Russian Revenge Gone Wrong
The Ministry of Defense in Moscow claimed that a missile attack in Kramatorsk on Sunday, which killed 600 Ukrainian soldiers in two college dormitories, was in response to Ukraine’s deadly strike on a Russian temporary barracks last week in Makiivka which killed scores of their troops. The only problem is that the missiles missed their targets and there is no sign of even a single casualty. In baseball terms, that’s called “a swing and a miss”.
Iran to Receive Russian Fighter Jets
Russia is preparing to send a full squadron of 24 Sukhoi Su-35 fighters to their good friends in Iran. It has been decades since Tehran has acquired new fighter jets, and these highly maneuverable aircraft, which will be based in Isfahan, are sure to bolster their flagging air force. This military deal is another sign of the growing relationship between the two countries – a friendship that is necessary for the coming Ezekiel 38 war.
Islamic Regime Imprisons and Executes More Protesters
Mohammad Mehdi Karami, a 21-year-old Karate champion, and Seyed Mohammad Hosseini, a volunteer children’s coach, were hanged on Saturday as part of Tehran’s efforts to crush the wide-spread protests over the death of Mahsa Amini at the hands of the morality police back in September. Many more are locked away in Iran’s prisons where they are subjected to beatings, torture, and other brutality. Since the beginning of the uprising, at least 519 protesters have been killed and 19,000 imprisoned. Among those sentenced to long prison terms is 26-year-old professional football player Amir Reza Nasr Azadani, who on Saturday was given a 16-year-term. Back in December, it was reported that he had been sentenced to death, but the resulting backlash from the international football community appears to have given him a reprieve.
Iran Gives More Details about Alleged Mossad Teams
The Ministry of Intelligence in Iran on Tuesday announced that it had arrested two more teams that they say are linked to the Israeli Mossad, bringing the total captured to six. Their claim is that these teams, comprised of 23 operatives, were being controlled from Europe by a person using the code name “Cyrus”. Their attempted missions were alleged to involve sabotage and the importation of large-scale explosives.
Iranian Brothers Held in Germany Terrorist Plot
Two Iranian brothers, aged 32 and 25, have been arrested by German police for planning a chemical terrorist attack. The office of the prosecutor said that Islamic extremists planned to “kill an indefinite number of people” using cyanide and ricin. The tip that led to the apprehension of the would-be terrorists was provided by the U.S. FBI.
US Navy Seizes Iranian Rifles Bound for Yemen
A US Navy team from the patrol coastal ship USS Chinook boarded a fishing boat in the Gulf of Oman and discovered 2,116 AK-47 assault rifles being smuggled from Iran to the rebels in Yemen. “This shipment is part of a continued pattern of destabilizing activity from Iran,” said Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, U.S. 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces. This is the third seizure in the last two months of lethal aid being smuggled from Iran to Yemen.
Syria and Turkey Nearing Reconciliation
A week after an end of year meeting in Russia of the defense ministers of both Syria and Turkey, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that sitting down with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is certainly a possibility. The two countries cut official ties eleven years ago during the Arab Spring. It is believed that a deal is being brokered whereby Ankara will recognize the legitimacy of the Assad regime. In return, Damascus will refuse to accept and recognize Kurdish autonomy in the north of the country. The previously broken relationship is being mediated by Russia and the UAE. Friendship between the two former enemies could explain why a destroyed Damascus might drag Turkey into an Ezekiel 38 war.
Brazil’s New President Declares State of Emergency
President Luiz Inacio “Lula” da Silva of Brazil has declared a state of emergency in the country which will last through the end of the month. After many law enforcement officers did little to waylay the spread of the post-election, anti-socialist protests, Lula has placed the country’s security functions in the hands of the military police. The anti-government demonstrations achieved a new level on Sunday when supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro broke into federal buildings and took over the presidential palace. Although Bolsonaro disavowed the actions, the pressure by Brazil to extradite him from his vacation in Florida is growing. Not surprisingly, Democrats in Washington, D.C., are joining in the call to send Bolsonaro back to face the new socialist government.
Arrest of the Son of El Chapo Sparks Waves of Violence in Sinaloa, Mexico
Last Thursday, Mexican security forces were finally able to apprehend Ovidio Guzman, a drug cartel leader and son of jailed cartel boss Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. The violent response to his arrest, particularly in the city of Culiacan, Sinaloa, has left seven members of the security forces dead and 21 injured. It is still unclear as to whether Ovidio Guzman will be extradited to the United States to stand trial as was his father.
UAE to Include the Holocaust in its Educational Curriculum
In another move that would never have been imagined a decade ago, the United Arab Emirates has announced that teaching about the Holocaust will be included in its schools’ history classes. A tweet sent out by the UAE embassy in the US declared this wonderful move, reading, “In the wake of the historic Abraham Accords, [the UAE] will now include the Holocaust in the curriculum for primary and secondary schools.”
Watch Carefully for the Rise of the Arabian Peninsula
Many in the world still picture the Arabian Peninsula as a culturally backward, religiously fundamental arid expanse filled with sand, poverty, and scary people. However, there is a revival in the area that is going to have a major global impact. Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, UAE, is destined to become a global cultural hub for art, music, and dance. NEOM, a self-contained, self-sustaining, 170 km (110 mi) long, 200 meters (660 ft) wide, and 500 meters (1,600 feet) tall city sounds like a premise for a science fiction novel. However, it is currently under construction in the sands of Saudi Arabia. Then there is Dubai, which has poised itself to become one of the top business and convention gathering places in the world. Part of the ever-changing world is the transition of regions of power and influence. Europe and America have dominated the last few hundred years. I suggest you now shift your gaze to the rise of the Arabian Peninsula.
