It had been closed since the dramatic events of HTS-led forces entering the capital, and Assad and his top officials fleeing the country. The airport’s director Anis Fallouh said it will reopen “in the next few days” – according to the AFP.

“God willing, the airport will reopen as quickly as possible because we are going to work flat out,” Fallouh said. “We can quickly resume flights through Syrian airspace.”

For now, however, it seems unrealistic that any flights will land or take off from the airport given that Israeli warplanes have been bombing the country non-stop for at least 72 hours. This has included the targeting of at least 350 Syrian Army sites, as well as facilities for the production of chemical weapons.

With Israeli warplanes roaming the skies, commercial flight travel over Syria remains highly dangerous. There’s also the fact that the various al-Qaeda factions now in control of Syria have gained access to at least some of Syria’s remnant anti-aircraft missile arsenal, such as MANPADS.

There have also long-been NATO-supplied shoulder-fired missiles all around Syria, supplied to the ‘rebels’. Below appears to be evidence of this…

WATCH

Uyghur Rebels in Syria Threaten China with Assad-Era Missiles

Uyghur rebels in Syria have discovered BM-21 Grad long-range missiles left behind by Bashar al-Assad’s regime. They issued a warning to the Chinese government, declaring their intent to use these weapons… pic.twitter.com/od2Yk0AxLD

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) December 10, 2024

Only Cham Wings, a private Syrian airline and Syrian Air, the country’s national airline, had been continuing to operate up to the dramatic events of the last ten days.

But Al Jazeera has noted of the status of these defunct airlines, “Aircraft maintenance official Samer Radi said there were currently 12 aircraft on the ground, one of which had been stripped of its equipment by looters during the takeover by opposition forces.”

It’s unclear whether these carriers will be reestablished, or a timeline for potential operations. At this moment the country and population are also starved of fuel, after days ago an Iranian tanker en route to Syria turned around as it became clear the Assad government was in collapse.

Before the war, British Airways and Emirates had frequent flights to and from Damascus. But immense hurdles remain in what is still basically a war zone and questions over the fact that a US-designated terror organization is now running the show in Damascus.

The HTS jihadists who seized control of Aleppo International #Airport have reportedly destroyed all whiskey and alcohol bottles in its duty-free zone. It seems that the enforcement of Sharia law has already begun in #Aleppo. pic.twitter.com/81lxrz0b1O

— Greco-Levantines World Wide (@GrecoLevantines) December 2, 2024

“So far, the operations of Syrian Air have been extremely restricted,” explained one industry analyst. “Everybody would want to reopen flights into Damascus, which obviously is a significant destination for the Gulf.”

“Airlines will have to individually go and do a damage assessment, a liability assessment and a review of what’s happened, what’s workable, what’s permissible, as well as what’s functioning and what is not,” the analyst continued.

In a Thursday meeting with family members of Major Sajjad Mansouri – who was reportedly killed during the Oct. 26 Israeli strikes – Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Army Major General Seyyed Abdolrahim Mousavi promised a “crushing” blow to Israel.

“We will determine the time and manner of our response. There will be no hesitation when the time comes, and our reply will surely be crushing,” he said according to Tehran-based news outlet Iran Front Page News, echoing threats issued by Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei earlier this month when he said Tehran would issue a “crushing response.”

Similarly, Deputy Commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Ali Fadavi on Thursday said, “The entire world will bear witness as the complete downfall of the Zionist regime fulfills the triumph of righteousness over falsehood.”

Of course Israel has already promised that it will respond to any attack by hitting Iran even harder than it did last time.

In fact, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is suggesting that Iran’s oil fields could be a target…

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted that the IDF would hit Iranian oil fields should Tehran make good on its threat to launch another ballistic missile attack on Israel.

“Another attack on Israel would simply cripple Iran’s economy,” Netanyahu said in an unusual English-language message he directed at the Iranian people.

Can you imagine what that would do to the price of oil?

Israel’s defense minister wants to go a step further.  He is publicly suggesting that now is the time to wipe out Iran’s nuclear facilities…

Grossi’s comments came during a news conference Thursday and just three days after Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Monday said that Iran was “more exposed than ever [for] strikes on its nuclear facilities.”

“We have the opportunity to achieve our most important goal – to thwart and eliminate the existential threat to the State of Israel,” he added.

If Israel goes after those nuclear facilities, there will be no turning back.

Both nations would start pummeling one another until only one side is left standing.

Meanwhile, the IDF is now bombing Syria on a daily basis…

Israeli attacks on Syria have become daily, and now the United States is ramping up its own attacks in the northeast of the country as well.

On Thursday Israeli warplanes launched attacks on two residential buildings in the Damascus suburbs – one in Mazzeh and the other in Qudsaya, which lies west of the capital. Regional reports said that many people were killed, and Syrian state SANA posted photos of bombed-out apartments.

Israeli Army Radio in a rare acknowledgement appeared to confirm the Israeli attack while claiming the fresh attacks targeted the Syrian headquarters the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) group, which is fighting alongside Hamas in Gaza, and has held Israeli citizens captive since Oct.7, 2023.

We really are on the brink of an uncontrollable regional war in the Middle East, and it should deeply alarm all of us that Turkey has decided to officially cut off all relations with Israel…

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that Turkey has officially severed relations with Israel, according to reports in Turkish media.

News outlet Medya Ege reported Erdogan to have said, “We, as the State and Government of the Republic of Turkey, have cut off relations with Israel. We do not have any relationship with Israel at this point. Period.”

This is such a dangerous time.

Donald Trump will not take office for more than two months, and nobody in the Middle East really cares what the lame duck Biden administration has to say at this point. I have a feeling that things will soon get really, really crazy in the region.

In Ukraine, Russian forces just launched a very large missile attack against the capital city of Kyiv…

As world diplomacy is working overtime in this transitional period in America, the Russian Federation forces continue in their overwhelming campaign against Ukraine.

After almost four months of ‘saving missiles’, this early morning (13), explosions rocked Kiev as Russia launched its first missile attack on the Ukrainian capital since August.

Kiev citizens have been expecting a missile attack for a while now, worrying that it could deal a new blow to the hobbled energy system and cause blackouts during the winter.

The Ukrainians are extremely concerned about what will happen once Trump gets into the White House, and it is being suggested that Ukraine could actually build “hundreds of nuclear warheads for rudimentary bombs” if U.S. financial support for the war is pulled…

Ukraine has enough plutonium to construct hundreds of nuclear warheads for rudimentary bombs akin to the first atomic weapons dropped on Japan by the US in 1945, a new report has revealed.

A briefing paper prepared for Ukraine’s Defence Ministry said Kyiv could develop small dirty bombs within months if Donald Trump pulls US military aid.

Despite giving up its nuclear arsenal in 1996, Kyiv is still in control of nine operational reactors and has significant expertise on how to build the weapons.

The Ukrainians are losing the war, and I think that they have become so desperate that they would actually use such weapons.

Of course the moment that the Ukrainians use a dirty bomb, the Russians will nuke them into oblivion.

Speaking of the Russians, it is being reported that 12,000 North Korean troops are now assisting the Russian Army as it attempts to retake the Kursk region…

It was revealed last month that 12,000 North Korean troops had been sent to Ukraine to fight on behalf of Russia. Now, they are reported to have been deployed to Kursk as part of the Russian counter-offensive, while Pyongyang this week ratified a landmark new defence pact with Moscow.

The North Koreans also just tested a nuclear missile that has enough range to reach the continental United States, and they continue to threaten to invade South Korea.

We will want to watch North Korea very carefully in the months ahead.

We will also want to watch the situation in Taiwan.  Apparently, the Taiwanese government is interested in a “massive $15 billion military weapons deal” once Trump’s term begins…

Taiwan has told the incoming Trump administration it is interested in securing a massive $15 billion military weapons deal with the United States, the Financial Times reported exclusively on Tuesday (November 12).

Taiwanese defense has been brought to the forefront of the world stage amid heightened tensions with China, whose government denies Taiwan’s independence and wants to annex the island nation through war if necessary.

Citing anonymous Taiwanese official sources, the FT said Taipei’s inquiries about a defense deal include interest in procuring the Aegis destroyer, and possibly 60 F-35s, four Advanced Hawkeyes, 10 retired vessels and 400 Patriot missiles.

Needless to say, the Chinese would be absolutely furious if such a deal actually happens.

Our relations with China have been going downhill for quite a while now, and it appears that the incoming administration will have “China hawks” in quite a few key positions…

President-elect Donald Trump has apparently decided to appoint China hawks Marco Rubio and Mike Waltz to the positions of secretary of state and national security adviser respectively.

In addition, Fox News host Pete Hegseth – who once said “China is building an army to defeat America” to the post of defence secretary, while John Ratcliffe is set to be CIA chief. Ratcliffe has called China the top threat to American interests.

This could offer the clearest indication yet of Trump’s intent when it comes to China and Taiwan. While the presidential election winner has called out Taiwan for what he sees as stealing US jobs in the past, chances are he knows the US will have to come to the island democracy’s defence should Beijing invade or blockade.

For a very long time, I have been relentlessly warning my readers about an apocalyptic war with Russia, an apocalyptic war with China, and an apocalyptic war in the Middle East.

Two of those wars have already started, and I believe that it won’t be too long before the third one erupts. Ultimately, historians will probably regard all of these wars as part of one gigantic global war.

We are the World War III generation, and most people out there won’t even realize what is happening until it is too late to do anything about it.

Michael’s new book entitled “Why” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.

On Wednesday federal prosecutors have revealed an arrest, with the NY Times reporting that “The man, Asif W. Rahman, was indicted last week in federal court in Virginia with two counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information.” He had worked for the US government overseas, and is being charged with two counts of violating the Espionage Act. The Times has followed with an update identifying him as a CIA official.

Rahman was apprehended by the FBI in Cambodia on Tuesday, and has been brought to federal court in Guam where he’ll get charged in the case.

“Court documents said Mr. Rahman held a top secret security clearance with access to sensitive compartmentalized information, which is typical for many C.I.A. employees who handle classified materials.,” the Times continues.

It also remains unclear what he was doing in Cambodia at the time of this arrest – whether on the run or perhaps merely traveling abroad, or possibly for work.

The FBI previously said it was “working closely with our partners in the Department of Defense and intelligence community” to track down the leaker. From the start, federal investigators made clear that they believed it to be the result of an intelligence insider, and not the result of a foreign hacking operation.

More than a week after the leaks first appeared Israeli media indicated that national decision-makers had delayed the timing of the planned retaliatory attack on Iran due to the leak incident, given one of the docs detailed Israeli placements and movements of missiles and defensive assets.

“Israel is concerned the leak could help Iran predict certain patterns of attack,” The Times had written. “It has been forced to develop an alternative plan, one that requires detailed war gaming before any order is given, The Times understands.”

“The leak of the American documents delayed the attack due to the need to change certain strategies and components,” an intelligence source described as having knowledge of Israeli deliberations said.

Additionally there appeared in the leaks confirmation of Israel’s highly secretive nuclear weapons program, which on an official level it is not supposed to have.

Oh dear. Did someone at NGA leak Top Secret TALENT KEYHOLE FIVE EYES NO FOREIGN EYES intelligence about Israel's nuclear weapons…on Twitter? pic.twitter.com/3lyKWFCmUw

— Eric Garland (@ericgarland) October 20, 2024

The pair of documents were classified TOP SECRET, with both marked NOFORN – which is among the highest classifications – given it indicates the specific intelligence cannot be shared with allied foreign intelligence agencies. But markings indicated they could be shared only among “Five Eyes” allies: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The investigation to find the leaker focused heavily on these Five Eyes allies, but the NY Times report is saying that the leak occurred in-house, via a US government employee of the Central Intelligence Agency.

In other words, we are on the brink of the sort of all-out war between Israel and Iran that I specifically warned about in a chapter entitled “The 3 Wars Of The Apocalypse” that was featured in a book that I published last year.  I know that virtually everyone in the U.S. is really focused on the upcoming election at the moment, but what is going on in the Middle East right now is really big news.

We just witnessed the largest Israeli attack on Iran ever.  It is being reported that “dozens of fighter jets” were involved in a massive operation that struck targets all over Iran and Syria…

Dozens of fighter jets hit ballistic missile factories, air defence batteries and missile launchers. Israel launched a simultaneous attack on military targets in central and southern Syria. Among the pilots and navigators involved in the Iran strikes were a number of women, praised by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) for their bravery.

It is thought the secret research base near Tehran was developing ‘kamikaze drone’ technology, designed to loiter over a target until instructed to attack.

According to Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari, the Israelis now have “broader aerial freedom of operation in Iran”, and this will make it easier for the IDF the next time it becomes necessary to strike the Iranians…

Israel’s first open attack on Iran targeted missile production facilities and air defense systems, the military said Saturday, tempering fears of a broader foray but giving Israeli aircraft the ability to operate more freely in Iranian skies as the region entered a new phase of escalation.

“Israel now has broader aerial freedom of operation in Iran,” an Israeli military spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said in a statement after the attack concluded. The remarks signaled Israel’s willingness to strike Iran in the future, even as Israeli officials said the attacks were tailored to minimize casualties and allow Iran to deny major damage.

The Biden administration is trying to play down the size and scope of the Israeli operation, and Joe Biden is desperately hoping that the Iranians will choose not to respond…

“It looks like they didn’t hit anything other than military targets,” President Joe Biden, speaking to reporters in Philadelphia, said of the Israeli strikes. “I hope that this is the end.”

We should all hope that this is the end of it. But it appears that the Iranians have already made their decision.

The Daily Mail is reporting that Iran has “vowed revenge” and that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is using the phrase “no limits” to describe what Iran might do…

Iran vowed revenge yesterday after Israel’s missile blitz on Tehran destroyed up to 20 key military sites, including a top-secret research facility.

Foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran had ‘no limits’ in defending its interests and was obliged to take retaliatory action.

Those are very strong words.

And we are being told that Araghchi has already delivered a letter to the United Nations that declares that Iran has the right to respond to the Israeli attack…

Iran’s top diplomat has condemned Israel’s unprecedented attack on multiple military sites across the Islamic Republic and has asserted Tehran’s right to respond to the latest escalation amid a year-long Middle East conflict in a letter obtained by Newsweek.

The letter was attributed to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and sent Saturday to United Nations (U.N.) Secretary-General António Guterres and U.N. Security Council President Pascale Christine Baeriswyl via Iranian Permanent Representative to the U.N. Amir Saeid Iravani.

According to Araghchi, Iran “reserves its inherent right to legal and legitimate response to these criminal attacks at the appropriate time”.

To me, it sounds like the Iranians do not plan to respond immediately. But a response is definitely coming. And the Israelis have already warned that they will hit Iran again if the Iranians strike back.

So this is it. The big war between Israel and Iran is here.

Of course the big war between Israel and Hezbollah has already been raging. In recent days, fierce fighting in southern Lebanon has resulted in a substantial number of Israeli casualties…

Ten Israeli soldiers were killed and at least 28 more wounded to varying degrees amid heavy battles against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, Israel Defense Forces announced Thursday and Friday.

The soldiers were killed in three separate incidents in just over 24 hours. Since the start of the ground offensive in Lebanon, 27 soldiers have fallen amid the heavy fighting.

In the most recent incident, five reservists serving in the 8th Hazaken Brigade’s 89th Battalion were killed, and 19 others were wounded, with four in serious condition, when a Hezbollah rocket struck a supply point at a building in a southern Lebanese village.

We aren’t hearing much about this from the big news networks in the United States, are we?

If they give too much attention to what is going on in the Middle East right now, that could make Kamala Harris and the Biden administration look bad, and so they are being pretty quiet about it.

The big news networks in the United States are also being pretty quiet about the stunning Russian advances that are happening in eastern Ukraine…

With Russia advancing at the fastest rate in eastern Ukraine since the first months of the invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been pleading with the West to allow Kyiv to fire deep into Russia with Western missiles.

The Biden administration’s plan for the war in Ukraine has completely and utterly failed.

Billions and billions and billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars have been poured into that war, but the Russians are still winning. In fact, the Russians are gobbling up more territory with each passing day. And now the Middle East is on the verge of erupting in flames.

We were warned about these wars way in advance, but most people still aren’t paying much attention.

What will it take before most of the population finally starts waking up?

Michael’s new book entitled “Why” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.

At this moment, most Americans have no idea that a war between the United States and China is coming.

Just a few days ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping boldly talked about “preparation for war” as he was dressed in military fatigues…

On Thursday Chinese Communist Dictator Xi Jinping commanded troops to strengthen their preparedness for war while visiting his People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force following last week’s drills of surrounding the sovereign country of Taiwan.

“Xi said the military should ‘comprehensively strengthen training and preparation for war, (and) ensure troops have solid combat capabilities,’ CCTV reported,” according to the AFP and reported on Barrons Saturday.

Why would China need to prepare for war? Needless to say, nobody is planning to attack China.

The truth is that the only reason that China would need to prepare for war is if it was planning to invade Taiwan.

Because the moment that China invades Taiwan, the U.S. and China will be at war.

In recent days, the Chinese have been getting very aggressive with Taiwan…

On Monday, Beijing had deployed fighter jets, drones, warships and coast guard vessels to encircle Taiwan — its fourth round of large-scale war games around the democratic island in just over two years.

China’s communist leaders have insisted they will not rule out using force to bring Taiwan under Beijing’s control.

Meanwhile, western leaders continue to publicly discuss sending NATO troops to Ukraine. The latest example of this came from the foreign minister of Lithuania…

The Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said in a statement to Politico on Monday that European Union countries should return to the idea of putting boots-on-the-ground in Ukraine to fight Russia.

The idea comes after French President Emmanuel Macron said in February that sending Western troops to Ukraine is not ‘ruled out’ for the future plans in war against Russia, according to the AP. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz shut down that plan for the time being however.

“If information about Russia’s killing squads being equipped with North Korean ammunition and military personnel is confirmed, we have to get back to ‘boots on the ground’ and other ideas proposed by [French President] Emmanuel Macron,” he said in written comments, Politico reported on Monday.

One of the reasons why this has came up again is because there are reports that soldiers from North Korea are being equipped and sent to fight for Russia on the front lines of eastern Ukraine…

North Korean soldiers have been filmed receiving uniforms and equipment at a training ground in Russia’s far east, appearing to confirm reports from South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) that 1,500 soldiers have been shipped over for military training to be deployed in Ukraine.

The North Korean troops are thought to be receiving training before being sent to the front line in Ukraine, in what is thought to be a clear sign of the ever-warming relations between Moscow and Pyongyang.

Both sides just continue to escalate matters.

It appears to be just a matter of time before we find ourselves in a direct conflict with the Russians, and that is a really, really bad idea.

North Korea has been making all sorts of noise lately.  In addition to sending troops to fight in Ukraine, the North Koreans are also threatening to invade South Korea…

North Korea has said it had found the remnants of a South Korean military drone and that any further “violation” of its territory would result in a “declaration of war.”

Tensions between the two sides of the peninsula have escalated since May when the North began flying balloons carrying garbage across the border to the South, prompting Seoul to respond by restarting loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts.

This week, North Korea accused South Korea of flying drones over Pyongyang on three occasions this month and threatened to respond with force if it happened again.

The North Korean military is vastly superior to the South Korean military. If North Korea invades, the only way that South Korea will survive is if we intervene.

But right now the U.S. military is focused on the Middle East, because that conflict could spiral completely out of control at any moment.

On Sunday night, IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari warned that Israel would soon begin targeting any financial institutions that aid Hezbollah…

“In the past 24 hours, dozens of projectiles have been fired at northern Israel,” he began. “In the next minutes, we will issue an advance evacuation warning to residents of Beirut and other areas in Lebanon to evacuate locations being used to finance Hezbollah’s terror activities. I emphasize here: Anyone located near sites used to fund Hezbollah’s terror activities must move away from these locations immediately.”

“We will strike several targets in the coming hours and additional targets throughout the night.

“In the coming days, we will reveal how Iran funds Hezbollah’s terror activities by using civilian institutions, associations, and NGOs that act as fronts for terrorism.”

And it certainly did not take long for that to start happening.

Last night, branches of Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association Bank were hit by Israeli airstrikes…

Israeli fighter jets struck dozens of targets in Beirut and other areas of southern Lebanon overnight, including branches of a bank accused of holding funds used by Hezbollah.

The military’s Arabic spokesman, Avichay Adraee, had earlier in the night issued several evacuation orders for buildings throughout southern Lebanon he said were in the vicinity of facilities belonging to the U.S.-sanctioned Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association Bank.

Most people in the western world have absolutely no idea how chaotic things have become over there.

It is being reported that there is “widespread panic” in Beirut at this moment…

Jeanine Hennis, the United Nations’ special coordinator for Lebanon, said that after the IDF issued its evacuations, said there was “widespread panic” in Beirut.

“A brief window to escape to safety. Intense blasts reverberate across the night sky. With each day, Lebanon suffers more. But even amid the escalating violence, solutions remain available. If only opportunities would be seized,” she said.

Could the U.S. soon find itself involved in 4 major global wars?

Let’s hope not, because we are not even prepared to fight one…

The US Army’s outgoing top commander in the Pacific region has warned that the US can “ill afford” another war because its military is vastly overstretched.

According to Defense One, Gen. Charles Flynn said that the US’ authoritarian rivals — Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea — had been placing increasing pressure on American military resources.

Speaking at the AUSA conference in Washington DC last week, Flynn described the technology and military alliances between the authoritarian states as a “very dangerous combination.”

The U.S. military is not the overwhelming global force that it once was.

While other major powers have been feverishly preparing to fight World War III, our military has been rapidly becoming a politically correct joke.

Now a day of reckoning is upon us, and we are not ready.

Michael’s new book entitled “Why” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.

These sensitive documents, attributed to both the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency, indicate that Israel has been mobilizing its military assets in preparation for a strike following Iran’s aggressive ballistic missile assault on October 1. Such information was sharable among the “Five Eyes,” which consists of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia.

Marked with top-secret classifications, these documents were disseminated via the Telegram messaging application last week and were first reported by CNN and Axios. On Sunday, The Associated Press broke news regarding this U.S. investigation into what is being described as an unauthorized release of critical intelligence information based on insights from three U.S. officials. A fourth official—who requested anonymity—suggested that these documents appear legitimate.

House Speaker Mike Johnson confirmed this ongoing investigation during his appearance on CNN.

“The leak is very concerning. There’s some serious allegations being made; there’s an investigation underway, and I’ll get a briefing on that in a couple of hours,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson.

He further noted,

“There’s a classified level briefing and then another. But we’re following it closely,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson.

The inquiry also delves into how these sensitive documents were obtained—exploring whether they resulted from an intentional breach by someone within the U.S intelligence community or through alternative means such as hacking—and whether any additional intelligence has been compromised according to one official who spoke with AP News while remaining unnamed.

Officials are diligently working to ascertain who had access to these materials prior to their public dissemination online last Friday via Telegram channels claiming affiliation with individuals within America’s intelligence apparatus before later connecting them back to entities within the Defense Department itself; evidently based entirely upon satellite imagery analysis rather than human sources or informants.

Article generated from corporate media reports.

The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) did not report any casualties at the incident, as Netanyahu and his wife were not in their home at the time, according to NBC News. The incident follows the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar by Israeli forces, the man allegedly behind the Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attacks on Israel that began the Israel-Hamas war.

Netanyahu had hoped the death of Sinwar would be the “beginning of the end” for the Iranian-backed paramilitary organization Hezbollah enough to end the war. However, the group, which is close allies with Hamas, will continue to escalate the conflict, according to NBC.

“In the last hour, three unmanned aerial vehicles crossed into the country from Lebanon,” Netanyahu’s office said according to the BBC. “Two of the aircraft were intercepted. Another aircraft hit a building in Caesarea, no injuries.”

Hezbollah has been responsible for the majority of the attacks, as the IDF continues to strategically target strongholds of the group in Lebanon, according to the BBC. The IDF said that 55 rockets have been launched into Israel so far this Saturday.

Netanyahu has two private homes, one in the capital of Jerusalem and one in Caesarea, as well as the official Prime Minister’s residence in Jerusalem as well, according to the BBC.

The Lebanon Health Ministry reported that on the same day, two people died in an Israeli strike on the Christian-majority town of Jounieh, according to the BBC. The move is unusual, as Israel has primarily targeted Shia-muslim majority areas where Hezbollah is most active.

The Prime Minister’s Office did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

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The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) which were operating in south Gaza were not specifically seeking to target him, but a body recovered at the scene suggests he may have been killed. Israeli sources and media are saying there is a “high likelihood” Sinwar has been killed.

“At this stage, the identity of the terrorists cannot be confirmed,” the Israeli army and air force said in a joint statement as speculation mounts, also as gruesome photographs of a badly mangled body circulate widely online.

The Washington Post writes that “A body, believed to be Sinwar’s, is being brought to Israel for DNA analysis, according to an Israeli official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.” According to more details:

“We have his DNA from when he was in jail,” Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon said in an interview in September, at a previous moment when Israeli authorities believed they might have killed the Hamas leader. Danon said at the time that DNA analysis had been run on previous bodies, but that the testing had not been a match.

According to Israeli journalist Nadav Eyal, “A reserve IDF force operating near Rafah spotted three armed men in a building, which was then hit by a drone/tank shell.”

He describes that “A man resembling Sinwar and a Hamas regiment commander were found dead with a substantial amount of cash and weapons. This was part of the ongoing IDF operation, not a targeted assassination. No hostages are believed to have been present, but the ground is being inspected to confirm.”

The Israeli police says its forensics team has identified Sinwar's body according to pictures of his teeth that were taken by soldiers on the ground and compared to photos of his teeth Israel has. DNA test is still ongoing https://t.co/XNx5DlJ6Lk

— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) October 17, 2024

While Israel’s military is urging caution and patience amid all the rumors, if confirmed it would be a huge win for Israel, and major setback for Hamas:

Army chief Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi vowed to “find him (Sinwar), attack him” and force Hamas to find another leader.

Sinwar — Hamas’s leader in Gaza since 2017 — has not been seen since the October 7 attack, the deadliest in Israel’s history.

It would certainly mark the biggest development of the conflict since the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31st of this year.

Israeli army publishes footage of what it says is the operation that “led to the assassination of Yahya Sinwar”…

الجيش الإسرائيلي ينشر صورا لما قال إنها للعملية التي "أدت لاغتيال يحيى السنوار" #غزة #قناة_العربية #فلسطين pic.twitter.com/XDlh3gjILp

— العربية عاجل (@AlArabiya_Brk) October 17, 2024

A prominent open source analysis X account, OSINTdefender, writes that “One of the Images claimed to show the Body of Yahya Sinwar, following an Israeli Strike earlier today on Southern Gaza. With Facial Features as well as his Watch appearing to be an Exact Match to the Leader of Hamas.”

Strong rumors of his death have been circulating in Arabic media as well.

UPDATE: Israel is "close" to confirming Yahya Sinwar DNA, but "NOT FINAL" a source tells @AlMonitor . 2 Sources told Kan Sinwar has been killed. No comment from Hamas yet https://t.co/B5cMpTXFEr

— Joyce Karam (@Joyce_Karam) October 17, 2024

Below is a quick review of his bio, via Al Jazeera:

• Yahya Sinwar was born in the Khan Younis refugee camp in southern Gaza in 1962.
• His family were refugees from Majdal Askalan, or what became Ashkelon, after the creation of Israel in 1948.
• Sinwar spent 22 years of his life in Israeli prisons, for allegedly planning the abduction and killing of two Israeli soldiers in 1988. He was freed in 2011 as part of a prisoner exchange deal.
• An Israeli government assessment of his years in detention described him as “ruthless” and “powerful”.
• He used his time in jail to become fluent in Hebrew.
• Sinwar succeeded Ismail Haniyeh as Hamas’s leader in Gaza in 2017. He became the group’s leader after Israel assassinated Haniyeh in July.
• After the October 7 attack in southern Israel, which he is accused of masterminding, the Israeli military described him as a “dead man walking”.

(The Most Important News)—Did you know that two life-sized replicas of the Tabernacle have already been constructed in Israel?  One is in the Timna Valley near Israel’s southernmost city of Eilat, and the other one is located at the Eshel-Hashomron Hotel near the city of Ariel in Samaria.  Both of these structures already contain replicas of the Ark of the Covenant.  Of course those that created both of these life-sized models of the Tabernacle insist that they are only to be used for educational purposes.  But could that change at some point in the future?  After all, once the Ark of the Covenant is revealed to the world, it will need a home.

After the original Temple was destroyed in 586 BC, the Ark of the Covenant entirely disappeared from the history books.

There is no historical record that says that the Babylonians captured the Ark, and no Babylonian leader ever claimed that it was in Babylon. But the Ark of the Covenant was not present in the Second Temple either, and so that indicates that those that built it also did not know where it was located.

So what in the world happened to it? Personally, I have become convinced that it is still in a chamber under the city of Jerusalem where it was hidden prior to the Babylonian invasion.

On the official website of the Temple Institute, it is clearly stated that the Temple Institute knows exactly where this hidden chamber is located…

While some claim to have evidence that the ark is in Ethiopia, and of course, moviegoers were treated to a fanciful version of the story in “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” in reality, the expression “lost” ark is not an accurate description for the Jewish people’s point of view – because we have always known exactly where it is. So the Ark is “Hidden,” and hidden quite well, but it is not lost.

Tradition records that even as King Solomon built the First Temple, he already knew, through Divine inspiration, that eventually it would be destroyed. Thus Solomon, the wisest of all men, oversaw the construction of a vast system of labyrinths, mazes, chambers and corridors underneath the Temple Mount complex. He commanded that a special place be built in the bowels of the earth, where the sacred vessels of the Temple could be hidden in case of approaching danger. Midrashic tradition teaches that King Josiah of Israel, who lived about forty years before the destruction of the First Temple, commanded the Levites to hide the Ark, together with the original menorah and several other items*, in this secret hiding place which Solomon had prepared.

This location is recorded in our sources, and today, there are those who know exactly where this chamber is. And we know that the ark is still there, undisturbed, and waiting for the day when it will be revealed. An attempt was made some few years ago to excavate towards the direction of this chamber. This resulted in widespread Moslem unrest and rioting. They stand a great deal to lose if the Ark is revealed – for it will prove to the whole world that there really was a Holy Temple, and thus, that the Jews really do have a claim to the Temple Mount. (The official position of the Islamic Wakf, the body that governs over the Temple Mount, is that there never was a Holy Temple, and that the Jews have no rights whatsoever to the place).

There are lots of other “experts” that have all sorts of bizarre theories about where the Ark of the Covenant could be today.

But for any of those theories to be true, the Temple Institute has to be lying.

Personally, I believe that they are telling us the truth.

In 1982, Rabbi Yehuda Getz reportedly came “within 40 feet” of this secret chamber…

Rabbi Getz believes that in 1982 he was very close, within 40 feet, to finding the cave in which the Ark resides. He was conducting a search in an old tunnel that had been filled with the debris of centuries, which runs perpendicular to the Western Wall and under the Temple Mount. However, when the Moslems discovered that there were diggings being conducted under the Dome of the Rock, they threatened a general riot and the diggings were stopped. The rabbi explains that, for the sake of maintaining peace with their Moslem neighbors, the Israelis had to reseal the entrance to the tunnel, and it remains blocked up to this day.

This is almost certainly the episode that the Temple Institute is referring to on their website.

In 1982, it wasn’t time for the Ark to be revealed. But I believe that the time when it will be revealed is getting very close.

Interestingly, there is an ancient document called “Treatise of the Vessels” that claims that the Ark of the Covenant will not be revealed “until the day of the coming of the Messiah”…

One text called the “Treatise of the Vessels” says that the ark “shall not be revealed until the day of the coming of the Messiah son of David….”

Is this the generation that will see the return of the Lord Jesus? Yes.

And as I detailed in my book entitled “Chaos”, I am convinced that this is also the generation when the discovery of the Ark of the Covenant will shock the entire globe.

Right now, two life-sized replicas of the Tabernacle in which the Ark of the Covenant once stood currently exist in the land of Israel.  But both of them are “for educational purposes and are not functional”…

The holy Tabernacle housing the presence of the God of Israel, once carried by the ancient Israelites, no longer exists. However, since the Jews have reclaimed their ancestral homeland in Israel, they reconstructed two replicas of this legendary religious structure. It should be noted: These replicas are displayed for educational purposes and are not functional.

The replica of the Tabernacle that is most well-known is in southern Israel close to the city of Eilat…

The Timna Tabernacle, first displayed in Switzerland during the 1990s before returning to Israel, now stands in the scenic Timna Valley in the southern Israeli desert near Eilat, adjacent to ancient copper mines often associated with King Solomon. Set against the desert backdrop, it offers an accurate and authentic reconstruction reminiscent of the Israelites’ Tabernacle during their desert journey, matching the dimensions and features described in the Bible. Inside, visitors can explore exact replicas of various elements, including the altar, copper sink, table of showbread, menorah (the seven branches candelabrum), the small altar for incense, ark of the covenant, priestly vestments, and more.

The other one is located at the Eshel-Hashomron Hotel in the city of Ariel…

The “Biblical Park” at the Eshel-Hashomron Hotel in Ariel, Samaria, inaugurated in 2014, showcases a life-sized replica of the Tabernacle of Shiloh from the biblical period of Judges, distinguishing it from the one at Timna. The garden features interactive stations, such as a miniature Jordan River. Owned by the only Jewish hotel in Samaria, this replica offers insight into the Tabernacle during the settled period of the Israelites under the Judges, particularly during Samuel’s time.

Tourists who are interested in delving deeper are encouraged to visit the ancient Shilo archaeological site before or after exploring the Tabernacle at Eshel-Hashomron. At Shilo, archaeologists have discovered what they believe to be the location of the Tabernacle during Samuel’s childhood.

When the Ark of the Covenant is finally revealed to the world, could it go into one of these models of the Tabernacle? To a lot of people, that would seem to make sense. But I don’t think that this is likely to happen.

When the Ark of the Covenant is finally revealed, it will instantly become a major target for terrorists. So I think that it is far more likely that the Ark will be placed in an extremely secure facility that is deep underground.

Of course many would argue that it is already in an extremely secure place since nobody has been able to get to the chamber where it is located all these years.

We live at such an exciting time.  Major archaeological discoveries are constantly being made, but since they aren’t getting that much attention a lot of people don’t know about them. For example, a secret tomb that contains “at least 12 human skeletons” was just discovered under the ancient city of Petra…

At the heart of the ancient city of Petra, Jordan, carved into pink sandstone cliffs, lies an elaborate monument known as the Khaznah, or the Treasury.

And buried beneath that edifice, archaeologists recently discovered, is a tomb with at least 12 human skeletons and artifacts that are estimated to be at least 2,000 years old.

Archaeologists led by Dr. Pearce Paul Creasman, executive director of the American Center of Research, unearthed the ancient tomb. The expedition was studying the Treasury after years of speculation that two tombs found below the left side of the monument in 2003 weren’t the only secret underground chambers. But that theory had not been confirmed — until now.

That was a mind-blowing discovery, but hardly anyone has heard about it. And more mind-blowing discoveries are coming.

I believe that the Ark of the Covenant will be publicly revealed in our generation. When it happens, it will be the greatest archaeological bombshell of all time.

So let’s watch for any mention of the Ark in the news, because they won’t be able to keep a lid on where it is currently located for too much longer.

Michael’s new book entitled “Why” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoǧan told local media on Saturday that Russia, Iran and Syria should do more to protect Syria’s “territorial integrity.”

“It is essential that Russia, Iran and Syria take more effective measures against this situation, which poses the greatest threat to Syria’s territorial integrity,” Erdoǧan said when asked about the recent alleged Israeli airstrike in the nation’s capital, Damascus.

Obviously Iran and Syria are already working very closely together. But we shall see what Russia and Turkey decide to do.

The Russians definitely have their hands full with Ukraine, and so they don’t really have resources to spare for a war in the Middle East. And Turkey is a member of NATO, and that status would certainly be jeopardized if Erdogan decided to jump into this conflict. But as for Iran and Syria, they are already essentially at war with Israel.

The IDF is constantly bombing targets inside Syria, and the Iranians recently launched about 200 missiles into Israel.

Now we are waiting for the Israeli response, and Iran has already told the Biden administration that it will respond in kind to any Israeli attack…

Iran has informed the United States that it will retaliate against any new attack by Israel, a source in Tehran told CNN. Iran’s government has also been engaging in urgent diplomatic efforts with countries in the Middle East to gauge whether it can reduce the scale of Israel’s response to its missile attack earlier this month and — if that fails — help protect the capital, sources say.

Nobody is backing down this time.

The final showdown between Israel and Iran has arrived, but both sides don’t seem to fully realize this yet.

Meanwhile, the IDF continues to bomb the living daylights out of Hezbollah targets all over Lebanon…

Israel expanded its targets in its war with Hezbollah militants in Lebanon on Monday, killing at least 21 people in an airstrike in the north, health officials said, while millions of Israelis took shelter from projectiles fired back across the border.

So far the main focus of Israel’s military operations in Lebanon has been in the south, the Bekaa Valley in the east and the suburbs of Beirut.

I am expecting some really big escalations in the coming days.

But for the moment we are still waiting for the next big shoe to drop.

At the same time, the Russians and the Chinese just continue to develop closer ties with one another…

Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov arrived in Beijing Monday for talks with his Chinese counterpart, who called for strengthening military cooperation between the two countries.

Moscow and Beijing have forged closer ties since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, an alliance that has sparked anxiety in the West as both countries seek to expand their global influence.

How many years have I been warning about a very strong alliance between Russia and China?

This is precisely what we have been anticipating, but very few people in the western world seem to be alarmed about what is happening.

Despite all of the money that we have poured into Ukraine, the Russians are winning that war.

At this point, the Ukrainians are so desperate for manpower that they are literally dragging young men out of restaurants, clubs and bars in front of everyone…

Ukraine’s military recruiters have launched targeted raids in Kyiv, detaining those whose documents do not comply and press-ganging them into the army.

Video footage captured the moment two men were dragged away by officers as they exited the Palace of Sports on Friday where Ukrainian rock band Okean Elzy played.

One concertgoer could be seen struggling and shouting ‘Get away from me!’ at three policemen as they pulled him towards the recruitment desk set up outside the venue.

A series of raids were carried out at restaurants, clubs, bars and a concert hall in the capital city, according to reports.

Of course the Ukrainians have been quietly doing this sort of thing for a long time, but now they aren’t even trying to hide it anymore.

On the other side of the world, the Chinese just surrounded Taiwan with warships and fighter jets…

On Monday China has launched large military drills encircling the self-governing island of Taiwan, which Taipei has blasted as an “unreasonable provocation”. China’s PLA military deployed warships and fighter jets to send a “stern warning” against “separatist acts of Taiwan independence forces”.

The PLA Eastern Theater Command deployed joint operations of the army, navy, air force and rocket force. These assets have been largely concentrated in the Taiwan Strait, as well as surrounding Taiwan. “The joint drills focused on sea and air combat readiness, blockading key Taiwanese ports and areas, and assaults on maritime and ground targets,” described the eastern theatre command’s spokesperson, senior captain Li Xi.

The good news is that this was just a military exercise.

The Chinese are practicing for a future blockade of Taiwan, and just before the military exercise commenced a video was released that boldly declared that the Chinese military is “prepared for battle at all times and can fight anytime”…

Just before these fresh drills, China’s military issued and circulated a propaganda video entitled “prepared for battle” on vairous social media accounts. The about one-minute video features fighter jets, warships and amphibious assault vessels taking to the air and sea near Taiwan. Mobile rocket launchers are also seen being maneuvered and made ready for attacks. Text associated with the video said Chinese forces are “prepared for battle at all times and can fight anytime.”

A blockade will probably be the very first step that the Chinese take when they decide that it is time to forcibly “reunite” with Taiwan.

And the moment that they establish such a blockade, the U.S. and China will be at war.

Sadly, that could happen a lot sooner than most people think.

Like I said at the beginning of this article, war is in the air.

We are so close to the unthinkable, and our window of opportunity to avoid a global nightmare is rapidly closing.

Michael’s new book entitled “Why” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.