Iran's Hezbollah bombs Israel. US UK Sweden France Canada Jordan urge nationals to leave Lebanon

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: In 2017, the US established an official, permanent military base in Israel: an air defense base in the heart of the Negev desert. US Air Force soldiers work at the base, located inside the Israeli Air Force’s Mashabim Air Base, west of the towns of Dimona and Yerucham. More here from The Times of Israel including a video of the opening ceremony. Note that since a US flag flies over the base, the Americans consider any attack on Israel to be an attack on the US.

After this news of Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel exchanging fire in the early hours of today, it seems the right time to post the following videos showing whistleblower, Gen. Wesley Clark, Retired 4-star US Army general, Supreme Allied Commander of NATO during the Kosovo War, saying in a 2007 interview that America’s objective is to take out 7 countries in 5 years: Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Iran. Other videos of the interview are online at YouTube. Here are two, incase one is deleted.

Interestingly, the events covered in this post are prophesied in the Holy Bible (King James Version). Anglican Christians believe these to be signs of the End Times and the Second Coming of Christ who will appear in Jerusalem. True Christians are not afraid of death. Life is camping, Heaven is for eternity. The Word of God assures us that all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ will have everlasting life (John 3:16; 6:47; 1 John 5:13)

Source: https://youtu.be/Eo6u9DpASp8

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VIDEO with Transcript. Gen. Wesley Clark. Retired 4-star US Army general. Supreme Allied Commander of NATO during the Kosovo War. Here general Wesley Clark describes how he was told on 20th Sept. 2001 that the administration had decided to attack Iraq followed by Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Iran: https://www.youtube.com/watch

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Report from BBC News online

By Tom Bennett, BBC News reporting from London

Hugo Bachega BBC News Middle East correspondent, reporting from Beirut

Dated Saturday, 03 August 2024. Updated 04 August. Full copy:

Countries urge nationals to leave Lebanon as Mid-East war fears grow

IMAGE SOURCE, EPA Image caption, 

Hezbollah and Israel exchanged fire in the early hours of Sunday

Several countries have urged their nationals to leave Lebanon, as fears grow of a wider conflict in the Middle East.

Iran has vowed “severe” retaliation against Israel, which it blames for the death of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday. Israel has not commented. 

His assassination came hours after Israel killed Hezbollah senior commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut.

Western officials fear that Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militia and political movement based in Lebanon, could play a key role in any such retaliation, which in turn could spark a serious Israeli response.

Diplomatic efforts by the US and other Western countries continue to try to de-escalate tensions across the region.

A growing number of flights have been cancelled or suspended at the country’s only commercial airport in Beirut.

The US, the UK, Australia, Sweden, France, Italy, Canada, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Jordan are among the countries to have urged their citizens to leave Lebanon as soon as possible.

Fears of an escalation of hostilities that could engulf Lebanon are at their highest since Hezbollah started its attacks on Israel, a day after the deadly Hamas attacks on southern Israel on 7 October, in support for Palestinians in Gaza.

Most of the violence has been contained to border areas, with both sides indicating not being interested in a wider conflict. 

Hezbollah, however, has vowed to respond to Shukr’s assassination, which happened in Dahiyeh, the group’s stronghold in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

On Sunday, Hezbollah launched dozens of rockets at the town of Beit Hillel in northern Israel at around 00:25 local time (21:25 GMT Saturday).

Footage posted on social media showed Israel's Iron Dome air defence system intercepting the rockets. There have been no reports of casualties.

Israel’s air force responded by striking targets in southern Lebanon.

In a separate development on Sunday morning, two people were killed in a stabbing attack in the Israeli city of Holon. The attacker was later “neutralised”, police said.

Also on Sunday, officials from the Hamas-run ministry of health in Gaza said an Israeli air strike had hit a tent inside a hospital, killing at least five people. The officials said 19 Palestinians had been killed on Sunday.

In a statement on Saturday, the US embassy in Beirut said those who chose to stay in Lebanon should “prepare contingency plans” and be prepared to “shelter in place for an extended period of time”.

The Pentagon has said it is deploying additional warships and fighter jets to the region to help defend Israel from possible attacks by Iran and its proxies, a strategy similar to the one adopted in April, when Iran launched more than 300 missiles and drones at Israel in retaliation to an attack on its diplomatic compound in Syria. 

It blamed Israel for that strike.

Many fear Iran’s retaliation on this occasion could take a similar form.

The UK says it is sending extra military personnel, consular staff and border force officials to help with any evacuations.

It has urged UK citizens to leave Lebanon while commercial flights are running.

Two British military ships are already in the region and the Royal Air Force has put transport helicopters on standby.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the regional situation “could deteriorate rapidly”.

In a phone call with EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell on Friday, Iran's Acting Foreign Minister Ali Baqeri Kani said Iran would "undoubtedly use its inherent and legitimate right" to "punish" Israel.

On Friday, an announcer on Iran's state TV warned "the world would witness extraordinary scenes".

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Israelis that "challenging days lie ahead... We have heard threats from all sides. We are prepared for any scenario".

Tensions between Israel and Iran initially escalated with the killing of 12 children and teenagers in a strike on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Israel accused Hezbollah and vowed “severe” retaliation, though Hezbollah denied it was involved.

Days later, Shukr, who was a close adviser to the Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in a targeted Israeli air strike in Beirut. Four others, including two children, were also killed.

Hours after that, Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Iran, Hamas's main backer. He was visiting to attend the inauguration of Iran's new president, Masoud Pezeshkian.

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has said Israel will suffer a “harsh punishment” for the killing.

Haniyeh's assassination dealt a blow to the negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza, the main hope to defuse tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border.

The war began in October when Hamas carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 others back to Gaza as hostages. 

The attack triggered a massive Israeli military response, which has killed at least 39,480 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Media caption [Video] Watch: Israel intercepts rockets fired from Lebanon

Bowen: Israel's killing of Haniyeh deals hammer blow to ceasefire prospects

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp4wgqypwrxo
Published 31 July 2024

Bachega: Hezbollah leader says conflict with Israel in 'new phase' after killings

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn05v009n2ko

Published 1 August 2024

Publishe31 July 2024

Full story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c80xxeqel5po

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POSTSCRIPT from Sudan Watch Editor:

Verse of the Day for Sunday, August 4, 2024: 

"And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." Deuteronomy 6:5 (KJV)

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Iran determined to contribute to Sudan's independence, progress: interim president

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: Many wars in the world seem to be prophesied in the Bible. In ancient times Iran (still intent on destroying Israel) was called Persia. Sudan was called Kush. Going by my Bible studies, the world is getting close to the end times. Could be in 7 or 100 years time, only God knows. British leaders are referring to the current times as a "pre-war world". It seems to me the conflict in Sudan compared to the Israel-Hamas war and Russia-Ukraine war is similar as belligerents are intent on fighting with no end in sight. Those wars and their effect on the world are prophesied in the Bible. People need to have a close personal relationship with God and live every day like it's the last. Life is camping, Heaven is home.

Verse of the Day for Tuesday, May 28, 2024:

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Romans 10:9 King James Version (KJV)

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Report from China View
Source Xinhua; Editor: huaxia
Dated Monday, 27 May 2024 - full copy:

Iran determined to contribute to Sudan's independence, progress: interim president

TEHRAN, May 26 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Interim President Mohammad Mokhber said on Sunday that his country would spare no effort to contribute to the Sudanese people's independence, advancement and peace.

He made the remarks in a meeting with Sudan's Acting Foreign Minister Hussein Awad Ali in Iran's capital Tehran, according to a statement published on the website of the Iranian president's office.

Mokhber highlighted the effective roles played by Iran's late President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in promoting the country's relations and cooperation with Muslim and like-minded states, stressing that the same approach would continue to be pursued as Iran's fundamental strategy.

The Sudanese foreign minister, for his part, extended condolences over the deaths of Raisi and his entourage in a helicopter crash last Sunday, saying the relations between his country and Iran had been formed based on Islamic and humanitarian principles as well as the friendship between the two peoples.

In October last year, Iran and Sudan announced the restoration of their diplomatic relations, which had been severed for seven years. Sudan cut ties with Iran in 2016 after Saudi Arabia ended its relations with Tehran in the same year.

Source: http://www.chinaview.cn/20240527/0500ffa0587a48aeb8b123b41de70564/c.html

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Missile hits Salesian Sisters' house in Khartoum Sudan

Report at Independent Catholic News - Source: ACN

By John Newton and Filipe d'Avillez
Dated Monday, 6 November 2023 - here is a full copy:

Sudan: Missile hits Salesian Sisters' house 

Damage at Dar Mariam Mission in Khartoum (© ACN).

A bomb has caused major damage to the Salesian Sisters' mission centre in Sudan. Dar Mariam Mission in Khartoum - which houses five religious Sisters, a priest and lay people who sought refuge there - was hit at 6.50am last Friday (3rd November).

Fr Jacob Thelekkadan, the resident priest, said that the bomb hit the building's first floor, and those in the house at the time thought it was a miracle that no one was killed. Casualties were minimised as the women and children staying there were all gathered on the ground floor at the time.

Fr Thelekkadan said: "We cannot imagine the harm that these explosions would have caused if it landed on the ground floor."

Some residents suffered slight injuries. One young mother and her two children, aged seven and four, received minor head wounds.

The first floor, which sustained most of the damage, houses most of the bedrooms.

Fr Thelekkadan told ACN that the bomb broke into two when it hit the building, causing two explosions. The priest said: "The first part of the bomb shattered the teacher's room, hurting him on both his legs, but not very seriously.

"The second part of the bomb shattered the two rooms of the Sisters and their room doors flew off and fell a metre away. Two of the Salesian Sisters were in one room and the room door and toilet door fell on them. One of them was injured in the back, though not seriously. The doors probably saved her from the heavy shrapnel of the bomb."

He added: "The bomb then tore through the brick wall of the toilet, making a large hole, and then through the brick wall of the room of two other Sisters who were already in the ground-floor chapel."

All those injured in the blasts were taken to hospital, but have already been discharged.

Fr Thelekkadan said a painting of Our Lady was destroyed, adding "We are certain that Our Blessed Mother wanted to sacrifice herself for all of us. Thus, the beautiful portrait of Our Blessed Mother shattered into pieces. I want to reiterate the continuous provident care of God on all in Dar Mariam. The maternal protection of Our Blessed Mother reigns in Dar Mariam."

Fr Thelekkadan was in charge of St Joseph's Vocational Centre in Khartoum, which closed because of heavy fighting. He stayed in Sudan to support the Salesian sisters who are looking after not only women and children, but also the elderly and infirm at the Dar Mariam Mission.

He said: "Continue to pray that this senseless and tragic war will come to an end and that God may grant the gift of lasting peace to the Sudan."

Estimates vary, but according to the UN special envoy for Sudan, Volker Perthes, at least 5,000 people have been killed, and over 12,000 wounded since the conflict started in April.

View original: https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/48424

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Emmanuel Jal's conference call with Satan and God

Here's Emmanuel Jal in his amusing post at Facebook Fri, 27 Oct 2023.

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Iran parliament delegations visit Russia, Iraq, Lebanon

Report from Tehran Times - tehrantimes.com
Dated Sunday, 29 October 2023, 22:22 - here is a copy in full:

Parliamentary team visits Russia

TEHRAN - A delegation comprising of three members of the Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee visited Russia on Sunday.

The purpose behind the trip is the ongoing developments in the Gaza Strip.

The delegation includes Vahid Jalalzadeh, Sara Falahi (the deputy chief of the committee), and Shahriar Heydari. 

The delegation is scheduled to hold meetings with Russian officials. 

Similar delegations had also visited Iraq and Lebanon in recent days. 

Various teams from the parliamentary committee had previously paid visits to Russia to deliver the message of Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.

View original: https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/490741/Parliamentary-team-visits-Russia

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Niger’s FM visits Iran’s president to enhance collaboration and fortify amicable relations

Report from Tehran Times - tehrantimes.com
Dated Wednesday, 25 October 2023, 22:20 - here is a copy in full:

Support of Israel insinuates Western racism and colonialism, Raisi says

TEHRAN- Iran’s president condemned Western backing for the Zionist regime’s atrocities in Gaza as the essence of racism and colonialism.

In a meeting with Niger’s Foreign Minister Bakary Yaou Sangare in Tehran on Wednesday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi emphasized the Western countries’ hegemonic tactics throughout modern history.

Sangare, on his part, praised Iran’s advancements in a number of fields. He mentioned that his goal in coming to Tehran was to enhance collaboration with Iran and fortify Niger’s amicable relations.

View original:

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/490580/Support-of-Israel-insinuates-Western-racism-and-colonialism

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Iran congratulates Turkey on its centenary

Report from Big News Network - bignewsnetwork.com
Dated Sunday, 29 October 2023, 10:13 - here is a copy in full:

Iran Congratulates Turkey on Its Centenary

TEHRAN (Tasnim) - The president of Iran hoped for stronger relations with Turkey as the neighboring state is marking the 100th anniversary of its Republic Day.

- Politics news -

In a message to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi congratulated Turkey on the 100th anniversary of foundation of the modern republic.

He also expressed hope for the expansion of political, economic and cultural relations between the two Muslim neighbors.

"I am confident that cooperation and consultation between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Turkey will have valuable blessings and benefits for the two nations and for the peace, stability and welfare of the regional and world countries," Raisi added.

The Turkish Republic, founded from the ruins of the Ottoman Empire by the national independence hero Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, turned 100 on October 29.

Erdogan will be front and center of day-long events that both honor the republic's founder and play up the achievement of AK party that has been running Turkey since 2002.

View original: https://www.bignewsnetwork.com/news/274014484/iran-congratulates-turkey-on-its-centenary

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