As U.S. withdraws, Jerusalem spooked by Moscow’s growing control over Middle East

October 22, 2019 — The Times of Israel reports: “US President Donald Trump’s newly announced withdrawal of nearly all US troops from northern Syria has cemented Russia’s status as the predominant global military power actively engaged in the Middle East.

This week, Russian troops arrived at military bases in northern Syria that the American army had hastily left just days earlier, in what can be regarded as both a literal and figurative handover of regional hegemony.

Many officials in Jerusalem are deeply worried about being abandoned by their superpower ally, as the American decision to gradually disengage from this part of the world — which started under former US president Barack Obama — threatens to embolden Israel’s enemies: Iran and its allies and proxies in Lebanon, Syria, Gaza and elsewhere.

What does Russia’s takeover really mean for Israel? Some analysts are deeply concerned, fretting about the possibility that Moscow could use surface-to-air missiles against Israeli jets attacking Iranian targets in Syria, which would effectively end Jerusalem’s campaign against Tehran’s establishment of a military foothold near Israel’s border.

Others see in Russia’s new leadership role an opportunity, as it may make room for an Iranian-Israel modus vivendi that would prevent the shadow war between the two countries from escalating…”  (Russia is warming up for Armageddon. Soon a peace program will be contracted for the Middle East nations – Daniel 11: 21, 24. It will be a peace contract for seven years but broken after 42 months – Daniel 9:27. Russia is the nation that then says: “…I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations…” – Ezekiel 38:11, 12.  See the next two reports.)

Erdogan: Turkish-Russian Patrols Set to Begin in Syria

October 30, 2019 — Voice of America News reports: “Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkish-Russian joint military patrols will begin Friday in northeastern Syria, after the withdrawal of Syrian Kurdish fighters under an agreement between the two countries.

‘We will start the joint work on the ground on Friday,’ Erdogan said Wednesday in a nationally televised speech.

The agreement calls for Turkish and Russian patrols to begin in northeastern Syria after Kurdish militia forces met a nearly four-day deadline that ended Tuesday to pull out from the area…”

U.S. to Turkey: Don’t turn on Russian system, avoid sanctions

October 28, 2019 — SpaceDaily.com reports: “The United States will spare Turkey from sanctions over its purchase of the S-400 missile system from Russia if it does not turn it on, a US official said Friday.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday lifted sanctions on Turkey that had been imposed over its assault on US-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters, which created a crisis between the NATO allies.

But tensions remain, with Turkey still facing punishment for buying the S-400 missile defense system from Russia despite its membership in the Western alliance.

‘There are probably cooler heads in Ankara that are saying, for heaven’s sake, don’t turn this on,’ a State Department official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

The official said it did not appear that Turkey had activated the S-400, which NATO powers fear could help Russia hone its skills in shooting down Western planes and missiles.

‘There is still work to get the Turks to walk away from the S-400 — be it turn it off, send it back, destroy it, what have you,’ the State Department official said…”

Putin: Russia is helping China with missile defense system

October 7, 2019 — SpaceDaily.com reports: “Russia is aiding China in building a missile defense system able to counter ballistic and cruise missiles, Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed.

He added that Russian involvement will give China a measure of protection which only the United States and Russia currently have. China now has only a small, Russian-made S-300 system regarded as a modest deterrent.

‘We are now helping our Chinese partners to create a missile-warning system, a missile-attack warning system,’ Putin said at the Valdai Club foreign policy conference in Sochi on Thursday. ‘This is a very serious thing that will dramatically increase China’s defense capability, because only the U.S. and Russia have such a system now.’

He added that international strategic stability was weakened by the United States’ withdrawal in August from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. The United States has accused Russia of violating the treaty, and has called for China’s inclusion in a new or renewed treaty, an idea rejected by China…” China will become a basic partner with Russia for the rapidly approaching battle of Armageddon – Revelation 16:16. Russia will lead invasion number one – Ezekiel 38 & 39. China will lead invasion number two – Revelation 16:12; Revelation 9:14 – 16. Then all nations will come against Jerusalem for the final invasion at which point Jesus will return to stop the bloodshed and set up his eternal kingdom upon earth – “[He gathers] all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken… Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south” – Zechariah 14:2 – 4. Then Psalm 2:6 occurs as God the Father says: “…I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion [Jerusalem]”.  See the next three reports.)

Pompeo warns of ‘Russian bots’ and ‘Chinese bribes’ in the Balkans

October 9, 2019 — SpaceDaily.com reports: “US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned against the ‘malign’ influence of Russian trolls and Chinese investment during a brief tour through the Western Balkans on Friday.

Washington frequently accuses Moscow of meddling in the region that sits the outskirts of the European Union.

China has also become a target for US ire because of its growing investment in the Balkans, even if the EU remains the dominant economic force.

Speaking in North Macedonia after an earlier visit to Montenegro, Pompeo warned that the country must ‘take firm measures to resist and defend against malign influences.’

‘The hearts and minds of North Macedonia citizens should guide your country forward, not Russian bots and trolls on social media,’ he said at a press conference in the city of Ohrid.

Pompeo also warned against ‘the risks of Chinese investment and sensitive technologies,’ including ‘China’s bribe-heavy strategy for infrastructure deals’…”

Reports: China’s Nuclear Missile Can Reach U.S. in 30 Minutes

October 1, 2019 — Breitbart.com reports: “Media reports from China indicate Tuesday’s military parade, a massive show of force and technological sophistication to mark the 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic, will include the public debut of the Dongfeng-41, a nuclear-capable missile that could hit U.S. territory within 30 minutes of launch.

Fox News quoted Chinese government spokesmen and foreign analysts who expected the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to put on quite a show for National Day, taking the opportunity to demonstrate their massive advantage in manpower is now matched with near-peer real-world military hardware and world-class cyberwar capabilities…”

China talks up tech prowess in face of U.S. rivalry

October 21, 2019 — SpaceDaily.com reports: “China on Sunday said it aims to become a ‘great power’ in the online world and took a swipe at Washington on trade, kicking off its annual conference promoting the Communist Party’s controlled and censored version of the internet.

US-China rivalry is increasingly playing out in the digital sphere, as Beijing pursues dominance in next-generation technology while Washington takes measures to cripple Chinese tech firms like Huawei.

China heavily monitors and censors its internet, with US titans Facebook, Twitter and Google all hidden behind a so-called ‘Great Firewall’ that also blocks politically sensitive content.

At the yearly World Internet Conference, held in the picturesque ancient canal town of Wuzhen since 2014, Chinese officials talked up the country’s tech prowess.

‘We have become a cyberspace power of 800 million netizens,’ the head of the Communist Party’s propaganda department, Huang Kunming, said in a keynote address…”