of a strengthening of ties between Egypt and Israel. Iran has recently deployed several of its navy ships in the Gulf of Aden and near Eritrea.

In other related military news it is being reported that Israel will be using the US missile range in the Pacific ocean to test out it's new Arrow missile defense system. The Israel National News is reporting:

U.S. General Patrick O'Reilly said Tuesday that Israel will shortly test the Arrow missile interceptor system at a U.S. pacific missile range. He explained that the test will be against a target at a range of 1,000 kilometers, a distance Israel cannot practice at in the Middle East. "They're limited to the range of the missile they can test in the eastern Mediterranean," O'Reilly said. "That's the primary purpose of them coming to the United State to use our test range."

As we can see by the above article, Israel continues to make preparations that are being seen as gearing up for a potential clash with Iran over the nuclear program issue. Testing out missile defense systems could be seen as a practice of defensive methods should Iran counter-strike after an Israel military strike on it's nuclear program. Israel is likely to continue to move ships around and could in the future move them out of the Red Sea and into waters closer to Iran. To me, this is a form of "psychological warfare" that is geared to make the Iranians nervous and mindful of Israel's ability to use several platforms in which to strike Iran.

In other news, US President Obama has stated that he will continue to "pressure" Israel into going along with what he "envisions" for Middle East peace. Obama met with Jewish groups on Monday in Washington and declared that the only solution to the Middle East crisis was to create a Palestinian state within the borders of Israel. The Israel National News reports:

U.S. President Barack Obama assured 15 leaders of Jewish American organizations of his commitment to Israel, but he also insisted he would continue to publicly press the Jewish State to conform to his vision of Middle East peace....The American president repeatedly made it clear that in his view this can only mean the creation of an Arab state within Israel's current borders. He presented the "two-state solution" as a solution he wishes to promote to deal with Israel's purportedly precarious demographic situation.

To add injury to insult, Obama also made it clear that he will continue to publicly call out the Israeli government to heed to his demands. The article stated:

President Obama also said that he will continue to press his administration's demands on Israel urgently and publicly, regardless of opposition from the Netanyahu government. Keeping American disputes with Israel from the public eye, as he claimed was done in the past, has not served the interests of peace, Obama informed his guests.

As we can see here, on one hand we see the continuing preparations being made by Israel for a possible near-future attack on Iran while the US, led by Obama will continue to try to pressure Israel into a forced "peace" deal by giving up more land to their sworn enemies. While the world continues to focus on Israeli settlements and reaching a peace deal, it is apparent that the Israelis have put the peace process on the back burner and could be getting ready to once and for all take care of the menacing Iranian nuclear program. All signs appear to point to a potential conflict in the near-future as Iran speeds to the nuclear finish line.

Whatever ends up happening, the details will be filled in as time passes. However, God has given us a blueprint of what to expect in the future. Whether we are close to the fulfillments of Psalm 83, Isaiah 17, and Ezekiel 38-39 remains to be seen, but it sure does appear that we are getting closer with each passing day. I encourage all of you to continue to keep your eyes glued to the Middle East news and watch for signs that things could head downhill fast. As we watch this Middle East situation unfold, it is noteworthy that the blessed hope of the rapture is getting closer with each passing day!!

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