A major page-turn took place Thursday morning when Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a limited military operation to demilitarize Ukraine. Then, he sent his forces across the border. Under the ruse of providing independence to two breakaway republics, Russia has invaded an entire nation. Last week we [wrote] a special edition [article] entitled The Ripple Effect of the Ukrainian and Russian Crisis. More than enough has taken place over this past week to justify a second special edition, but there is too much other news going on around the world, particularly in the Middle East. So, I am going to use this intro to again look at the bigger picture of Russia and Ukraine, then I will follow it up with the other news.
On Monday night, with the eyes of the whole world on him, the Russian President Vladimir Putin gave the longest public speech of his career. The occasion of his diatribe was his signing of the recognition of two separatist, pro-Russian provinces in Ukraine: Donetsk and Luhansk. Putin signed this recognition in the face of Western threats of “painful sanctions”. In fact, in his speech he publicly challenged the United States and Western powers.
Immediately after the proclamation, the world was divided into three categories: ardent supporters, ardent opponents, and the hesitant ones sitting on the fence. On the list of ardent supporters, one finds Chechnya, Serbia, Cuba, Venezuela, and, most interesting for us, Syria and the Houthis. The list of ardent opponents is much larger.
It is worth mentioning that Turkey immediately jumped in and announced opposition to the Russian move. This was a wink to the West, but with a price in its relationship with the Russians. Turkish President Erdogan is in a very difficult position trying to walk a tightrope between Russia and the West. He knows that he needs them both. Because of that, I don’t believe that Turkey will participate in either side of this particular war.
Russia is gathering to itself a large group of countries to justify the validity of this move that it has taken against Ukraine. On Tuesday in Moscow, Putin and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a Declaration on Allied Interaction between the two countries. In addition, Russia and Egypt are prepared to sign a co-operation agreement in the field of natural gas. As Russia’s friendships increase, western influence decreases.
Events such as what has happened between Russia and Ukraine are always interesting test cases for analyzing geopolitical alliances and determining global interests. But in the present case there is another layer, as we see many countries watching from the sidelines and examining the behavior of the superpowers. They are trying to learn who can be trusted and which international bloc they should connect with in an age where shifts in the balance of world power are taking place.
Russia’s incursion into Ukraine will also give other world powers a de facto permission to carry out their own actions without fear of major repercussions. Just today, nine Chinese fighter jets have crossed into Taiwanese air space. The rhetoric from Beijing is emphasizing that Taiwan is an integral part of China. And we’ve already seen that there is no fear of nor respect for the US or the West left in Iran.
Believers around the world are watching these events and many are wondering whether we have just seen the beginning of the tribulation. The answer is an emphatic “No”! Could this be a step toward that period of God’s judgment? I believe it is likely, but this action in Ukraine does not fit the tribulation scenario. To understand better the tribulation and the events leading up to it, please pre-order my new book, Revealing Revelation, which will explain in a very understandable way what God Himself has related to us about His plans for the end times.
The Middle East
On February 14, the Israeli Mossad used drone technology in a three-wave explosive attack against a weaponized UAV storage facility at the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) base in Kermanshah, Iran. Several buildings were destroyed, the stored UAVs, which were of the “Shahed” series, were heavily damaged, and it appears that a very senior general in the IRGC was killed. The attack was in response to Iranian-supplied proxy UAV activity directed toward Israel.
Speaking of UAVs and Iranian proxies, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) shot down a Hezbollah drone last Thursday along the Lebanese border. Hours later, the IDF intercepted another drone which launched from Gaza in the south. These were followed by Israel being forced to shoot down another drone launched in Lebanon the next day. In response to this drone activity, the IDF used surface-to-surface missiles to destroy several positions in the Quneitra area of Syria used by Hezbollah for intelligence gathering on Israeli targets in the Golan Heights. Then, last night there was another air raid on Iranian targets near Damascus. Interestingly, this was another surface-to-surface missile attack which fits into Israel’s growing reluctance to send F-16s due to Russia’s warning to stop sending fighter jets into Syrian airspace.
While the eyes of the world are on Russia and Ukraine, Iran continues to shore up and employ its terrorist proxies and evil allies. Much supply activity is taking place in the border city of Al Bukamal, Syria. Last week, the proxy Houthi rebels launched an explosive drone targeting King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Airport in Jizan, Saudi Arabia on Monday. The UAV was intercepted and destroyed, resulting in 16 people being wounded. And, in a move that should have Americans greatly concerned, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz detailed on Tuesday how Iran is giving Venezuela all the information needed for the South American country to begin producing their own advanced attack drones. Tehran is also transferring to the rogue nation the armaments needed to put the UAVs to full use.
Despite all this terrorist activity, many nations of the world, including the US, are preparing to sign a new nuclear agreement with Iran. This redesigned pact, however, addresses the situation as if it were still 2015, ignoring the great strides Iran has made in uranium enrichment. In this eight-year agreement, Iran will not be forced to destroy their advanced and rapid centrifuges, but will only be required to store them. The country will also be given the right to determine whether the other partners have breached the agreement, allowing Tehran to withdraw at any time. Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said, “We may see an agreement in a short time. The new agreement appears to be shorter and weaker than the previous one.” Meanwhile, Iran is moving much of its nuclear program to a new underground site built into a mountain in the Natanz region. Its strength and location will make it much more difficult for Israel to destroy it when the time becomes necessary.
On Sunday, as Ethiopia celebrated the first production of power by its massive mega-dam, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), tensions continued to build with its neighbors Sudan and Egypt who depend upon the flow of the Nile. Egypt claims that it is a violation of the Declaration of Principles (DoP) signed between Addis Ababa and Cairo in 2015. It will be very interesting to watch how this political conflict plays out.
As I mentioned above, for constant updates on the events in Ukraine subscribe to my Telegram channel. For an in-depth analysis of the situation – one which General Michael Flynn called an “Excellent update on Ukraine” on Gettr – please watch my Breaking News video from Monday. Again, between last week’s Special Newsletter, the Breaking News video, and the intro to this newsletter, I have covered the big picture. However, there are just three more areas that I feel it necessary to point out.
First, watch the gas situation in Europe. In an attack directed at Russia, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that the certification process for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline will be halted. That might well have been a powerful threat two years ago when Europe wasn’t dependent upon Russian gas for its survival. Former Russian President and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev responded on Twitter, “Welcome to the brave new world where Europeans are very soon going to pay €2.000 for 1.000 cubic meters of natural gas!” There is already a natural gas shortage in Europe with 95.3% of its underground storage facilities sitting empty, which is a 21% drop from the levels this time last year.
Second, keep your eyes on Belarus. Russia has already quietly staged a de facto occupation of the former Soviet state located just north of Ukraine. Russian troops have deployed to the country and will stay indefinitely while they oversee a constitutional referendum.
Finally, recognize the growing Russian involvement in Syria and the intensifying of rhetoric toward Israel issuing from Moscow and Damascus. Last week, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad threatened Israel, saying, “We warn Israel not to persevere in these attacks, because we have what we need to respond to the Israeli attacks…. Syria’s patience must not be tested.”
I want to end this section with good news. Starting March 1, 2022, the State of Israel will welcome all foreign visitors of all ages regardless of their vaccination status! This is a decision for which we at Behold Israel have been praying for a long time. Our hope is that this will soon open the doors for us to restart our Israel tours.
