Haaretz reports: “Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warned that Israel is becoming increasingly isolated in the Middle East and said U.S. security commitments should enable it to take ‘risks for peace.’

Panetta, who arrived in Israel for the first time since becoming Pentagon chief, said he would reaffirm U.S. security commitments to Israel and try to help it improve its increasingly chilly relations with Turkey and Egypt.

‘It’s pretty clear, at this dramatic time in the Middle East when there have been so many changes, that it is not a good situation for Israel to become increasingly isolated. And that is what has happened,’ Panetta told reporters on his plane.

Panetta’s visit to the Middle East, which includes meetings with Palestinian and Egyptian leaders, comes at a time when Arab popular demand for political change has buffeted the region, raising hopes, tensions and uncertainty…” (Ungodly nations will attempt to fulfill Psalm 83:4 – “They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.” However, Yahweh God will not allow such anti-Semites [Jew Haters] to win because the God of Israel says in Isaiah 56:5 – “…I will give them [Israel] an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.” See the next report.)

YnetNews.com reports: “IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen Benny Gantz was 14-years-old when the Yom Kippur War broke out. ‘I remember sitting by the radio, anxiously listening to reports from the frontline,’ he tells Yedioth Ahronoth in a special holiday interview.

‘I remember that it was clear that the Paratroopers’ 890th Battalion was part of all of the crucial battles.’

Gantz’s military doctrine can be described, to some extent, as a product of the Paratroopers’ legendary ‘Echis’ Airborne Battalion. The ‘890,’ as it is referred to by its veterans, is where he earned his proverbial stripes and the battalion is famous for sprouting some of Israel’s most prominent key figures.

The main lessons from the Yom Kippur War, he says, ‘Is that we must always be war-ready. We’ve taken this approach and solidified it into an operational perception of readiness and alertness. It is what dictates our daily fight against tenacious threats.’

The IDF, he continued, ‘Is also constantly developing its adaptability to changes dictated by the challenges it faces. We can never grow accustomed to any (operational) concept and we must always study given situations further and adapt to regional changes.’

Could Israel find itself once more taken by surprise by an enemy army? ‘We hope not,’ Gantz said gingerly. ‘This is why we must continue to cultivate our military superiority and the IDF must always be at the top of its game…” (Israel will be ready under God’s guidance. Yahweh God promises: “And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this city” – Isaiah 38:6.)

The Fars News Agency reports: “A Lebanese strategic analyst warned that Hezbollah would strike the Israeli facilities if Tel Aviv continues stealing Lebanon’s oil and sea reserves.

‘In case the enemy steals Lebanon’s oil, Hezbollah will have the right to strike its oil installations and facilities,’ Feisal Abdossater told FNA.

The analyst cautioned that Zionists’ aggressive and expansionist moves in the Mediterranean Sea has heightened tension between the two sides, and said the situation is now ripe for the start of clashes between Lebanon and the Israeli regime.

‘Zionists’ plot to find control over Lebanon’s sea wealth has a high potential for clashes between the two sides and is likely to have dire consequences,’ he stated.

‘The Lebanese Islamic resistance will not tolerate any kind of aggressions against the country’s sovereignty,’ he reiterated, and added, ‘Hezbollah views the oil resources in Lebanon’s water as a treasure for the Lebanese nation and has declared its position in this regard very transparently.’

‘Hezbollah will cut the hands of anyone who targets Lebanon’s sovereignty,’ the analyst continued…” (Hezbollah’s strike will fail as an ally of Russia – Ezekiel 39:1, 2, 9, 12, and 13.)

Voice of America News reports: “Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Israel is a threat to the Middle East because it possesses nuclear weapons.

Erdogan made his comments in a foreign policy speech during a trip to South Africa. He did not explain why he made the claim about the Jewish state.

Israel has never confirmed or denied the widely held belief that it has atomic weapons.

Relations between Turkey and Israel have been deteriorating.

The former allies have been engaged in a dispute about Israel’s refusal to apologize for its deadly raid last year on a Turkish aid ship that was part of a flotilla trying to break Israel’s Gaza blockade. Israel says its forces acted in self-defense after they were attacked by activists…” (It’s more than a threat because of Israel’s might and weapons; it’s God’s judgment on Israel’s enemies – Ezekiel 39:6; Psalm 122:6.)