Further to February’s Bible Updates on Israel & USA vs Iran & Russia, I’m now reading  DebkaFile’s exclusive report issued just after midday, Jerusalem, about Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu and Russian president Putin at loggerheads during yesterday’s phone conversation, which Bibi had initiated:

‘Vladimir Putin warned Binyamin Netanyahu to discontinue Israeli strikes in Syria because they may rock the Assad regime [backed by Moscow] and insisted on Israel respecting Syrian sovereignty and security. By this warning, Russia clamped down on the freedom the Israeli air force had hitherto enjoyed in Syrian air space for striking hostile elements, primarily Iran and Hizballah.

‘Netanyahu shot back, according to our sources, that Israel cannot possibly desist from action over Syria, since this would leave Iran at liberty to establish a permanent, hostile military presence in that country. And so, said the prime minister, Israel would have to persevere in its efforts to stop this happening. The conversation between Putin and Netanyahu ended in total discord…‘

Previously, Israel had kept Russia appraised of possible action against Iranian military activity inimical to Israel’s safety. As well as his knowing the existence of many sources of the nerve agent toxin Novichok, the release of which necessitated continued closure to the public of many locations within the city of Salisbury, that most sensitive working relationship meant Netanyahu refrained from joining the wide, international censure of Russia over the poisoning incident.  It’s no wonder their villainous and deeply sinister schemes countenance their Syrian vassal’s continued commissioning of war crimes.

[UPDATE: ‘Without revealing his source, French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday: “We have proof that last week chemical weapons, at least chlorine, were used by the regime of Bashar al-Assad” in Douma – Debka Breaking News.]

There was, however, another reason: Israel was preparing a pre-emptive airstrike against Iranian hardware at the T-4 airbase near Homs in Syria and this time kept Russia in the dark but informed President Trump!  This change of tack brought forth a dramatic change in Kremlin’s longstanding practice of letting Israel’s military operations pass without comment. Moscow’s tone towards Israel turned hostile (9 April) reports:

‘DebkaFile’s military and intelligence sources say that Moscow’s ire was prompted by five causes and more hostile steps against Israel may be coming:

1. Israel’s reported military strike in Syria hit President Vladimir Putin at a highly vulnerable moment, when the US and its Western allies were holding him directly accountable for chemical weapons attacks in Syria and the United Kingdom.
2. Putin never imagined that the nerve agent attack on the former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter would be tied in with allegations that the Russian-backed Assad regime was using poison gas against Syrian civilians in Douma near Damascus.
3. The Russian president suspects that Israel struck the T-4 airbase, a shared Syrian-Russian-Iranian air facility, as an advance foray on behalf of the US for testing Moscow’s reaction to a larger operation. He is therefore pushing back strongly against the Israeli attack to ward off a US sequel.
4. After Israel’s wide-ranging air offensive on Feb. 10, which ended in one of its F-16 jets being shot down, Putin warned Jerusalem to desist from further attacks on Syrian targets, else the Russian air force would hit back. Israel complied for two months. But then, the compulsion became pressing to take out a key Iranian target, even at the risk of Russian disfavor.’

On the ‘Ezekiel 38 Alliance’, or Gog-Magog, political front we need to note the recent summit in Ankara between the leaders of Russia, Turkey and Iran. Most noteworthy is the fact their currencies are ‘tumbling in tandem’, as reported by Asia Times.

Close on the heels of the summit Iran’s supreme leader once again spoke about their intentions of removing Israel. On arriving in Damascus on Tuesday his senior adviser, Ali Akbar Velayati, bluntly stated, “Israel’s air strike on the Syrian air base will not go unanswered,” he said, At the same time Tehran gained support from its Russian ally in the visit of special Russian emissary on Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev. In a long meeting with Iran’s national security adviser Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani, the Russian said Iran’s decision for a military response to the T-4 attack was understandable. He proposes combining Iran’s action against Israel with Russia’s plans for countering the forthcoming US-British-France operation in Syria (Moscow-Tehran link up to strike Israeli targets in response to US-led operation in Syria).

Those familiar with the prophetic nature of the holy scriptures watch all developments with deep interest. For example, here’s what the prophet Isiah brought that’s now coming into fulfillment in our days on ‘The burden (oracle/prophecy) against Damascus’ (Isaiah 17:1):

“Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city, and it will be a ruinous heap.”

Selah!

Further headlines/reading at Bill Koenig’s World Watch Daily.