THE MARTYRS OF SYRIA

Precious in the sight of the Lord

    is the death of his faithful servants.

Psalm 116:15

Yesterday afternoon we received this message from the pastor of a church in Syria ( I will not share his name for his protection): 

Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ,

Our hearts are heavy and broken as we cry out to the Lord in this dark hour. For nearly a week now, fierce fighting has raged in Suweida, Syria, between the Druze and Bedouin (Sunni Muslim) communities. Over a thousand precious souls have perished, and countless others are wounded or taken captive.

It is with deep sorrow and tears that we share the heartbreaking news that our beloved brother and shepherd, Pastor Khaled Mezhir, pastor of the Good Shepherd Evangelical Church in Suweida, has been martyred for his faith along with his wife, his parents, and over 20 members of his family. They were brutally killed today. Pastor Khaled, once a Druze, gave his life to Christ and faithfully proclaimed the Gospel to his people despite opposition and persecution. He and his family stood as lights in the darkness, and now they rest in the presence of the Lord they so faithfully served.

The church in Suweida is now scattered; many believers are unaccounted for. The surviving members are enduring unimaginable suffering—cut off from food, water, electricity, internet, and hope for safety, despite the so-called “ceasefire” declared by a new regime.

We urgently plead with you, our family in Christ, to lift up your voices in prayer:

• Pray for the comfort and strength of Pastor Khaled’s surviving relatives and for the flock he has left behind.

• Pray for the protection and endurance of the remaining churches and believers in Suweida.

• Pray that the Lord would miraculously provide food, water, and safety for His children.

• Pray for wisdom and resources so that we may reach and help those who are suffering and displaced.

May the Lord, who is near to the brokenhearted, rise up as our refuge and strength. Let us stand together as one Body, crying out for His mercy and deliverance over Suweida and all our brothers and sisters in Syria.

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)

God does not call upon his followers to chose to be martyrs, he does not rejoice in the death of his people, unlike the god of Islam, however should His followers be martyred, having 'run the good race' He receives them into heaven with joy.  These Christians who have been martyred in Syria, in this latest atrocity, and in the earlier massacre in north-west Syria, are now in Paradise. They are now beyond the reach of the Enemy, Satan.

Those however who have been left behind are in deep mourning and need our prayers. They are also in great danger, and need our support. Please spread the word in your churches and if possible to the wider community. Ask your government why it is silent in the face of this slaughter and attempted ethnic cleansing?

For over a week fighting has raged in and around the Druze-majority city of Suweida (also transliterated as Suwayda or similar). It is unclear what triggered the fighting but a massive mob of bedouin (Sunni muslim jihadists) rushed into Suweida and began slaughtering, raping, taking hostages and destroying everything in sight. They even went into the hospital, killing dozens. Official numbers estimate the dead Druze and Christians at around 1100, but many are  missing. The true number we may never know. Al-Sharaa's government forces were sent to quell the fighting but many of them, some bearing ISIS insignias, joined in the massacre, as did other jihadi groups. 

The only entity to have so far come to the aid of the people of the city of Suweida is Israel. And some even dare to accuse Israel of actually starting the fighting ( how absurd are the libels against Israel!). During last night Israel sent 2 million shekels worth of food, medicine and other aid into the besieged city.

Jordan refused to open its borders to allow aid to be taken into the Druze (probably in fear of arousing the anger of its jihadi elements and its Syrian neighbor). Where are the other Arab neighbors? Where is the UN? Where is the US? Where is the 'Christian' world? 

Why is Israel involved?

Many are asking why Israel felt the need to get involved. There are two main reasons:

1. Israel has a sizeable population of Druze who live within Israel with full citizenship rights. The Druze are valued members of our society, they are loyal citizens and are among our best fighters in the IDF, often rising to high ranks. They have also paid a high price for that; many of their soldiers have been killed fighting for Israel, and you also may remember the 12 Druze children playing on a football field who were killed by a Hezbollah rocket last year. The Druze of Syria are close kinsmen of the Druze in Israel, with whom they maintain contact. We here in Israel feel we have a moral duty to the Druze community, a minority scattered throughout the Levant (Syria, Lebanon and Israel). Muslims hate the Druze and regard them as apostates and heretics to be eradicated. 

2. The Druze of Syria live in several cities and towns, along Israel's 87km border with Syria, particularly on Jabal al-Druse (The Druse Mountain), within the region southwest of Damascus reaching to the Israeli border and which Israel declared a demilitarized zone since the fall of Assad and the establishment of the government of Ahmed al-Sharaa. Israel is determined to keep this zone, (the area s-w of Damascus) demilitarized in order to protect our border communities from surprise attacks or invasions from Syria, and also to protect our Druze cousins.  

Why did Israel bomb military sites in Damascus and attack tanks approaching Suweida?

The US and the western world in general are falling for the deception of Ahmed al-Sharaa (once known as Abu Mohammed al-Julani) who is pretending to be a moderate, benign ruler who just wants to stabilize Syria and unite its various warring factions. Israel however is not fooled by his western clothes, his trimmed beard, and his charm and good looks. 

Al-Sharaa is a terrorist once on the US' most wanted list with a   $US 10 million price on his head. He was the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, where he was captured by US forces and thrown in jail. There he met the leader of ISIS Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. In 2011 al-Bagdadi sent al-Julani to Syria to start another terror organization called Jabhat al-Nusera. The following year al-Baghdadi went to Syria to establish the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). ISIS wanted to absorb Julani's group but he resisted and declared his allegiance to al Qaeda. When al-Qaeda showed little interest, Julani branched out on his own forming Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), with the goal of establishing an Islamic State in Syria under Sharia Law. First he established a mini-state in the city of Idlib where he imposed strict Sharia Law and ruled it with a government and a milita that suppressed any opposition. It was from this mini-state that in 2024 he launched his push forward to rapidly take Damascus and oust the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. 

Immediately, al-Julani changed his name back to his given name, Ahmed al-Sharaa. Why? Well, his nom-de-guerre too obviously betrayed his intentions. Julani is the Arabic word for the Golan Heights, now in Israeli territory. His organization also dropped its name for the same reason, transmogrifying into the Syrian government forces.  Al-Sham is the Arabic term for the Levant which not only includes Syria but also Lebanon, Jordan and Israel. That is his goal. To rule all those nations as one, Syria, under Islamic Law. He is being backed by Erdogan's Turkey which has the same aim, the re-establishment of the Turkish Empire as an Islamic State. 

In an Islamic State there is no room for minorities, be they Druze, Kurds, Yazidis, Christians or Jews. They must be converted or stamped out. The irony is that the most pluralistic and tolerant country in the Middle East, Israel, is the one being accused of apartheid and ethnic cleansing. Only Israel is standing up against the encroaching Islamic State. Where is the outcry from the western world when Syrian minorities, Alawites, Christians and Druze are being massacred? Jews are not being massacred in Syria because there are only 1-2 very elderly Jews left!!! Once an ancient and thriving community of around 55,000 (in 1948) all have fled because of persecution. 

Sadly al-Sharaa and his ilk are clever and understand the gullible western mind very well. They know they can fool us. They will make deals and 'talk the talk' but they mean nothing. 

In Islam is the principle of Taqqiya which obligates the 'good' Muslim to lie if it is in the interests of gobal jihad. Signing a bit of paper has no value in the Middle East. Shaking hands has no value. Deals are not worth the paper they are written on. 

Israel knows this. We understand the Middle Eastern mentality and consequently do not trust the words and the outward image of al-Sharaa. Leopards do not change their spots. They may cover them for a while, but underneath they are still a leopard. As long as it is in his interest al-Sharaa will pretend to be a moderate, reasonable leader with only the good of his people on his mind, but once his rule is established and accepted he will revert to type. His ultimate goal is to unite the Levant, establish Islamic rule, and to do that he must destroy the State of Israel and control Lebanon and Jordan too. 

Knowing this, after Assad was deposed, Israel quickly established military posts on Mt Hermon and expanded the 'buffer zone' along its border, destroying all of Assad's heavy weaponry and military installations. It has also declared the area west of Damascus to be a demilitarized zone, where heavy weapons are banned. When al-Sharaa's government forces moved tanks towards Suweida they violated this demilitarized zone, and consequently Israel swifty attacked them and military command centers in Damascus, in order to protect the Druze, and our border, and send a clear message to al-Sharaa.

For more on the Syrian question I recommend the following videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8LhWFKIJn0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfzopst14-Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01uIA-HnLLc

There is much more happening here in Gaza and Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) and with the Iranians and Houthis, but I will write about that another day. In the meantime please share the information and pray for the minorities in Syria and for Israel.  

Iran's 'Final Solution' - war by proxy - and why it failed. 

“Turn to me and be saved,

    all you ends of the earth;

    for I am God, and there is no other.

23 

By myself I have sworn,

    my mouth has uttered in all integrity

    a word that will not be revoked:

Before me every knee will bow;

    by me every tongue will swear.

24 

They will say of me, ‘In the Lord alone

    are deliverance and strength.’”

All who have raged against him

    will come to him and be put to shame.

25 

But all the descendants of Israel

    will find deliverance in the Lord

    and will make their boast in him.

Isaiah 45: 2-25

For followers of the Twelver sect of Shiite Islam, such as the ayatollahs of Iran, the existence of a Jewish State on what they regard as 'Muslim soil' is an abomination and a hindrance preventing the return of the Mahdi.

The Mahdi is a kind of a messiah figure who is the twelfth imam, currently in 'occultation' (secret seclusion), who according to Shiite eschatology will emerge in the end times to bring about justice and peace in a world overwhelmed by oppression and corruption, and to establish global Islamic rule.

The Mahdi will precede the coming of the Prophet Issa (Jesus) who will rule the world either with the Mahdi or alone (opinions vary). 

According to the Hadiths (the collected sayings of Mohammed) the "last hour will not come unless the Muslims fight against the Jews, and the Muslims would kill them..." (Sahih Muslim 41:6985, also Sahih al-Bukhari 4:56:791).

Clearly, according to these beliefs, the Jews must be conquered and eradicated. The existence of the Jewish State, Israel, is anathema and must be destroyed. 

The current Ayatollah, Ali Hosseini Khamenei, sees himself as the forerunner preparing the way for the reappearance of the Mahdi. He believes he has a divinely sanctioned imperative to destroy Israel, and he formulated a brilliant plan to do just that, his 'final solution', a war to end all wars, opening the way for the Mahdi.

To this end, Khamenei patiently, over a period of at least 30 years, prepared his battle plan, moving his 'chess pieces' into place for a war by proxy. He 'groomed' various terror groups and Shiite entities to go to war against Israel, providing funding, weapons and training. According to his master plan these proxies would carry out a massive, simultaneous invasion of Israel, while he backed them with thousands of missiles, drones and at least 10 nuclear bombs. 

Hezbollah in Lebanon, perhaps the strongest of the proxies, had around 150,000 rockets, ballistic missiles, as well as hundreds of drones, and thousands of rocket propelled grenades (RPGs) and other smaller munitions. Hezbollah also had a sophisticated army of Iranian (IRGS)-trained soldiers numbering approximately 20,000 full-time soldiers, and an equivalent number of reservists. 

Hamas, though Sunni, joined with Iran in order to fulfill its desire to eliminate Israel and the Jewish people. Before October 7, 2023, Hamas and the other terror groups in Gaza, had around 50,000 operatives, about 30,000 medium and short-range rockets capable of hitting almost every part of Israel, in addition to many thousands of RPGs and mortars and other short-range weapons, hidden in at least 200 km of underground tunnels and command centers, and protected by civilian 'human shields' above. 

The Houthis in Yemen were, and still are, being continually supplied by Iran with sophisticated, long-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones, all capable of hitting Israel. 

Iraq had ready an invasion army of around 50,000 soldiers. 

Iran has close to 1 million military personnel. It also had a massive arsenal of around 2,000 - 4,000 (estimates vary) ballistic and cruise missiles capable of reaching Israel and was busy manufacturing more, aiming to reach a total stockpile of at least 8,000. It also had thousands of UAVs (weaponized drones). It was also furiously enriching uranium in order to produce nuclear warheads. At the outbreak of the war it was estimated that it could make, within weeks, around 10 nuclear bombs with the 600kg of enriched uranium it had already made.

Had all these 'armies' attacked Israel simultaneously in surprise, according to the master plan, Israel would have been quickly overwhelmed, outnumbered and outgunned. Most Israelis would have been killed or captured, and the State of Israel pushed into the sea - 'from the River to the Sea'. This would have been genocide on a grand scale. So what went wrong? 

On October 7, 2023 Hamas and other Gazan terror groups, together with many 'civilians' stormed the Israeli border communities killing around 1200 and taking 251 as hostages. At the same time, thousands of rockets were fired into Israel. Although caught by surprise, many IDF personnel, police and armed civilians sprang into action and somehow managed to prevent a much greater disaster. Hamas had planned to reach Tel Aviv, capture the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, capture military bases and installations, and destroy or capture the nuclear reactor at Dimona. They expected Iran and the other proxies to join their attack. But they did not. Iran sat back. Hezbollah the next day began firing rockets into Israel, but didn't invade, nor did Iraq, and the Houthis did not join until much later. Why?

I do not know the official explanation, if there is one. I have heard a theory that Hamas 'went off half-cocked' before the others were ready because of leaked information about the existence of the booby trapped communication devices that later decimated the leadership of Hezbollah. I have also heard that Iraq failed to receive the go-head from Tehran. Perhaps because the communication network failed for some reason. 

I do know that since the October 7 invasion and massacre, Israel has fought back with courage, determination and has devastated the enemy forces. Much of this amazing success can be attributed to our incredible air force, its coordination with the superb ground forces, and our technological superiority both in terms of intelligence but also in the field of battle. Our military personnel have shown exemplary courage, resilience and skill in battle. Not only that, they know they are fighting a battle for our very survival as a nation, and the survival of their own loved ones. This is a big advantage in warfare. 

We also have another big advantage - the most important. Yahweh, the God of Israel is fighting on our side. It is the only explanation for our overwhelming success so far. If I hadn't already believed in God before the war, I would now. We have witnessed so many things that could only have occurred by divine intervention. 

Hamas and its allies in Gaza alone have fired 19,000 rockets at Israel, and Hezbollah approximately 3,000 from Lebanon. Iran has fired around 700 ballistic and cruise missiles, and an unknown number of UAVs at Israel, and the Houthis 52 missiles and many drones. Some of these failed en route or were intercepted by Israel's defense systems, and those of her allies. Only a few reached Israel and, though there have been casualties, mostly civilian, the number is far, far fewer than one might expect given the intensity of the barrages and the potential destructive power of the missiles. Even the one missile that impacted Ben Gurion Airport somehow 'contrived' to fall in the only open space there and caused only a few minor injuries. This is just one of the many, many such miracles we have seen, not to mention the many we may not have seen nor recognized.

It seems that God has been supernaturally protecting Israel. He has allowed us to suffer to some extent in an effort to cause us to repent of our sins and return to him, but he has been great in his mercy, not because we deserve it in any way, but because we are still his chosen people, called by his name, Israel (which means he who struggles with God). God does not fail to fulfil his promises and his prophetic word. Israel still has a role to play in God's redemption plan. He will not allow our enemies to overcome us. The Mahdi will not come (unless he is the Antichrist) and Islam and Allah will be shown to be a false deception. All the world will see and recognize Jesus and bow down to him. It is Jesus who will bring in a millennium of world peace and he will reign the whole earth with his saints from Jerusalem. It is the God of Israel who will bring down the new heaven and the new earth as described in the Book of Revelation.

So what now? Our enemies have been weakened and wounded, the Iranian master plan is shattered, and as I write U.S. President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu are meeting in Washington D.C. to discuss Trump's vision of the Abraham Accords and peace in the Middle East. 

Can there be peace in the Middle East? Perhaps for a time, but our enemies are still alive, still have a large arsenal of weapons and still believe that Israel must be destroyed so that the end times era of 'peace' under Islam can be ushered in. Surrender to the infidels, Jews and Christian, is unthinkable, as is the concept of defeat or failure in a shame-based society. They may make deals, negotiate 'peace' but only to give themselves time to regroup and rearm so that they can attack again. 

Shiites teach and practice the principle of Taqiyyah. For them Taqiyyah means 'the religious obligation to conceal the truth and not showing openly that which may lead to negative consequences in religious or worldly terms'. In other words, it is not only permissible but obligatory to lie to the enemy, make false declarations or false agreements or treaties, if it is advantageous in terms of their ultimate goal of global jihad.

This is something Western leaders do not seem to understand. Negotiated treaties and deals made with Shia jihadist entities are not worth the paper they are written on. For Shia jihadists a ceasefire can only be temporary, and peace with the 'infidel' unthinkable. I fear for the gullible West. It is a huge mistake to  think that jihadis value life and peace as we do. They value death, martyrdom and war above peace, as long as jihad is incomplete. Their sole overriding goal is world domination and the subjection of all mankind to Islam.

Iran, even after its humiliating defeat in the recent 12-day war with Israel, declared 'victory' and is still openly declaring its intention not only to destroy the 'little Satan', Israel, but also the 'big Satan', America and the rest of the 'corrupt and infidel West'. 

Iran may be 'down' but it is not yet defeated. A wounded lion is a dangerous beast. Iran still has a sizeable arsenal and reports vary about the degree of damage done to Iran's nuclear program. Around 600kg of enriched uranium is still 'missing'. Russia and China have promised to help them restock their arsenal and repair their damaged military sites and factories. 

Hezbollah is not only refusing to disarm as required by the Lebanon ceasefire agreement, it is actively rearming and regrouping. 

The Houthis are still firing missiles at Israel on an almost daily basis. 

Estimates are that though the Hamas military apparatus is dismantled, and perhaps 90% of its leadership killed, there are still around 50,000 Hamas operatives carrying out a guerilla-style war against the IDF, and rockets are still sporadically being fired into Israel. Hamas still holds 50 Israeli hostages, 20 of whom are believed to be still alive. 

The war is far from over, and a true, lasting peace will only come when the true Messiah, Yeshua (Jesus), returns.