The Watchman On The Wall

The Watchman On The Wall
Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Verse 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Monday, November 28, 2016

Middle East News and Prophecy for Nov. 28,16

Image result for iraqi popular mobilization forces
Friends, this law has prophetic significance because it will allow to Iran to gain more power in the Mesopotamia region thus another piece of the prophetic puzzle falls into place.
Pictured above, is the spokesman for the Popular Mobilization Units Ahmed al-Assadi.
A law approved by the Iraqi parliament is stirring anger inside the country and across the Middle East. The measure, passed on Saturday, recognizes the Popular Mobilization Units, an Iran-backed Shiite militia, and will let them fight alongside the Iraqi military.
The move has the potential to worsen sectarian rivalries: the PMUs were formed in June of 2014 to fight the Islamic State (ISIS) after the city of Mosul fell to the terrorist group, but they stand accused of abuses against the country’s Sunni minority. All the Shiite blocs in the Iraqi parliament voted for the bill, while lawmakers representing the Sunni minority objected.
The units, which comprise more than 110,00 fighters, are alleged by international monitoring groups to have killed and terrorized Sunni residents who live in ISIS-controlled territories as retaliation for attacks waged by the jihadist group. The militias reportedly demolished Sunni homes, stores and mosques and detained and kidnapped Sunni residents, according to a report issued by Human Rights Watch. A few months ago your watchman placed an Amnesty Int'l video on this blog about Shia soldiers imprisoning and mistreating Sunni men and boys.   The Islamic State adheres to a radical interpretation of a strain of Sunni Islam.
In October, the Iraqi military began its campaign to retake Mosul, the country’s second largest city that’s been held for two years by ISIS. The campaign, which is currently inside the eastern portion of the city, raised concerns in Sunni-dominated countries in the region. They worry that the participation of PMU Shiite forces in the liberation of a Sunni-dominated city like Mosul could lead to further abuses.
In a letter to Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Thursday, Human Rights Watch called on the Iraqi government to “make a commitment to prevent any armed forces implicated in laws of war violations from participating in planned operations,” and to prohibit the PMUs from participating.
Sunnis in Iraq and across Sunni-dominated countries are also raising concerns that the official presence of Shiite militias under the Iraqi government could boost Iran’s influence in the country. “As it stands now, [PMU involvement] would constitute something that looks like Iran’s Revolutionary Guard,” said Raad al-Dahlaki, a Sunni member of parliament. Iraqis on social media said “Iran continues to destroy Iraq” and claim the PMU “is now the Iranian army in Iraq.”
Meanwhile, users affiliated with the PMUs uploaded posts showing members of the militias dancing and celebrating the new law. The PMU itself tried to calm fears, tweeting on its officialaccount that “the PMU law is for all Iraqis, Shiite, Sunnis, Turkeman, Shabak, Christians who fought under its banner.”
Image result for Iran loses nuclear device

Iran loses nuclear device


 The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is concerned over a missing radioactive device from Iran’s Bushehr nuclear reactor, Saudi-owned Arab newspaper Asharq al-Awsat reported on Thursday.
Aside from the security concerns, at the forefront in the GCC’s mind is what impact the radioactive device—wherever it may be today—could have on water supplies.
According to the newspaper, the device went missing after the car transporting it was stolen. Thankfully, the vehicle was recovered, but the radioactive nuclear device was not so lucky.
The GCC has contacted the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) over the incident—both organizations are concerned that Iran’s nuclear program may pollute the waters in the Gulf, Asharq al-Awsat quoted GCC Emergency Management Center chairman, Adnan al-Tamimi, as saying.
Most members of the GCC – which includes Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman – desalinate sea water from the Gulf. If contamination from the device were to reach desalination stations, an already critical situation becomes even more critical.
The missing device is set to lose half of its power after 74 days of inactivity, Tamimi said, noting that it still should be handled with care even after that period.
Speaking to Asharq al-Awsat, the Arab official criticized Iran’s low security and safety levels at the Bushehr reactor, adding that the lack of Iranian transparency about its nuclear program adds further concerns and anxiousness for the Arab Gulf states.
Iran’s nuclear program has recently entered the spotlight again after Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election. In March of this year, Trump said in a speech addressing the American Israel Public Affairs Committee: “My number-one priority is to dismantle the disastrous deal with Iran.”
If Trump were willing and able to deliver on that promise by tearing up the deal, Iran would once again impact the oil market, dragging down Iran’s oil exports from the near-pre-sanctions levels it has almost reached in recent months. 
Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly in favor of extending the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA) from 1996 through December 31, 2026. The act—adopted long before the most recent international sanctions against Tehran—was aimed at punishing investments in the Iranian energy industry and deterring the country from pursuing the development of nuclear weapons.
Last week’s bill to extend the ISA after its expiry next month still needs Senate approval and President Obama’s signature to become law.

No comments: