JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER. 1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)
LUKE 21:28-29
28 And when these things begin to come to pass,(ALL THE PROPHECY SIGNS FROM THE BIBLE) then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption (RAPTURE) draweth nigh.
29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree,(ISRAEL) and all the trees;(ALL INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES)
30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.(ISRAEL LITERALLY BECAME AND INDEPENDENT COUNTRY JUST BEFORE SUMMER IN MAY 14,1948.)
JOEL 2:3,30
3 A fire devoureth (ATOMIC BOMB) before them;(RUSSIAN-ARAB-MUSLIM ARMIES AGAINST ISRAEL) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(ATOMIC BOMB AFFECT)
ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)
EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
MALACHI 4:1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven;(FROM ATOMIC BOMBS) and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE
Israel believes rocket fire from Syria may have been deliberate-Five projectiles were fired early Saturday; four landed relatively deep inside Israeli territory; Syria protests to the UN after Israel responds-By TOI staff-OCT 22,17
Israel believes five rockets fired across the border from Syria early Saturday morning may have been deliberately launched at Israel, rather than constituting errant spillover from clashes in Syria, military sources said late Saturday.Israel fired back into Syria, hitting three rocket launchers, in response to the rocket fire, and warned that further fire would prompt a more intensive response.Syria, in turn, claimed that Israel had “coordinated” with terror groups, inviting them to fire into Israel as a pretext for the IDF response, and it sent letters of complaint to the United Nations.The Israeli army said five projectiles were fired at around 5 am, and that four of them fell relatively deep inside Israeli territory. The rockets set off alarms in several locations. They landed in open ground, and caused no injury or damage. One of them landed close to an Israeli residential area.Channel 2 news reported that although the IDF officially referred to “spillover” fire in its statements Saturday, there was “a growing sense” in the army that the Syrian fire was deliberate.There was no fighting going on in Syria at the time of the fire, the TV report said. It added that the area from which the rockets were fired is under the control of the Syrian army. And it noted that the projectiles fell deep inside Israeli territory on the Golan Heights, one after the other, rather than close to the border.Tensions have been particularly high on the Israeli-Syrian front of late.Concluding a visit to Syria on Saturday, the commander of Iran’s armed forces signed a memorandum of understanding with Syrian officials in which the two allies announced plans for tighter military cooperation and coordination — notably against Israel. The sides agreed to expand cooperation on intelligence, training, technology and against what they called “Zionist-American schemes,” the Ynet news website reported.Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, Iran’s chief of staff, has spent several days in Syria, touring war zones and meeting with high-level officials, including President Bashar Assad.In what was seen as part of a determined effort to put an end to Israel’s hitherto unimpeded air superiority over Syria and Lebanon, Bagheri on Wednesday said Tehran would not tolerate violations of Syrian sovereignty by Israel and vowed that the two countries would jointly fight against Syria’s enemies. “We cannot accept a situation where the Zionist entity attacks Syria from the ground and the air,” he said.Israel’s Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman this week hosted his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu, and told him that Israel will take action against Iran and its proxies if they continue to entrench themselves along the Syrian border.Liberman, and IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, are in the US this coming week for talks with US officials, with Syria and Iran high on the agenda.Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a rare instance of open disagreement with the Trump administration, has warned that the unfolding situation in southern Syria does not sufficiently address Iranian military ambitions in the area.“The recent Israeli attack on the outskirts of Quneitra is a new chapter in the conspiracy between the Israeli occupation and armed terror groups, and another attempt to support these organizations,” Syria’s Foreign Ministry said in messages sent to the UN secretary general and the UN Security Council.Damascus warned of the “dire consequences of these repeated aggressive actions, which cannot be seen as anything but support for terrorism and the criminal terror groups.”It further expressed “utter astonishment at the Security Council’s inability to stop these Israeli attacks and condemn them.”The IDF vowed to intensify its responses to future fire. “Even if this is just spillover, this is an exceptional incident and the continuance of such events will be met with a more fierce Israeli response,” a statement by the IDF said.“The IDF will not tolerate any attempt to harm the sovereignty of the State of Israel and the security of its residents, and considers the Syrian regime responsible for what is happening in its territory,” the statement concluded.As a result of the projectile fire, missile warning sirens were heard in a number of local communities Saturday morning. The army fired back and hit three Syrian launchers.After the IDF strike, Syria asserted that Israel had arranged for rebels to fire across the border, in order to justify an Israeli response. The Syrian army said in a statement that the attack was proof of Israel’s “cooperation with terrorist organizations in the region.”
PM appoints new chief negotiator for release of Israelis held in Gaza-Shin Bet veteran Yaron Blum to coordinate Israeli efforts to bring back three civilians, remains of two fallen IDF soldiers-By TOI staff-OCT 21,17
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday appointed Shin Bet veteran Yaron Blum to oversee Israeli efforts to negotiate the return of the Israelis held by the Hamas terrorist group in the Gaza Strip.Blum is replacing Lior Lotan, who was appointed by Netanyahu to lead negotiations for the release of the remains of IDF soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, who were killed during a 50-day conflict with Hamas in 2014. The terror group is also believed to be holding three live Israeli citizens — Avraham Abera Mengistu, Hisham al-Sayed and Juma Ibrahim Abu Ghanima — who are all said to have entered the Gaza Strip of their own accord.Lotan resigned the position in August, citing both personal and professional reasons.Blum has served in the Shin Bet Security Service for many years in a senior capacity, and was instrumental in negotiating the release of IDF solider Gilad Shalit, who had been held in Gaza Strip for 5 years before being released in 2011 as part of a controversial deal with Hamas in which Israel freed over 1,000 Palestinian security prisoners.Earlier on Saturday, Netanyahu called the families of the Israeli hostages and fallen soldiers to inform them of Blum’s appointment.“In my opinion this is a national mission, and we all must do what we can do bring our boys home,” Blum told Channel 2. “I accepted the position with much motivation after being asked by the Prime Minister.”Earlier this month, the Shaul family warned they would petition the High Court of Justice if a new government negotiator was not appointed to oversee efforts to retrieve their son’s remains.Following Lotan’s resignation in August, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said a replacement for Lotan should not be appointed until Israel draws up “clear boundaries” for prisoner swap negotiations in order to “make clear to [Israel’s enemies] that we have no intention of compromising on the security of the people of Israel.”Liberman also said Israel must not repeat the “mistake” of the 2011 Shalit prisoner exchange deal, pointing to the high recidivism rate among terrorists released in the deal as grounds for opposing a future prisoner swap.The father of Hadar Goldin condemned Liberman at the time for his remarks, calling the defense minister “weak” and “cowardly.”On Saturday, Liberman wished Blum success in the new role, and said that Israel’s defense establishment would support him in any way.As part of the efforts to return the bodies of Shaul and Goldin, Israel has reportedly been holding indirect talks with Hamas about a possible prisoner deal.Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar reportedly said last month that Hamas has accepted an Egyptian proposal for a prisoner swap with Israel and is awaiting Jerusalem’s response to the offer.His remark came after the Palestinian daily Al Quds quoted sources in Cairo as saying the Egyptian offer would see Israel first hand over the bodies of 39 Palestinians killed in the 2014 Gaza war, 19 of whom are Hamas members, in exchange for Hamas acknowledging the fate of IDF soldiers Shaul and Goldin.In the second stage of the Egyptian plan, Israel would reportedly release the so-called “Shalit captives” — 58 Palestinians who were rearrested in the summer of 2014 after being set free in the 2011 swap for IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. Hamas will then enter into genuine prisoner exchange talks with the Jewish state, the report said. The talks would reportedly be mediated by Egyptian intelligence services.Sinwar also said at the time Lotan resigned over internal differences regarding the Israeli position toward a prisoner swap.
Huge crowds protest as Spain moves to sack Catalan government-Hundreds of thousands flood Barcelona streets in a massive show of support for regional independence-By Alfons Luna, Katy Lee and Marianne Barriaux-TOI-OCT 22,17
BARCELONA, Spain — Hundreds of thousands of protesters flooded Barcelona’s streets Saturday as Spain took drastic measures to stop Catalonia from breaking away, announcing plans to dismiss the region’s separatist government and call fresh elections.Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and his regional executive — who sparked Spain’s worst political crisis in decades by holding a banned independence referendum — will be stripped of their jobs and their ministries taken over under measures laid out by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.Barcelona police said 450,000 people had joined a protest in the regional capital, many of them chanting the words “freedom” and “independence” and waving Catalonia’s yellow, red and blue separatist flag.“I feel totally outraged and extremely sad,” said Meritxell Agut, a 22-year-old bank worker.“They’ve trampled on our rights and our ideas as Catalans,” she told AFP, adding: “They can destroy everything they want but we’ll keep on fighting.”Madrid could take direct control over Catalonia’s police force and replace its public media chiefs, with Rajoy saying he had no other choice, faced with a grave threat to Spain’s national unity.Elections for the semi-autonomous region must be called within six months, he added.The measures must now pass through the Senate — a process that will take about a week — but Rajoy’s conservative Popular Party (PP) holds a majority there and his efforts to prevent a break-up of Spain have the backing of other major parties.Autonomy is a highly sensitive issue in Catalonia, which saw its powers taken away under the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco.Home to 7.5 million people, the wealthy northeastern region fiercely defends its language and culture and has previously enjoyed control over its policing, education and healthcare.-‘The game could end badly’-Puigdemont, leading the crowds spilling out from Barcelona’s Paseo de Gracia boulevard in a protest originally called to urge the release of two detained separatist leaders, was due to give his response at 9:00 pm (2100 GMT).Though she opposes the independence drive, Barcelona mayor Ada Colau also deplored Madrid’s decision, tweeting: “Rajoy has suspended the self-government of Catalonia for which so many people fought. A serious attack on the rights and freedoms of everyone.”Under Article 155 of Spain’s constitution, Madrid has the power to wrest back control of rebellious regions, but it has never used it before.Rajoy said the measure was a last resort as Puigdemont refuses to drop his threat to declare independence based on the results of the October 1 referendum, which had been ruled unconstitutional.“This was neither our desire nor our intention,” Rajoy said.“We are applying Article 155 because the government of a democratic country cannot accept that the law is ignored.”Oriol Bartomeus, politics professor at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, said the central government was taking a huge risk.“The game could end badly, very badly for Rajoy’s government,” he told AFP.“It’s going to be like a colonial administration, and independence supporters will see it as an occupation.”Allowing 54 days for campaigning, new elections would fall in mid-June at the latest.Separatists of all political stripes, from Puigdemont’s conservatives to the far-left, have dominated the Catalan parliament since the last elections in 2015, holding 72 seats out of 135.Prosecutors said Saturday they would take mop-haired former journalist Puigdemont to court for “rebellion” if he makes any attempt to declare independence, a crime punishable with up to 30 years in jail.-Football giants weigh in-The president of FC Barcelona, one of the world’s best-known symbols of Catalan identity, threw his weight behind the region’s institutions.“We must reiterate our absolute support for the democratic institutions of Catalonia chosen by its people,” Josep Maria Bartomeu said, urging a “civil and peaceful” reaction to Rajoy’s decision.Puigdemont says 90 percent backed independence in the referendum, but turnout was 43 percent as many Catalans who back unity stayed away while others were hindered from voting by a police crackdown.Catalonia is roughly evenly split over whether to break away from Spain, according to polls, with supporters saying the region pays too much into national coffers but their opponents arguing it is stronger as part of a bigger country.The crisis has worried the European Union as it struggles with Brexit and taken a toll on one of Spain’s most important regional economies, with nearly 1,200 companies shifting their legal headquarters elsewhere in a bid to minimise the instability.
WHO tries to defend ‘goodwill’ honor to Mugabe as outrage grows-Pro-Israel UN group: Ambassadorial appointment for Zimbabwe's dictatorial president is 'sickening'-By AFP-OCT 22,17
GENEVA, Switzerland — The World Health Organization on Saturday cited Zimbabwe’s anti-tobacco record and efforts against non-communicable diseases as justifications for making President Robert Mugabe a “goodwill ambassador,” as international criticism of the move mounted.The UN health agency, led since July by former Ethiopian health minister Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has asked Mugabe to serve in the role to help tackle NCDs like heart attacks, strokes and asthma across Africa.The appointment announced earlier this week in Uruguay has triggered confusion and anger by activists who note that Zimbabwe’s healthcare system, like many of its public services, has collapsed under Mugabe’s authoritarian regime.Britain on Saturday joined the widening chorus of critics, calling the decision “surprising and disappointing, particularly in light of the current US and EU sanctions against him.”“We have registered our concerns with WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus,” a foreign office spokesperson said in an email.Mugabe’s “appointment risks overshadowing the work undertaken globally by the WHO on Non-Communicable Diseases.”Zimbabwean activist and human rights lawyer Doug Coltart said on Twitter that a “man who flies to Singapore for treatment because he has destroyed Zimbabwe’s health sector is WHO’s goodwill ambassador.”Mugabe, who is 93 and has been in power since 1980, is in increasingly fragile health and makes regular trips abroad for medical treatment.UN Watch, a group primarily known for defending Israel at the world body, called the decision “sickening.”“Amid reports of ongoing human rights abuses, the tyrant of Zimbabwe is the last person who should be legitimized by a UN position of any kind,” the group’s executive director Hillel Neuer said in a statement.Speaking in Uruguay’s capital this week, Tedros had hailed Zimbabwe as “a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the centre of its policies to provide health care to all.”WHO on Saturday pointed to Zimbabwe’s record and Tedro’s desire to engage senior politicians.“Dr. Tedros has frequently talked of his determination to build a global movement to promote high level political leadership for health,” spokesman Christian Lindmeier said in an email.“Zimbabwe has ratified the WHO FCTC (Framework Convention on Tobacco Control) in 2014 and the government has launched a levy fund for NCDs to generate revenues for health promotion, including NCD prevention and control,” he added.Contacted by AFP in Geneva, WHO’s communications department said it was unable to comment further or respond to widening concerns about Mugabe’s role.UN agencies often name high profile personalities as goodwill ambassadors to draw attention to their work, including actress Angelina Jolie with the refugee agency UNHCR.
After strikes, Syria says Israel is backing anti-regime ‘terrorists’-In letters to UN, Damascus claims Jerusalem conspiring with rebels, expresses 'astonishment' at Security Council's inaction-By TOI staff-OCT 22,17
Syria on Saturday issued letters of complaint to the United Nations in which it denounced the day’s Israeli strikes on Syrian army targets, accusing the Jewish state of conspiring with local “terror groups,” the Ynet website reported.In the morning the Israeli army hit three Syrian artillery targets in the Golan Heights, in a response hours after five projectiles landed in open ground in Israel as a result of spillover fire from the fighting in Syria.“The recent Israeli attack on the outskirts of Quneitra is a new chapter in the conspiracy between the Israeli occupation and armed terror groups, and another attempt to support these organizations,” Syria’s Foreign Ministry said in messages sent to the UN secretary general and the UN Security Council.Damascus warned of the “dire consequences of these repeated aggressive actions, which cannot be seen as anything but support for terrorism and the criminal terror groups.”It further expressed “utter astonishment at the Security Council’s inability to stop these Israeli attacks and condemn them.”The IDF vowed to intensify its responses to future stray fire. “Even if this is just spillover, this is an exceptional incident and the continuance of such events will be met with a more fierce Israeli response,” a statement by the IDF said.“The IDF will not tolerate any attempt to harm the sovereignty of the State of Israel and the security of its residents, and considers the Syrian regime responsible for what is happening in its territory,” the statement concluded.As a result of the projectile fire, missile warning sirens were heard in a number of local communities Saturday morning. The army fired back and hit three Syrian cannons.There were no reports of injuries or property damage.After the IDF strike, Syria asserted that Israel had arranged for rebels to fire across the border, in order to justify an Israeli response. The Syrian army said in a statement that the attack was proof of Israel’s “cooperation with terrorist organizations in the region.”
Iran, Syria pledge joint effort to counter ‘Zionist-American schemes’-Visiting Damascus, Tehran's army chief signs MOU promising increased coordination between militaries on intel and technology-By TOI staff and Agencies-OCT 22,17
Concluding a visit to Syria on Saturday, the commander of Iran’s armed forces signed a memorandum of understanding with Syrian officials in which the two allies announced plans for tighter military cooperation and coordination.The sides agreed to expand cooperation on intelligence, training, technology and against “Zionist-American schemes,” the Ynet news website reported.Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, Iran’s chief of staff, has spent several days in Syria, touring war zones and meeting with high-level officials, including President Bashar Assad.Assad’s meeting with Bagheri focused on bilateral relations in all fields, mainly military cooperation, “which has witnessed a qualitative development during the war that Syria and its allies, mainly Iran, are waging against terrorism” in Syria, state news agency SANA reported.Iran has been one of Assad’s strongest supporters since the country’s crisis began more than six years ago and has sent thousands of Iranian-backed militiamen to boost his troops against opponents.SANA quoted Bagheri as saying that the aim of his visit is to “put a joint strategy on continuing coordination and cooperation at the military level.” He also stressed Iran’s commitment to help in the reconstruction process in Syria.Bagheri met with several Syrian officials on Wednesday, including Defense Minister Fahd Jasem al-Freij, and Syrian army commander Maj. Gen. Ali Ayyoub.The meetings come after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that he will not tolerate an Iranian military presence in neighboring Syria.“Iran has to understand that Israel will not allow this,” Netanyahu said Tuesday after a meeting with visiting Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu focused mostly on Iran’s efforts to establish a presence next door, where both Tehran and Moscow have provided crucial support to Assad’s forces.Israel fears Iran will plant itself on the country’s doorstep by establishing a Shiite “corridor,” with land links from Iran to Lebanon, allowing the movement of fighters and weapons across the region. At the heart of those fears is Hezbollah, which battled Israel to a stalemate in a month-long war in 2006.Israel has largely stayed out of the fighting in Syria but has carried out dozens of airstrikes on alleged weapons convoys bound for the Iranian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah group.On Saturday the Israeli army hit three Syrian artillery targets across the border in the northern Golan Heights, hours after five projectiles landed in open ground in Israel as a result of spillover fire from the fighting in Syria.The IDF vowed it would intensify its responses to future such stray fire. “Even if this is just spillover, this is an exceptional incident and the continuance of such events will be met with a more fierce Israeli response,” a statement by the IIDF said.Bagheri on Wednesday said Tehran would not tolerate violations of Syrian sovereignty by Israel and vowed that the two countries would jointly fight against Syria’s enemies.“We cannot accept a situation where the Zionist entity attacks Syria from the ground and the air,” he said.
Foreigners who joined IS face almost certain death in Raqqa-World governments are loathe to let jihadists come back home, and may even be encouraging local forces to see that they die in battle-By Lori Hinnant and Sarah El Deeb-OCT 22,17
PARIS (AP) — The forces fighting the remnants of the Islamic State group in Syria have tacit instructions on dealing with the foreigners who joined the extremist group by the thousands: Kill them on the battlefield.As they made their last stand in the northern Syrian city of Raqqa, an estimated 300 extremists holed up in and around a sports stadium and a hospital argued among themselves about whether to surrender, according to Kurdish commanders leading the forces that closed in. The final days were brutal — 75 coalition airstrikes in 48 hours and a flurry of desperate IS car bombs that were easily spotted in the sliver of devastated landscape still under militant control.No government publicly expressed concern about the fate of its citizens who left and joined the Islamic State fighters plotting attacks at home and abroad. In France, which has suffered repeated violence claimed by the Islamic State — including the Nov. 13, 2015, attacks in Paris — Defense Minister Florence Parly was among the few to say it aloud.“If the jihadis perish in this fight, I would say that’s for the best,” Parly told Europe 1 radio last week.Those were the orders, according to the US.“Our mission is to make sure that any foreign fighter who is here, who joined ISIS from a foreign country and came into Syria, they will die here in Syria,” said Brett McGurk, the top US envoy for the anti-IS coalition, in an interview with Dubai-based Al-Aan television.“So if they’re in Raqqa, they’re going to die in Raqqa,” he said.The coalition has given names and photos to the Kurdish fighters to identify the foreign jihadis, who are seen as a threat back home and a burden on their justice systems, according to a commander with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. The commander said his US-backed fighters are checking for wanted men among the dead or the few foreigners among the captured.An official with the powerful YPG, the backbone of the SDF that also runs the local security and intelligence branches, said foreigners who decided to fight until the end will be “eliminated.” For the few prisoners, the Kurds try to reach out to the home countries, “and we try to hand them in. But many would not want to take their (detainees),” he said. Both men spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the sensitive issue with reporters.No country will admit to refusing to take back citizens who joined the Islamic State, including women and their children. But few are making much of an effort to recover them.In Iraq, hundreds of Islamic State fighters have surrendered or have been taken into custody, and their families have been rounded up into detention camps. The men are put on trial and face the death penalty if convicted of terrorism charges — even if they are foreigners. One Russian fighter has already been hanged.France, which routinely intervenes when citizens abroad face capital punishment, has said nothing about its jihadis in Iraq. More French joined the group, also known by its Arab acronym Daesh, than any other European country.Foreigners captured by Kurdish forces are in a more precarious position because the SDF doesn’t answer to Syria’s government and has no state of its own. A Syrian woman whose French husband surrendered to Kurdish authorities in June said she had no access to him and didn’t know where he was 50 days after they separated. She denied her husband was an IS fighter.The camps for displaced civilians from Raqqa contain only foreign women and children. As for the fate of any French citizens there, France’s Foreign Ministry had a short response: “Our priority today is to achieve a complete victory over Daesh.” German diplomats say all of the country’s citizens are entitled to consular assistance.As the final battle in Raqqa drew to a close, Parly estimated a few hundred French fighters were still in the war zone. For Germany, about 600 men were unaccounted for.Britain has not said how many of its former citizens are believed still fighting, but at least one holdout posted a furious 72-minute monologue earlier this month from Raqqa as airstrikes and artillery fire boomed behind him. He said Muslims around the world should be outraged at the treatment of Islamic State’s followers.“This is not me being an extremist. I’m a very moderate, mild person, hamdullah (thanks to God), and I find Islamic State to be very moderate and mild,” said the man, who called himself as Abu Adam al-Britani and was identified by British media as Yasser Iqbal, a Porsche-driving lawyer who defended Islamic State’s brutal practices as ordained by God, including killing non-Muslims and dissenting Muslims. He did not mention the group’s routine public beheadings, enslavement of women or brainwashing of children to become hardened killers.At its height, between 27,000 and 31,000 may have traveled to Syria and Iraq to join the Islamic State group, according to an analysis by the Soufan Group. Of those, about 6,000 were from Europe, with most from France, Germany and Britain. A majority had immigrant backgrounds and was heavily targeted by the group’s propaganda, which highlighted the injustices they faced at home. One study found that fewer than 10 percent of the Western fighters were converts to Islam.As many as a third of the Europeans may have returned home. Many are jailed immediately and await trial in backlogged courts, but others are freed and under surveillance.Raqqa’s foreign holdouts are generally acknowledged to be midlevel IS recruits, and most are believed to have little information about the group’s inner workings. US Col. Ryan Dillon, a spokesman for the coalition, said he had no information about any “high-value targets” among approximately 350 fighters who surrendered in Raqqa in the last days, including a few foreigners.But for their home countries, they pose a risk.“The general sentiment in northern Europe is we don’t want these people back, but I don’t think anyone has thought about the alternatives,” said Pieter Van Ostaeyen, an expert on the Belgian jihadis.Among the complications are how to prosecute any returnees and how to track them if and when they leave custody.“You can see why almost the preferred resolution is that they don’t return,” said Bruce Hoffman, head of Georgetown University’s security studies program and author of “Inside Terrorism.”“What worries me is I think it’s wishful thinking that they’re all going to be killed off,” he added.Wishful thinking or not, Parly said it’s the best outcome.“We cannot do anything to prevent their return besides neutralize the maximum number of jihadis in this combat,” she said.
28 And when these things begin to come to pass,(ALL THE PROPHECY SIGNS FROM THE BIBLE) then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption (RAPTURE) draweth nigh.
29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree,(ISRAEL) and all the trees;(ALL INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES)
30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.(ISRAEL LITERALLY BECAME AND INDEPENDENT COUNTRY JUST BEFORE SUMMER IN MAY 14,1948.)
JOEL 2:3,30
3 A fire devoureth (ATOMIC BOMB) before them;(RUSSIAN-ARAB-MUSLIM ARMIES AGAINST ISRAEL) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(ATOMIC BOMB AFFECT)
ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)
EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
MALACHI 4:1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven;(FROM ATOMIC BOMBS) and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE
Israel believes rocket fire from Syria may have been deliberate-Five projectiles were fired early Saturday; four landed relatively deep inside Israeli territory; Syria protests to the UN after Israel responds-By TOI staff-OCT 22,17
Israel believes five rockets fired across the border from Syria early Saturday morning may have been deliberately launched at Israel, rather than constituting errant spillover from clashes in Syria, military sources said late Saturday.Israel fired back into Syria, hitting three rocket launchers, in response to the rocket fire, and warned that further fire would prompt a more intensive response.Syria, in turn, claimed that Israel had “coordinated” with terror groups, inviting them to fire into Israel as a pretext for the IDF response, and it sent letters of complaint to the United Nations.The Israeli army said five projectiles were fired at around 5 am, and that four of them fell relatively deep inside Israeli territory. The rockets set off alarms in several locations. They landed in open ground, and caused no injury or damage. One of them landed close to an Israeli residential area.Channel 2 news reported that although the IDF officially referred to “spillover” fire in its statements Saturday, there was “a growing sense” in the army that the Syrian fire was deliberate.There was no fighting going on in Syria at the time of the fire, the TV report said. It added that the area from which the rockets were fired is under the control of the Syrian army. And it noted that the projectiles fell deep inside Israeli territory on the Golan Heights, one after the other, rather than close to the border.Tensions have been particularly high on the Israeli-Syrian front of late.Concluding a visit to Syria on Saturday, the commander of Iran’s armed forces signed a memorandum of understanding with Syrian officials in which the two allies announced plans for tighter military cooperation and coordination — notably against Israel. The sides agreed to expand cooperation on intelligence, training, technology and against what they called “Zionist-American schemes,” the Ynet news website reported.Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, Iran’s chief of staff, has spent several days in Syria, touring war zones and meeting with high-level officials, including President Bashar Assad.In what was seen as part of a determined effort to put an end to Israel’s hitherto unimpeded air superiority over Syria and Lebanon, Bagheri on Wednesday said Tehran would not tolerate violations of Syrian sovereignty by Israel and vowed that the two countries would jointly fight against Syria’s enemies. “We cannot accept a situation where the Zionist entity attacks Syria from the ground and the air,” he said.Israel’s Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman this week hosted his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu, and told him that Israel will take action against Iran and its proxies if they continue to entrench themselves along the Syrian border.Liberman, and IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, are in the US this coming week for talks with US officials, with Syria and Iran high on the agenda.Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a rare instance of open disagreement with the Trump administration, has warned that the unfolding situation in southern Syria does not sufficiently address Iranian military ambitions in the area.“The recent Israeli attack on the outskirts of Quneitra is a new chapter in the conspiracy between the Israeli occupation and armed terror groups, and another attempt to support these organizations,” Syria’s Foreign Ministry said in messages sent to the UN secretary general and the UN Security Council.Damascus warned of the “dire consequences of these repeated aggressive actions, which cannot be seen as anything but support for terrorism and the criminal terror groups.”It further expressed “utter astonishment at the Security Council’s inability to stop these Israeli attacks and condemn them.”The IDF vowed to intensify its responses to future fire. “Even if this is just spillover, this is an exceptional incident and the continuance of such events will be met with a more fierce Israeli response,” a statement by the IDF said.“The IDF will not tolerate any attempt to harm the sovereignty of the State of Israel and the security of its residents, and considers the Syrian regime responsible for what is happening in its territory,” the statement concluded.As a result of the projectile fire, missile warning sirens were heard in a number of local communities Saturday morning. The army fired back and hit three Syrian launchers.After the IDF strike, Syria asserted that Israel had arranged for rebels to fire across the border, in order to justify an Israeli response. The Syrian army said in a statement that the attack was proof of Israel’s “cooperation with terrorist organizations in the region.”
PM appoints new chief negotiator for release of Israelis held in Gaza-Shin Bet veteran Yaron Blum to coordinate Israeli efforts to bring back three civilians, remains of two fallen IDF soldiers-By TOI staff-OCT 21,17
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday appointed Shin Bet veteran Yaron Blum to oversee Israeli efforts to negotiate the return of the Israelis held by the Hamas terrorist group in the Gaza Strip.Blum is replacing Lior Lotan, who was appointed by Netanyahu to lead negotiations for the release of the remains of IDF soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, who were killed during a 50-day conflict with Hamas in 2014. The terror group is also believed to be holding three live Israeli citizens — Avraham Abera Mengistu, Hisham al-Sayed and Juma Ibrahim Abu Ghanima — who are all said to have entered the Gaza Strip of their own accord.Lotan resigned the position in August, citing both personal and professional reasons.Blum has served in the Shin Bet Security Service for many years in a senior capacity, and was instrumental in negotiating the release of IDF solider Gilad Shalit, who had been held in Gaza Strip for 5 years before being released in 2011 as part of a controversial deal with Hamas in which Israel freed over 1,000 Palestinian security prisoners.Earlier on Saturday, Netanyahu called the families of the Israeli hostages and fallen soldiers to inform them of Blum’s appointment.“In my opinion this is a national mission, and we all must do what we can do bring our boys home,” Blum told Channel 2. “I accepted the position with much motivation after being asked by the Prime Minister.”Earlier this month, the Shaul family warned they would petition the High Court of Justice if a new government negotiator was not appointed to oversee efforts to retrieve their son’s remains.Following Lotan’s resignation in August, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said a replacement for Lotan should not be appointed until Israel draws up “clear boundaries” for prisoner swap negotiations in order to “make clear to [Israel’s enemies] that we have no intention of compromising on the security of the people of Israel.”Liberman also said Israel must not repeat the “mistake” of the 2011 Shalit prisoner exchange deal, pointing to the high recidivism rate among terrorists released in the deal as grounds for opposing a future prisoner swap.The father of Hadar Goldin condemned Liberman at the time for his remarks, calling the defense minister “weak” and “cowardly.”On Saturday, Liberman wished Blum success in the new role, and said that Israel’s defense establishment would support him in any way.As part of the efforts to return the bodies of Shaul and Goldin, Israel has reportedly been holding indirect talks with Hamas about a possible prisoner deal.Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar reportedly said last month that Hamas has accepted an Egyptian proposal for a prisoner swap with Israel and is awaiting Jerusalem’s response to the offer.His remark came after the Palestinian daily Al Quds quoted sources in Cairo as saying the Egyptian offer would see Israel first hand over the bodies of 39 Palestinians killed in the 2014 Gaza war, 19 of whom are Hamas members, in exchange for Hamas acknowledging the fate of IDF soldiers Shaul and Goldin.In the second stage of the Egyptian plan, Israel would reportedly release the so-called “Shalit captives” — 58 Palestinians who were rearrested in the summer of 2014 after being set free in the 2011 swap for IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. Hamas will then enter into genuine prisoner exchange talks with the Jewish state, the report said. The talks would reportedly be mediated by Egyptian intelligence services.Sinwar also said at the time Lotan resigned over internal differences regarding the Israeli position toward a prisoner swap.
Huge crowds protest as Spain moves to sack Catalan government-Hundreds of thousands flood Barcelona streets in a massive show of support for regional independence-By Alfons Luna, Katy Lee and Marianne Barriaux-TOI-OCT 22,17
BARCELONA, Spain — Hundreds of thousands of protesters flooded Barcelona’s streets Saturday as Spain took drastic measures to stop Catalonia from breaking away, announcing plans to dismiss the region’s separatist government and call fresh elections.Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and his regional executive — who sparked Spain’s worst political crisis in decades by holding a banned independence referendum — will be stripped of their jobs and their ministries taken over under measures laid out by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.Barcelona police said 450,000 people had joined a protest in the regional capital, many of them chanting the words “freedom” and “independence” and waving Catalonia’s yellow, red and blue separatist flag.“I feel totally outraged and extremely sad,” said Meritxell Agut, a 22-year-old bank worker.“They’ve trampled on our rights and our ideas as Catalans,” she told AFP, adding: “They can destroy everything they want but we’ll keep on fighting.”Madrid could take direct control over Catalonia’s police force and replace its public media chiefs, with Rajoy saying he had no other choice, faced with a grave threat to Spain’s national unity.Elections for the semi-autonomous region must be called within six months, he added.The measures must now pass through the Senate — a process that will take about a week — but Rajoy’s conservative Popular Party (PP) holds a majority there and his efforts to prevent a break-up of Spain have the backing of other major parties.Autonomy is a highly sensitive issue in Catalonia, which saw its powers taken away under the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco.Home to 7.5 million people, the wealthy northeastern region fiercely defends its language and culture and has previously enjoyed control over its policing, education and healthcare.-‘The game could end badly’-Puigdemont, leading the crowds spilling out from Barcelona’s Paseo de Gracia boulevard in a protest originally called to urge the release of two detained separatist leaders, was due to give his response at 9:00 pm (2100 GMT).Though she opposes the independence drive, Barcelona mayor Ada Colau also deplored Madrid’s decision, tweeting: “Rajoy has suspended the self-government of Catalonia for which so many people fought. A serious attack on the rights and freedoms of everyone.”Under Article 155 of Spain’s constitution, Madrid has the power to wrest back control of rebellious regions, but it has never used it before.Rajoy said the measure was a last resort as Puigdemont refuses to drop his threat to declare independence based on the results of the October 1 referendum, which had been ruled unconstitutional.“This was neither our desire nor our intention,” Rajoy said.“We are applying Article 155 because the government of a democratic country cannot accept that the law is ignored.”Oriol Bartomeus, politics professor at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, said the central government was taking a huge risk.“The game could end badly, very badly for Rajoy’s government,” he told AFP.“It’s going to be like a colonial administration, and independence supporters will see it as an occupation.”Allowing 54 days for campaigning, new elections would fall in mid-June at the latest.Separatists of all political stripes, from Puigdemont’s conservatives to the far-left, have dominated the Catalan parliament since the last elections in 2015, holding 72 seats out of 135.Prosecutors said Saturday they would take mop-haired former journalist Puigdemont to court for “rebellion” if he makes any attempt to declare independence, a crime punishable with up to 30 years in jail.-Football giants weigh in-The president of FC Barcelona, one of the world’s best-known symbols of Catalan identity, threw his weight behind the region’s institutions.“We must reiterate our absolute support for the democratic institutions of Catalonia chosen by its people,” Josep Maria Bartomeu said, urging a “civil and peaceful” reaction to Rajoy’s decision.Puigdemont says 90 percent backed independence in the referendum, but turnout was 43 percent as many Catalans who back unity stayed away while others were hindered from voting by a police crackdown.Catalonia is roughly evenly split over whether to break away from Spain, according to polls, with supporters saying the region pays too much into national coffers but their opponents arguing it is stronger as part of a bigger country.The crisis has worried the European Union as it struggles with Brexit and taken a toll on one of Spain’s most important regional economies, with nearly 1,200 companies shifting their legal headquarters elsewhere in a bid to minimise the instability.
WHO tries to defend ‘goodwill’ honor to Mugabe as outrage grows-Pro-Israel UN group: Ambassadorial appointment for Zimbabwe's dictatorial president is 'sickening'-By AFP-OCT 22,17
GENEVA, Switzerland — The World Health Organization on Saturday cited Zimbabwe’s anti-tobacco record and efforts against non-communicable diseases as justifications for making President Robert Mugabe a “goodwill ambassador,” as international criticism of the move mounted.The UN health agency, led since July by former Ethiopian health minister Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has asked Mugabe to serve in the role to help tackle NCDs like heart attacks, strokes and asthma across Africa.The appointment announced earlier this week in Uruguay has triggered confusion and anger by activists who note that Zimbabwe’s healthcare system, like many of its public services, has collapsed under Mugabe’s authoritarian regime.Britain on Saturday joined the widening chorus of critics, calling the decision “surprising and disappointing, particularly in light of the current US and EU sanctions against him.”“We have registered our concerns with WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus,” a foreign office spokesperson said in an email.Mugabe’s “appointment risks overshadowing the work undertaken globally by the WHO on Non-Communicable Diseases.”Zimbabwean activist and human rights lawyer Doug Coltart said on Twitter that a “man who flies to Singapore for treatment because he has destroyed Zimbabwe’s health sector is WHO’s goodwill ambassador.”Mugabe, who is 93 and has been in power since 1980, is in increasingly fragile health and makes regular trips abroad for medical treatment.UN Watch, a group primarily known for defending Israel at the world body, called the decision “sickening.”“Amid reports of ongoing human rights abuses, the tyrant of Zimbabwe is the last person who should be legitimized by a UN position of any kind,” the group’s executive director Hillel Neuer said in a statement.Speaking in Uruguay’s capital this week, Tedros had hailed Zimbabwe as “a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the centre of its policies to provide health care to all.”WHO on Saturday pointed to Zimbabwe’s record and Tedro’s desire to engage senior politicians.“Dr. Tedros has frequently talked of his determination to build a global movement to promote high level political leadership for health,” spokesman Christian Lindmeier said in an email.“Zimbabwe has ratified the WHO FCTC (Framework Convention on Tobacco Control) in 2014 and the government has launched a levy fund for NCDs to generate revenues for health promotion, including NCD prevention and control,” he added.Contacted by AFP in Geneva, WHO’s communications department said it was unable to comment further or respond to widening concerns about Mugabe’s role.UN agencies often name high profile personalities as goodwill ambassadors to draw attention to their work, including actress Angelina Jolie with the refugee agency UNHCR.
After strikes, Syria says Israel is backing anti-regime ‘terrorists’-In letters to UN, Damascus claims Jerusalem conspiring with rebels, expresses 'astonishment' at Security Council's inaction-By TOI staff-OCT 22,17
Syria on Saturday issued letters of complaint to the United Nations in which it denounced the day’s Israeli strikes on Syrian army targets, accusing the Jewish state of conspiring with local “terror groups,” the Ynet website reported.In the morning the Israeli army hit three Syrian artillery targets in the Golan Heights, in a response hours after five projectiles landed in open ground in Israel as a result of spillover fire from the fighting in Syria.“The recent Israeli attack on the outskirts of Quneitra is a new chapter in the conspiracy between the Israeli occupation and armed terror groups, and another attempt to support these organizations,” Syria’s Foreign Ministry said in messages sent to the UN secretary general and the UN Security Council.Damascus warned of the “dire consequences of these repeated aggressive actions, which cannot be seen as anything but support for terrorism and the criminal terror groups.”It further expressed “utter astonishment at the Security Council’s inability to stop these Israeli attacks and condemn them.”The IDF vowed to intensify its responses to future stray fire. “Even if this is just spillover, this is an exceptional incident and the continuance of such events will be met with a more fierce Israeli response,” a statement by the IDF said.“The IDF will not tolerate any attempt to harm the sovereignty of the State of Israel and the security of its residents, and considers the Syrian regime responsible for what is happening in its territory,” the statement concluded.As a result of the projectile fire, missile warning sirens were heard in a number of local communities Saturday morning. The army fired back and hit three Syrian cannons.There were no reports of injuries or property damage.After the IDF strike, Syria asserted that Israel had arranged for rebels to fire across the border, in order to justify an Israeli response. The Syrian army said in a statement that the attack was proof of Israel’s “cooperation with terrorist organizations in the region.”
Iran, Syria pledge joint effort to counter ‘Zionist-American schemes’-Visiting Damascus, Tehran's army chief signs MOU promising increased coordination between militaries on intel and technology-By TOI staff and Agencies-OCT 22,17
Concluding a visit to Syria on Saturday, the commander of Iran’s armed forces signed a memorandum of understanding with Syrian officials in which the two allies announced plans for tighter military cooperation and coordination.The sides agreed to expand cooperation on intelligence, training, technology and against “Zionist-American schemes,” the Ynet news website reported.Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, Iran’s chief of staff, has spent several days in Syria, touring war zones and meeting with high-level officials, including President Bashar Assad.Assad’s meeting with Bagheri focused on bilateral relations in all fields, mainly military cooperation, “which has witnessed a qualitative development during the war that Syria and its allies, mainly Iran, are waging against terrorism” in Syria, state news agency SANA reported.Iran has been one of Assad’s strongest supporters since the country’s crisis began more than six years ago and has sent thousands of Iranian-backed militiamen to boost his troops against opponents.SANA quoted Bagheri as saying that the aim of his visit is to “put a joint strategy on continuing coordination and cooperation at the military level.” He also stressed Iran’s commitment to help in the reconstruction process in Syria.Bagheri met with several Syrian officials on Wednesday, including Defense Minister Fahd Jasem al-Freij, and Syrian army commander Maj. Gen. Ali Ayyoub.The meetings come after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that he will not tolerate an Iranian military presence in neighboring Syria.“Iran has to understand that Israel will not allow this,” Netanyahu said Tuesday after a meeting with visiting Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu focused mostly on Iran’s efforts to establish a presence next door, where both Tehran and Moscow have provided crucial support to Assad’s forces.Israel fears Iran will plant itself on the country’s doorstep by establishing a Shiite “corridor,” with land links from Iran to Lebanon, allowing the movement of fighters and weapons across the region. At the heart of those fears is Hezbollah, which battled Israel to a stalemate in a month-long war in 2006.Israel has largely stayed out of the fighting in Syria but has carried out dozens of airstrikes on alleged weapons convoys bound for the Iranian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah group.On Saturday the Israeli army hit three Syrian artillery targets across the border in the northern Golan Heights, hours after five projectiles landed in open ground in Israel as a result of spillover fire from the fighting in Syria.The IDF vowed it would intensify its responses to future such stray fire. “Even if this is just spillover, this is an exceptional incident and the continuance of such events will be met with a more fierce Israeli response,” a statement by the IIDF said.Bagheri on Wednesday said Tehran would not tolerate violations of Syrian sovereignty by Israel and vowed that the two countries would jointly fight against Syria’s enemies.“We cannot accept a situation where the Zionist entity attacks Syria from the ground and the air,” he said.
Foreigners who joined IS face almost certain death in Raqqa-World governments are loathe to let jihadists come back home, and may even be encouraging local forces to see that they die in battle-By Lori Hinnant and Sarah El Deeb-OCT 22,17
PARIS (AP) — The forces fighting the remnants of the Islamic State group in Syria have tacit instructions on dealing with the foreigners who joined the extremist group by the thousands: Kill them on the battlefield.As they made their last stand in the northern Syrian city of Raqqa, an estimated 300 extremists holed up in and around a sports stadium and a hospital argued among themselves about whether to surrender, according to Kurdish commanders leading the forces that closed in. The final days were brutal — 75 coalition airstrikes in 48 hours and a flurry of desperate IS car bombs that were easily spotted in the sliver of devastated landscape still under militant control.No government publicly expressed concern about the fate of its citizens who left and joined the Islamic State fighters plotting attacks at home and abroad. In France, which has suffered repeated violence claimed by the Islamic State — including the Nov. 13, 2015, attacks in Paris — Defense Minister Florence Parly was among the few to say it aloud.“If the jihadis perish in this fight, I would say that’s for the best,” Parly told Europe 1 radio last week.Those were the orders, according to the US.“Our mission is to make sure that any foreign fighter who is here, who joined ISIS from a foreign country and came into Syria, they will die here in Syria,” said Brett McGurk, the top US envoy for the anti-IS coalition, in an interview with Dubai-based Al-Aan television.“So if they’re in Raqqa, they’re going to die in Raqqa,” he said.The coalition has given names and photos to the Kurdish fighters to identify the foreign jihadis, who are seen as a threat back home and a burden on their justice systems, according to a commander with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. The commander said his US-backed fighters are checking for wanted men among the dead or the few foreigners among the captured.An official with the powerful YPG, the backbone of the SDF that also runs the local security and intelligence branches, said foreigners who decided to fight until the end will be “eliminated.” For the few prisoners, the Kurds try to reach out to the home countries, “and we try to hand them in. But many would not want to take their (detainees),” he said. Both men spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the sensitive issue with reporters.No country will admit to refusing to take back citizens who joined the Islamic State, including women and their children. But few are making much of an effort to recover them.In Iraq, hundreds of Islamic State fighters have surrendered or have been taken into custody, and their families have been rounded up into detention camps. The men are put on trial and face the death penalty if convicted of terrorism charges — even if they are foreigners. One Russian fighter has already been hanged.France, which routinely intervenes when citizens abroad face capital punishment, has said nothing about its jihadis in Iraq. More French joined the group, also known by its Arab acronym Daesh, than any other European country.Foreigners captured by Kurdish forces are in a more precarious position because the SDF doesn’t answer to Syria’s government and has no state of its own. A Syrian woman whose French husband surrendered to Kurdish authorities in June said she had no access to him and didn’t know where he was 50 days after they separated. She denied her husband was an IS fighter.The camps for displaced civilians from Raqqa contain only foreign women and children. As for the fate of any French citizens there, France’s Foreign Ministry had a short response: “Our priority today is to achieve a complete victory over Daesh.” German diplomats say all of the country’s citizens are entitled to consular assistance.As the final battle in Raqqa drew to a close, Parly estimated a few hundred French fighters were still in the war zone. For Germany, about 600 men were unaccounted for.Britain has not said how many of its former citizens are believed still fighting, but at least one holdout posted a furious 72-minute monologue earlier this month from Raqqa as airstrikes and artillery fire boomed behind him. He said Muslims around the world should be outraged at the treatment of Islamic State’s followers.“This is not me being an extremist. I’m a very moderate, mild person, hamdullah (thanks to God), and I find Islamic State to be very moderate and mild,” said the man, who called himself as Abu Adam al-Britani and was identified by British media as Yasser Iqbal, a Porsche-driving lawyer who defended Islamic State’s brutal practices as ordained by God, including killing non-Muslims and dissenting Muslims. He did not mention the group’s routine public beheadings, enslavement of women or brainwashing of children to become hardened killers.At its height, between 27,000 and 31,000 may have traveled to Syria and Iraq to join the Islamic State group, according to an analysis by the Soufan Group. Of those, about 6,000 were from Europe, with most from France, Germany and Britain. A majority had immigrant backgrounds and was heavily targeted by the group’s propaganda, which highlighted the injustices they faced at home. One study found that fewer than 10 percent of the Western fighters were converts to Islam.As many as a third of the Europeans may have returned home. Many are jailed immediately and await trial in backlogged courts, but others are freed and under surveillance.Raqqa’s foreign holdouts are generally acknowledged to be midlevel IS recruits, and most are believed to have little information about the group’s inner workings. US Col. Ryan Dillon, a spokesman for the coalition, said he had no information about any “high-value targets” among approximately 350 fighters who surrendered in Raqqa in the last days, including a few foreigners.But for their home countries, they pose a risk.“The general sentiment in northern Europe is we don’t want these people back, but I don’t think anyone has thought about the alternatives,” said Pieter Van Ostaeyen, an expert on the Belgian jihadis.Among the complications are how to prosecute any returnees and how to track them if and when they leave custody.“You can see why almost the preferred resolution is that they don’t return,” said Bruce Hoffman, head of Georgetown University’s security studies program and author of “Inside Terrorism.”“What worries me is I think it’s wishful thinking that they’re all going to be killed off,” he added.Wishful thinking or not, Parly said it’s the best outcome.“We cannot do anything to prevent their return besides neutralize the maximum number of jihadis in this combat,” she said.
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