August 19, 2026

August, 19, 2026
August 19, 2026

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As Israeli Airstrikes Target Damascus, Is Isaiah’s Prophecy Regarding Syria On The Horizon?

Erick Stakelbeck

Overnight on Sunday, Israel reportedly carried out airstrikes in Syria, specifically targeting the capital of Damascus.

In recent months, Israel has carried out many strikes in Damascus for two reasons. Number one, Damascus International Airport is a transit point for Iranian weapons shipments heading through Syria to southern Lebanon and into the hands of Iran’s most lethal proxy, Hezbollah. Number two, a good deal of Iranian backed militias are based in and around Damascus, the home to weapons factories, which presumably produce advanced weapons that could and would be used against Israel.

So, what went down Sunday night in the Syrian capital? According to media sources in the region, Israel carried out strikes in Damascus, killing four soldiers of the Syrian army of Bashar Al Assad and also wounding several others. The Syrian regime works in tandem with Iran and Hezbollah throughout the country at these weapons factories, which were reportedly targeted last night.

Last year Israel shut down Damascus International Airport for the better part of a week because of weapons shipments coming in, many times, disguised as civilian flights.

Iran hasn’t quite gotten the memo. The more Israel has struck the Iranian regime and its assets in and around Damascus, the more it seems they continue to push. What we have here is essentially a collision course where Iran and Hezbollah say, “We are in Syria to stay,” and Israel says, “Oh, no, you don’t. This is a non-starter for us and an absolute red line,” for obvious reasons.

Iran wants to use Syria as a launching pad for attacks against Israel. They want to duplicate in Syria what they have very successfully accomplished next door in southern Lebanon, where Hezbollah has some 150,000 rockets and missiles pointed at every inch of Israel.

Iran is working to transport precision-guided missiles (PGMs) through Syria. Those precision-guided missiles do exactly what their name says; they’re designed to hit targets with greater accuracy and greater precision. Iran is hell bent on accomplishing this and Israel is determined to stop them.

Israel, as is its MO, did not comment on the strikes. I’m sure Iran and the Assad regime are fuming, but the answer is simple: Stop building weapons to attack Israel inside of Syria, and get Iran and Hezbollah out of the country. That’s the ultimate solution, but we know that’s not going to happen without force.

There’s clearly a showdown coming in Syria. It would encompass Syria, Lebanon, and Israel going toe to toe with Iran and their various jihadist allies in those two countries. Of course, the entire ring of fire that surrounds Israel would ignite in that event, getting Gaza, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad involved, even perhaps the Houthis in Yemen further to the south. That day is coming and may be rapidly approaching as we see hostilities ramp up along the Israel-Lebanon border, and of course, in Syria.

I strongly encourage you to watch my recent newscast, where I laid out a very alarming report from the Alma Research and Education Center in Israel detailing how a future conflict with Israel and Hezbollah may very well use chemical weapons, God forbid.

This report was disturbing, to say the least, and eye-opening. There is a Syrian military complex called the CERS center where the Syrian regime, according to this Alma report, is developing weapons of mass destruction, certainly chemical and biological weapons.

Hezbollah and the Iranian regime are closely guarding the center. Israel has carried out airstrikes against it over recent months, but they haven’t completely neutralized the threat coming from this Syrian regime’s weapons industrial factory.

According to this Alma report, it cannot be ruled out that Hezbollah would use chemical weapons in a future confrontation with Israel.

Prophetic Significance

Every time an Israeli strike occurs against Damascus, I’m asked about a prophecy in Isaiah 17:1, which says, “The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.”

Damascus is one of the world’s oldest inhabited cities, going back thousands of years. To my knowledge, it has never been completely destroyed. Even the Mongols, which destroyed everything in their path did not completely destroy Damascus.

While some say it was fulfilled over the last decade in the Syrian civil war, I strongly disagree. Some parts are absolutely a ruinous heap, but it has not ceased to be a city. Isaiah 17:1 has yet to be fulfilled.

When we have frequent action in Damascus, like what occurred Sunday night, and we have reports of chemical weapons development in Syria, we can see clearly that dangerous days may lie ahead in the country and its capital.

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The Mirage Of Ceasefires And The Tug Of War: What Should Christians Think Of Unstable Talks Of ‘Peace’ In The Middle East?

he tension between war and peace in the Middle East is mind-boggling at times. Just when we think President Trump is about to order a massive wave of bombing against Iran, we wake up the next day to learn he has called off the attack. On the other hand, the ceasefires never last. Despite the highly publicized Memorandum of Understanding for peace, attacks and bombings resumed shortly after its signing. As students of Bible prophecy, we have a unique understanding of what’s happening in the conflict between Israel, Iran, and the proxies of the Persian state. We know that the battle is spiritual.

Calvary Chapel Pregnancy Center Calls Churches In Massachusetts To Stand Against Abortion Expansion, Celebration Of Evil

From the very first man that God created, we recognize the sanctity of life. When we understand how God views human life, we recognize that abortion is not simply a political issue; it concerns children created in the image of God. With that in mind, we should pay attention to what is happening in our nation, specifically within the state of Massachusetts.

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Political Division, Persecution, And War: How Bible Prophecy Changes Our Perspective On World Affairs

As history hurtles toward the Last Days, we find ourselves trying to navigate through an increasingly hostile world. Politics are dividing our country and even our churches. People are becoming more cold-hearted, selfish, and angry. We are experiencing a breakdown that feels irreversible. Our problems do not have simple solutions, but we can find guidance in Scripture.

ABC's of Salvation

Decision

UTT

FOI

untitled artwork

Israel My Glory

Erick Stakelbeck

Overnight on Sunday, Israel reportedly carried out airstrikes in Syria, specifically targeting the capital of Damascus.

In recent months, Israel has carried out many strikes in Damascus for two reasons. Number one, Damascus International Airport is a transit point for Iranian weapons shipments heading through Syria to southern Lebanon and into the hands of Iran’s most lethal proxy, Hezbollah. Number two, a good deal of Iranian backed militias are based in and around Damascus, the home to weapons factories, which presumably produce advanced weapons that could and would be used against Israel.

So, what went down Sunday night in the Syrian capital? According to media sources in the region, Israel carried out strikes in Damascus, killing four soldiers of the Syrian army of Bashar Al Assad and also wounding several others. The Syrian regime works in tandem with Iran and Hezbollah throughout the country at these weapons factories, which were reportedly targeted last night.

Last year Israel shut down Damascus International Airport for the better part of a week because of weapons shipments coming in, many times, disguised as civilian flights.

Iran hasn’t quite gotten the memo. The more Israel has struck the Iranian regime and its assets in and around Damascus, the more it seems they continue to push. What we have here is essentially a collision course where Iran and Hezbollah say, “We are in Syria to stay,” and Israel says, “Oh, no, you don’t. This is a non-starter for us and an absolute red line,” for obvious reasons.

Iran wants to use Syria as a launching pad for attacks against Israel. They want to duplicate in Syria what they have very successfully accomplished next door in southern Lebanon, where Hezbollah has some 150,000 rockets and missiles pointed at every inch of Israel.

Iran is working to transport precision-guided missiles (PGMs) through Syria. Those precision-guided missiles do exactly what their name says; they’re designed to hit targets with greater accuracy and greater precision. Iran is hell bent on accomplishing this and Israel is determined to stop them.

Israel, as is its MO, did not comment on the strikes. I’m sure Iran and the Assad regime are fuming, but the answer is simple: Stop building weapons to attack Israel inside of Syria, and get Iran and Hezbollah out of the country. That’s the ultimate solution, but we know that’s not going to happen without force.

There’s clearly a showdown coming in Syria. It would encompass Syria, Lebanon, and Israel going toe to toe with Iran and their various jihadist allies in those two countries. Of course, the entire ring of fire that surrounds Israel would ignite in that event, getting Gaza, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad involved, even perhaps the Houthis in Yemen further to the south. That day is coming and may be rapidly approaching as we see hostilities ramp up along the Israel-Lebanon border, and of course, in Syria.

I strongly encourage you to watch my recent newscast, where I laid out a very alarming report from the Alma Research and Education Center in Israel detailing how a future conflict with Israel and Hezbollah may very well use chemical weapons, God forbid.

This report was disturbing, to say the least, and eye-opening. There is a Syrian military complex called the CERS center where the Syrian regime, according to this Alma report, is developing weapons of mass destruction, certainly chemical and biological weapons.

Hezbollah and the Iranian regime are closely guarding the center. Israel has carried out airstrikes against it over recent months, but they haven’t completely neutralized the threat coming from this Syrian regime’s weapons industrial factory.

According to this Alma report, it cannot be ruled out that Hezbollah would use chemical weapons in a future confrontation with Israel.

Prophetic Significance

Every time an Israeli strike occurs against Damascus, I’m asked about a prophecy in Isaiah 17:1, which says, “The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.”

Damascus is one of the world’s oldest inhabited cities, going back thousands of years. To my knowledge, it has never been completely destroyed. Even the Mongols, which destroyed everything in their path did not completely destroy Damascus.

While some say it was fulfilled over the last decade in the Syrian civil war, I strongly disagree. Some parts are absolutely a ruinous heap, but it has not ceased to be a city. Isaiah 17:1 has yet to be fulfilled.

When we have frequent action in Damascus, like what occurred Sunday night, and we have reports of chemical weapons development in Syria, we can see clearly that dangerous days may lie ahead in the country and its capital.

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Of News Events Around The World.

The Mirage Of Ceasefires And The Tug Of War: What Should Christians Think Of Unstable Talks Of ‘Peace’ In The Middle East?

he tension between war and peace in the Middle East is mind-boggling at times. Just when we think President Trump is about to order a massive wave of bombing against Iran, we wake up the next day to learn he has called off the attack. On the other hand, the ceasefires never last. Despite the highly publicized Memorandum of Understanding for peace, attacks and bombings resumed shortly after its signing. As students of Bible prophecy, we have a unique understanding of what’s happening in the conflict between Israel, Iran, and the proxies of the Persian state. We know that the battle is spiritual.

Calvary Chapel Pregnancy Center Calls Churches In Massachusetts To Stand Against Abortion Expansion, Celebration Of Evil

From the very first man that God created, we recognize the sanctity of life. When we understand how God views human life, we recognize that abortion is not simply a political issue; it concerns children created in the image of God. With that in mind, we should pay attention to what is happening in our nation, specifically within the state of Massachusetts.

untitled artwork 6391

Political Division, Persecution, And War: How Bible Prophecy Changes Our Perspective On World Affairs

As history hurtles toward the Last Days, we find ourselves trying to navigate through an increasingly hostile world. Politics are dividing our country and even our churches. People are becoming more cold-hearted, selfish, and angry. We are experiencing a breakdown that feels irreversible. Our problems do not have simple solutions, but we can find guidance in Scripture.

ABC's of Salvation

TV AD

worldview matters

Decision Magazine V AD

Decision

Jan Markell

Israel My Glory

Erick Stakelbeck

untitled artwork

YOU CARE ABOUT

BIBLICAL TRUTH.

SO DO WE.

Together, We Can Deliver A Biblical Understanding Of News Events Around The World And Equip The Church To Stand With A Biblical Worldview.

untitled artwork

Israel My Glory

YOU CARE ABOUT

BIBLICAL TRUTH.

SO DO WE.

 

Together, We Can Deliver A Biblical Understanding Of News Events Around The World And Equip The Church To Stand With A Biblical Worldview.