It doesn’t matter who controls Syria—whether it’s the Assad regime or now Ahmed al-Sharaa—we know Biblically that there has to be a future cataclysmic event that will cause Damascus to cease from being a city (Isaiah 17:1). Knowing this, one eye has to always stay on what’s going on in Syria.
The situation in the nation remains turbulent. It’s not as though Syrian leadership became saints once Assad fell.
A few days ago, Syrian Arab Army chants were heard from the Grand Mosque in Damascus, shouting, “A storm has risen! Rain down destruction in the heat of battle! Coming for you, Jew, I am coming at you like a mountain of fire! Making ammunition for you out of my own body! Making rivers out of your blood! Allahu Akbar!”
Notice, they don’t say “Zionist” or “Israelis”—they aimed their threat directly at Jews. It’s plain and simple. That’s the new Syrian military—not the old one—comprised of ISIS and Al Qaeda militants. They are still consumed with hatred for Jewish people and are wishfully thinking of flowing “rivers” of Jewish blood.
That’s why Israel, post-October 7th, will not tolerate its borders being filled anymore with this type of murderous antisemitic ideology. That’s why Israel must maintain a security zone on the border with Syria. That’s why Israel must not let the monster grow.
The moment of the Assad regime’s collapse, Israel knew that the replacement would not be an improvement, and we needed to take action.
We destroyed all of the fallen Assad regime’s military capabilities—airplanes, helicopters, naval equipment, batteries, and missiles—in addition to Site 99 (where we knew there was nuclear activity), before it fell into the hands of the new radical leadership.
Over the last few weeks, Israel noticed that there was suspicious activity at the Abu al-Duhur airbase, which was abandoned in 2013, not far from the border with Turkey near Idlib.
There is an interesting line running between three locations:
- The Abu Ad-Duhur airbase
- Site 99 — where Syria was holding nuclear material, enriched uranium
- The Al-Kibar facility — a site previously destroyed by Israel where Syria had built a nuclear reactor
Over the last few days, we learned that Turkey has begun meddling in the vicinity of these locations, including a Turkish delegation that visited the Abu Ad-Duhur airbase, preparing to deploy Turkish forces, F-16s, drones, and missiles on Syrian soil.
The aim of the Turks is to encroach toward the border with Israel, starting from the north and pushing further and further toward the center of Syria. Without intervention, before you know it, they will be on the border next to the Golan Heights. With a shared border with Israel, Turkey hopes to eventually fulfill its dreams of walking into Jerusalem to “liberate” it—a goal they discuss openly.
Alongside Turkish activity in the region, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) released the information uncovering more undeclared nuclear material in Syria—tons of it.
Israel quickly realized that something fishy was afoot and took preemptive measures.
The Prime Minister’s Office released a statement, confirming that Israel struck the Abu Ad-Duhur airbase: “Israel and Syria agreed to a status quo in security matters, which Syria was on the verge of breaching by permitting Turkish troops to deploy at an airbase near Aleppo. Israel repeatedly warned Syria that such a deployment would pose a threat to Israel’s security. Syria chose to ignore these warnings. Israel will not tolerate threats to its security, and would welcome a return to the status quo.”
This is huge. Israel essentially drew a line against Turkish President Erdogan. We can clearly see direct linkage between what is going on in Syria and the alliance that is forming against Israel.
That brings me back to the verse in Isaiah 17:1 regarding Damascus, which reads: “The burden against Damascus. ‘Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city, and it will be a ruinous heap.’”
Why is this verse so interesting? Because this verse has not yet been fulfilled. Damascus is one of the longest-standing cities in the world. It has never been completely and utterly destroyed. Damascus has been continuously standing and inhabited—meaning that Isaiah 17:1 is a future event.
In addition, the destruction of Damascus might be the greatest catalyst for the Ezekiel war. When we consider Turkey’s personal investment in Syria, as well as that of Iran and Russia, it is reasonable to examine whether this might also ignite the flame for the coalition detailed in Ezekiel 38 to make its move.
