Iran to Hold Drill to Protect Nuke Sites

By Chris Schang

Iran has made several interesting and disturbing announcements. One of the first announcements is that they will be carrying out a drill to protect their nuclear sites. The drills will focus solely on protecting the Iranian nuclear facilities from attack. The other announcement was that if Israel did indeed strike Iran that they were prepared to strike the heart of Tel Aviv. This threat could have a significant effect on the civilian population in Israel if the Iranians do make good on their threats. The Jerusalem Post reports:

Iran has begun large-scale air defense war games aimed at protecting its nuclear facilities against any possible attack, the country's state TV said on Sunday.

Gen. Ahmad Mighani, head of an air force unit that deals with threats to Iran's air space, said Saturday the war games would cover regions where Iran's nuclear facilities are located, reflecting the country's concern that Israel could make good on threats to strike militarily.

The article described the military exercises as covering a massive area surrounding the nuclear facilities, then went on to further describe the military exercises:

The five-day drill will involve Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard and the regular army and will cover 230,000 square miles - or about 600,000 square kilometers - of central, western and southern Iran, said air force Gen. Ahmad Mighani.

The drill comes as a top clerical official in Teheran renewed his threat to target "the heart of Tel Aviv" should Israel attack Iran.

As Iran has pressed forward with its nuclear program, Israel has repeatedly threatened military action to prevent Teheran from obtaining nuclear weapons. The US also has not ruled out military action should diplomacy fail to resolve the dispute over Iran's nuclear activities.

I can't help to think that the Iranians for their part are worried that a strike on their nuclear program is around the corner. In previous reports, it has been noted that Iran could have a nuclear weapon by February 2010. As a result, as we've moved closer and closer to this date we have seen the Iranians ratchet up the military and verbal threats upon anyone who "dares" attack their nuclear facilities. We even saw that the Iranians appear to be so worried about this that they have even gone so far as to try to pressure Russia into delivering the promised S-300 systems. As we watch Iran speed to the nuclear finish line, I think it is possible that we will see more paranoid and unpredictable actions from the Iranians.

Another possible scenario is that they could try to use their proxy terrorists that are aligned on the border of Israel to open up a conflict in order to distract Israel from the nuclear issue. I think if they try to do that they will be in for a rude awakening as Israel is not going to take their eyes off the Iranian nuclear program for one second. The window of opportunity is closing pretty fast for the international community as Iran continues to defy calls by the world community to halt their illegal nuclear program. time is running out for the world, Israel, and Iran. A military clash seems inevitable in my humble opinion.

As previously mentioned the Iranians have also increased their verbal threats to their ally Russia who has yet to deliver the S-300 anti-aircraft missile system as it will be a key piece of hardware that will be critical in any strike on Iran. The Iranians want the system to help protect their nuclear sites as well as lower the chance that the Israelis will strike. The Israelis on the other hand do not want the S-300 anti-aircraft systems to be delivered as it will throw up a major roadblock to any planned attack on Iran as the S-300 is the top of the line Russian air defense system. It is extremely accurate and will be a serious impediment to any Israeli strike. The US and Israel have so far pressured Russia not to deliver the system, but I think there could be a chance that eventually the Russians will be forced to hand over the system. This could be the red line for Israel as the world community continues to make absolutely no progress towards getting Iran to voluntarily halt their nuclear program. With the breakdown in the Middle East peace process, the Israelis will be in a good position to take advantage of the overall Middle East picture and make the strike that is needed to stop Iran.

But at the same time, this overall picture in the Middle East is not a good one. The potential for conflict is very high at this time given the frustration of the breakdown in the Middle East peace talks. Israel is likely to face attacks from both near and far as I believe that Israel will eventually be forced to act on Iran as it becomes more clear with each passing day that no one else is going to step in and take charge of the situation.

For students of Bible prophecy, this could very well set up a domino effect for other prophetic events to unfold. If the rapture of the church - which can literally happen at any moment - were to occur, the world might find itself on the fast track towards the fulfillment of end times Bible prophecy and ultimately the leading of mankind into the 70th week of Daniel. Such calamity in the Middle East would also raise the chances that the future Antichrist could begin his rise on the world stage.

Let us keep watching the situation in the Middle East and remember that with each passing day our blessed hope gets closer and closer. God bless.

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