Syrian President Bashar Assad has threatened to rain down missiles on Tel-Aviv if NATO forces choose to intervene in the country's growing civil unrest. The president said he would call on Hizbullah, which is believed to have amassed well over 40,000 rockets since the end of the Second Lebanese War, to attack Israel, and he would set the Middle East on fire if Western nations take military action against the secular Islamic state. Assad boasted that he would need just three hours to transfer hundreds of rockets to the Golan Heights, where they would be launched against Israeli cities, and added that within six hours Iran would target US warships in the Persian Gulf. Over 2500 people have died since the 'Arab Spring' took hold in Syria, but despite this the Syrian president has so far rebuffed repeated calls for him to step down.  

Quote: ""If a crazy measure is taken against Damascus, I will need not more than 6 hours to transfer hundreds of rockets and missiles to the Golan Heights to fire them at Tel Aviv," Assad said. In addition, Fars reported that the Syrian president told the Turkish FM that he would also call on Hezbollah in Lebanon to launch a rocket attack on Israel, adding: "All these events will happen in three hours, but in the second three hours, Iran will attack the U.S. warships in the Persian Gulf and the U.S. and European interests will be targeted simultaneously."

While this could be possibly no more than sabre-rattling, designed to reunite the Syrian people and evoke hatred in the Islamic world in general against their common enemy, the Jewish state, I find the Syrian president's particular choice of words very intriguing. The timeframe given by Bashar Assad for the destruction of Tel-Aviv, Israel's 'capital city' in the eyes of the world, is in fact quite similar to the timeframe given in the Bible for the destruction of Damascus, Syria's capital city. 

Isaiah 17:1, 14
The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
And behold at eveningtide trouble; and before the morning he is not. This is the portion of them that spoil us, and the lot of them that rob us.  

There is no doubt that events in the Middle East are building up to a climax. Just within the past few weeks we have witnessed the Palestinian Authority submit a request for formal recognition at the United Nations. While this proposal is certain to be vetoed by the United States, consequently ending its prospect of acting as broker between Israel and the Palestinians, the European Union is now positioning itself to take control of the process. Israel has already accepted a European proposal that would call for the recommencement of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, leading to the conclusion of a peace treaty between the two parties within a 12 month time frame. The European Union has offered to support an upgraded status of the Palestinian Authority at the United Nations if they agree to the proposal. While there is no indication that the Palestinian Authority will agree to this, it does show us that the European Union is coming into prominence in this area, just as the Bible predicted.

It's very difficult to know exactly what will happen next. There are two major prophecies which have still to come to pass. The Gog Magog war of Ezekiel 38-39 has yet to be fulfilled. This war will involve all the nations now uniting themselves against Israel. Israel's relations with Turkey have deteriorated particularly rapidly over the past few months. On the other hand we have the seven year covenant of Daniel 9:27. And there is no doubt that preparations are already being made for its fulfilment, with the nations of the world now debating the division of Jerusalem. But there is one thing we can be sure of. All these signs point to the soon return of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord has revealed these things to us in the Bible so that we would know He is God and would trust in Him (John 13:19). What about you? Are you looking in fear on all these things coming on the earth (Luke 21:26)? Or is your heart trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation? Don't wait until it is too late. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation today.

Luke 21:28
And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

Source Haaretz, Haaretz