Hello John and Doves,
What a wicked mess in Syria! The militant
group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has been moving quickly
through Syria - taking cities - and Assad's regime is
coming to an end. The capital city of Damascus is in
their sights.
"Behold, Damascus is no longer a city; it has become
a heap of ruins.." Isaiah 17:1
Syria has chemical weapons. And Assad has a
history of using them. As he faces the fall of his
government will he decide to use these? Or will the
HTS get a hold of them? Israel sees these chemicals
as a possible threat.
Assad Falling/Damascus The Goal:
"It has been another bad week for Russian President
Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin. Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad's government collapsed faster than
Afghanistan's had in August 2021. Syrian rebels
caught Putin's armed forces by surprise and swept through
Aleppo, forcing the Russians to vacate several military
bases."
"The fighting rages on, with Damascus clearly the
goal...Assad was safely evacuated to Russia. And
with Assad's regime likely coming to an end, Russian
influence in the region may be ending, too."
Russia's Response:
Tyler Durden on Zerohedge had an interesting article
on December 4, 2024 - "Russian Ambassador to the UN
Vassily Nebenzia issued a statement accusing Ukraine of
stoking the armed insurgency which seeks to take over
Syrian territory and threaten Assad." At the UN on
Tuesday, Nebenzia said "Ukrainian military instructors
from the GUR are present..training HTS fighters for combat
operations." (HTS is the most powerful anti-Syrian,
anti-Assad military faction in Syria) He went on to
say, "HTS has not only not concealed the fact that they
are supported by Ukraine, but they are also openly
flaunting this." There are reports and images "of
Ukrainian equipment and drones in the hands of the
jihadists during the capture of Aleppo..."
"Nebenzia also turned his criticisms against
UN officials for being "unable to summon the courage
to call a spade a spade and to condemn these terrorists
attacks against Syria." There are reports that
the rebel groups in Syria have "received operational
training from special forces from the Khimik group of
Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR). This
group was "credited with the attack on a Russian military
base on the southeastern outskirts of Aleppo on Sept 15 in
which Russian attack drones and camouflaged improvised
explosive devices were destroyed...."
"The suggestion of Ukrainian involvement could be
seen as part of a broader trend of Kyiv's forces targeting
Russian forces abroad..."
"Indeed reports of potential Ukrainian assistance to
the jihadists based in Idlib have focused on drone usage,
and additional damning evident has appeared of late in the
NY Times...
Russia
Accuses Ukraine Of Supporting AQ-Linked Fighters In
Syria, & There Is Some Evidence | ZeroHedge
Affect On
Russia:
NATO/US props up Ukraine - so we are seeing NATO
trying to overthrow Assad - and to force Putin/Russia
out of the Middle East. So the West is in cahoots
with terrorists.
"Two strategically-important Russia military
facilities in Syria and Moscow's very presence in the
Middle East are under serious threat from rapidly
advancing insurgents, Russian war bloggers have
warned. With Russian military resources tied down
in Ukraine...Russia's ability to influence the situation
on the ground in Syria is far more limited than in 2015
when it intervened decisively to prop up Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad."
"Rapid advances by the insurgents threaten to
undermine Russia's geopolitical clout in the Middle East
and its ability to project power in the region, across
the Mediterranean and into Africa. They also risk
dealing an embarrassing setback to President Vladimir
Putin, who casts Russia's intervention in Syria as an
example of how Moscow can use force to shape events far
away and compete with the West." It seems that
"the most immediate threat to the future" of Russia in
Syria is the "Hmeimim airbase in Syria's Latakia
province and to its naval facility at Tartous on the
coast."
"The Tartous facility is Russia's only
Mediterranean repair and replenishment hub and Moscow
has used Syria as a staging post to fly its military
contractors in and out of Africa." Full evacuation
of all of Russia's military equipment is not possible.
How Will This Affect Israel?
"Jihadist groups battling the regime of Bashar
Assad said on Saturday they captured the city of
Auneitra in the Syrian Golan near the border with
Israel."
"Meanwhile Israel announced the decision to send
additional reinforcements to Israel's norther Golan
Heights near the Syrian border. Earlier, Israel's
Defense Minister Israel Katz and the IDF Chief of Staff
Herzl Halevi convened a situation assessment in light of
the latest developments in Syria. The IDF is
"prepared for every scenario and determined to protect
Israel's security interesting" a statement form the
defense ministry read.'
Israel
Beefs Up Syria Border As Jihadists Capture Quneitra -
i24NEWS
So how is Ukraine able to help the HTS with
training, drones, etc. when they are facing a fierce
direct war with Russia?
I read that Putin is blaming the U.S. also.
"Iran has blamed the United States and Ukraine for recent
advances made by Syrian rebels in a surprise offensive
against the Syrian government." So Ukraine and the
U.S. are supporting terrorism in Syria.
Iran
Blames US and Ukraine for Syrian Rebels' Advances
State Department Warning -
Damascus:
Rebels Advancing Towards Damascus:
This article on December 7, 2024 said the Syrian
rebels are advancing toward Damascus. "Our
operations continue to liberate the entire countryside of
Damascus, and our eyes are focused on the capital,
Damascus,.
"The fall of Homs, if confirmed, would leave three
of the country's five largest cities in thehands of the
forces led by HTS, and no major cities between rebel
forces and Damascus. In less than two weeks,
insurgents led by HTS have captured Aleppo in the north,
as well as the central city of Hama, where government
forces were forced out Thursday. The collapse of
government control in Daraa and the threat of Homs signals
a growing vulnerability in Al-Assad's hold on power."
"Russia and Iran have long supported Assad, with
Russia maintaining a military presence including the naval
base at Tartus. But both nations' influence has been
weakened by broader regional tensions, including Israel's
war in Gaza and clashed with Hezbollah in Labanon and
Russia's yearslong war with Ukraine."
"It's pretty much the end game for Assad, if the
rebels take Homs."...
"The observatory said Saturday that Syrian
government forces had withdrawn from Israeli=controlled
Golan Heights for the first time since Israel captures the
area from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it in
1981."
Syrian Chemical Weapons:
Syria is known to have chemical weapons. Will
these fall into the hands of the rebels now? Or will
Assad use these against the rebels?
"France's representative to the UN Security Council
also called on Assad's regime to refrain from using these
weapons." Assad has a history of using chemicals on
his people. "In conditions where there is a sense as
there is now, of existential danger, all bets are
off: whether it comes from Assad's inner circle, or
a military official acting alone as the command structure
breaks down...One can imagine someone trying something
desperate."
Maybe "the regime will be undone before orders could
be given to deploy chemical weapons." President
Trump "bombed Syria twice on April 7, 2017 and April 14,
2018 in retaliation for chemical attacks....it seems
likely chemical weapons use in Syria on his watch would
bring a military response...credible reports of renewed
chemical weapons usage could potentially spark an
international crisis."
"It's all more worrying given the tense US-Russia
relations at the moment." The Assad regime has been
the perpetrator of chemical attacks before - chlorine and
sarin gas.
"Israel is reportedly worried that some of the
regime's chemicals could come into possession of such
groups. The Israelis have to prepare for all
contingencies, the insurgency has already captured
Al-Safira, home of one of the regime's crucial chemical
weapons facilities. So Jerusalem's concerns that HTS
will take possession of some of Assad's chemical weapons
and missiles are reasonable."
These chemicals are designed to be delivered by
aircraft. The HTS or others who capture these
chemicals may not have the wherewithall to use them.
And they may not want to use them. And Assad has
hidden missile/rocket and chemical production facilities
that HTS does not control..."at least not yet."
With
Assad Losing Grip, Could Syria Suffer Another Chemical
Attack?
Will we see Isaiah 17:1 fulfilled soon?
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
Maranatha!
Chance