24th Oct 2023

Israel-Hamas war tipped to spark 'nuclear showdown' as Iran on 'crash course' to bomb

By Adam Chapman, Express

The Israel-Hamas conflict could spark a "nuclear war" if Iran races to build the bomb, a former Defense Intelligence Agency officer has warned.

The terrifying warning comes as Israel prepares to mount a ground invasion of Gaza in response to the Hamas atrocities on October 7 that left at least 1,400 Israelis dead.

Israeli strikes in the besieged enclave have killed roughly 2,800 Palestinians , with another 1,200 people believed to be buried under the rubble, alive or dead, health authorities said.

The bombing campaign has sparked sabre-rattling from Iran, with fears a new front could soon open up on the Lebanon-Israel border if Hezbollah - an Iranian-backed terrorist group - gets involved.

All this volatility is raising the spectre of "nuclear war", former Defense Intelligence Agency officer Matt Shoemaker has warned.

He explained: "The threat of nuclear war currently remains unlikely but has become a plausible threat in this crisis.

"Not only because of Iran’s nuclear weapons program but because Israel is a nuclear power."

As Mr Shoemaker points out, Iran’s foreign minister has ominously warned Israel will suffer “a huge earthquake" if it invades Gaza.

"Iran would not remain an observer in the conflict," the DIA expert predicted, adding: "As a former intelligence officer, and based on news reports I’ve seen over the past year, some estimate that if Iran initiated a nuclear weapons 'crash course', it could develop a working bomb within six weeks."

He added: "That’s an extraordinarily short amount of time and gives the West a small window if Iran chooses to do that."

Iran's nuclear capabilities have been a source of grave concern in Washington ever since then-President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the 2015 nuclear deal in 2018, restoring crippling sanctions on the autocratic country.

Iran began breaking the terms a year later, including by enriching uranium to higher levels.

In Mr Shoemaker's estimation, the Israel-Hamas conflict may just tip Iran over the edge.

However, the threat of nuclear war is not just coming from Iran, he warns.

"Not far off in Tartus, Syria, Russia has a well-established naval presence and has the largest nuclear stockpile in the world," he said.

Mr Shoemaker makes the point that Russia has backed pro-Palestinian and Iranian causes.

"To make matters even more complicated, China, another nuclear power, has extensive economic and financial interests in the region," he added.

READ MORE: Air Force general predicts war with China in 2025

"Fifty percent of China’s oil and gas comes from the Middle East so if this became a regional war, China would certainly have an incentive to get involved to protect its energy resources."

Putin Launches ‘New Evil Empire’ With North Korea and Hamas

By Anna Nemtsova, DailyBeast

A former deputy prime minister of Israel has told The Daily Beast that the world should see the Hamas terror attack on Israel, which killed at least 1400 people, as part of a larger conflict being stoked by the Kremlin.

“Putin—the real Hamas ally—has defined the lines of the big confrontation: Hamas, Iran, Russia, China on one side, and Israel, Ukraine and the United States on the other,” said Natan Sharansky.

Sharansky, who was a jailed dissident during the Soviet era before emigrating and moving into Israeli politics, said President Vladimir Putin was honing a “new evil empire” to take on the West.

Kremlinologists in Ukraine, Israel, and Russia told The Daily Beast about an increasingly dangerous global game being played by Putin as he tries to draw eyes away from his war on Ukraine.

Rise of the Gog of Magog Coaltion

More than 2,600 years ago, the prophet Ezekiel warned of a future time when a vast coalition of nations will attack Israel.

According to Ezekiel this alliance will send an overwhelming force to invade Israel in the last days.

And while the whole world watches, God Himself will destroy the invaders (Ezekiel 38:18-23).

So why should you care? You should care because today, for the first time in human history, we see this alliance forming. READ MORE: Iran warns Israel it will ‘intervene’ if Gaza invaded

Ezekiel identifies these nations as "Magog, Rosh, Meschech, Tubal, Persia, Cush, Put, Gomer, and Beth-togarmah" (Ezekiel 38:1-6). I don't know about you, but I'm not aware of any nations today with those names. So who are they?

While the names of these nations have changed over the years, we can still locate them on a map.

Here is a list of each nation, followed by its modern day name: Rosh = Russia Magog = Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan Persia = Iran Cush = Sudan Put = Libya Meshech, Tubal, Gomer, and Beth-togarmah = Turkey

READ MORE: Will an Emerging Russia-Turkey-Iran Alliance Reshape the Middle East?

It's been centuries since Ezekiel first recorded these prophecies. Yet, this alliance has never existed.

And it certainly hasn't invaded Israel. But today? Today, we see this alliance coming together.

Until recently, the nations of Russia and Persia had never formed an alliance of any sort. Economic and military cooperation between Persia (Iran) and Rosh (Russia) had never taken place. But around 1989, this started to change.

Today, Iran and Russia are strong allies. In 1995, the Russian Ministry for Atomic Energy signed an agreement with Iran to finish the Bushehr nuclear power plant. Construction on the plant came to an immediate halt after the 1979 Islamic revolution. But today, thanks to Russia, work is once again in progress.

The ongoing civil war in Syria is another area of cooperation between the two countries. Russia has a vested interest in retaining access to the Syrian naval base in Tartus and stopping the spread of ISIS.

As a longtime ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad, Iran also has military forces in Syria.

Iran is also the primary sponsor of Hezbollah. Hezbollah has openly operated in Syria under Assad.

So Russia and Iran share a common interest when it comes to keeping Assad in power.

Because of their common interests, it's easy to see why this alliance will eventually attack Israel.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin is determined to restore the former glory of the Soviet Union. But NATO blocks his expansion to the west, and China blocks his expansion to the east. However, Putin could move south and take all the oil wealth of the Middle East. Only one thing stops him - Israel.

READ MORE: No More Blood for Oil

It's clear why Russia wants to eliminate Israel. What about the other nations? It's easy to see why they'll join an invasion force. Religious ideology alone is reason enough. Iran and the other Muslim nations in the Gog of Magog alliance are committed to the total destruction of Israel.

At least, all except one. Of all the members of the Gog of Magog coalition, Turkey is the most interesting. Why? Because in 1949, Turkey became the first Muslim majority country to officially recognize Israel. Turkey and Israel have a long history of diplomatic, economic, and military cooperation.

Turkey is also a member of NATO. And what is the purpose of NATO? Its stated purpose is to defend member nations against Russian aggression. So why would Turkey join a Russian alliance to invade Israel?

For years, those who study bible prophecy have asked this same question. It just doesn't make sense.

But that's changing. Events from the last few years and months provide some clues as to how it might happen.

Turkish forces are involved in the ongoing conflict in Syria. Turkey supports forces fighting against the Russian and Iranian backed Syrian government. Yet, the Bible says these three nations will be the principal players in an invasion of Israel. What might bring them together?

One possibility is the transformation of Turkey from a secular democracy to an Islamic theocracy. In July 2016, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cracked down on his political opponents following what he claimed was a coup attempt. Erdogan imprisoned thousands of citizens and consolidated his grip on power.

Turkey, once hailed as the model of democracy in the Muslim world, is now a dictatorship. And Erdogan, a former member of a banned Islamist political party, has turned away from Turkey's traditional western allies and cultivated a much more friendly relationship with Russia.

Erdogan's rise to power threatens to destroy Turkey's secular government and replace it with an Islamist state. In recent months, strained relations between Turkey and the United States have led to the mutual suspension of non-immigrant visas between the two countries. Turkish bodyguards beat up American protestors in Washington, DC, and a Turkish court convicted a Wall Street Journal reporter.

Another reason for Turkey to join the alliance is a mutual hatred of the Kurds. The Kurdish people live primarily in areas of Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran. With regional powers focused on stopping ISIS, the Kurds may see an opportunity to declare their independence and establish an independent state. If they try, Turkey and Iran will unite to stop them. After all, such a state will come at the expense of Turkish and Iranian territory.

Regardless of how or why Turkey joins the Gog of Magog alliance, Ezekiel is clear it will. This end times alliance will invade Israel. And the current Syrian conflict features Russian, Iranian, Turkish, and Israeli military forces. With the three largest members of the Gog of Magog alliance currently in Syria, the stage is set for a surprise attack on Israel from the north.

So when will this invasion take place? The Bible says it will come "in the latter days" (Ezekiel 38:8).

The original Hebrew word in this verse is "acharith" which means "after-part, latter part, last, close, or end." In other words, this alliance will form in the last days just prior to the return of Jesus Christ. Ezekiel uses this same word "acharith" eight verses later, when he says the invasion will come "in the last days" (Ezekiel 38:16).

So it should come as no surprise to see Russia, Iran, Turkey, and the other nations Ezekiel noted gathered on Israel's northern border, engaged in war and preparing for war.

According to the Bible, it's only a matter of time before they attack Israel (Ezekiel 38:8-9). And after that, it's only a matter of time before Jesus returns to establish His everlasting Kingdom (Revelation 22:20). Jesus is coming!

Putin Launches ‘New Evil Empire’ With North Korea and Hamas

Rise of the Gog of Magog Coaltion

Newsletter Signup