Despite Russian warnings, Israel has been very busy in Syria this past week. An airstrike a week ago caused major damage in Tartus on the Mediterranean coast and in Masyaf farther inland. Both destroyed Iranian targets, and in the Masyaf strike a warehouse in the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center (SSRC) was hit, annihilating thousands of medium-range, surface-to-surface missiles. Then, last night as I mentioned above, Israeli airstrikes slammed the area around the Aleppo and Damascus airports. In the Aleppo strike, four Israeli rockets were fired hitting the military airport and weapons depots. According to a pro-Iranian Iraqi news source, the attack on Aleppo was designed to prevent the landing of an Iranian cargo plane. The aircraft diverted to Damascus, but before it could land there that airport was bombed, too.
The potential for another Iraqi civil war is increasing. Within the country’s Shiite majority, there are two camps. One is pro-Iran and is very militant. The second larger faction doesn’t want Iranian interference. This camp is led by Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Rumors began to surface last week that an Iranian hit squad was looking to assassinate al-Sadr. Then, suddenly, on Monday al-Sadr unexpectedly stepped down from politics. Seeing Iranian strong-arm tactics behind his decision, al-Sadr’s supporters took to the streets in protest. They stormed the presidential palace and the green zones. Violence soon erupted between the angry mobs and Iraq security forces leaving more than 20 dead. As al-Sadr tries to calm his supporters, Iraq has declared a curfew, the US is airlifting its officials out of the green zone, and Iran has closed its borders with the country.
With the possibility of Iraq falling into Iranian-proxy hands with this outbreak of violence, the de facto leadership of Iran in Syria is even more concerning. The desire of the Islamic regime in Tehran is to create a “Shiite Crescent” through Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and down to the border with Israel. With this swath of the Middle East under their control, the transportation of weapons of any kind will be no trouble for the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and the threat of the radical regime in Tehran to annihilate Israel becomes that much more real.
As Iran continues to grow in strength, much of its opposition appears to be wilting under the overwhelming desire to sign a new nuclear deal. The IAEA is unable to check up on Iran’s nuclear facilities, so Tehran keeps spinning their centrifuges. Europe just wants the deal over and done with so that they can move on to more important issues like how they are going to heat their homes this winter. US President Biden has already lifted many sanctions and appears ready to lift many more. And even as America kowtows to Iranian demands, the regime in Tehran continues to issue threats against the nation, demanding that they remove themselves from Syria and the region.
A US Navy (USN) Saildrone Explorer, an unmanned drone ship used to monitor weather and the ocean, was a victim of an Iranian kidnapping on Tuesday. The USN spotted an IRGC support ship towing the water drone by a cable, and they quickly intervened. Dispatching a coastal patrol boat, as well as an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter (the navy’s version of a Blackhawk), the USN sought to help the IRGC understand that stealing someone’s drone ship is both illegal and kinda rude. Four hours later, the cable was disengaged and the Iranian ship had left for friendlier waters.
Much of the mainstream media is portraying great strides by Ukraine in their war with Russia. Not surprisingly, the media is being intentionally deceitful. As sad as it is to say, Russia has this war firmly in their grasp right now. German media even reported that Russia is now transferring tactical nuclear weapons into Crimea. Not that everything is going perfectly for them. The Russian military had anticipated upping their weaponized UAV game, buying a huge drone arsenal from Iran. Now it turns out that many of the unmanned aircraft are defective. When it comes to Iran, you definitely get what you pay for.
Maybe even more successful than their conventional war against Ukraine is Russia’s energy war against Europe. This winter energy prices in many parts of Europe will increase ten-fold. Gazprom, the Russian gas giant, just informed France that due to problems in their contract they will not be receiving all the gas they have been expecting. Europe set themselves up for this very scenario despite a certain previous US president’s warnings. I’m guessing that the diplomatic elite who snickered behind his back at his “foolishness” are no longer laughing. It’s going to be a long, cold winter for many people.
Even as Russia has Europe twisting in the wind, they are shoring up their own energy strength by aligning with Iran. The two countries are creating a new global natural gas cartel, essentially a Gas OPEC, which will be able to significantly control energy prices in coming years. Once again, we draw nearer to the Ezekiel 38 scenario. What if the little gas giant Israel stands up against the price machinations of this new Russia/Iran cartel by increasing their output to the European nations that Gazprom is now squeezing? For some reason, I don’t believe the Kremlin will look too fondly on that.
Battles between two controlling administrations in Libya have left dozens dead. The nation’s economy is on life-support and its infrastructure is nearly non-existent. Many are afraid that this is the beginning of a new bloody civil war in the already barely-functioning country.
After days enduring a “monster monsoon”, nearly one-third of Pakistan is now under water. Over 1100 people have been killed, and billions of dollars worth of homes, crops, and infrastructure have been destroyed. This is a catastrophic event, the effects of which are only going to increase in magnitude as the days go by.
