email address: endtimesresearchministry@yahoo.com
Bible prophecy documentary book download proving our generation will see the return of the Lord. Do you want to know what is going to happen in the future before it actually takes place? The Word of God provides you with specific details about our future and all of these things are coming to pass in this generation. If you aren’t saved yet this is a must read! The Last Chronicles of Planet Earth February 7, 2016 Edition written by Frank DiMora.
Headline: Treasury sanctions Islamic State oil and religious officials, facilitator in Gaza
The US Treasury Department announced today that three Islamic State officials have been sanctioned for their role supporting the “caliphate’s” operations. The newly designated jihadists are: Faysal Ahmad ‘Ali al Zahrani (a senior official in the Islamic State’s oil division), Husayn Juaythini (a facilitator for foreign fighters), and Turki Mubarak Abdullah Ahmad al Binali (the group’s “chief religious advisor”). Treasury’s announcement provides new details concerning the “caliphate’s” oil infrastructure in eastern Syria, as well as the organization’s attempt to build a presence in Gaza. In early February 2014, a coalition of jihadists known as the Mujahideen Shura Council (MSC) in the Environs of Jerusalem released a statement expressing support for Baghdadi’s “caliphate.” It was not clear at the time whether the MSC had any operational ties to the Islamic State, or if its message was merely a rhetorical show of support. Treasury’s announcement reveals that at least one key figure in the MSC did forge a working relationship with Baghdadi’s men. As of mid-2014, according to Treasury, Husayn Juaythini was the “deputy head” of the MSC. He had previously “attempted to acquire supplies for the MSC…to conduct attacks against Israel and help the group overcome financial difficulties.”
February 11, 2016
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2016/02/treasury-sanctions-islamic-state-oil-and-religious-officials-facilitator-in-gaza.php
Headline: Congress Members Move to Shut Down PLO Office in U.S.
For nearly 30 years there has been a U.S. federal law that prohibits the Palestinian Liberation Organization from maintaining an office in Washington, D.C. And for more than 20 years, in the wake of the Oslo Accords, the PLO office has been open. That is because American lawmakers assumed the Oslo Accords meant the PLO was no longer a terrorist organization. On Wednesday, Feb. 10, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and more than a dozen members of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced legislation to rectify that misunderstanding. The original law that required the shuttering of the PLO office, the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1987, allows that law to be circumvented by a mere waiver issued by the President of the United States. The proposed law, however, requires that the President make affirmative representations that the PLO is not doing certain things – such as engaging in the promotion of terrorism or in attempting to take certain action it is prohibited from taking under the Oslo Accords. For example, the parties to that agreement are not permitted to “initiate or take any step that will change the status of the West Bank” until the “permanent status negotiations” are concluded. Actions taken by the PLO, such as in 2011 becoming a member of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and in 2012, the “State of Palestine” seeking and being accorded non-member observer State status at the U.N., and in 2014, joining the Geneva Conventions, are all prohibited under the terms of the Oslo Accords.
February 12, 2016
http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/congress-members-move-to-shut-down-plo-office-in-u-s/2016/02/12/
Headline: Erdogan responsible for deterioration of Israel-Turkey ties, Yaalon says
Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon on Thursday slammed Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and accused him of direct responsibility for the deterioration of bilateral ties in recent years. “We won’t be able to reach an agreement with the Turks as long as Ankara supports Hamas,” he said, adding “We are ready for an agreement, but we also have our own terms.” Yaalon made the statements at a news conference in Switzerland with his Swiss counterpart Guy Parmelin. The comments came after a delegation of senior Israeli officials met the previous day with a Turkish delegation to discuss restoring ties, and reported a “good atmosphere” and progress in the negotiations.
February 12, 2016
http://debka.com/newsupdatepopup/15002/Erdogan-responsible-for-deterioration-of-Israel-Turkey-ties-Yaalon-says
Headline: World Bank approves 40 mln USD grant to Palestinians
The World Bank approved 40 million U.S. dollars grant Friday to boost the financial situation of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), in support of public finances and local business environment. The World Bank said that the PNA’s revenues performed well in 2015 and increased by nine percent, but it’s fiscal situation remains precarious, mainly due to a 60-percent decline in donor aid, high political uncertainty after the peace talks reached a deadlock, the Israeli offensive on Gaza in 2014 and the delay in transfer of revenues collected by the Israeli government on behalf of the Palestinians. “Such assistance is of utmost importance for the Palestinian economy and public finances. The grant will ease some of the PNA’s fiscal stress to advance the reform agenda,” said World Bank Country Director for West Bank and Gaza Lau Steen Jorgensen. Jorgensen said the grant would help give Palestinians hope and described the situation in Gaza as “extremely difficult,” due to the slow reconstruction process, as only 35 percent of the financial aid pledged at the Cairo conference for the reconstruction of Gaza were disbursed thus far. The World Bank, through its Palestinian Recovery and Development Plan Multi-Donor Trust Fund Project, provided 125 million dollars to the PNA in 2015.
February 12, 2016
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-02/13/c_135092614.htm
“Do not keep silent, O God! Do not hold Your peace, And do not be still, O God! 2 For behold, Your enemies make a tumult; And those who hate You have lifted up their head. 3 They have taken crafty counsel against Your people, And consulted together against Your sheltered ones. 4 They have said, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, That the name of Israel may be remembered no more.” (Psalm 83)
Jordan
Headline: Ya’alon and Jordan’s King Abdullah meet in Munich
Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon on Friday met with King Abdullah of Jordan, during the security conference in Munich. A statement released by Ya’alon’s office said that during the meeting the two discussed the bilateral relations between the two countries, recent developments in the region and the prospects of promoting the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians. Jordan’s state news agency Petra reported on the meeting as well, noting the King’s talks with Ya’alon “focused on ways to breathe life into the peace process between the Palestinians and the Israelis.” The Walla! Hebrew-language news website noted that the meeting between King Abdullah and Ya’alon mark the first time that a senior Israeli official has met the Jordanian monarch since the fall of 2014, when Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu visited Amman. The King also addressed the Munich conference on Friday, where he linked between the “two-state solution” between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS) jihadist group. “The community of nations cannot talk about universal rights and global justice, but continue to deny statehood to Palestinians!” the King said, according to a transcript of his speech provided by the Petra news agency. “This failure has created a festering injustice, and continues to be exploited by Daesh and its kind,” he continued, using the Arabic name for ISIS.
February 12, 2016
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/207952
Lebanon
Headline: Hezbollah strikes Nusra on Arsal outskirts
Hezbollah attacked a gathering of Nusra Front militants on Lebanon’s northeastern border Thursday, the party’s Al-Manar television and other media said, killing one and wounding three others. The attack occurredin the area of Wadi al-Kheil on the outskirts of Arsal, Al-Manar said in a newsflash. Hezbollah controls a number of strategic hilltops on the outskirts of Arsal in the Qalamoun mountains along the Syrian border captured during an offensive last year. The hilltops overlook areas occupied by the Nusra front and Daesh [ISIS] fighters and provide vantage points for Hezbollah to launch more calculated attacks. Many of the attacks are recorded and played during Al-Manar’s evening broadcast showing Hezbollah fighters firing guided rockets at militant targets. The Lebanese Army exchanges fire with the militants on a nearly daily basis.
February 12, 2016
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2016/Feb-12/336836-hezbollah-strikes-nusra-on-arsal-outskirts.ashx
Saudi Arabia
Headline: 21 countries in Thunder of the North drill in Saudi Arabia
Headline: Russia warns of ‘new world war’ starting in Syria
Headline: Saudi FM says removal of Assad is crucial
A major military drill prepared by Saudi Arabia is a clear message that any hostile action or intention in the region will be tackled decisively, experts have said. Saudi media said that the war manoeuvres, code namedcode named Northern Thunder, would be held in the northern region of the kingdom and that several countries would join. Brigadier Ahmad Asiri, the spokesperson for the Arab Coalition fighting to restore the rule of the internationally recognised government in Yemen, said that 21 countries would be participating in the Northern Thunder drill. “There will be 21 Arab and Muslim countries taking part in huge drills,” Assiri told London-based newspaper Al Sharq Al Awsat. “It will serve to boost fighting capabilities, exchange information, benefit from experiences and expertise and enhance coordination between the participating countries. There will be joint military command centres,” he said. Assiri added that “when participating countries feel that there are coordinated and interdependent efforts, the results of the exercise will be positive. We have models based on real experience of being in the Arab coalition in Yemen where operations are running excellently and positively,” he was quoted by the daily as saying. Asiri said that Saudi Arabia worked within military coalitions and that it was ready for a land war whenever the international coalition wants to launch ground operations.
***see also Syria below
February 11, 2016
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi-arabia/21-countries-in-thunder-of-the-north-drill-in-saudi-arabia-1.1670564
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/12153112/Russia-warns-of-new-world-war-starting-in-Syria.html
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2016/02/12/Saudi-FM-Objective-is-removal-of-Assad-in-Syria.html
Headline: Iran says ready to put rivalries aside with Saudi Arabia
Headline: Saudi FM: Yemen action aimed at thwarting Iran, Hezbollah ally
Iran and Saudi Arabia must overcome strained relations and work for stability in Syria and the Middle East, Iran’s foreign minister said on Friday, a day after Syrian peace talks brought the rivals to the same table for the first time in months. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference hours after his Saudi counterpart addressed the event, Mohammed Javad Zarif said he wanted to stop the bickering and had a simple message: “We need to work together.” “Iran and Saudi Arabia cannot exclude each other from the region,” he said, referring to Riyadh as “our Saudi brothers”. “We are prepared to work with Saudi Arabia … I believe Iran and Saudi Arabia can have shared interests in Syria.” Arch-rivals for regional hegemony, the two oil producers are on opposite sides in Syria’s war and increasingly bad-tempered exchanges between the conservative Sunni-ruled kingdom and the revolutionary Shi’ite theocracy bode ill for the region. Ties have worsened since the kingdom’s execution in January of prominent Shi’ite cleric Nimr al-Nimr prompted attacks on the Saudi embassy in Tehran. Saudi Arabia subsequently cut all ties with Iran.
February 12, 2016
http://newsdaily.com/2016/02/iran-says-ready-to-put-rivalries-aside-with-saudi-arabia/
http://www.timesofisrael.com/saudi-fm-yemen-action-aimed-at-thwarting-iran-hezbollah-ally/
Headline: Pro-govt forces seize camp outside Sanaa
Headline: Yemen loyalists advance towards rebel-held capital
Yemeni pro-government forces backed by Saudi-led airstrikes seized control of a military camp 60 km from Sanaa on Thursday, local officials and residents said, as troops advance toward the capital held by Iran-allied fighters. Forces loyal to Yemen’s President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi are battling the Houthi movement and loyalists of the country’s deposed President, Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Pro-government forces seized the Fardhat Nahm camp outside Sanaa in battles with Houthi fighters that left a number of people dead and wounded, local officials and residents said, without giving precise figures. Aircraft from the Arab coalition carried out dozens of strikes during the battles in the area, they said. The camp is located on one of the defense lines for the capital.
February 12, 2016
http://www.arabnews.com/middle-east/news/879156
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/2016/02/12/Yemen-loyalists-advance-towards-rebel-held-capital.html
Syria Iraq ISIS- the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (the Levant) ISIS=ISIL=IS=Daash
Iraq Syria Kurdistan
Syria Headline: US, Russia and UN say Syria fighting ‘cessation’ to take effect next week
Syria Headline: Syria plan will not affect anti-ISIS strikes: Pentagon
Syria Headline: Assad vows to retake all of Syria, warns could ‘take long time’
Syria Headline: Syrian Rebels Vow to Wage a National Liberation Guerrilla War
Diplomats attempting to negotiate an end to Syria’s bloody civil war said Thursday that they had agreed to try and implement a temporary “cessation of hostilities” in a week’s time as Russia’s prime minister warned that the use of foreign ground troops in the conflict could result in world war. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry hailed the agreement as a significant accomplishment. However, the ISIS and al Nusra Front terror groups will not be involved in the truce – and Russia has said it will be continuing its bombing campaign. Kerry himself admitted that the agreements were “commitments on paper” only, adding that a cessation-of-hostilities agreement would only be a “pause” in fighting and that more work would need to be done to turn it into a full-fledged cease-fire. Meanwhile, Syrian rebels warn their five-year-long struggle to oust President Bashar al-Assad will go underground, if they are deserted by Western backers or an attempt is made to foist an unacceptable political deal on them. They will wage a relentless guerrilla campaign against the Assad regime and “foreign invaders” from Iran and Russia, turning the war into a national liberation fight, rebel commanders and opposition politicians say.
February 12, 2016
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/02/12/us-russia-and-un-say-syria-fighting-cessation-to-take-effect-next-week.html?intcmp=hplnws
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2016/Feb-12/337021-syria-plan-will-not-affect-anti-isis-strikes-pentagon.ashx
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4765446,00.html
http://www.voanews.com/content/syrian-rebels-vow-to-wage-national-liveration-guerrilla-war/3188014.html
http://debka.com/article/25229/Munich-Puts-Stamp-on-Tightened-US-Russian-military-cooperation-in-Syria
Syria Headline: The Syrian Ceasefire Is a Big Win for Russia, Assad, and Iran
The Syrian ceasefire agreement of February 11 is a big win for the Russians and the Syrian regime. Russia, Iran, and Syria are in the midst of a major military offensive that has allowed them to besiege Aleppo and has them poised to make gains across the battlefield. This so-called “cessation of hostilities” agreement allows them to consolidate and prepare for further advances while preventing the opposition that the U.S. ostensibly supports from attempting to undo any of their gains. It does not require the Assad coalition to allow humanitarian access to the hundreds of thousands they have just trapped in and around Aleppo itself, and it leaves them fully in control of what humanitarian aid goes to the other areas they themselves are besieging and deliberately starving. It was concluded without the participation of the opposition, and is thus an imposition of a truce on the fighters the U.S. is theoretically supporting at a moment when they have lost vital ground. The Russians, moreover, define all of the opposition groups in northern Syria as either ISIS or Jabhat al Nusra. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said today, “if liberation of the city that has been taken by illegal armed groups can be qualified as aggression, then, well, yeah, probably. But to attack those who have taken your land is necessary – is a necessary thing. First of all, this has been done by Jabhat al-Nusra, and also the western suburbs of Aleppo are still being controlled together with Jabhat al-Nusra by Jaysh al-Islam and Ahrar al-Sham.” The Russians will read this agreement to let them continue operations against all opposition groups in Aleppo and to continue their encirclement, siege, and targeting of that city. They will therefore continue to weaken the non-Jabhat al Nusra, non-ISIS opposition now concentrated in Aleppo and likely strengthen the hands of the terrorist organizations they purport to be attacking. This “cessation of hostilities” also continues the policy of requiring the opposition to make concessions in order to get the regime temporarily to stop committing what the UN has called crimes against humanity. This agreement is a ceasefire in the manner of the Minsk agreements that have shaped the supposed ceasefires in Ukraine–ceasefires that have been nominally in effect throughout all of the major Russian and separatist military offensives since February 2015. The Russians posed as a neutral third party when in fact they are a belligerent in the conflict, and have continued to escalate and de-escalate military operations in Ukraine in order to extract concessions from the Ukrainian government. Not only will this Syrian “cessation of hostilities” also fail, but it will fail in a way that further alienates the non-ISIS, non-al Qaeda Sunni opposition groups and populations on which any meaningful political settlement of the conflict in accord with America’s vital national security interests must rely.
February 12, 2016
http://www.iswresearch.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-syrian-ceasefire-is-big-win-for.html
Syria Headline: Assad says sees risk of Turkey, Saudi Arabia invading Syria
Syrian President Bashar Assad admits Turkey and Saudi Arabia could soon send troops into the country, but remains confident that he can retake the war-torn nation. The statement comes as Riyadh has reiterated its goal of ousting the leader from office. In an exclusive interview with AFP, Assad said he saw a risk that Turkey and Saudi Arabia – key backers of the opposition – could send their soldiers into the fray in Syria. Assad is equally confident that he can retake control of the whole of Syria, large swathes of which are currently under the control of opposition forces and Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL). “Regardless of whether we can do that or not, this is a goal we are seeking to achieve without any hesitation,” he said, adding that it “makes no sense for us to say that we will give up any part.” Assad said he believes it is possible to “put an end to this problem in less than a year” if opposition supply routes from Turkey, Jordan, and Iraq are blocked. If such routes remain open, however, “the solution will take a long time and will incur a heavy price,” he added. “The main battle is about cutting the road between Aleppo and Turkey, for Turkey is the main conduit of supplies for the terrorists,” Assad said.
February 12, 2016
https://www.rt.com/news/332308-assad-syria-turkey-saudi/
Syria Headline: Russia pounds northern Homs countryside
Russia has conducted heavy airstrikes across rebel-held territory between Homs and Hama, killing a number of civilians and prompting the cancellation of communal Friday prayers in the area’s mosques. At least 16 people were killed in the withering bombardment on Friday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported, specifying that the airstrikes had targeted Ghantu, Al-Dar al-Kabirah, Talbisah and Teir Maaleh. The monitoring NGO said that 14 civilians were killed in Ghantu and two others in the village of Al-Dar al-Kabirah by “what is believed to have been Russian warplanes.” “The death toll is likely to rise because of the number of wounded people in critical condition.”
February 12, 2016
https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/NewsReports/566603-russia-pounds-northern-homs-countryside
Syria Headline: ISIS comes under mystery attack
Shadowy opponents of ISIS have conducted two attacks against the extremist group in Deir Ezzor, the latest in a series of mystery strikes targeting its members in eastern Syria, according to a pro-opposition outlet. The first attack occurred shortly after 4 a.m. Thursday, when unknown assailants rigged a ZiL armored vehicle with explosives and detonated it outside one of the group’s bases in Deir Ezzor, a city where control is split between the jihadist organization and the Syrian regime. However, the blast only caused material damage, according to a report published Friday morning by All4Syria. On Thursday evening, the mystery assailants struck again, firing an RPG round at a patrol of ISIS’s Hisbah religious police. “The operation was executed by masked persons riding a motorbike,” All4Syrai reported. “They targeted the Hisbah vehicle near the Ghassan Abboud roundabout in central Deir Ezzor, destroying the minivan and killing a number of people.” The pro-rebel outlet added that after the operation, shots were fired from one of the neighboring buildings to cover the escape of the two people who had carried out the operation. Following the strikes, ISIS went on alert, closing off most areas leading to its main bases and deploying patrols on the Al-Takaya thoroughfare to search passersby and inspect their mobile phones and IDs.
February 12, 2016
https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/NewsReports/566602-isis-comes-under-mystery-attacks
Syria Headline: Syrian rebels launch major offensive on headquarters of pro-Assad troops in coastal Latakia
Syrian rebel fighters of the Army of Conquest launched on Thursday a major offensive on headquarters of the pro-Assad forces in the coastal province of Latakia, western Syria, military sources reported. Rebel fighters have bombed pro-Assad army’s positions in the vicinity of Mount Al-Turkman in the countryside of Latakia, using heavy artillery and mortar shells. At least 15 pro-Assad soldiers were killed and dozens more wounded in the attack. “Subsequent to the operation, the rebels of the Army of Conquest seized control of the Tel Qroujah town near Mount Al-Turkman,” Ahmed Nemat, a spokesman for the Army of Conquest, told ARA News in Latakia. “Our campaign has caused heavy losses in the ranks of the pro-Assad militias on Thursday,” he said. “After entering Tel Qroujah town, our rebels have collected dead bodies of more than 15 fighters, some of them were from the regime’s army and others from Hezbollah militia (recognized from their uniforms). Dozens of other pro-Assad forces were wounded before withdrawing from the town and its suburbs.” In the meantime, an officer in the ranks of the regime’s army told ARA News that the retreat of their troops from Tel Qroujah town was “a tactical withdrawal”.
February 12, 2016
http://aranews.net/2016/02/18259/
Syria Headline: Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
https://www.facebook.com/syriahroe http://syriahr.com/en/category/news
http://syriahr.com/en/category/news/
Iraq Headline: Three Iraqi presidential guards kidnapped near northern town: sources
Three members of Iraq’s presidential guard were kidnapped on Friday near a checkpoint run by Shiite militiamen close to the northern district of Tuz Khurmatu, police and a local official said. Four other people, including a government employee, were killed in separate incidents, the police said, in and around the district – about 175 kilometers (110 miles) north of Baghdad – where violence has flared in recent months. Kurdish and Shiite Turkmen paramilitary forces have been uncomfortable allies against ISIS since driving the ultra-hard line Sunni militants out of towns and villages in the area in 2014 with the support of U.S.-led airstrikes. The presidential guards were travelling in a private vehicle towards Baghdad when they were taken by unknown gunmen around midday, said Mahdi Taqi, a member of the provincial council in Salahuddin where the district is located. Police from Tuz Khurmatu confirmed the details. Separately, gunmen opened fire on a car carrying guards from the electricity ministry, killing one and critically wounding four others, police said. Three civilians were killed in two separate incidents, and two others were also kidnapped.
February 12, 2016
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2016/Feb-12/336962-three-iraqi-presidential-guards-kidnapped-near-northern-town-sources.ashx
Iraq Headline: ISW Iraq Situation Report Feb. 2-Feb. 11, 2016
http://www.understandingwar.org/sites/default/files/iraq%20SITREP%202016-02-09.pdf
Listed below are the nations which will attack Israel from Ezekiel chapter 38 and their modern day names (see chart above).
Gog is the leader of the invasion of Israel.
Magog, Meshech, and Tubal comprise modern day Turkey.
Persia is Iran, parts of northern Iraq, and Afghanistan.
Cush is Ethiopia and Sudan.
Put is Libya and will most likely include Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco.
Gomer is Eastern Turkey.
Beth Togarmah is Armenia.
Turkey
Headline: Our patience over Syria will run out: Turkey
Headline: Turkey orders EU to hand over MORE cash or it will unleash MILLIONS of migrants on Europe
Headline: Turkish minister says Russia targeting schools, hospitals in Syria
Turkey’s patience may run out over the crisis in Syria and it could be forced to take action, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday, calling on the United Nations to do more to prevent “ethnic cleansing” in the country. Erdogan accused the UN of insincerity in calling on Turkey to do more to help Syrian refugees instead of taking action to prevent the bloodshed in its southern neighbor.
Russian war planes have been bombing around the Syrian city of Aleppo in support of a Syrian government offensive to recapture the city, sending tens of thousands of people fleeing to the Turkish border. “There is a chance the new wave of refugees will reach 600,000 if airstrikes continue. We are making preparations for it,” Erdogan said in a speech to a business forum in Ankara.
“We will show patience up to a point and then we’ll do what’s necessary. Our buses and planes are not waiting there in vain,” he said, adding that Turkey had information that Iran-backed forces in Syria were carrying out “merciless massacres.”
***see also Syria above
February 12, 2016
http://www.arabnews.com/middle-east/news/879166
http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/643390/Turkey-EU-more-cash-unleash-millions-migrants-Europe
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2016/Feb-12/336994-turkish-minister-says-russia-targeting-schools-hospitals-in-syria.ashx
Headline: Russian engineers working with ISIS in Syria to produce gas
At the largest gas facility in Syria, the Tuweinan gas facility, Russian engineers are working together with ISIS forces to produce natural gas, according to reports from rebels and Turkish officials. The plant which is located roughly 60 miles southwest of the Islamic State’s unofficial capital of Raqqa, was built by the Russian construction company Stroytransgaz whose owner has close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Construction began on the plant in 2007 and continued slowly until rebel forces, associated with the Al Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front, took over the plant in 2013. In a report published by the Foreign Policy website, one of the rebels who captured the site said that when the rebel forces entered the area the Russian staff had already fled and left behind the Syrian staff. “We decided to protect this plant; we thought it is belonging to Syrian people since it was owned by the Syrian state,” said Abu Khalid, a member of the Qwais al-Qarani brigade. ISIS took over the plant in 2014, and following that takeover, Turkish officials reported that Russia had continued the construction of the plant with approval from ISIS. Russian involvement came via its Syrian subcontractor, a company by the name of Hesco. One official also claimed that Russian engineers were returned to the site to complete construction on the facility.
***see also Rise of Global Islam below
February 11, 2016
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/207888
Iran
Headline: Top official overseeing nuclear deal unsure where Iran’s enriched uranium is stored
A State Department official told lawmakers Thursday he was unsure of the precise location of tons of low-enriched uranium shipped out of Iran on a Russian vessel as part of last summer’s nuclear agreement. Ambassador Stephen Mull, the lead U.S. official overseeing the deal’s implementation, said during testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee that the stockpile is a Russian custody issue. He said the U.S. is confident the material will be controlled properly. “We obviously have had many differences for many years with Russia,” Mull said. “But one of the features of our relationship is pretty close cooperation and protection of nuclear material.” Following the hearing, a senior administration official said the Iranian stockpile is in Russia, where it will be stored in a secure place, but did not specify where. The official was not authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity. Critics of the nuclear deal seized on the shipment’s status as an example of the agreement’s flaws. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., said in a statement that it’s “outrageous and unbelievable” that Russia is being trusted to be the repository for such sensitive material.
February 12, 2016
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/02/12/top-official-overseeing-nuclear-deal-unsure-where-irans-enriched-uranium-is-stored.html?intcmp=hplnws
Afghanistan
Headline: US stepping up airstrikes against ISIS in Afghanistan
The U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan has in recent weeks stepped up airstrikes against former Taliban members who have rebranded themselves as part of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). “I can’t give you a number, but I can tell you in the last roughly three weeks, we have significantly increased our pressure on Daesh in Afghanistan, particularly in the Nangarhar province,” said Army Brig. Gen. Wilson “Al” Shoffner, deputy chief of staff for communication for the mission, using another name for ISIS. Rules of engagement do not allow the U.S. to strike Taliban members who are not with ISIS unless they are directly threatening U.S. troops, despite recent Taliban gains and U.S. military officials being concerned about cooperation between the group and al Qaeda. “We don’t have the authority to target the Taliban and we don’t specifically target the Taliban based on affiliation,” Shoffner told reporters at a briefing Thursday. He acknowledged that most ISIS members are former Taliban members “rebranding” themselves. “What we see are generally former [Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan] who believe that associating with Daesh or pledging to Daesh will further their interests in some way,” he said, referring to the Taliban’s Pakistani affiliate. The difference, he said, between the Taliban and ISIS is that the Afghan government sees ISIS as a “potential strategic threat,” whereas it seeks political solutions with the Taliban.
February 12, 2016
http://thehill.com/policy/defense/269237-us-stepping-up-airstrikes-against-isis-in-afghanistan
Sudan
Headline: Expert warns against ISIS’s use of Sudanese border to join Libya
The Islamic State (ISIS) fighters are trying to use Khartoum as crossing point for its militants who join the bases of the jihadist group in Libya, said a Sudanese expert on Islamist group on Thursday. Belgium’s Coordinating Body for Threat Analysis (OCAM) director, Paul Van Tigchelt, disclosed this week that Sudanese security service last autumn intercepted a Belgian national trying to cross into Libya to join the militants of the Islamic State. Tigchelt further told the Belgian magazine Knack that they have no information about other cases of Belgian fighters who travelled into Libya but they are monitoring the situation. Commenting on the arrest of the Belgian militant, a Sudanese expert on Islamic extremist groups, al-Hadi Mohammed al-Amin, told Sudan Tribune that the Jihadist group which is facing tough time in Syria and Iraq try to use Sudan as a crossing point into Libya. Al-Amin said this was not the first time that a foreign jihadist is stopped by the Sudanese authorities while he was trying to cross into the north African country. He added that the Islamic State seeks to transfer its activities to Libya where it established a foothold in the city of Sirte, exploiting a power vacuum in the troubled country where two rival governments have been battling for supremacy. The Sudanese expert said Khartoum deployed military units along the border and monitoring the border particularly the triangle between Egypt, Libya and Sudan at Jebel Aouinat.
February 11, 2016
http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article57991
Libya
Headline: Militants shoot down Libyan fighter jet
Libya’s air force chief of staff says a fighter jet was shot down while carrying out airstrikes against Islamic militants, the third jet to be downed in nearly 40 days. Brig. Gen. Saqr al-Jaroushi told The Associated Press that a Libyan MIG32 came under fire by militants’ anti-aircraft guns in the eastern city of Benghazi Friday. He says the pilot ejected and landed safely. The pilot has been rescued before in a similar incident on Jan. 4. Al-Jaroushi said army is investigating whether “terrorists have acquired new weapons capable of shooting down our planes.” The air force answers to the internationally-recognized government in eastern Libya, where forces have been fighting Islamic militants since 2014. In western Libya a rival parliament, backed by Islamist-allied militias, is in control.
February 12, 2016
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2016/Feb-12/336998-militants-shoot-down-libyan-fighter-jet.ashx
Tunisia
Headline: Tunisia braces for impact of possible Libya action
Tunisia said Friday that it was asking its regional authorities to work on a plan to cope with the fallout of a possible foreign military intervention in neighboring war-torn Libya. Tunisia shares a southeastern border with Libya, where Western powers are openly considering an intervention against the Islamic State jihadist group which has gained influence there in the chaos following Qaddafi’s ouster. “In preparation for the situation developing and its consequences, Prime Minister Habib Essid has authorized governors in the southeast regions to form regional committees,” a government statement said. These will include “the different parties concerned in order to draw up a plan for each governorate to successfully face… exceptional events that could occur,” it said, without giving further details. On Thursday, the health ministry said it had met to discuss “an emergency plan for the health sector… in preparation for the influx on Tunisian soil of refugees and migrants fleeing military air strikes that could occur in Libya.”
February 12, 2016
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2016/02/12/Tunisia-prepares-for-impact-of-possible-intervention-in-Libya-.html
Headline: NATO Alliance May Join Anti-IS Coalition
The NATO alliance may become a member of the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said Thursday. Carter told reporters at a meeting of more than two dozen defense ministers in Brussels that NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg was exploring the possibility. The addition of NATO would bring the alliance’s experience in building partner capacity and training ground forces, Carter added. All of NATO’s 28 member states are already in the anti-Islamic State alliance, but only in the capacity of individual nations. The Pentagon chief said the group provided “unanimous support” for an operational campaign plan he laid out to defeat Islamic State. The plan focuses on destroying IS in Syria and Iraq, combating its metastasis worldwide and protecting from IS infiltration at home.
February 11, 2016
http://www.voanews.com/content/us-defense-chief-appeals-for-more-help-in-fighting-is/3186552.html
Headline: CIA: Islamic State Has Chemical Weapons
The director of the Central Intelligence Agency said Islamic State fighters in Syria have used chemical weapons. John Brennan said there are a number of instances where the terrorist group has used “chemical munitions on the battlefield.” His comments were featured in excerpts from the television news show 60 Minutes. The full interview with Brennan will air Sunday on CBS. Brennan told the news show the jihadist group has the capacity to make small quantities of chlorine and mustard gas. The CIA director also warned that IS may be looking to sell the chemicals to the West. Brennan said “there’s always the potential for that.”
February 12, 2016
http://www.voanews.com/content/cia-islamic-state-has-chemical-weapons/3187923.html
Luke 21:9 and Matthew 24:7 speak of nation against nation and kingdom against kingdom in the end times. Revelation 6:3-4 speaks of the fiery red horse given power to make men slay one another and Revelation 6:8 speaks again of this red horse in conjunction with the pale horse of Death and Hades, as the one that has the power to kill by sword. Luke 21:9: wars & commotions; the Greek word here is Akatastasia, meaning instability, a state of disorder, disturbance, confusion (revolutions) Matthew 24:7: the Greek word for nation is Ethnos & refers to various ethnic groups fighting among themselves, where the next sentence in the verse refers to kingdoms (basileiva) fighting one another (not to be confused with an actual kingdom but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom)
Headline: Mali Attackers Kill 5 UN Peacekeepers
The United Nations says suspected Islamist militants in Mali killed five peacekeeping troops Friday in an attack on a U.N. base. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the early-morning attack in the northern town of Kidal, which also injured about 30 other people. In a statement, the U.N. chief said the attack will not weaken United Nations support for the Malian government or efforts to establish peace in the country. The militants reportedly attacked the Kidal base with rockets and a van bomb around 7 a.m. At least three of the soldiers killed were from Guinea. In a separate incident, three Malian soldiers were killed and three others wounded Friday when gunmen ambushed a military convoy on a road between Timbuktu and Goundon, also in northern Mali.
February 12, 2016
http://www.voanews.com/content/un-peacekeeping-base-attacked-in-northern-mali/3188045.html
Headline: Bahrainis protest against Manama regime on day of ‘civil disobedience’
Bahrainis took to the streets in a number of towns and villages Friday as part of a civil disobedience campaign, as the country braces for the fifth anniversary of the popular uprising against the Al Khalifah regime. Local media reported that businesses were shut as store owners coordinated a strike two days ahead of the anniversary of the uprising of February 14, 2011. The rallies turned violent as security forces fire tear gas to disperse the protesters. The protests were held in several towns and villages across the country. Demonstrators called for the release of political prisoners including the head of Bahrain’s main opposition party, Sheikh Ali Salman.
February 12, 2016
http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2016/02/12/449930/Bahrain-civil-disobedience-Tariq-Hossein-Manama
Headline: Greek farmers clash with police, parade tractors in pensions protest
Angry Greek farmers clashed with riot police in Athens then paraded their tractors and pick-ups outside parliament on Friday, in their first big protest in the capital against pension reform plans after weeks of road blockades. Officers guarded the entrance to the agricultural ministry and fired tear gas to disperse protesters who hurled tomatoes, eggplants and stones at the building, smashing windows and using shepherd’s crooks to repel police during scuffles. “They won’t make us bend!,” the protesters shouted. After the afternoon violence died down, farmers drove their vehicles through crowds outside parliament, blocking the road and shouting slogans against the pensions overhaul which will bring in tax hikes and a tripling of their social security contributions. Cheered on by supporters waving Greek flags, they honked horns as police in riot gear stood guard. A few demonstrators burnt olive branches while others unfurled a large banner reading: “Take back this monstrous reform plan.”
February 12, 2016
http://newsdaily.com/2016/02/greek-police-fire-tear-gas-at-angry-farmers-rallying-in-athens/
Wars & Rumors of Wars Matthew 24:6 , Revelation 6:3-4 & Revelation 6:8 “ And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” Revelation 6:3-4 speaks of the fiery red horse given power to make men slay one another and Revelation 6:8 speaks again of this red horse in conjunction with the pale horse of Death and Hades, as the one that has the power to kill by sword. Prophecy Sign: Weapons of Mass Destruction Zechariah 14:12 “And this shall be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, Their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, And their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths.”
Headline: South Korea cuts off water, power to border area in standoff with North Korea
Among the losers in the retaliatory sparring between the rival Koreas are residents who had been depending on a rarity in impoverished North Korea: a steady supply of water from the now-shuttered jointly run factory park in the North Korean border city of Kaesong. Seoul said Friday that water and power had been shut down at what had been the two Koreas’ last major symbol of cooperation. It was the latest development in a standoff that started with North Korea’s nuclear test last month, followed by its long-range rocket launch Sunday. South Korea responded by beginning work Thursday to shut down the Kaesong factories, the last major symbol of Korean cooperation. North Korea then ejected all South Korean workers, seized the companies’ assets and vowed to militarize the park. South Korea had been using a facility it built at a reservoir near the park to pump about 17,000 tons of water into Kaesong every day, according to an official at the South’s state-run water management company who didn’t want to be identified because he wasn’t authorized to talk to reporters.
February 12, 2016
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/02/12/n-koreans-outside-closed-factories-lose-steady-water-supply.html?intcmp=hplnws
Headline:8,500 Russian troops perform military drills near Ukrainian border
Russian troops conducted drills in the Black Sea and on land this week near the border with Ukraine — deploying more than 8,500 troops, 50 warships and 200 aircraft. The move comes as NATO, also this week, announced it would have a larger presence in the region. Video obtained by Sky News showed fighter jets dropping bombs, ground troops and army helicopters involved in drills. Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu told News.Lia.Net, “Increased levels of troops in the Crimea is necessary to defend our Southern borders.” Crimea, a military stronghold on a valuable seaport, has been a center of conflict since 2014. Ukrainians believe Russian President Vladimir Putin illegally seized the peninsula after allegations of a secret proxy war and vote rigging in an annexation election surfaced. Russia disputes those claims, saying it is upholding the will of the residents of the region. The annexation resulted in economic sanctions on Russia. National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Secretary Oleksandr Turchynov told News.Liga.Net he believes that the increased troop movement into Crimea is a sign that Russia is planning to take offensive military action against Ukraine.
February 12, 2016
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2016/02/12/8500-Russian-troops-perform-military-drills-near-Ukrainian-border/3111455304983/?spt=sec&or=tn
Economic collapse Revelation 6:5-6 & James 5:1-3– Worldwide– “ When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.” (Revelation) “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! 2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days.” (James)
Headline: Investors ‘go bananas’ for gold bars as global stock markets tumble
Headline: Asian shares slide as bank fears add to global gloom
Headline:Global Market Turmoil Triggers Tumult in Tokyo
BullionByPost, Britain’s biggest online gold dealer, said it has already taken record-day sales of £5.6m as traders pile into gold following fears the world is on the brink of another financial crisis. Rob Halliday-Stein, founder and managing director of the Birmingham-based company, said takings today had already surpassed the firm’s previous one-day record of £4.4m in October 2014. BullionByPost, which takes orders of up to £25,000 on the website but takes higher amounts over the phone, explained it had received a few hundred orders overnight and frantic numbers of phone calls this morning. “The bullion market has been building with interest since the end of last year but this morning things have gone bananas,” said Mr Halliday-Stein. “Some bankers in London are placing unusually large orders for physical gold.” London-based ATS Bullion added it had been inundated with orders for the past week. The firm has sold 4,000 gold bars and coins since February 1, a 40pc rise on the same period a year ago when it sold 1,500. “It’s been crazy – it’s been the best week since 2012. We’ve had people queuing round the block,” said Michael Cooper of ATS Bullion, a family run firm that trades online and also from an outlet in the West End. Gold is currently at its highest level since May, with prices surging 2.2pc this morning to $1,218.17 for an ounce of the precious metal.
February 12, 2016
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/investing/gold/12151770/Investors-go-bananas-for-gold-bars-as-global-stock-markets-tumble.html
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-markets-idUSKCN0VL04E
http://www.voanews.com/content/global-market-turmoil-triggers-tumult-in-tokyo/3187926.html
Headline: Saudi companies fail to make payrolls, Gulf states weigh taxes as oil prices strain economies
Sinking oil prices are weighing heavily on Mideast economies. In Saudi Arabia, the construction sector has been hit hard by low oil prices as several firms with government contracts are failing to make payroll. The Riyadh government has significantly cut spending on building projects as it seeks to reduce a budget deficit of $100 billion. The Saudi Ministry of Labor revealed this week that employees at a “major institution” said they had not been paid for months. “The pace of execution on some of the existing projects has slowed down, so a project that would take six months to complete may now see an extended execution time line,” said Murad Ansari, analyst at EFG-Hermes in Saudi Arabia. “Moreover, government payments have slowed down. As a result, contractors which normally rely on short-term funding for projects are feeling an impact on their working capital, so their ability to repay debt is not as strong as it was before.” “It’s not just us, it’s several construction companies that work on government projects,” one construction company executive told Reuters. Meanwhile, Gulf states that enticed foreign workers with low – or no – income tax rates are considering raising taxes to ease the burden from low oil prices. According to the World Bank, tax revenues in the UAE and other Arab Gulf countries with minimal taxation are among the world’s lowest. Dubai has no income tax.
February 12, 2016
http://www.worldtribune.com/saudi-companies-fail-to-make-payrolls-gulf-states-weigh-taxes-as-oil-prices-strain-economies/
February 9, 2016 – Dozens of cattle dying off due to unknown disease in Warrap State, Sudan
https://radiotamazuj.org/en/article/dozens-cattle-dead-tonj-north-county-unknown-disease
February 10, 2016 – Thousands of dead fish wash up in the waters of New Caledonia
https://translate.google.co.uk/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fnouvellecaledonie.la1ere.fr%2F2016%2F02%2F10%2Fpoissons-morts-ko-we-kara-quelles-hypotheses-330129.html&edit-text=&act=url
February 11, 2016 – Masses of dead fish wash up on beaches in Montevideo, Uruguay
https://translate.google.co.uk/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lr21.com.uy%2Fcomunidad%2F1275779-autoridades-analizan-calidad-agua-determinar-causa-mortandad-peces-montevideo&edit-text=&act=url
http://www.thebigwobble.org/2016/02/the-third-massive-fish-die-off-in-less.html
February 11, 2016 – 5,800 chickens killed due to avain flu in Tainan, Taiwan
http://focustaiwan.tw/news/asoc/201602110018.aspx
February 11, 2016 – Hundreds of dead fish founf in the waters of Oosterhout, Netherlands
https://translate.google.co.uk/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bndestem.nl%2Fregio%2Foosterhout%2Fbrabantse-delta-waarschuwt-voor-vervuild-water-in-oosterhout-na-honderden-dode-vissen-1.5715997&edit-text=&act=url
February 11, 2016 – Thousands of dead fish are washing up on beaches in Fiji
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-11/thousands-of-dead-fish-washing-up-on-fiji-beaches/7158814
February 11, 2016 – Thousands of dead fish washing up dead this week on beaches in several countries across the South Pacific
http://www.thebigwobble.org/2016/02/thousands-of-dead-fish-washing-up-dead.html
February 11, 2016 – Monkeys are dying off in the forests of Nicaragua
http://www.pri.org/stories/2016-02-11/theres-monkey-die-underway-central-america-and-scientists-are-concerned-it-may-be
February 11, 2016 – Hundreds of dead fish wash up on beaches in Mauritius
https://translate.google.co.uk/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.zinfos974.com%2FMaurice-Des-centaines-de-poissons-retrouves-morts-sur-les-plages_a96561.html&edit-text=&act=url
Godlessness 2 Timothy 3:1-5 & Matthew 24:12 “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold”
Headline: 5 U.S. law enforcement officers shot dead within days
Headline: Police kill man they say attacked restaurant patrons with machete
Headline: 2 teens shot at Arizona Glendale high school
Gunfire claimed the lives of at least five on-duty officers in an unusually deadly week for U.S. law enforcement. In four days, five officers were killed in the line of duty in shootings around the country, more than doubling the number of officers who have died by gunfire so far this year. A Colorado sheriff’s deputy died after being shot Monday; two sheriff’s deputies were killed Wednesday in Maryland; a police officer in Georgia is dead after gunfire broke out Thursday while he and other officers were serving a warrant; and a police officer shot Wednesday night in North Dakota did not survive, authorities say. Before these deaths were reported, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund said at least three other U.S. law enforcement officers had died from gunfire in the line of duty this year. Adding the totals together, that would make at least eight since January 1. One officer was shot to death during the same period last year, and at least 42 were fatally shot in 2015 — a rate of less than one per week — according to the group. At least 124 officers died in the line of duty last year — more than two per week — from all causes, the group said.
February 12, 2016
http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/11/us/law-enforcement-officers-shot-dead/index.html
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2016/02/11/machete-attack.html
http://tucson.com/news/blogs/police-beat/teens-shot-at-glendale-high-school/article_403b783a-d1a5-11e5-85da-0ff2eab6753f.html
Matthew 24:7 “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. Luke 21:11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.” Luke21:25 “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring”
Headline: EARTH-DIRECTED CME
Sunspot AR2497 erupted on Feb. 11th (2103 UT), producing a C9-class solar flare and hurling a coronal mass ejection (CME) in space. Newly-arriving images from SOHO show that the CME does have an Earth-directed component: movie. NOAA analysts say it should reach our planet on Feb. 15th, possibly sparking minor geomagnetic storms.
February 12, 2016
http://www.spaceweather.com/
***All earthquakes are instantly posted to my Facebook page; Please be sure to visit my Facebook page to see ALL the maps of the large earthquakes from March 2014 – today
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.931241630279041.1073741830.353621338041076&type=3
Headline: What’s shaking? 
List & map of USGS Earthquakes
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/#{%22feed%22%3A%221day_m25%22%2C%22search%22%3Anull%2C%22sort%22%3A%22newest%22%2C%22basemap%22%3A%22grayscale%22%2C%22autoUpdate%22%3Atrue%2C%22restrictListToMap%22%3Atrue%2C%22timeZone%22%3A%22local%22%2C%22mapposition%22%3A[[-82.49482361179572%2C-81.2109375]%2C[82.44876405595812%2C481.28906250000006]]%2C%22overlays%22%3A{%22plates%22%3Atrue}%2C%22viewModes%22%3A{%22map%22%3Atrue%2C%22list%22%3Atrue%2C%22settings%22%3Afalse%2C%22help%22%3Afalse}}
