Splinters 2021

Splinters 77

eTPL31 January 5, 2021

Volcanic Alert for 100,000 in the Caribbean

“He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: he toucheth the hills, and they smoke.” Psalm 104:32

January 3, 2020. Being termed “apocalyptic” by volcanologists, there are an exceedingly high number of sudden eruptions taking place simultaneously in the world today; forty-seven sites are active, currently, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA). Usually, there are about twenty active sites around the world (Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program).

Ominously, scientists are reminding their readers that volcanic eruptions account for four historical “major extinctions” in past history ... events in which large percentages of living things on the earth have been wiped out.

Little is usually heard from the islands of the French overseas territories of St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the East Caribbean Sea, but an orange alert has been issued for 100,000 residents there, warning them that they may have to evacuate their homes within 24 hours as the La Soufrière site began spewing lava and volcanic fumes. The region’s 17 live volcanoes are located on eleven islands while two others are underwater near Grenada, including one called Kick ‘Em Jenny...

Aerial observation shortly after the volcano began its activity noted the formation of a new dome in the lake that had formed in its crater. It has been inactive since 1979 when it became mildly active; but in 1902, it erupted killing 1,680 people in the islands shortly before the eruption of Mount Pelée on neighboring Martinique killing more than 30,000 people.

The danger has brought (on December 30th) an official reaction of prayer requests as Mark Brantley, the premier of West Indies Nevis Island called for all the people of the Caribbean to join in prayer. He stated: “With the devastation already caused by COVID-19 and its disastrous impact on our small vulnerable states, our region cannot afford another disaster. I urge us all to pray for the continued safety and security of the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.”

Other active eruptions are being noted from Mt. Kilauea, Hawaii; also in Indonesia; in New Zealand; and from three volcanoes in Japan where hundreds of startling explosions have occurred within the past few days...

 American author Stephen Petranek explained during a lecture in 2014 that “one huge eruption in the future could lead to a chain reaction, potentially marking the end of the world.” He noted, “We do not live on a nice, stable solid planet.... It is mostly molten rock and iron and it has a nuclear reactor in the center of it that keeps it hot. We’re ... on these life rafts floating above all this molten rock. Earth’s crust is so constantly folding in on itself that we cannot find a stone on the surface of the Earth that is as old as the planet. Ninety-eight percent of all the species on Earth have gone extinct and volcanoes are the biggest reason why. Of the 11 biggest extinctions, four were caused by volcanoes.”

It is a dire prediction – but one with which we must disagree. The “world” is not going to end in such a way, but certainly will be brought to its knees by earthquakes, storms, pestilence and fire (II Peter 3: 7,12) – tumultuous disasters which should strike fear and humility in the hearts of men and bring repentance from their evil ways ... but will not. <>Abstracted from Israel 365 News

Jews Relocating to Israel for Coronavirus Vaccine and Safety

The pandemic has caused the return of over 190,000 Jews to return to Israel from abroad and has shown Israel to be a preferred country for many American Jews. Many of the returnees have cited the availability of a coronavirus vaccine as their reason for returning or for making Aliyah.

Israel’s mortality rate for the virus is remarkably low and its number of vaccinations is equally high. The US is seeing over 1,000 deaths per million in population; in Israel the toll is only 370 per million. <>JPost

Iranian Bluster as Large as Always...

The Commander-in-Chief of Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC), Major General Yahya Rahim, threatened last week to “turn US aircraft carriers into sinking submarines” on the anniversary of the drone strike that killed Iran’s General Qasem Soleimani as he departed from the Baghdad International Airport a year ago.

Such bluster is not unusual for Iran’s military leaders; they talk a serious game...

The remarks were probably triggered by a flyover of two B-52 bombers and a newly arrived US nuclear submarine and aircraft carrier battle group in the vicinity in a show of strength that could not have been misread by the Iranians. The threat was not carried out on the recent anniversary (January 3rd).

The Iranians have said that they would not “initiate a war” but would respond immediately and with great power if anyone attacks Iran. They opined that the US forces are “terrified” of retaliatory attacks on its positions in the region. In addition, Iran suspects that the incoming Biden administration is not prepared for a sudden attack and would do little in retaliation. <>US Sun

The USS Nimitz – a 100,000-ton message to Iran

CVN-68 – the official designation of the USS Chester Nimitz – had been on its way back to its home base in the US for ninety six hours when it received a message on January 3rd from the Pentagon to “halt its routine redeployment” and return to the vicinity of Iran with its battle grouping of other navy craft.

The giant aircraft carrier is the present anchor of US power in the Middle East and will remain “on station” in the region until further notice. The reason is the heightened tension between Iran and the US at the first anniversary of the assassination of General Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad about a year ago. Iran has increased its threats along with public announcement of increasing its enrichment of uranium to twenty percent purity – an advantageous departure point for further enrichment to weapons-grade uranium... which it continues to deny!

The Nimitz battle group is a big club that the US can use against Iran if there are any teeth in its threats to do harm to US interests in the Middle East or elsewhere. Its complement of F-35s and F-18s as well as its accompanying reserve of 2,500 Marines and a huge inventory of cruise missiles can wreak devastating havoc on any enemy within minutes.

Iran has threatened action utilizing its “fast boats” in the Persian Gulf – a force which was described by the Jerusalem Post as “a rowboat-like navy.” A Post article opined that the US Navy could destroy the entire Iranian “navy” within an afternoon if called upon to do so. An array of Gatling guns mounted on oil tankers can chew up a “fast boat” and its crew in ten seconds! But more worrisome is the possibility of militia attacks from Iranian proxies in Iraq or in Yemen ... or some kind of attack in the Persian Gulf such as the 2019 aerial attack on the Saudi oil processing facility that was destroyed at that time. <>JPost

Israel’s Iron Dome Anti-Missile System to be Used by US Army

Just last week, two Iron Dome defense installations were received by the US Army according to the Israeli Defense Ministry. The units will be the first two to be deployed against a wide variety of ballistic missiles and other aerial threats.

The acquisition of the two batteries illustrates the close relationship between Israel and the US Department of Defense (DOD), and underscores the superb effectiveness of the Iron Dome system. It is intended to complement the US Patriot anti-missile defense systems already in use in the US Army.

Iron Dome is integrated with Israel’s entire array of defense systems aimed at protection from incoming aerial ordnance of all kinds – either within the atmosphere or from outer space. Iron Dome is superbly effective against cruise missiles of all types. <>JPost

Iran Boast: Now Enriching Uranium to 20% Purity

Gambling that the Trump administration will not have time in the next two weeks to respond to its announcement, the Iranians announced yesterday that it has begun to enrich uranium to the 20% level of purity at its deeply-buried Fordow enrichment site near Tehran. The move could complicate the Biden administration’s handling of its intention to rejoin the nuclear agreement with Iran.

Meanwhile, Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu repeated the statement that he has frequently made:

“Iran will not be permitted to obtain a nuclear weapon.” The claim is made in full realization of the facts on the ground in Iran due to Israel’s superb operations with Mossad agents. The PM restated that Iran’s renewed initiative points to its intention to develop a nuclear weapon despite its disclaimers...

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that Iran yesterday began feeding 4.1% enriched uranium-235 into six centrifuge cascades at Fordow, intending to enrich up to the 20% level. From that grade of purity, further enrichment to the weapons-grade of 90% is a short jump. The process is employing 1044 IR-1 centrifuges at the facility.

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Israel is “well aware” of events at Fordow and that he sees the possibility of “events” happening on the Iranian front as a result. No one ventured to define “an event” but the press was assured that the IDF has held conferences at the planning level and has reviewed “possible scenarios” of various forms of attack. <>JPost

Haman’s Decree Repeating Itself

The intention to “destroy Israel” is a clear re-statement of Haman’s threat in the Book of Esther: that he would destroy out of the Persian kingdom all the Jews because they would not kowtow to Haman’s authority. Iran’s oft-restated intention to destroy Israel makes little sense because there has been no warfare between the two nations in modern times. The intention is irrational ... but, of course, is of the LORD...

The result of Haman’s attempt was, as everyone is aware, that Haman’s intention to hang Mordechai and his companions on a massive scaffold became Haman’s fate when the scheme was revealed to the King of Persia by his Queen Esther. The drive to destroy the Jews sets the stage for the future events recorded in Ezekiel 38 and 39 when “Persian” (Iran of today) is an active combatant alongside Gog of the Land of Magog. <>Israel 365 News

Note: Splinters is released and emailed to you sporadically by eTPL31 as a brief compendium of information relating to the fulfillment of Bible prophecy of every kind. <HEL>

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eTPL31 January 16, 2021

Fifth “Rock of Israel” Flight Arrives in Israel from Ethiopia

Jerusalem: January 14, 2021. One hundred sixty-two Ethiopian immigrants landed at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv this morning, having been brought to Israel by Operation Rock of Israel. The group included 35 children and 13 infants. The entire group went immediately into group quarantine for two weeks, afterwards to be reunited with family and friends who await them in Israel. The flight was the fifth in a series bringing the Falash Mura “home” to Israel from the African republic; the remaining members of the 2,000 persons approved by the Aliyah Minister Pnina Tamano-Shata, herself an olim from Ethiopia some years ago, will arrive at later dates. A previous decision (in 2015) by the government dictated that all the members of the group should be brought to Israel by the end of this year but has been delayed by bureaucratic problems. At the present time, a flight lands in Israel about once a week bringing more members of the group. <>JPost

No Relief from Current Lockdown in Israel as Coronavirus Cases Increase

The emergence of a new strain of Covid-19 has decreased any optimism in Israel that an early conclusion to its pandemic might come for the Jewish State. At the moment, the current test-rate shows a 7.9% positivity number (7.9 out of every 100 citizens are positive). Three days ago the Health Ministry reported 9,388 new carriers on that day. On that day 1,834 Israelis were in the hospital with 305 in critical condition, including 280 who are on ventilators to assist their ability to breathe.

The country’s troubles include new fears from a Brazilian mutation of coronavirus that has been detected – one different from the British variant, or the South African one which recently emerged, although there are no reported cases in Israel of the Brazilian mutant as yet. Thankfully, the Brazilian mutant is believed not to be more lethal than the earlier forms of coronavirus.

The British strain is more prevalent, being responsible for 2,000 cases per day in Israel; it is expected to become the dominant strain in the coming days. The new variants have prompted Israeli authorities to resume a stringent lock-down of its citizens, and to reduce public transportation as well as to close many businesses. <>World Israel News 

Ominous Installation: Suicide Drones being deployed from Iran to Yemen

Israeli citizens could soon come under stealthy attack by Iranian drones originating from Yemen – a  ploy that would doubtless bring a response of “plausible deniability” from Iran should the Houtis of Yemen decide to send their Shahed-136 drones against the Jewish state. The drones are claimed to have a range of from 2,000 to 2,200 kilometers (1,240 to 1,370 miles) – placing Israel well within range of the drone fields of Yemen – and to have the ability to “loiter” over a target area awaiting the most propitious moment to strike.

This particular drone does not fire missiles but instead, is itself a missile on a “kamikaze” mission. Unmanned, it risks no operator’s life and has been designed to be entirely disposable.

The nation of Yemen is at great risk of being taken over by Ansar Allah, a violent Iranian-backed Shiite group that has as its slogan, “Allah is Greater. Death to America. Death to Israel. Curse on the Jews. Victory to Islam.” It is that group that controls the new drones...

As if it needed added reasons to attack Israel, Iranian authorities have cited the US/Israeli assassination of Gen. Qesem Soleimani about a year ago in Baghdad and Israel for the assassination of a prominent Iranian nuclear scientist in Tehran recently. The Iranians have vowed “revenge” for both attacks.

Readers should not sell the Houtis short as to having the ability to conduct such successful attacks: on December 30th a Houti missile strike on the airport in Aden was undertaken ostensibly to kill the newly-arrived Yemeni prime minister and cabinet members who had just landed there. About 25 people were killed and 110 wounded in the significant attack. <>Yahoo

Another Breach of the Iranian Nuclear Deal by Iran is Confirmed

The Associated Press reported Thursday that Iran has informed the United Nations’ atomic nuclear agency (IAEA) that it has begun installing equipment to produce uranium metal; that would be another violation of the 2015 nuclear deal of Iran with world powers. The Iranians claim that its research into uranium metal production is part of its “declared aim to design an improved type of fuel.” But uranium metal is also used in the production of nuclear bombs, and research on its production is specifically forbidden by the aforesaid nuclear deal – the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

The effort to persuade Iran to return to its original agreement by the other signatories has been futile. Their ultimate goal is to prevent Iran from obtaining the nuclear bomb, but it looks to be inevitably headed in that direction. Iran now has enough enriched uranium (a gas) to make a bomb – far beyond the amount it had when the agreement was signed.

In a late development, “Iran's ambassador to the IAEA, Kazem Gharibabadi, repeated that in a tweet on Wednesday, adding that ‘natural uranium will be used to produce uranium metal in the first stage.’”

In theoretical terms, uranium metal can be utilized in generating electricity (Iran’s claimed goal) the experiments to produce uranium alloys (metals) are prohibited in the terms of the nuclear deal with Iran because it is also a key to making nuclear weapons.

We frankly wonder if Iran’s continued “announcements” of its progress toward the Bomb are increasing its likelihood of being attacked by “someone” who should like to retard that initiative – namely Israel or the US (more likely the former now that a Democratic administration is to be installed in the US).

Iranians have good reason to favor a Democrat regime in the US (remember the Obama shipment of billions in currency to Iran in a private jet late in his administration?). Someone named Biden will be in the Oval Office very soon and it is certain that Iran believes it will be easier to convince him to alleviate the crippling sanctions which had been placed on Iran by the Trump administration. <>Yahoo News Agency

Israel Preparations to deal with Iran’s Nuclear Threat

The Israel Defense Force (IDF) is reported to be working on three new plans to confront and deny Iran’s nuclear program in light of Iran’s recent violations of the treaty it signed with other nations. It has not defined any details of its triple-pronged plan. Iran is said to be looking forward to the Biden administration’s return to the original nuclear deal in the days following Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20th. <>World Israel News

Will Israeli Vaccinations and Lockdown Retard Covid Strains?

Israel is set to become a giant human laboratory to determine the effectiveness of the vaccines now available against the new strains of coronavirus now appearing. The newest lockdown has been in effect nearly two weeks but may be extended as the rate of the infection continues to spike in Israel.

Backing this initiative, the Pfizer Corporation has guaranteed up to ten million doses of its vaccine by the end of March. About a fifth of Israelis have already been vaccinated with the first dose (and some with the second) as the country continues to leap ahead with its combat strategy against the virus and variants.’

The American pharmaceutical giant, Pfizer, has recognized and accepted Israel as the largest human laboratory to study the vaccine and its efficacy against the variants which are popping up as soon as universal vaccination is achieved there – balanced against additional lockdowns.

Israel has readily complied with the company’s offer and is likely to continue the lockdown.

PM Netanyahu believes that this approach will result in Israel being “out of the woods” by the end of March, and will be well on its way back to the normalcy of its society (pre-pandemic conditions).

Medical professionals in Israel say they continue to believe the current vaccines will provide protection against the new Covid variants, but no data is yet available positively to support that view.

As to that possibility (likelihood?) a joint Pfizer and Texas University research project showed in its first reports the capability of the vaccine to prevent the British and South African strains; that technical report has not been peer-reviewed to date.  <>DEBKA File 

Note: Splinters is released and emailed to you sporadically by eTPL31 as a brief compendium of information relating to the fulfillment of Bible prophecy of every kind. <HEL>

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eTPL31 January 28, 2021

Second Vaccine Dose is Extremely Effective: Israeli Study

Jerusalem, Israel. Officials at Sheba Tel Hashomer Medical Center in Israel reported a week ago that their determination is that the second dose of the Covid vaccine is extremely effective – that it produces between six and twenty times the antibodies only a week after a patient receives the second injection of the vaccine.

That is extremely optimistic for any medical determination; it was based on evaluation of 102 people who had received the full vaccine. In addition, the officials also stated that the antibody levels were found to be higher than the levels seen in persons who had recovered from severe cases of infection by the virus!

At the time of the announcement, 7,106 people had received the first dose and 4,484 had received the second dose. Professor Gili Regev-Yohai said: "The results of the survey are in line with Pfizer's experiment and even better than expected. I expect that the survey results of the other people who participated will be similar. There is certainly reason for optimism." <>Abstracted from Arutz Sheva

Israeli Cases of Covid-19 Reach 10,000 in a Single Day

The report above is especially hopeful in light of the simultaneous finding that Israel’s Corona pandemic had spiked above 10,000 new cases in one day (the 19th) for a new record. The Jewish state had been in another (the third) lockdown mode nearly two weeks at the date of that report.

But the Minister of Health is making ambitious plans. He announced on the 19th that he plans to inoculate 250,000 people a day in the coming weeks – a factor which should be beneficial after an appropriate “time lag” to allow the dosages to take effect.

The official thinking is that the rising number of cases is probably due to the spread of the UK strain of the virus as it is palpably more infectious than the original. That strain is thought to have invaded Israel when a single person returning to Israel from the UK infected 700 people with the new strain. He did not comment on whether quarantining of that man had been ineffective – or whether it had been omitted. He is now being labeled the “Typhoid Mary” of Israel!

Israel has now closed Ben Gurion International to all foreign flights – the third such closure of the facility in order to combat the new corona strains, three more of which have been identified.

Another new development has been that the Health Ministry will now vaccinate pregnant women because the new strain seems to be impacting that population more than the original strain. Ten pregnant women have been admitted to hospital with the new strain and one woman lost her baby. Pregnant patients had not been on the list of those getting the vaccine because they had not been part of the clinical trials of the vaccine’s effectiveness and the vaccine’s effect on pregnancy are still undetermined. <>WIN

“From Russia with Love?”- Russian Reassurance on Iranian Influence in Syria

In a startling statement, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov announced on the 19th, that Israel should stop worrying about Iranian influence (meaning presence) in Syria, because his country doesn’t want Syria to be used “as a platform for the Iranian-Israeli strife.” He apparently sees the tentative danger of the continued attacks by Israel – in which Israel is determined not to allow any solid presence in Syria by Iran beyond what one sees today.

Lavrov addressed Israel directly asking Israel to let it know about specific threats to Israeli security from Iran on Syrian soil and then allow Russia to defuse the situation instead of “using Syria as a battlefield” (according to Russia’s Sputnik news agency). It was a clear request for Israel to stop bombing Iranian assets and activities in Syria. He said he had previously addressed the issue with the Jewish state.

In an unusually conciliatory tone, Minister Lavrov in Moscow conveyed the message to his Israeli counterparts: “So, our dear Israeli colleagues, if you have facts that your state is facing threats from the Syrian territory, report the facts urgently and we will take every measure to neutralize the threat.”

Well ... Duh! Hasn’t Israel, for the past several years, warned both Syria and Iran (and Russia!) that it would not tolerate any Iranian military presence in Syria that threatens Israel? We thought we had heard that statement loud and clear over and over!

Mr. Lavrov, it seems a rather logical and straightforward requirement by Israel – that all Iranian forces must abandon their concentration in Syria for no other purpose than to attack Israel on some future date. And what for? What has Israel done to Iran to deserve such hatred?

Yet Iranian political and military leaders from the top down have repeatedly stated that their goal is the total annihilation of Israel! Specific threats have come from top advisers to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warning that “any Israeli action in Syria can’t pass without a reaction.”

Iran’s attempt to establish large forces in Syria has been met with hundreds of Israeli attacks (nearly all not admitted) over the past years – acts which have been met largely with silence from the Russian forces in Syria since their arrival several years ago. Even Russian anti-aircraft missile batteries in place in Syria are not employed against the Israeli aircraft dispatching the weapons against the Iranian facilities and often killing scores of Iranians and Syrians.

The official Russian statement may have come from a recent meeting of Syrian and Israeli officials at the Russian air force base in Hmeimim, Syria convened “to discuss several issues, including Israel’s demand for Iran to pull out its militias from Syria” (a report by Jusoor For Studies, a Turkish think tank). That outfit reported that the meeting was arranged by the commander of the Russian forces in Syria, Alexander Tehaikov, with Israel being represented by the former IDF chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot and Iranian-born Israeli arms dealer Ari Ben-Menashe. High-level discussions, indeed! <>World Israel News

“Mobileye” is Appropriately Named

Jerusalem, Israel. The Israeli firm, Mobileye, is set in 2021, to place global self-driving vehicles in several top cities of the world. The company intends to test its effectiveness by placing its autonomous vehicles in Detroit, Tokyo, Paris, Shanghai, and possibly even New York, which it recognizes to be almost unique in its driving complexity.

The challenge to the company is clear: worldwide, each year 1.35 million people are killed in road accidents – and millions more are injured. This constitutes the eighth leading cause of death in the world!

The small country of Israel has its share of reckless driving and road accidents in general as over 300 persons a year are killed – far more than are slain by terrorists.

The company was founded in Jerusalem in 1999 by Amnon Shashua, its CEO, and Ziv Aviram his partner. It soon showed itself a global player in the futuristic concept. It immense potential was recognized early by Intel, another major business in Israel, and was purchased by Intel for $15.3 billion in 2017 – one of the most significant acquisitions of an Israeli company to date.

As an addition to Intel, the company is now cooperating with large auto manufacturers such as BMW and Volkswagen Group in continuing its developing technology, which includes already having mapped one billion km of roadways globally. It adds over eight million kilometers every day.

Self-driving taxicabs are also planned for Daegu, South Korea, as well as robotaxis in Osaka, Japan, by 2023. And following the normalization pact of Israel with the UAE last year, it has planned to set up its infrastructure for self-driving cars in Dubai by 2023.

CEO Shashua recently told reporters, “We would like 2025 to be the year in which we can start giving the experience of people buying a car and sitting in the back seat whenever they want and have the car drive everywhere — not just in one particular location.” <>Abstracted from AllIsraelNews 

Note: Splinters is released and emailed to you sporadically by eTPL31 as a brief compendium of information relating to the fulfillment of Bible prophecy of every kind. <HEL>

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eTPL31 February 18, 2021

Iran’s Hard Line over Renewing Nuclear Pact that Failed

February 9, 2021. The “Great Leader” of Iran thinks he suddenly has the upper hand in negotiations as to the readoption of the nuclear pact which the US walked away from two years ago, and is making strident demands on the US willingness to rejoin the pact.

So, just what is the US position in this affair? The newly-appointed US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that “The President’s been very clear about this. If Iran returns to compliance with its obligations under the nuclear agreement, we would do the same thing. So the first thing that’s so critical is for Iran to come back into compliance with its obligations. They’re a ways from that. But if they do that, the path of diplomacy is there, and we’re willing to walk it.”

But it has also been made clear in the past months that the US will not lift the crippling sanctions which are now having a disastrous effect on Iran’s economy as an invitation for Iran to readopt the original agreement.

So now an additional threat has been issued by Iran’s Minister of Information Mahmoud Alavi, who related in an interview published Monday by the official IRNA news agency that if the U.S. doesn’t remove crippling economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic then it might make nuclear weapons.

That is Iran’s first overt official admission of such a goal, which the Great Leader has said in past interviews is not the Iranian Republic’s aim.

That intention was supposedly backed by a “fatwa” (an Islamic religious ruling) which Iran said proved that the “peace loving” nation would never use its deeply funded nuclear program for any end but “peaceful purposes.”

 The ominous fact is that Iran was originally lying as PM Netanyahu of Israel proved before the UNO Security Council over two years ago by the thousands of records lifted from Tehran by the Mossad and flown to Tel Aviv. The “fatwa” had said that Iran’s nuclear industry is peaceful ... the Supreme Leader has declared nuclear weapons forbidden. Now he has added the disclaimer that “if they push the Islamic Republic of Iran in that direction, it is no longer the fault of Iran but the fault of those who pushed Iran.”

President Biden has not seemed to enter the discussion except earlier he said he wanted the US to return to the nuclear deal that President Trump pulled out of two years ago. But Secretary Blinken told CNN News on Monday that Iran had to make the first move. <>United With Israel

Two Hundred Iranian Missiles in Iran against Israel

Iran is reported by the Jerusalem Post to have 200 missiles in place in Iraq which it could deploy against Israel if it wishes. Their placement in Iraq is out of concern that Israel will attack Iran itself. The use of these missiles against Israel would, they think, prevent retaliation against installations in Iran. In addition, any Israeli attack against Syria or Lebanon could be answered by these missiles, drawing attention away from Iran proper.  <>JPost

MIS-C Reported in Children who Survived Covid-19

A worrisome after-effect is being increasingly observed in children after suffering a corona virus infection. The syndrome is called Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children, and has been known for nearly a year. Children’s Hospital in Washington, DC says that lately a much higher percentage of such survivors are really critically ill. The same effect has been noted in Israeli children (infants to 20-year olds). The effect is now being seen in children who were asymptomatic when they had the active infection.

The British mutation of the virus seems to be most likely to cause the syndrome ... low blood pressure being the chief manifestation, but including a rash and fever – both less troublesome. The post-corona complications usually appear some weeks after infection by Covid-19 and include damage to other bodily systems, hence a multisystem inflammatory response.<>Arutz Sheva

Winter Descends upon Jerusalem

 In Israel, the Red Cross is known as Magen David Adom (Red Shield of David). Yesterday’s snow brought out the 14 all-terrain vehicles of MDA, all equipped with red lights, sirens, and special connectors for accommodating stretchers. The vehicles are adept at traversing rough terrain and mountainous conditions, their paramedical crews trained in special techniques for such conditions. The vehicles have been deployed to Jerusalem, Safed, Beit Gan and Shimshit, according to The Jerusalem Post. <>JPost

Ebola Erupting in Africa ... Again

New cases of the Ebola virus have been discovered in Guinea and the Democratic Republic of Congo – a region where the last outbreak killed over 10,000 people (2014-2016). The disease is caused by contact with the bodily fluids of someone who has the active disease.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued alerts in several nearby nations: Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Mali, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

The first case was a nurse who worked at a local health care clinic; she died last month. But six people who attended her funeral have now reported Ebola-like symptoms, and two have died. Ebola viruses cause hemorrhagic fever. There are now five cases in Guinea.

Vaccines are being given in several of these centers today, and preparations are underway to prevent a mass outbreak of the lethal virus. Death rates vary from twenty five to ninety percent of infected persons. <>RT.com

Biden Opposes Trump Peace Plan. Surprised?

The Trump Peace Plan admits not only the historic but the Biblical right of the Jewish people to reconstitute the Jewish National Home on the “West Bank” (Judea and Samaria), and duly recognizes that principle as authorized by the League of Nations Mandate for Palestine (1922), and as upheld in article 80 of the United Nations Charter.

The Biden camp lost no time in proclaiming its opposition to Israel’s extended control over portions of the West Bank and the Jordan Valley. It is also openly discussing curtailing the billions of dollars in yearly Israeli aid based on Israel’s actions...

The term “annexation” has been applied to PM Netanyahu’s intentions to exercise full control over the areas in question, but “annexation” is an erroneous concept: Israel already has full control over the entire area if it wishes to exert that control more fully.

The new administration is blatantly opposing the will of God in our opinion (see Joel 3:2) and in our opinion, Democrat party intentions will not bear fruit. Israel will ultimately “control” all that area and vast reaches of territory beyond. <>Abstracted from Arutz Sheva

Experts: “The Worst of the Pandemic is Coming”

Dr. Michael Osterholm, a member of the White House’s Covid advisory panel, told CBS’s This Morning on Monday that “The next 14 weeks I think will be the worst of the pandemic."

His warning comes in the wake of a recent marked drop in the number of new cases of the virus: as of February 15th, the US seven-day average of new cases stood at 85,812 new cases per day – a 41% drop over the previous two-week period (New York Times).

That stat prompted increased discussion of reopening schools nationwide. But the suppression of Covid since January is not likely to be sustained, according to Dr. Osterholm.

The main problem is the British variant of the disease which has wrought havoc in Britain and in Europe. If that happens here, school opening could be a short-lived experience; schools would likely then close for another 14 weeks. <>JPost

U.S. to Assure Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge (QME)

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz conferred recently with his counterpart in D.C., Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, both men affirming Israel’s QME to be assured by Washington as the new administration takes over the reins of government. <>Arutz Sheva.

Note: Splinters is released and emailed to you sporadically by eTPL31 as a brief compendium of information relating to the fulfillment of Bible prophecy of every kind. <HEL>

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eTPL31 February 24, 2021

Arab Lords of Drug Smuggling try to Destroy Israel and the West

Going all the way back to 2008, Hezbollah’s “spiritual” leader stated that narcotic trafficking is morally acceptable if the drugs are sold to Western infidels as part of the war against the enemies of Islam."

The pronouncement amounted to a fatwa – an Islamic religious stance. Hurst News reported in 2013 that the statement was "Presumed to have been issued by Iranian religious (sic) leaders; the fatwa reportedly read: ‘We are making drugs for Satan — America and the Jews. If we cannot kill them with guns, we will kill them with drugs.’" – Matthew Levitt, “Hezbollah: The Global Footprint of Lebanon's Party of God.”

Such is the viciousness of these cunning enemies of Western civilization ... and the greed; the lucrative proceeds from the sale of such drugs go directly to support Hezbollah’s war efforts.

Yet the international community, the United Nations, and especially its Office on Crimes and Drugs, remain silent on Hezbollah’s and Iran’s huge attempts to traffic drugs across the world.

Less than a year ago in Syria, Italian police seized 15.4 tons of Captagon tablets produced in Syria. That country, lacking any effective oversight of such illegal activities, is the largest present producer and exporter of the drug aka as fenethylline, highly addictive. The value of this single shipment of the captured drugs was estimated at $1.3 billion. The drugs were skillfully concealed so that airport detectors did not find them; their seizure was the result of some local criminals assisting the police in finding them. <>Gatestone Institute

Kosovo will Establish Diplomatic Relations with Israel

Early in February, Kosovo – a small Islamic country in the Balkans – reached an agreement to establish diplomatic relations with Israel and to place an embassy in Jerusalem. At the present time, only the USA and Guatemala have embassies in Jerusalem.

One can imagine the consternation of the Muslim world at this announcement, which places Kosovo at odds with most of its Muslim compadres. Its acceptance of the Abraham Accords makes it the fifth Muslim country to make such an agreement. The others are the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan. Serbia stated that it intended to join Kosovo to a lesser degree, establishing trade relations with Israel as a beginning to closer ties. <>JPost

Hezbollah is enraged at the Kosovo “Capitulation”

One may easily understand the outrage of Hezbollah – Iran’s proxy in Lebanon – at the Kosovo agreement. And a spokesman for Hamas (in Gaza) Hazem Qassem, noted: “This request violates all international resolutions and humanitarian charters.” Well, that bit of hyperbole is a matter of doubt! We at eTPL believe that this new series of reconciliations with Israel will perhaps lead to the declaration, soon, of the achievement of “peace and safety” (I Thessalonians 5: 3) that brings the “sudden destruction” which is prophesied to fall upon the Islamic enemies of Israel located on Israel’s perimeters. <>United with Israel

India Discovers 240 new Covid-19 Strains

India has reported finding 240 new variants of the coronavirus in the past several days. These may be responsible for the sudden uptick in infections seen in that country – the greatest since late January. The discovery amounts to a “swarm” of the infection which may not be manageable.

A spokesman for the All-India Institute for Medical Sciences, Randeep Guleria, stated that some of the new variants could be highly transmissible or potentially more dangerous than earlier versions of the virus. He said some of the strains appear to have an “escape mechanism” from immunity, allowing re-infection in people who have already developed antibodies to Covid-19 through having had the infection or getting a vaccine...

The worry is that some of the new variants may be more infectious or even of evading immune response completely. Further testing will reveal whether any of the new strains could resist immunization altogether. This development shows clearly that this round of viral infections is much different from any that have been experienced earlier – a fearsome prospect!  <>RT News

Israel’s Trophy Defense System Improved

In 2011, an Israel Defense Forces tank was on station on the border with Gaza doing routine surveillance when members of the crew spotted a figure wandering around a structure in the Strip. The official record of the encounter goes on ... “And then suddenly, an alert went off, and a missile appears. The soldiers didn’t understand what had happened. They tell one another, ‘We’ve been fired on; we’re supposed to be dead.’ When you hear the dryness of the conversation and the insight of the soldiers as to what had just happened, it really gives one goosebumps,” Michael Lurie told JNS.

The speaker is vice president of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and head of its Maneuver Systems Directorate, recalling the first time that the company’s Trophy system was placed in action.

Trophy is typically mounted on tanks, half-tracks, and armored personnel carriers. It protects these vehicles against incoming anti-tank missiles, rocket-propelled grenades, and even artillery shells, intercepting them in mid-air after they have been fired even from short distances. It slings an inertial missile into the path of the incoming rounds and explodes them at a distance, something like throwing a stone at an incoming arrow. Genius!

Originally invented as a revolutionary defense layer for armored vehicles, Trophy has now become offensive as well. Utilizing advanced radars it is able to identify the source of the incoming fire and to aim the tank’s guns and fire them before the missile comes into range. So it has become an offensive weapon as well as defensive.

The system’s advanced sensors now include electro-optic capabilities (the sensors convert light into electrical signals) meaning that tanks and whole formations of tanks now can achieve a much better understanding of all events on the battlefield in real-time: situational awareness in military lingo.

When multiple units of Trophy systems are linked to the military command network an enhanced level of situational awareness is achieved. This allows tanks to participate in “firepower tenders,” in which a command network receives information about the location of a target, and with the use of artificial intelligence, automatically selects the most appropriate firepower to use to destroy the target whether a tank, a combat helicopter or some other unit.

As such, Trophy is boosting a ground force’s ability to attack and not only defend. Rafael and the IDF are planning to link Trophy up to another Rafael system, called Fire Weaver, which connects all units taking part in a battle to one another. Doing so would create just this type of network-centered combat. The Trophy system defines who fired from what location so it can enable the “firepower tender” – meaning that the tank that responds does not have to be the tank that is being fired upon. The business of attacking an Israeli tank appears to be a “no win” effort! <>WIN Israel News

Covid-19 Vaccines Less Effective against new Strains of the Virus

Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has called the vaccines for Covid-19 less effective against some new strains of the virus, and says that amounts to a “wake-up call” for the nation’s health workers.

He was referring to Novavax’s and Johnson & Johnson’s vaccines as having a diminished effect against the British and South African variants. Therefore, the US needs to vaccinate as many people against the virus as possible as quickly as possible; doing so will delay the appearance of variants and simplify future operations, hopefully. <>Arutz Sheva

CIA Chief William Burns a “Friend of Israel”

The former Israeli Ambassador to the United States, Danny Ayalon, discussed his friendship with the newly appointed CIA Chief William Burns. He told Arutz Sheva that he is well-acquainted with Burns, has spent a lot of time with him in former associations, and “count him as a personal friend and a first-rate professional. His attitude toward Israel is fair, friendly, and sympathetic.” <>Arutz Sheva

Note: Splinters is released and emailed to you sporadically by eTPL31 as a brief compendium of information relating to the fulfillment of Bible prophecy of every kind. <HEL>

Splinters 82

eTPL31, February 24, 2021

Serious New Threat from the Nipah Virus

The mortal threats to humanity that have lately arisen seem to have no end.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a warning of a newer, now emerging, far deadlier virus than Coronaviruses. If this one becomes widely infective the entire race is in trouble!

Its designation is Nipah Virus (NiV) and is considered to be extremely dangerous to humans, and most often fatal. Its ominous image appears as serpent-like under electron microscopy...

The extremely virulent virus, discovered in Southeast Asia in 1998 by researchers at the University of Malaya, is over an hundred times as lethal in humans as Covid-19. It kills between 50% and 90% of its victims, whereas the latest published death rate for Covid-19 is 0.04%. The opinion of WHO is that the disease is a danger to humanity.

WHO has recorded sporadic outbreaks of the disease since 1998, mostly in Southeast Asia.

One troublesome feature of the disease is that the symptoms it evokes are non-specific, being common to several prevalent diseases: fever, headache, and drowsiness, followed by disorientation and mental confusion. It can cause respiratory complications during its onset, and a coma may develop within 24 to 48 hours. Encephalitis is potentially fatal to all patients.

It is best diagnosed by laboratory methods and electron microscopy. Incubation is thought to be from about five days to as long as 45 days (CDC), but extreme progress is usually seen in the first 48 hours of its diagnosis, more often than not ending in the death of the patient from brain inflammation, brain swelling, and seizures as outlined above.

Residual effects of seizures and general confusion are often suffered by those who survive it.

The virus is classified as zoonotic, meaning that it circulates between animals and humans. The disease vectors (it thrives in a common reservoir) in fruit bats as well as pigs, and is transmitted to humans by direct contact with bodily secretions of either of these infected animals, or by consuming contaminated oil palm juice or fruits contaminated by the fruit bats.

There is no successful medicinal treatment available for the disease. It is best managed by close supportive care including isolation, adequate hydration, and good nutrition. Patients should always be isolated upon diagnosis and be made subject to stringent infection control practices; nursing barrier techniques are absolutely necessary to prevent its spread.

Treatment with ribavirin has been suggested as the most appropriate treatment available, but it has not been methodologically studied in people who have the disease. So far, less than 1,000 known cases have occurred worldwide since its inception.

Clinicians have suggested three other drugs as being potentially effective against the Nipah virus: Achclovir, Favipiravi, and Remdesivir.  <> Abstracted from reports by Arutz Sheva and CDC notes available on the World Wide Web. Published as Splinters 82, Feb. 24, 2021.

Note: Splinters is released and emailed to you sporadically by eTPL31 as a brief compendium of information relating to the fulfillment of Bible prophecy of every kind. <HEL>

Splinters 83

eTPL31, March 5, 2021

Fearsome Weapons Development Keeps Leaping Ahead

March 2. The U.S. Air Force is developing technology to drive its newly-planned fighter jet, claiming it will give adversaries a “tough war.” But it will come to fruition only if the Pentagon can get Congress to pay its extremely high price.

General Mark Kelly, head of the U.S. Air Force’s Air Combat Command expressed confidence in the advanced technology of the system if he can get it through Congress.

He was referring to the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program which will dominate the coming air defense budget battle.

NGAD is described as a “family of systems” involving both manned and unmanned planes. In a surprise initiative, the Air Force told reporters that it had designed and built (and flight-tested) a fighter jet for the program in the unlikely span of one year!

Not much is known about the craft in order to keep details of its design from the Chinese and others (Russians) who might try to preempt the plane for their own air force.

It is said to be capable of speeds near mach four (four times the speed of sound) and altitudes above 60,000 feet – a flight level at which aircraft gain great fuel efficiency and extended range and time aloft. <> From Popular Mechanics

The “Two-State Solution:” will just not Go Away

The foreign ministers of Israel and Jordan met earlier in the week at the Allenby Bridge frontier crossing near the The Dead Sea to discuss economic and peace issues as well as the possibility of restarting the negotiations to establish a Pales****** state within Israel with reference to the 1967 borders – a non-starter on so many occasions in the past.

The election of Joe Biden as the U.S. President seems to have brought about their meeting, as the new administration has given strong signals that it supports and wants actively to pursue that outcome.

We believe such a solution is contrary to God’s Plan for Israel’s future, and that it violates His expressed will for His People at the time of their second recovery. Joel 3:2 cites just such efforts as being those that are responsible for the Judgment to be rendered upon their enemies in the Valley of Jehoshaphat: the overthrow of all of them, and the returned LORD Jesus’ cleansing of the Land. <> World Israel News

New Brazilian Covid Mutant Evades Immunity

Although it involves extra steps in testing, scientists around the world are on the lookout for new, mutated forms of Covid-19. Their worry is that newer strains will be either partially or fully resistant to the existing vaccines that are being used against the current forms of the virus.

The efforts are paying off. A highly transmissible Covid-19 variant has been discovered in Brazil, and has how invaded at least 20 countries. Its most worrisome feature is it can re-infect people who previously have recovered from the disease. The mutant emerged from the Amazonian jungle town of Manaus and is known as P.1. It is said to have an “unique constellation of mutations” and has rapidly become the dominant form circulating there.

Between 25% and 61% of those in Manaus who have recovered from Covid-19 infections may be re-infected by P.1, according to Nuno Faria, a virus researcher at Imperial College London, who co-led the research on P.1 (which has not been peer-reviewed to date, meaning these claims have yet to be substantiated).

Researchers estimate that the P.1 variant is 1.4 to 2.2 times more transmissible than the earlier forms of the virus, for which vaccines have been developed. They said that it is too early to determine the variant’s ability to dodge immunity from previous infections, but that the present vaccines should offer reduced protection against it.

Its proliferation is extremely rapid, growing from zero to 87% in eight weeks. <>JPost

Iran Stubbornly Dictates Terms for Return to Nuclear Pact

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in a telephone call to President Emmanuel Macron of France said that the 2015 nuclear deal was not up for renegotiation and that the only way to restore the agreement was for the U.S. to rejoin it formally.

The French president offered Europe’s assistance at repairing the agreement but admitted that the first steps were up to the U.S. and Iran.

Because President Trump walked away from the agreement about three years ago and imposed heavy sanctions on Iran, Rouhani insists that the sanctions be taken away before any discussion whatever may be held.

It is an hard-line position which is realistically unwarranted given the declining state of Iran’s economy which is in shambles after many months of severe trading and banking restrictions.

Iran during the interim has gradually increased its nuclear activity by increasing uranium enrichment as well as curtailing the extent of United Nations inspections of its nuclear sites.

Rouhani appears to be negotiating from a position of extreme vulnerability, but that has never stopped Iran in the past!

During his campaign for the presidency, Joe Biden pledged to rejoin the agreement; but so far, his administration has opted against doing so and is continuing President Trump’s sanctions on Iran.

Meanwhile, Macron urged Rouhani to bring Iran back into compliance with its original agreement in order to give “clear signals” of goodwill without waiting for further concessions so that a modicum of dialogue can begin. <>Bloomberg

Iran is “Existential Threat” to the Jewish State:

1800 IDF Generals’ Letter to Biden

Jerusalem, March 2. Eighteen hundred former Israeli Generals and other service members have written and signed a letter urging President Biden not to return to the CCPOA with Iran.

The group, called Habithonistim, wrote that they have watched “‘with great concern’ as the Biden administration seeks to return to the ‘flawed principles’ of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).”

Their contention is that Iran is verifiably “an existential threat to Israel;” it would also endanger the Biden administration’s stated goal of stabilizing the Middle East.

The group’s fear is that the action would shove Israel and its Sunni allies into “a dangerous corner” and ignite a nuclear arms race...

They stressed in the letter that the JCPOA had granted the Iranians a “safe path” to the development of a nuclear stockpile, and that even the limitations that it presented have either expired or will be “sunsetting” soon.

We quote a portion of the letter here: “What is needed is not to succumb to the false brinkmanship and nuclear blackmail of Iran, and to use the maximum pressure sanctions to demand Iran accept a more effective deal that will not include sunset clauses, and will guarantee that Iran shall never have the capability to produce nuclear weapons. A deal that dismantles the military nuclear facilities provides for real inspections anywhere anytime, limits enrichment for a very long time or prevents it and takes care of delivery systems (ballistic missiles).”

Fifteen Republican members of the House Committee on Homeland Security wrote a letter to Biden stating their conviction that “Regime demands for sanctions relief as a prerequisite for the administration’s proposed bilateral negotiations are not made in good faith.” On Wednesday Republicans in both houses of Congress introduced a resolution opposing any move by Biden and his administration to lift any sanctions against Iran.  <>WorldIsraelNews

Note: Splinters is released and emailed to you sporadically by eTPL31 as a brief compendium of information relating to the fulfillment of Bible prophecy of every kind. <HEL>

Splinters 84

eTPL31, March 16, 2021

Shadow War, Israel vs. Iran Grinds on ... and on

In the space of about a year, several mysterious events have stirred our interest in the ongoing struggle of Iran to insert itself into Syria and other countries in the Middle East. On one day last year, spontaneous fires occurred simultaneously aboard six ships at anchorage in an Iranian harbor – all of unknown origin. Other interruptions have been reported, including assassinations and other mayhem. All these could have had their origin in Israel.

Similarly, Israeli interests have suffered mysterious damage of much the same magnitude. Readers will recall that about two weeks ago, an Israeli-owned vessel (the MV Helios Ray) was hit by explosions in the Gulf of Oman – just outside the Strait of Hormuz, near Iran. Although the vessel did not sink, it suffered extensive damage from two blast holes on opposite sides of the ship. Israel accused Iran at the time, but of course Iran denied it.

Only days later, the entire Mediterranean shore of Israel was grossly contaminated by heavy oil brought in by the tide, spoiling all the beaches along its 120-mile coastline. Both avian and marine life was affected, and recreational use of the sea was stopped immediately. The pollution by thousands of tons of oil will require perhaps a year or so for cleanup and restoration.

Then, late last week, an Iranian container ship, the Shahr e Kord, was attacked in the eastern Mediterranean Sea when it was hit by an explosive object which caused a small fire on deck but did little real damage. Iran accused Israel of hitting their vessel with a missile, “possibly from an aerial vehicle” according to an Iranian source.

Israel’s Defence Minister Benny Gantz (Blue and White party) failed to mention the incident in a webinar last Saturday, but did refer to his conviction that Iran regularly sends weapons to its proxies in the region. "We foil arms supplies and other things relating to operational development and military capabilities by air, sea and land," Gantz said. "And by this I am not saying whether we did or did not do this or that."

But the Iranians are convinced: a report in Nournews (an Iranian news service) a spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Saeed Katibzadeh, said he had information that it was caused by an act of sabotage in violation of international law,” and that the Iranians are conducting investigations as to the perpetrators of this ‘sabotage.’” <>Reuters

Military Action may be Required against Iran: Elliott Abrams

Elliott Abrams, now a senior fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council for Foreign Relations, was the Trump administration’s special representative for Iran and Venezuela. He is in the enviable position of being an “insider” of the first order.

He recently was interviewed by reporters for the Jerusalem Post and notably told those reporters that “If military action against Iran became necessary, the US and Israel would be left to mange it alone – China, Russia nor the Europeans,” he said, “were likely to seek a military alternative to stopping Iranian nuclear proliferation.”

The Biden administration has made it clearly known that it wishes to rejoin the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) which was signed July 2015 by China, France, Germany, Russia and the U.S. But President Trump abandoned the deal in 2018, setting up new sanctions upon Iran for non-compliance. Mr. Abrams opined that going back to the JCPOA would not be a simple prospect...

The Biden administration had said they would rejoin it by February or March, but it has not happened. The parties are at an impasse: Iran wants the sanctions dropped as a barrier to any negotiations, yet the U.S. has insisted that negotiations go forward ‘in good faith,’ without the sanctions being dropped. <>JPost

Israel Pushes White House to Pursue Abraham Accords

March 10. Israeli officials are said to be asking the new administration to host an official ceremony marking the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and Sudan. Such a ceremony would mark the completion of the four main brokered agreements of Israel with former adversaries. The deal with Sudan is the only one that still needs to be solidified ... and it is likely to happen unless the present administration decides it is would give the Trump administration too much credit for the deal!

Israel has already presented Sudan with a draft agreement for establishing diplomatic relations but the Sudanese want the endorsement of the Biden administration. <>Yahoo News

Israeli Company Develops Touchless Treatment for Glaucoma

Glaucoma (increased pressure within the eyeball) causes irreparable damage to one’s vision and results in blindness if it goes untreated. Increased intraocular pressure (IOP) results in the progressive degeneration of the optic nerve. IOP is caused by faulty drainage of the aqueous humor (the fluid that fills the space between the retina and the anterior portion of the eye), and interferes with its delivery of nutrients to the transparent portions of the eye. The excess aqueous humor is drained via the trabecular meshwork (TM), the spongy tissue located proximate to the colored part (iris) of the eye. If circulation through the TM is impeded, or its angle is too narrow, the IOP increases resulting in glaucoma.

IOP is currently treated by two methods: either by the application of eye drops, or by selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT). The eye drop treatment is most often used because of the complex, costly, and uncomfortable nature of SLT – a procedure in which the doctor places a large lens in contact with the eye for about ten minutes and rotates it to fire 100 separate laser beams manually.   

Now, Israeli startup Belkin Laser has developed an alternative laser treatment that is rapid, is touchless, and is guided by sophisticated image-processing software. The Belkin Eagle approach transmits the laser beam through the sclera (the white portion of the eye). The more than 100 simultaneous laser beams are delivered to the trabecular network within seconds.

Its main additional advantages include the fact that it can be offered by any of the 200,000 general ophthalmologists worldwide as well as by non-physician optometrists. As only about eleven percent of ophthalmologists in the world specialize in glaucoma, this expansive possibility is a game-changer. <> Abstracted from reports by United with Israel

Last Ethiopian Flight (for now) Arrives in Israel

Although another 5,500 Ethiopian Hebrews remain in that country, the last group of those recovered under Operation Rock of Israel landed at Ben Gurion International on March 11th.

 The current recovered number is 2,000 new olim of the Falash Mura. They are being received under the family reunification laws (not the Law of Return) and are not recognized by the rabbinical court as true Israelites.  Their disadvantage is that their ancestors converted to Christianity under duress at the end of the 19th century. They will be converted to Judaism through the Chief Rabbinate after their quarantine period has expired and they enter their language training classes (ulpan) – all integral steps afforded new immigrants to Israel.

Israel is said to be progressing in its plan to bring the remaining Jews of Ethiopia to Israel at the earliest possible time. <>Abstracted from press reports.

Major Earthquakes Intensify

The current year is easily on track to become the record-breaking year for major earthquakes (6.0 or higher). Perhaps the news of the pandemic, the election shemozzle, and the many rumors of wars has snuffed out generalized attention upon the sudden increase in earthquake and volcanic activity worldwide ... but it’s there nonetheless. No less than 42 earthquakes of a magnitude of 6.0 on the Richter scale have occurred already this year!

Readers will surely recall the earthquake swarm which occurred in 2011, in which a total of 207 quakes of 6.0 or higher rattled the earth – the most memorable of which destroyed the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan by a resultant tsunami – and killed 20,000 people. This year may see a greater number by a good margin if the frequency sustains...

Readers may not have noted that Iceland was hit by more than 18,000 earthquakes two weeks ago including three that were extremely intense at 7.3, 7.4 and 8.1 magnitudes! These were not widely reported due to having occurred in isolated, relatively unpopulated areas.

By contrast, one hundred years ago (1921) only seven quakes of 6.0 or higher had been recorded in the entire year according to the US Geologic Survey (USGS) database. Part of the disparity is accounted for by the more widespread installation of seismic equipment so that more quakes are detected – but not nearly all of it. Earthquake activity is rapidly increasing; we see it as another indicator of the end-time although “authorities” such as climatologists at USGS have said such fluctuations are not new (all things continue as they were since the beginning? 2 Peter 3: 4).

Note: Splinters is released and emailed to you sporadically by eTPL31 as a brief compendium of information relating to the fulfillment of Bible prophecy of every kind. <HEL>

Splinters 85

eTPL31, March 21, 2021

Complacency to Covid-19 is not Advised

The U.S. coronavirus pandemic seems to have plateaued for the time being but the White House Covid Response Team is warning against complacency toward it. The total number of confirmed cases stands just short of thirty million, with only 57,000 new cases early this week. On Monday the 15th, a total of 538,628 persons had died of the disease.

This report prompted officials to state that the masks should not be dropped, that social distancing and frequent hand-washing should be maintained stringently as before, in a determined effort to shut down increased infections.

The U.S. is seeing around 1,200 deaths per day – a significant drop from last year’s figures. Along with these more hopeful figures, air travel has increased to well over a million travelers per day in the U.S. By the end of March or early April, the UK variant is expected to become the dominant strain in the U.S.

The Team’s Administrator Andy Slavitt recently reported that the Biden administration will increase the reimbursement by Medicare from $23 per dose to $40 per dose, or $80 for two inoculations as most vaccines require. Healthcare providers are presently administering 2.4 million vaccine injections per day on average. <>RTT News

Genetic Engineering now Aiming at Human Reproduction

Formerly aimed at plants and animals, genetic engineering has received an official “go ahead” in the field of human reproduction. The Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority in England has just awarded Kathy Kaikan, a researcher from London’s Francis Crick Institute, permission to edit human embryos for scientific purposes.

The technology that will be used by Naikan and other genetic scientists is called CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Palindromic Repeats). The technique enables the identification of certain genes, allows their removal and their being re-written. It has been perfected in dogs and pigs. It is said to have a noble purpose: to eliminate certain diseases such as cancer, reduce miscarriages, and improve fertility rates. But it is widely recognized as Pandora’s box of ethical questions and presents real risks. The effects of genetic engineering are passed down to future generations which could be a disaster if scientists make serious mistakes.

But the most worrisome aspect is that it opens the door to the creation of “designer babies” –a goal that eugenicists have long sought to achieve. <>Paul Jongko in ListVerse

Iran Increases Uranium Enrichment at Natanz Facility

Iran has installed their new IR-4 centrifuges at its underground Natanz laboratories – an underground facility whose above-ground operations were destroyed by mysterious explosions some months ago. In spite of strict sanctions upon Iran the country has succeeded in developing and installing scores of more highly efficient centrifuges which allow them to reach higher concentrations of uranium fluoride at much earlier dates than previously.

Israel is now estimating that Iran could have a nuclear weapon in about 18 months.

Iran has concentrated upon developing its underground operations as these are much more impervious to aerial attack and require much more powerful munitions to destroy. <>JPost

Bibi Says Israel will have Four More Peace Deals Soon

Prime Minister Netanyahu reported on March 16th that he expects to sign cooperation and trade agreements with four more Islamic nations in the near future. Although he did not specify which ones, speculators believe Niger, Mauritania, and Indonesia, as well as Saudi Arabia, may agree to sign agreements soon. <>JPost

Israel Upgrades Iron Dome to “Multitasker”

Jerusalem, March 16.  In a terse announcement, the Israeli Defense Ministry told reporters that it has significantly upgraded the defensive capabilities of the Iron Dome Missile Defense System to allow it to intercept rocket and missile salvos (multiple launches) as well as simultaneous interceptions of multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (drones).

Iron Dome is an integral part of Israel’s aerial defense system and can destroy incoming rockets fired from short range up to striking long-range missiles outside the atmosphere. We understand that it also protects troops against mortar shells and rocket-propelled grenades. Deployed a decade ago, it has already proven its immense worth having intercepted 2,500 missiles incoming from the Gaza Strip. <>Associate Press

 Biden Pushes for the “Two-State Solution” this Month

The Biden administration is setting about digging its own grave in a seemingly noble plan by renewing the old Democrat ideal of creating a Pales****** state within Israel with reference to the 1967 borders – the truce lines arrived at after the Six-Day War, which is unworkable.

Every such incentive that has been given to the PLO and its president “Abu Abbas” and its previous leader Yasser Arafat has been refused – including concessions to all their demands including a portion of Jerusalem as their capital. At Camp David (c.2000) the Clinton administration was astounded that Arafat turned his back on every offer and flew back to the Middle East and renewed the intifada. Abbas has refused to meet with Israelis for discussions of “peace” for nearly a decade.

But the Biden administration, led by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, seems driven to bring its influence (and funds) to bear on the problem and force a solution.

It will not be successful, in our opinion. The prophet Joel (3:2) spoke against those who “parted our land” with disapproval; so such is not the Almighty’s will and will not be successful even if it becomes reality for a short time (unexpected to happen).

The US incentive includes $15 million dollars for Covid-19 relief. It also grants refugee status to the descendants of Arabs who lived in Israel without limit, but with no recognition of the rights and privileges of Jewish refugees who were displaced and their property taken prior to that time in Arab countries (from which they have now migrated to Israel, usually penniless).

The new effort will squander millions of dollars on a blind endeavor to bring “peace” to a people who really don’t want peace – a people who want only Israel and its land! <>Israel 365

Israeli Nano-satellites will Monitor Earth from Space

An unusual team of three nano-satellites (CubeSats) were scheduled to be lofted from Kazakhstan this morning on a Soyuz rocket and inserted into an orbit 341 miles above the earth to detect signals from earth using a mission receiver developed by Israel Space Industries (ISI).

The three satellites only weigh 17.5 lbs each and will fly in close formation throughout their service period. Each one includes sensors, antennae, computer systems, control systems, navigation features, and an innovative propulsion system. Designed to calculate the location of people, planes and ships worldwide, the project is called Adelis-SAMSON. The units were developed and built by the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology.

Spokespersons for the Adelis Foundation said it represents an important leap forward in nano-satellite technology and could be compared to switching operations from a desktop computer to a cell phone. The satellites will be autonomous and will not need to be refueled. Their coordinated information will be transmitted and gathered by facilities at the Asher Space Research Institute and the Technion’s Faculty of Aerospace Engineering in Haifa. <>World Israel News

Bedouin are Taking over the Negev as Israel loses its Control

An Israeli NGO, Regavim, has started a new drive against the Israeli government’s failure to combat Bedouin communities being established in many parts of the Negev desert of south Israel. The organization is attempting to slow or reverse a cluster of new Bedouin settlements of recent time – a downward trend toward a possible “state within a state” in the Negev.

Regavim’s specialty is Israeli land issues; it claims that the government has used the wrong approach in attempting to resist the loss of governance in the Negev and the spread of squalid squatters’ camps (have you ever seen a Bedouin encampment? It is strewn with debris and trash, tin sheds and old car bodies that are abandoned when the family moves to another place). The government has actually been offering monetary payments and free land to the Bedouin of the Negev in attempting to govern the region but to no avail.

The encroachment is serious. Law and order has been relinquished in the Negev as gangs of criminals have broken into IDF bases and stolen weapons and military equipment, assaulted personnel, raped their victims, and shot up residential neighborhoods with automatic weapons as well as vandalized Jewish cemeteries. Regavim asserts that the Israeli government is “whitewashing and legalizing” them, perpetuating the Bedouin takeover. 

By such allowance, the government is inexplicably allowing the beauty and mystery of the desert to be spoiled, allowing illegal settlements and accepting lawlessness. <>World Israel News

 Note: Splinters is released and emailed to you sporadically by eTPL31 as a brief compendium of information relating to the fulfillment of Bible prophecy of every kind. <HEL>

Splinters 86

eTPL31, March 25, 2021- A Special Edition

Huge Container Ship Blocks Suez Canal

Wednesday, March 15. Port Said, Egypt. An huge container vessel, the Ever Given, was bound from China to Rotterdam on Tuesday as it entered the Suez Canal from the Red Sea (east) end. As it proceeded routinely westward through a rather narrow portion of the canal, strong winds raised a sandstorm along the banks of the 120-mile long waterway. Ever Given continued in winds that reached 46 miles per hour. In the dust storm, with visibility extremely limited, the crew lost control of the quarter-mile-long ship and it plowed into a sandy embankment along the shoreline, sideways, blocking nearly the entire Canal. 

If you have seen photos of the giant ship, it appears as a huge apartment house rising out of the desert background – containers stacked extremely high on its deck. Presenting such a profile to desert winds, the ship is much like a giant sail; it is sensitive to high winds which can easily alter its course. That is apparently just what happened...

Weighing nearly 200,000 tons, the ship is so heavy that it has grounded itself quite thoroughly due to its bulk. For two days it has not budged from its awkward position. Salvors may have to remove its ballast water in order to lighten its weight, and fuel may have to be offloaded. Many of the containers stacked high on its deck also may require offloading in order to re-float the vessel! Dredgers are working to remove sand from around its hull.

The operation is costing roughly $400 million per hour (Lloyds List). Westbound traffic generates tolls of about $5.1 billion a day while eastbound brings in about $4.5 billion. At sunset on Wednesday, there were 165 to 185 vessels waiting their turn to transit the Canal, which accommodates about 12% of all maritime traffic in the world.

Jett McCandless, chief executive officer of Project44 (it tracks supply chain vessels), stated: “Every hour, more vessels – including container ships, oil tankers, RoRo vessels, and bulk carriers – are backed up in the Mediterranean to the north and the Red Sea to the south.” And that does not include 34 container ships already located in the Canal heading south toward the Red Sea. These have halted and anchored in place awaiting removal of the blockage.

Some vessels have already rerouted to sail the thousands of miles around the Cape of Africa and into the Atlantic in their northward courses. The blockage is a big blow to global trade as supply-chains have become backlogged and battered, and will doubtless affect the spot price of crude oil worldwide.

Friday, March 26. This morning the Ever Given remains exactly where it has been for three days. Estimates now are that re-floating the giant carrier could take several days to a month to accomplish. Such a blockage will snarl maritime schedules worldwide, resulting in the late delivery of all sorts of goods being transported by ocean freight. Meanwhile, the number of ships having entered the transit queue has doubled, and many are making alternate plans to sail out of the Mediterranean, back through Gibraltar, and southward around the Cape of Good Hope on their eastbound journey. Many vessels now anchored in Great Bitter Lake (halfway through the Canal) would have to reverse course to exit the Canal.<>Bloomberg

Covid-19 is being Linked with Tinnitus and Other Hearing Difficulties

March 23. Careful reviews of the pandemic reveal that there may be an heretofore unsuspected link of Covid-19 with audio-vestibular symptoms associated with tinnitus (ringing in the ears). Evidence of hearing loss, vertigo (dizziness), and tinnitus are associated with the Covid-19 in the findings.

Researchers at Manchester University in Britain, Kevin Munro and Ibrahim Almufarrij, audiologists, conducted their first systematic review last year. They are reluctant to say their research is yet definite, but it certainly points in that direction. <>New Atlas

In Minnesota, 89 Vaccinated People get Covid-19

Pfizer as well as Moderna vaccines are thought to provide 95% protection from Covid-19. On Wednesday, the Star-Tribune in Minneapolis reported that there have been 89 “breakthrough” cases of Covid-19 in fully vaccinated persons (those having had two shots).

Just over 800,000 Minnesotans are considered to be “fully” vaccinated – that is, that they have received their final dose at least fourteen days ago. So the number of infections is well within the expected risk margin to date. <>Minneapolis Star Tribune

Note: Splinters is released and emailed to you sporadically by eTPL31 as a brief compendium of information relating to the fulfillment of Bible prophecy of every kind. <HEL>

Splinters 87

eTPL31 April 7 , 2021

New Covid Variant Spreading among Kids: Parents Should be Worried

The Covid-19 variant known as B.1.1.7 is rapidly becoming the “virus of choice” in children in the U.S. Highly contagious and now in all fifty states, new data suggests it can affect children to a much greater extent than researchers had realized.

Michael Osterholm, director of the Center of Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota recently stated that B.1.1.7 is making him rethink his stance regarding school reopening for in-person learning.

His warning included the statement that,  “I think school openings today are going to greatly enhance transmission of B.1.1.7 in our communities, and I predict that within weeks we will be revisiting this issue, unfortunately, after we’ve had substantial transmission.” (Yahoo Life).

His observation stresses yet another reason for prudent precaution against transmission of the disease to any person – young or old – because of the possible debilitating long-term effects.

Meanwhile, Newsweek magazine reported similar findings. It claims that 33% (one in three) people infected with Covid-19 will have long-term mental health or neurological symptoms ... a grave consequence. In Brazil, a surge in the highly virulent strain has produced a surge in Covid-related deaths that will soon surpass the worst of a record January wave in the U.S., with fatalities climbing for the first time above 4,000 a day on Tuesday of this week. <>Newsweek

Israeli Device Freeze-Kills Cancerous Tumors

Without Collateral Damage

A revolutionary new Israeli treatment can now avoid cancerous tumor surgery by using liquid nitrogen literally to freeze and kill such tumors without harming other nearby tissues.

The Israeli medical device company IceCure just received a huge push forward after American authorities approved ProSense – the company’s revolutionary system of removing cancerous tumors by freezing them.

“Using ProSense, oncologists provide better quality patient care, achieve superior outcomes, and reduce the cost of care,” the company says.

IceCure’s technology utilizes the principles of cryoablation – the science of directly injecting tumors with super-cold temperature liquid nitrogen (at -195°C, which is −320°F) to destroy tumors safely, quickly and painlessly without having to do additional invasive surgery.

It is unclear as to how the tumors disappear; we presume that they simply shrink into oblivion because of the total disruption of their cell physiology by freezing.

At any rate, the physician has full control over the procedure with the assurance that the treated neoplasm (tumor) is destroyed while leaving surrounding tissue undamaged. <>United with Israel

Biden is quickly Reversing American Policy toward the Pales*******

Beginning soon after his installation in the presidency, Joe Biden has steadily been decreasing his support for Israel – support that was put in place by President Trump. He has resolutely re-established communications with and payments to the Pales****** Authority (PA) while undermining the Abraham Accords. He has withdrawn U.S. opposition to the Durban Declaration, and has stated his intention to resume U.S. participation in President Obama’s nuclear weapons deal with Iran (the JCPOA, or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action).

The Pales******* have long been used by their neighboring Arab governments to fight against Israeli statehood, and to try to dismantle the Jewish state at all costs – to push Israel into the Sea. Biden appears to want that stance to resume...

 Last year several Islamic states’ participation in the Abraham Accords leaped out of nowhere to capture the fancy of the diplomatic world – and advanced the cause of peace and cooperation in the Middle East by huge degrees. But its fatal stain is that it was engineered by President Donald Trump. The opposition party will not allow him that victory...

Not only had Mr. Trump initiated the Abraham Accords; he had also withdrawn from the insane nuclear weapons deal with Iran that was put in place by President Obama. The immediate benefit was increased security for both the U.S. and Israel; it included extensive economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran which hurt its economy severely and curtailed its trade widely.

The Biden administration has also re-established funding of large sums of money for the PA, reversing the Trumpian action of cutting them off from U.S. funding. In his resolute actions, Mr. Biden is reversing this progress and reverting to his old boss’s (failed) approach to Middle Eastern affairs.

In addition, in January, Acting UN Ambassador Richard mills made known U.S. support for the “two-state solution,” which presumes a Pales****** state alongside Israel.

In March, Biden re-started remuneration to the PA of massive funds for “support of Pales****** refugees to the tune of $90 million. But the funds are not used for that purpose. He intends a further donation of $125 million to the PA in the near future.

We have noted the Biden administration’s view of the Durban Convention; just what is that? It is a movement to single out Israel as a “racist” state; it condones the PA’s key demand that all “Pales*******” have a “right” to return to Israel. That includes the survivors of the 700,000 who left in 1948 and 1967, but all their descendants which now number about six million persons! Such an influx would immediately destroy Israel as the only Jewish nation on earth. <>Abstracted from American Spectator

The Last Known Jew in Afghanistan is Leaving

For well over a decade, Zebulon Simantov has been the last known Jew in Afghanistan. Now 61 years of age, Mr. Simanov says he will leave Afghanistan after this year’s High Holidays season in the fall.

His wife and their two daughters have lived in Israel for over two decades, but Mr. Simantov has remained in Afghanistan to tend its lone synagogue in Kabul as it has survived decades of turmoil and violence from the Taliban.

Himself a carpet and jewelry merchant, Mr. Simantov was born in Herut, Afghanistan – then home to hundreds of Jews. Later he moved to Kabul but then fled to Tajikistan in 1992, later to return to the capital, Kabul. When he leaves in the fall, the synagogue will close, ending an epoch of Jewish life in the country that began at least 2,000 years ago!

He rightly warns that “If the Taliban return, they are going to push us out with a slap in the face,” Simantov told Radio Free Europe last week for an article on the exodus of many of the country’s minority populations.

Thus is fulfilled another chapter in the monumental, long-term prophecy of Jeremiah 23:7 – “Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say, The LORD liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; 8 But, The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.” 

The Jewish presence in the Land of Israel already overwhelms the Exodus from Egypt which may have numbered as many as three million Israelites. Today nearly seven million have been the subject of the Second Exodus (from all nations – Isaiah 11). <HEL>

Note: Splinters is released and emailed to you sporadically by eTPL31 as a brief compendium of information relating to the fulfillment of Bible prophecy of every kind. <HEL>

Splinters 88

eTPL31 April 11, 2021

Accident at Iranian Nuclear Plant Natanz

An “unspecified attack” has occurred at Iran’s nuclear facility at Natanz only one day after it began operating a group new of IR-9 centrifuges which separate uranium isotopes about fifty times more efficiently than Iran’s older centrifuges.

The incident is said to have been an acute electrical failure which can severely damage such delicate and finely-tuned technical equipment.

There seems little doubt that the incident was the result of a cyber attack in the thinking of Western analysts. Iran’s parliament also thinks it was as well. Iran’s PressTV reported that “The cause of the incident is under investigation.”

This morning (Sunday) at an address at Mt. Herzl National Cemetery, IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi seemed to hint that the source was Israel. He said “The Israel Defense Forces’ actions throughout the Middle East are not hidden from our enemies’ eyes. They are watching us, seeing our capabilities and carefully considering their next steps.” He added, “Thanks to sophisticated operational activity, this past year has been one of the most secure Israel’s citizens have ever known. We will continue to act with might and with judgment, with determination and responsibility, to ensure the security of the state of Israel.” <>World Israel News

America’s Godlessness is “Good for America:” (The Los Angeles Times)

In part the article read: "The organic secularization we are experiencing in The United States is a progressive force for good, one that is associated with improved human rights, more protections for planet Earth, and an increased socio-cultural propensity to make this life as fair and just as we can--in the here and now--rather than in a heavenly reward that fewer and fewer of us believe in."

It additionally stated that America’s new Godlessness will permit society to embrace abortion, socialized medicine, euthanasia, and gun control. But we submit that as being a “shortlist” of the corruption that is coming...

The U.S. is being secularized rapidly and thoroughly. Many citizens believe this is a major cause for concern, but the Times said “Such a worry is not warranted. This increasing godlessness ... is actually a good thing to be welcomed and embraced.”

Bible adherents of every kind have dropped from about 40% of Americans in 1976 to about 25% today. Most people now believe the Bible to be a collection of fables, false history, and tales written by mere men.

Typical of this flawed thinking, Representative Jerry Nadler (D-NY) recently said that God’s will was “of no concern to this Congress.” <>Prophecy News Watch

Holocaust Survivors Dwindling Rapidly

Israel defines as an Holocaust survivor anyone “exposed” to the Nazi regime, including those who lived in countries conquered by Nazi Germany or who were under direct Nazi influence between 1933-1945, as well as refugees who fled from the Nazis.

Israeli state agencies define as survivors anyone “exposed” to the Nazi regime, including those who lived in countries conquered by Nazi Germany or were under direct Nazi influence in 1933-1945, as well as refugees who fled those areas due to the Nazis.

Because women usually outlive men, about 60% of the survivors are women. About 40% of all these survivors had settled in Israel by 1951. Today’s survivors are all over the age of 75 by definition; WWII ended 75 years ago. 17% of all survivors are over 90.

In 2020, about 850 Holocaust survivors were living in Israel and were over 100 years of age! <>Times of Israel

Interest in Aliyah from U.S. soars

The Covid-19 pandemic has apparently increased interest by North American Jews to make aliyah. In 2020, 7,965 applications were received by Israel – double that of the previous year. Over the past three months, arrivals from N. America were up 30% over last year. <>JPost

Israel not bound by any Iranian Deal – Prime Minister Netanyahu

April 7th. Holocaust Remembrance Day. In a speech from Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, PM Benjamin Netanyahu leveled a warning at the Biden administration and any others who may be seeking to re-enter the Iran nuclear deal. “We are not bound in any way to an agreement with Iran that paves the way for nuclear weapons. We are obligated to only one thing: to prevent anyone who seeks to destroy us from carrying out their plot.”

Speaking from Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed a warning at the Biden administration and others seeking to reenter the Iran deal.” The U.S. has reportedly assured consultation with Israel before entering the deal, but the rapidity of the discussions raises the question as to whether Israel has had any input. The original agreement was signed by former President Obama but was abandoned by former President Trump in 2018. <>World Israel News

Younger People in Canada being hit hard by Covid-19 Variants

Toronto: April 6. Rapidly spreading variants of Covid-19 are replacing the original virus all over Canada – typical of many other places in the world as well. The new variants are making younger people sicker and sending many to hospitals. The P.1. (Brazil) and the B.1.1.7. (UK) variants are making rapid inroads due to slow vaccine rollouts and could lead to the newer variants gaining a permanent foothold.

Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health official told CTV News Canada that "This is a reminder that COVID-19 can impact people of all ages and severe illness can occur at any age. Many of (the young patients) deteriorate quite quickly and have to be admitted to the ICU."

The result has been that in Toronto, public health officials have ordered all primary and secondary schools to cease in-person classes and shift to remote methods effective last Wednesday. The Province of Ontario is in the midst of a shut-down that is expected to last a month due to the new strains. Intensive Care Units are being strained to capacity and the stay-at-home order may be extended after April 18th. <>Digital Journal

Iranian Ship Damaged by Mines in the Red Sea

The Vienna-based JCPOA talks between the U.S. and Iran have resumed; Israel is disturbed and wary of the possible results and is saying so. Its claim is that of PM Netanyahu: “A return to the JCPOA is not going to bring security and stability to the Middle East” (Wall St. Journal).

An example of its non-effectiveness was illustrated by an Israeli response that same day far to the southeast – in the Red Sea between Yemen and Djibouti – where a cargo ship belonging to Iran was hit by limpet mines attached to its hull, apparently by Israel.

The Iranian ship Saviz is a cargo ship being used as a sea base by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, and has been anchored in the same location for many months. It tracks the maritime traffic of hostile nations for the Iranian regime.

Presumably Israel attached the explosives to the ship’s hull on the very day the US-Iran nuclear talks resumed in order to underline Israel’s vigilance and determination. It was another event in the warfare at sea that has been underway between Israel and Iran for months.

Israel’s objection to the JCPOA is that it does not stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, but simply delays that until 2030.

PM Netanyahu had warned the world that “We will always know how to defend ourselves by ourselves from those who seek to kill us.”

The Saviz incident was only the latest in a tit-for-tat exchange of blows between the Iranians and Israel. In March, Iran attacked a cargo ship owned by an Israeli businessman Udi Angel, transiting the Arabian Sea. Another incident around the same time was the contamination of all the Mediterranean beaches of Israel by oil spilled (perhaps intentionally) from an Iranian vessel smuggling oil to Syria. <>JPost

Note: Splinters is released and emailed to you sporadically by eTPL31 as a brief compendium of information relating to the fulfillment of Bible prophecy of every kind. <HEL>

Splinters 89

eTPL31 April 16, 2021

Covid is out of Control in Brazil

Johns Hopkins University of Baltimore reports that nearly 355,000 people have died in Brazil from the Covid pandemic – more than any country except the U.S. New graves cannot be dug rapidly enough and the dead bodies are accumulating in large holding centers. The huge increase is said to be a threat to the world...

The outbreak is due to Brazil’s dangerous variant known as P.1. that has been ravaging the country for weeks as the second most prevalent variant in the country. Moreover, it has spread to the U.S. and has become the second most prevalent variant in this country as well (CDC). It is the most contagious of all Covid variants to date.

Brazil’s tightly crowded cities are an opportune breeding ground for such infections, which tend to mutate more as they spread more rapidly. Vaccinations have not been able to stay ahead of the wave of infections in Brazil.

Brazil’s economy too has been ravaged by the pandemic, giving rise to widespread food insecurity. Yet President Jair Bolsonaro has failed to shut down the country as most do in the face of such rapid spread.

The uptick has been putting pressure on hospitals to turn away patients suffering from serious ailments unrelated to Covid, such as heart disease. The hospitals are unable to take them as patients so that they become added fatalities blamed indirectly on the virus. Gravediggers are working around the clock to manage the heavy load of extra funerals. On April 14th, Brazil recorded 3,459 deaths due to Covid. <>CBS News

Construction Boom in Judea and Samaria Underway

Left-wing activists are complaining that over 12,000 Jewish housing units have been approved in 2020, and have issued a cri de coeur (an heartfelt plea) for a slowdown by the influence of the Biden administration.

Peace Now researcher Hagit Ofran claims that Jewish building in the region “is the ongoing policy of de facto annexation” and will destroy the ability to create a state for the Palestinians – a favorite theme of the Biden administration which sees Jewish building as a deterrent to the “two-state solution” to which it is devoted.

Only 9,200 Jewish housing units were constructed during the Trump years; the new homes will be the result of building permits given during that time period. Meantime, the illegal confiscation of land by the Palestinian Authority has leaped ahead with some 58,000 new Arab homes in Area C (under Israeli control) from 2009 to 2018. Those homes were built on 78,626 dunams of land seized illegally by the PLO. <>WIN

Over Half of the Natanz Nuclear Plant was Destroyed

DEBKAFile’s military intelligence section reports that two of Natanz’ three uranium enrichment halls operated with advanced centrifuges were totally destroyed in the blast that occurred on Sunday. The rest are inoperable due to having no electrical supply.

The explosion resulted from a bomb that was secreted in a desk that had been sent outside the plant for modification – and came back to its owners with several hundred pounds of explosives secreted within it! That happened two years ago.

The bomb has been waiting for the moment when it could yield the maximum damage to the Iranians’ nuclear facility buried more than 160 feet below the surface at Natanz, Iran.

When the moment came, it was detonated remotely.

The result is that Iran is now unable to advance its enrichment up to the 60 percent level – the capability of its IR-6 centrifuges of which it has boasted recently. These were mostly wrecked by the blast. The remaining machines have no electricity supply so cannot be operated. The plant ist kaput!

Without a doubt Israel is responsible for the sabotage. We personally see little importance in Iran’s present involvement with Israel from a prophetic standpoint; its present interference does not seem to be mentioned at all by the prophets. But such intervention as this will continue to keep Iran in limbo until it is time for it to participate in force in cooperation with Gog! <>DEBKAFile

Israel now a Necessary Superpower

Last week the Iranian spy ship Saviz was attacked and damaged by limpet mines attached to its hull. It had been on station and nearly immobile for nearly three years off the coast of Yemen, supplying intelligence to the Yemeni Houthis in its war against the West. It was the latest in a series of tit-for-tat exchanges between Israeli and Iranian interests, including the bombing of the nuclear enrichment facility at Natanz (above).

Israel has become more forthright in its attacks on Iran, signaling to the U.S. that if it is unwilling to resist the Islamic Republic it will do so on its own.

Then there is the newly signed agreement of cooperation between China and Iran. It will undermine any U.S. sanctions against Iran, enabling Iran to keep on doing business in its customary way, bypassing Western banking protocols at will, strengthening both these enemies of the West and diminishing America’s ability to resist Iran and China.

Knowledgeable observers are saying that Biden should have responded to the Iranian pact with China by advising the Chinese that it must decide if it wants to trade with the U.S. or with Iran. Instead, the administration has struck its usual tough pose against rogue states while taking no responsible action against them – even verbally...

On the surface, the importance of this deal for the West is terrifying. But some observers are beginning frankly to wonder if we are witnessing a shift in global power from America to Israel!

A Jewish News Service article admits, “On the face of it, this is absurd. One might assume that tiny, beleaguered Israel couldn't possibly take over the role of mighty America in leading the free world. However, once you look at the broader picture it's not so far-fetched.”

At the same time, the article states the obvious fact: that Israel is now a military superpower, in possession of the most technologically advanced military and being one of the world’s top military exporters. The IDF’s iconic security and “derring-do” derives “from its culture of risk-taking, reactivity and thinking out of the box – characteristics shared by no other country. The author criticizes the “lemming-like cultural tendencies of the West,” and claims that Israel may become the “last man standing” in upholding and defending Western values.

Melanie Phillips, writing for JNS.org, has made some startling observations and predictions. She wrote on Friday, April 15th, that “American society is fracturing and may already be beyond repair. The Democrats and the rest of the liberal elite are remorselessly pumping out the message with which countless children and students are being indoctrinated – that white people are racist, that America was born in sin, and that it is fundamentally so evil it must be transformed altogether.”

That initiative includes the resumption of U.S. participation in the Iranian nuclear deal engineered by Barack Obama six years ago. It would allow Iran legally to develop nuclear weapons with only a short delay. It also would direct billions of dollars into terrorism against Israel and the West. Biden has promised that he will now give $235 million to the Pales******* in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza, as well as $150 million to UNWRA, all of which had been disallowed by the Trump administration.

The article in Prophecy News Watch concludes: “The Arab world has come to understand that all this is of priceless value – not just for Israel but for itself, too. It sees that Israel actually takes out its enemies. It is increasingly realizing that the country most likely to defend Arab interests against Iran is not America but Israel, the Arabs' new and unlikely ally. As America falters and Western societies break apart, might this become Israel's century?” <>Prophecy News Watch

Note: The viewpoint of the news report is far closer to reality than it can imagine, in our opinion. When the Lord Jesus Christ comes to Zion to intervene on their behalf, He will institute upon its soil the beginnings of an everlasting Kingdom of peace and righteousness – with Israel as its first dominion. The scroll of Zechariah is extremely optimistic in this regard: “Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.” Zechariah 8:23. <HEL>

Note: Splinters is released and emailed to you sporadically by eTPL31 as a brief compendium of information relating to the fulfillment of Bible prophecy of every kind. <HEL>

Splinters 90

eTPL31 April27, 2021

Syrian Missile Explodes near Dimona

A seemingly “stray” Syrian missile crossed into Jordan and then penetrated deep into Israeli territory breaking up near the nuclear facility at Dimona on Thursday. Israeli officials were dismayed that the missile was not detected and downed earlier in its 300 mile flight.

IDF officials reckoned the missile, being a ground to air projectile had been fired at an Israeli warplane over the Golan and having missed its target proceeded on its trajectory southward until it ran out of fuel and fell from the sky.

One mystery of the incident is how did this missile travel 300 miles when its stated range is only 200 miles? Its pieces fell in a vacant desert location near the nuclear plant at Dimona doing no damage. Our view is that having “broken up” in midair, it may have been downed by an Israeli laser weapon but was not admitted as such. <>Arutz Sheva

Government to Share UFO Information with Public

The month of June should see the general release of huge amounts of information as to “the reality” of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) commonly known as UFOs.

 Most folk have probably been convinced of “the reality” of UAPs for a long time; they just did not (and still do not) understand the nature of these mysterious flying objects which have been witnessed nearly our entire lifetime (most notably during WWII and afterward) by observers all over the world.

Whatever terminology is utilized, Luis Elizondo, the former head of the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program, which operates out of the Pentagon’s fifth floor C Ring told the NY Post about the document slated for release in June.

Elizondo admitted that the mysterious craft have been observed to have capabilities that are not presently possible for human beings to survive: vessels flying at 11,000 mph, and being capable of changes of direction instantly without concern for gravitational forces.

By comparison to today’s technology, the country’s most advance jet aircraft going at those advanced speeds would require “half the state of Ohio” to perform the same maneuvers on a much-limited scale.

Other peculiarities include the same operational capability at a fifty foot altitude or an 80,000 foot altitude – and vessels that can submerge underwater without any compromise in performance ... in short, “technology that is more advanced than ours!”

  And all this high performance is performed without a cockpit, without wings, without control surfaces, and with no signs of propulsion while at the same time being able to defy the natural effects of earth’s gravity.

An ominous feature of the report will be that “the United States DOD has conducted tests on material that had been collected from wreckage that allegedly was not from Earth.”

The spokesman also discussed the intense interest of other nations; senior Russian military officers say Moscow is studying the same phenomena. There is deep concern that these craft seem interested in earth’s nuclear aptitudes and capabilities. <>NYPost

U. S. Negotiators “Collapse” before Iran Negotiations say

If so, the Biden administration must want a settlement pretty badly. It would be a direct reversal of the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the agreement in 2018.Since the re-negotiation of the Iranian nuclear deal began, Iran has maintained a superior attitude toward the talks and made “demands” for U.S. compliance with its wishes at to the conditions it seeks. World Israel News has now found out that the Americans have allegedly accepted the insistence that Iran be paid compensation for the economic sanctions placed upon them by the USA.

After only several days of negotiations in Vienna, the Iranians will not be required to dismantle the new high-efficiency centrifuges that they have installed, thus not reinstating conditions back to the configuration of when the deal was first signed. Iran would now only be required to disconnect them. They could be placed back on line almost instantly! And they are fifty times as efficient as the older machines.

For some time the Biden administration insisted on maintaining the sanctions placed on Iran by President Trump, but now seemingly have back-tracked on that, too.

There have also been no discussions of a ban on the Iranians’ development of long-range missiles that could carry nuclear warheads, or even the consequences of Iran’s continuing disruption of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen. <>W0rld Israel News

Hamas is Pounding Israel with Ordnance

During the past several days, Hamas in the Gaza Strip (or other forces in Gaza that are subordinate to it) has been rocketing Southern Israel mercilessly for the past several days. So far the response of Israel has been restrained, but IDF officials have just announced that it will respond with overwhelming force if the attacks do not cease.

The only Israeli response so far has been the cutting off of fishing rights for Gaza fishermen in the Mediterranean Sea. Israel has decided not to strike back hard for the time being. Only minor injuries have resulted from the attacks. <>Arutz Sheva

Zero Deaths from Covid in Israel for First Time in ten Months

Israel seems to have handled its Covid-19 pandemic well; on April 24th no deaths were recorded from the disease. This has resulted as Israel has gradually lifted restrictions, including an outdoor mask mandate. Restaurants and schools are back to pre-pandemic capacities, and people are resuming routines that were disrupted a year ago. The decline is due to the swift and successful vaccination program with the country having the highest vaccination rate in the world ... 120 doses per 100 people. About 53% of its citizens have received two doses. <>Yahoo News

India is Hard Hit by Covid-19 Infections: Highest Death Rate Ever

India has passed the 200,000th death from Covid and has now diagnosed 17,300,000 cases of the infection. The death rate is so high that in some areas the bodies cannot be buried in a timely manner resulting in makeshift cremation within large cities as dozens of deceased patients are hastily incinerated in the open air. In some parts of the country, graves are still being prepared.

India has administered one injection of vaccine to 6.8% of its population, and only 1.6% has had two shots. In light of that dilemma, the U. S. and other countries are struggling to assist India with adequate supplies not only of vaccines, but also of ventilators, protective personal gear, masks, and other gear. Only the U.S. has a higher infection rate than India – and a higher death rate. <>RT News

Note: Splinters is released and emailed to you sporadically by eTPL31 as a brief compendium of information relating to the fulfillment of Bible prophecy of every kind. <HEL> ~1,100 words. Splinters 90 in PDf. Published April 27, 2021.

Splinters 91

eTPL31 May 6, 2021

India – Ravaged by New Variants of Covid-19

One of the most populous nations on earth, India’s Covid infections are expected to peak next week. Infections are spreading much faster than previously and are expected to reach a maximum in three days as predicted by a mathematical model from the government’s team of Covid advisers. On Friday last, India recorded 386,452 new Covid-19 infections. The surge has resulted in an acute shortage of hospital beds, oxygen, medicine, and vaccines.

Many states have exhausted their supply of vaccine in the face of this surge in cases. One accompanying worry is that many people are attempting to make their own medical oxygen at home to make up the shortfall. The process is dangerous and could have fatal consequences. Toxic gases may result from the process as well as explosions may occur.

A group of scientific advisers who are modeling the trajectory of the infections said “the main purpose of the projections is to ‘figure out how we’re going to fight the fight for the next four to six weeks.’”

The Indian government criticized the use of “misleading” homeopathic medicine to try to treat the pandemic or to address oxygen shortages. <>Excerpted from R T News

India Faces ‘Horrible’ Weeks Ahead

New Delhi (AP). Due to underreporting, India’s death toll of May 4th (220,000+) and its infections at 20 million, the numbers are doubtless far higher. India has been hit hardest second only to the United States. Its population is estimated to be 1.2 billion persons.

The number of new infections has doubled in the past three months – an exponential rate of increase for the densely-packed country. People are dying outside hospitals that can accept no more patients – and being cremated in public spaces, the somber smoke of death settling over the city.

The increased rate of infection is probably due to two factors: the government’s relaxed rules allowing huge crowds to gather for Hindu religious festivals (that and political rallies that were allowed). The second factor is a surprising increase in infective variants of the coronavirus.

The government’s lack of preparedness is reflected in the reality that many people are dying due to shortages of bottled oxygen and hospital beds – or because they could not get a Covid-19 test. On Tuesday the health ministry said there were 357,229 new cases in 24 hours, and 3,449 deaths from Covid-19. <>Yahoo News, The Independent

WHO Says World Heading into ‘Very Dark Period’

May 5. Dr. David Nabarro, a special envoy on Covid-19 for the World Health Organization, has warned that “the world is heading into ‘a very, very dark period’ of the coronavirus pandemic with cases accelerating at an alarming rate. Yet some nations such as the UK is preparing to allow foreign travel again in May, and many communities in the US are preparing to open up to “normal” operations.

Professor Adam Finn said ‘”plans needed to be ‘thought through carefully’ to avoid losing the progress made over the last few months.” <>Yahoo News

Africa Faces Risks Similar to that of India

April 29th. Dr. John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, has warned that urgent action is needed to avoid the continent being overrun with Covid-19 in a crisis similar to that of India. He stated with dismay that “We are watching in total disbelief what is happening in India…. It speaks to the fact that we as a continent must be very prepared.” He is concerned that new strains of the virus could quickly spread across the continent.

So far, Africa has reported just over three million infections of the virus across 47 countries – but the continent’s vulnerability is evident from it overall lack of preparedness. <>RT News

LGBTQ Flag will Fly beneath U.S. Flag at Embassies Worldwide

Although President Trump’s administration would not allow it, the Biden administration has given its approval through Secretary of State Antony Blinken that U.S. embassies and consulates around the world may fly the “rainbow LGBTQ pride” flag on the same pole, underneath the American flag. This announcement advertizes the official approval of that movement by the government.

Prophecy News Watch pointed out the fact that "Franklin Graham of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Ministry had previously commented on the flag controversy by saying that ‘the gay pride flag is offensive to Christians and millions of people of other faiths, not only in this country but around the world. The U.S. flag represents our nation – everyone – regardless of race, religion, or sexual orientation.’"

Many claim flying such a flag shows inclusivity, but it actually promotes exclusivity, in our opinion. It promotes and displays pride in one particular lifestyle and deviant sexual behavior over a time-honored earlier stance – one that many Christian American find offensive; as such, the action is not inclusive, but is divisive. <>Prophecy News Watch

Covid Causing Strokes among the Young and Healthy

One in every four stroke patients with coronavirus is under 55, an entirely new phenomenon found in no other such disease. The strokes result from the virus blocking larger blood vessels. That age group is not normally at risk of stroke, but the fact has been noted in 31 countries as reported by the peer-reviewed journal, Stroke, which also said that the affected group also lacked obvious vascular risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, and smoking.

“COVID-19 is not flu or a simple viral infection. At a time when we are trying to evaluate the benefit and risk balance in vaccination, these data make it clear that young people, who aren’t always considered ‘at risk’ of coronavirus, are vulnerable to strokes and other effects of the virus, immediate and longer term,” according to Professir Cyrille Cohen of Bar Ilan University, Tel Aviv. <>Times of Israel

Covid-19 can Kill Months after Recovery

A new study of Covid-19 survivors shows that these have an almost 60% increased risk of death up to six months after infection compared with noninfected people. The huge, study published over the weekend in the peer-reviewed journal Nature, said “ That is the equivalent of about eight extra deaths per 1,000 patients over six months.”

The lead researcher on the study, Ziyad Al-Aly, director of the Clinical Epidemiology Center at Washington University in St. Louis, was interviewed by the Jerusalem Post. He revealed that “When we are accounting for COVID-19 deaths, the actual total of deaths is much higher.” Most deaths that are caused by long-term Covid-19 complications are not recorded as Covid-19 deaths,” so the stats we are seeing are only the tip of an iceberg...

Details of the report showed a somber side which was unexpected by most researchers. Even those pandemic patients who were not hospitalized with severe disease can have complications even months later – disorders such as respiratory conditions, diseases of the nervous system, mental-health diagnoses, metabolic disorders, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal conditions, and poor general well-being.

Al-Aly said, “Even people with mild disease – some people who got COVID and seemed fine with just a fever and a cough – months down the road they have a stroke or a blood clot; some manifestation related to COVID,” Al-Aly said. “The risk is small, but it is not trivial.” Other researchers agreed: “When people are considering not vaccinating because [they think] I am young and not at risk of severe disease or death, I think the issue of long-COVID with the percentages we are seeing now is something that people should take into account.” <>JPost

Note: Splinters is released and emailed to you sporadically by eTPL31 as a brief compendium of information relating to the fulfillment of Bible prophecy of every kind. <HEL> ~1,700 words. Splinters 91. Published May 6, 2021.

Splinters 92

eTPL31 May, 2021

“Jerusalem is not a Settlement:” Netanyahu to Biden

The U.S. interim ambassador to Israel has complained of Israel’s approval for 450 housing units to be constructed in the Har Homa neighborhood near Jerusalem. It is in line with the Biden administration’s objection to new Israeli “settlements.”

But Prime Minister Netanyahu replied promptly dismissing the objections, telling the U.S. diplomats that “Jerusalem is not a settlement; it is the capital of the State of Israel.”

The U.S. now objects officially to any construction beyond the “Green Line” – the old 1948 ceasefire line that runs through the city of Jerusalem – the city that Donald Trump recognized as Israel’s capital. That event was supposed to have triggered widespread violence from the local Arabs but not a peep was heard from them.

And that violence never came about.  President Trump moved the embassy in May, 2018 and it became the first of several other key changes in policy that eventuated in the Abraham Accords – Israel coming to terms with several Arab countries as to official recognition. To his credit, Joe Biden has said that the U.S. embassy will remain in Jerusalem.

The U.S. administration is insisting that neither Israel nor the Pales******* take any unilateral actions prior to peace talk resumption. There has been no resolution of an impasse that developed when the PLO walked away from Obama-era negotiations and have agree to no contact since that date. <>United with Israel

The U.S. seems ready to Lift Sanctions on Iran

– and Tehran wants More

Although the U.S. has made known its willingness to drop certain sanctions upon Iran, the Islamic Republic wants more ... indeed is demanding much more, as if they are in the driver’s seat. And as they are now negotiating with the Biden administration, they probably are, because the American negotiators apparently are bleeding for a deal.

The chief Iranian negotiator, Abbas Araqchi, stated on Friday that "The information transferred to us from the U.S. side is that they are also serious on returning to the nuclear deal and they have so far declared their readiness to lift a great part of their sanctions.... But this is not adequate from our point of view and therefore the discussions will continue until we get to all our demands."

Meanwhile, the White House said that sanctions on Iran can only be lifted if the country complies with the 2015 nuclear agreement. <>JPost via Reuters

Yes, Coronavirus is Airborne

We thought this had been a foregone conclusion, but we were wrong! The CDC has just acknowledged that the virus “can be spread through inhalation of respiratory droplets containing the virus.” Prior to this its official opinion was that most infections are “transmitted through ‘close contact, not airborne transmission.’” 

The revised guidelines also state that six feet of distance between people is NOT enough to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. People who remain six feet apart are simply less likely to catch the virus than those who are closer together.

The result is a degree of confusion. If that were factual, why was masking for everyone strongly recommended early last year? In our personal experience over the last sixty years masks have for a hundred years been considered useful against the spread of viral diseases – a common factor in their prevention and control.

The CDC’s updated guidelines are that fully vaccinated persons may go maskless while dining or during outdoor exercises. Our dilemma is, how do other folk know that such people are fully vaccinated? There is much confusion here.

The virus has infected over 32 million people in the U.S. within 15 months. Over 580,000 have died. <>Yahoo News

 New Molecular Size ‘Tweezers’ Useful against Bacteria

Bacteria commonly build defenses (biofilms) for themselves against interference by the human immune system and antibiotics, so Israeli scientists have developed nano-sized swallowable ‘tweezers’ that are useful to break through these biofilms to allow the organisms’ treatment and breakdown.

Of molecular size, “The tweezers are just like your home tweezers but a million times smaller, and instead of plucking hairs they attack fibers of the bacteria’s biofilm,” Prof. Raz Jelinek of Ben Gurion’s chemistry department told The Times of Israel. “By doing that, they break the biofilm, making it more vulnerable to human immune defenses and external substances that are used against bacteria like antibiotics.”

The first tests of the technique were successful against the famously drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Although the technique is not new, it has now been successfully programmed for use against biofilms, and potentially could save the lives of at least 40% of Staph aureus victims that now die from drug resistance. The technique would have immediate application to the coronavirus pandemic it would seem. <>Times of Israel

New Pestilences Breaking out all over the Globe

There is news of a “mystery disease” now breaking out in Tanzania. There is another outbreak in Congo. Headlines are being made by new developments in South Africa. In spite of all our highly advanced technology, humanity remains highly at risk to entirely new outbreaks of disease, so much so that many researchers believe that the Covid-19 pandemic may be just the beginning.

Such a projection fits well with the words of scripture regarding the dreadful events of the end times. Isaiah describes it as “the indignation” of the Lord in Isaiah 26: 20; and addressing His adversaries, he says, “According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands, he will repay recompence.” Isaiah 59:18 

Once the new organisms form (usually by natural mutation) they spread into the vulnerable population of organisms that are vulnerable. Oftentimes these are humans.

In other cases, mutations are forced to occur in laboratory experiments. These too, often escape into the outside world and wreak havoc – as did coronavirus if it was a product of research in the Wuhan Biological Laboratory in China as some think. In only a short time such an organism can spread into the entire world and wipe out tens of millions of people.

A variant of Covid known as the “super Covid” variant originated in the UK several months ago and is now proliferating in the USA, doubling about every ten days! Its designation is B.1.1.7., and is between 35% and 45% more transmissible (infective) than earlier strains of the virus.

I am at present working on a presentation of just the coronavirus and its new variants, of which there are a great number. It is intended to be circulated as soon as completed. <> Abstracted from Prophecy News Watch

 Note: Splinters is released and emailed to you sporadically by eTPL31 as a brief compendium of information relating to the fulfillment of Bible prophecy of every kind. <>HEL

Splinters 93

eTPL31 May 23, 2021

Biden Claims Credit for Halt to Gaza Conflict

Joe Biden has taken credit for the ceasefire that is now in effect between Israel and Gaza. Despite those claims, PM Netanyahu of Israel noted that it was Cairo, not Washington that had brokered the arrangement. He said Israel would “accept the Egyptian initiative for a mutual ceasefire without pre-conditions.”

Biden in comments on Thursday promised that the U.S. would help Israel to replenish the hundreds of interceptor rockets used by Iron Dome – a system which knocked down about 90% of the rockets that came across the frontier during the eleven days of fighting.

He added that the U.S. fully supports Israel’s right to defend itself against random rocket attacks from Hamas and stated that Iron Dome “has saved the lives of countless Israeli citizens, Arab and Jew.” <>World Israel News

Netanyahu Swayed by no outside Power in Gaza Conflict

Just five days ago, PM Netanyahu announced that he is resisting calls for a cease-fire at that moment, adding that Israel has a set goal to achieve and will not be deterred until it is accomplished. That is a different reaction to earlier conflicts in which world opinion seemed to dominate the PM’s decisions. This time he appeared to be thinking for himself and considering only what he considered Israel’s best interests.

The wreckage within Gaza was astonishing. Huge buildings were brought down by precision rockets fired from Israeli fighter-bombers.

During that time Jerusalem had been facing mounting international criticism over the war which included airstrikes from Israel against the bases launching rockets into Israel by Hamas fighters. Civilian deaths were incurred on both sides with many times more Gazans killed than Israelis.

One rather ironic twist was that hundreds of the rockets launched by Hamas never even reached the border with Israel but fell short within Gaza killing an unknown number of its own citizens!

What triggered the Gaza conflict? It appeared to be Israel’s plans to evict several Pales****** families in a disputed neighborhood (Sheikh Jarrah) in East Jerusalem – people who had occupied Israeli properties for years but would not pay rents. Israel’s plan triggered massive protests from the Arabs of Israel and was met with firm opposition. Israeli police stormed As Aqsa Mosque on Temple Mount to confiscate the rocks that were stored there and used to pelt worshipers at the Western Wall below the site. This move was exaggerated by the Muslims as an “attack on Al Aqsa.” <>RT.com

Hamas intended to Attack Israel’s Gas Wells in the Mediterranean

Both rockets and drones were used by Hamas in attempts to knock out Israel’s offshore gas drilling rigs. Fortunately none of the rockets got near the rigs. An Israeli jet downed a drone during the same time frame. On Monday the IAF attacked a car with several militants on the beach of the northern Strip. They were trying to launch a submersible weapon to attack the rigs but did not succeed at it was struck and totally destroyed. Several operatives who were in the car were also killed. <>J Post

 “Unprecedented” Achievements against Hamas: Netanyahu

In a news conference yesterday, PM Netanyahu revealed that “We hit the terror group hard. The public does not know everything yet, nor does Hamas. Our accomplishments will be revealed in time. At this point I can say that we did bold, unprecedented things, without getting drawn into unnecessary adventures ... We managed to cause serious harm to Hamas, with minimal harm to Israel.”

In addition, he warned Hamas against any further rocket attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip only hours after the ceasefire took effect at 2 a.m. Friday morning. “If Hamas thinks we will tolerate a drizzle of rockets, it is wrong,” the Israeli leader said in an address to the nation early Friday afternoon, vowing to respond with “a new level of force against any expression of aggression against communities around Gaza and any other part of Israel.”

He also said Israel had achieved the operational goals it had set, taking a very heavy toll on Hamas, setting it back “for years.” Israel eliminated over 200 terrorist operatives including many senior ones by pinpointed aerial attacks. It cancelled Hamas’ plans to carry out infiltration of Israel, sending UAVs, and naval operations. <>WINews

Israel is Sending New Monetary Aid to Pales******* (Pals)

The administration notified Congress last week that it will send $10 million to the Pals even as the Gaza war raged. The funds will go both to the “West Bank” and Gaza to support “exchange and reconciliation projects with Israel.”

It said the money is part of more than $100 million allocated to the Pals earlier this year, reversing the complete cutoff of funds to them by former President Trump.

The total amount of aid is $130 million in assistance to the Pals and appears to be aimed at supporting their return to negotiations with Israel <>AP

“Guardian of the Walls” Set Back Gaza many Years

The vast network of underground tunnels became a trap for Hamas when Israel said it was about to invade Gaza with ground troops early in the conflict. The immediate result was that Hamas forces by the thousands took shelter in the “Metro” and were then sealed inside as air to ground missiles caused the collapse of the tunnels and surface structures. Hundreds of homes on the ground above also were destroyed when their foundations crumbled into the tunnels. Over 30,000 Gazans are homeless...

Israel claimed to have destroyed more of Hamas’ structure than in 2008 and 2014 together in the intensive eleven-day struggle. This success was made possible through precise military intelligence, air force and defense capabilities “all under the umbrella of international law” said a senior IDF officer. High ranking commanders were killed both above and below ground. Over sixty miles of tunnels were destroyed – about a fifth of the entire complex.

About 4,340 rockets were dispatched against Israel but 640 of these fell inside Gaza, causing casualties of life and property. Iron Dome shot down 90% of those entering Israeli airspace – an incredible accuracy rate. The first assessment posits that less than 2% of Hamas rockets hit populated areas according to an IDF officer. Twelve Israelis were killed (including one soldier). 240 Gaza civilians were killed in the military strikes – a number that may have been unreliably reported. <>Algemeiner

Note: Splinters is released and emailed to you sporadically by eTPL31 as a brief compendium of information relating to the fulfillment of Bible prophecy of every kind. <>HEL

Splinters 94

eTPL31 May 28, 2021

More Sabotage in Iran by Israel?

At least nine workers in a factory producing Iranian drones were injured in a mysterious explosion on Sunday last. Iran has not commented on the cause of the blast.

On Thursday, PM Netanyahu of Israel displayed the remains of what he claimed to be an Iranian drone that was shot down over the Jordan Valley. It was coming into Israel from Iraqi or Syrian airspace. Iran provides hundreds of drones to its proxies in the region. <>DEBKAFile

          Biden Administration Bypasses Congress, Approves Arms Sale to Israel

May 26, 2021. Biden’s State Department has issued an export license for the precision arms and weapons that had already been authorized for sale to Israel even though some Democrats in congress were trying to block the shipments. The Boeing Company was the chief beneficiary of the license as the shipment will contain mostly smart bombs including its Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) and an additional laser-guided bomb like those used by the Israel Air Force in attacking military targets in Gaza earlier in the month. The sale is worth $735 million.

The anti-Israel faction is led by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib along with Bernie Sanders. They claim that the Israeli weapons were used to kill Pales****** civilians even though on Tuesday the UNO head of services to Gaza admitted that the precision weapons were indeed accurately used on military targets and reduced civilian casualties.

We see this conflict in the American congress another indication that when the final conflict with the nations surrounding Israel arrives Israel will face the music entirely alone... except for the inconceivable army of God headed by Messiah Himself! <>WIN

Vast Sums to be “Invested” in Gaza Rebuilding

At first the sum will be at least $150 million awarded to UNWRA – the UN agency assigned to aid “Pales****** Refugees.” But an unnamed Biden administration official noted that it will “most likely cost billions of dollars – to include restoring health and education services and other construction, according to the New York Times.

The Republicans are striving to assure that Hamas (a U.S.-designated terror organization) will not be able to use the money to rebuild its rocket arsenal, tunnel system and terror infrastructure. Hamas fired over 4,000 of its rockets toward Israel earlier this month.

The verbal battle in congress continues. The reporting agency (PNW) has said, “For the first time in generations, a major political party is openly challenging our alliance with Israel. And the fallout, as our allies know, could be deadly.” (See article directly above) The “jihad squad” – the three representatives named above in floor speeches boosted their hatred of Israel to new levels calling Israel "terrorists," "racists," and "extremists." <>World Israel News

Israel is Losing Support of a Democratic Congress

Senator James Lankford (R-Okla.) recently said, “Suddenly my Democratic colleagues are turning towards the Palestinians and towards the terrorist organizations that they support in the area. And it's just remarkable to be able to see that shift....  And look at what's happened as a result,’ Lankford urged. ‘The entire Middle East is destabilized. Now we're falling apart in the area. And the only thing that's really shifted during that time period is America's posture towards Israel.’" 

He said that “Yesterday... Joe Biden's party sent a clear message to the rest of the world that it can't count on America's support for Israel even in the smallest of gestures.” 

Even Newsweek magazine has taken notice. It warned that the Ayatollahs are watching as "The Squad launched into a disinformation campaign that would have made Tehran proud..." Democrats, he said, have “earned the praise of the Muslim Brother-hood. And ... Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran can see the Democrats’ support for Israel is sagging.”

Caroline Glick, a noted columnist for the Jerusalem Post, pointed out on Wednesday that there probably has never been this level of godlessness in the Democratic party. "The contemporary Antisemitism that we're seeing today is sort of part and parcel of the Left's abandonment of God." <>Prophecy News Watch

Netanyahu says Conflict Altered Structure of Hamas Permanently

Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel, speaking just hours after the cease-fire with Hamas, warned the Hamas terror group against any further rocket attacks against Israel from Gaza. He said, “If Hamas thinks we will tolerate a drizzle of rockets, it is wrong,” the Israeli leader said in an address to the nation early Friday afternoon; he vowed to respond with “a new level of force against any expression of aggression against communities around Gaza and any other part of Israel.”

“We hit the terror group hard. The public does not know everything yet, nor does Hamas. Our accomplishments will be revealed in time. At this point I can say that we did bold, unprecedented things, without getting drawn into unnecessary adventures,” Netanyahu said. “We managed to cause serious harm to Hamas, with minimal harm to Israel.”

The prime minister thanked the Israeli people for “standing strong” during the 11 days of Operation Guardian of the Walls. “We struck at most of Hamas’ capabilities,” he said. <>World Israel News

Sixty Miles of “Metro” Tunnels Were Destroyed in Gaza

The Israeli Air Force destroyed more than 100 kilometers ((60+ miles) o terror tunnels within the southern Gaza Strip during the recent conflict. Hamas has been constructing the tunnels since “Operation Protective Edge” in 2014 – most in close proximity to hospitals and civilian buildings, many private structures serving as entry points to the system. Cement that was provided by Israel to Gaza for civilian structures and housing is “found below ground” according to a senior IDF officer. 

During a fifth stage of airstrikes, the IAF planes hit the tunnels of Khan Yunis and Rafah in southern Gaza. In just 25 minutes 52 IAF fighter jets released 120 guided bombs to destroy major portions of the 600 or so miles of tunnels, most of them full of Hamas operatives fleeing the aerial attack. <>The Algemeiner

Antisemitic Acts in US Increased 80% Following Gaza Conflict

During the eleven days of conflict this marked increase is said to have been a result of “disinformation” that was spread through social media during that time.

A feature of the attacks was a link of Jews to the Covid-19 pandemic. In some cases Jews were blamed for the virus – but Jews were compared to the virus in others.

An American spokesman for the Jewish community listed some of the Anti-Semitic events as “Acts of vandalism from Oregon to Virginia, synagogue desecrations from Illinois to Arizona, reports of people having bottles thrown at them, children’s playgrounds being daubed with swastikas in New York and Tennessee.”

Those were only a few of the incidents in over fifteen distinct areas of the U.S. in which Jews were openly attacked and their property damaged or destroyed.

This phenomenon is a new development in the U.S., and is a clear indication that the prophecy of Jeremiah is still being implemented: “Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the LORD, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks. For mine eyes are upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes.” Jeremiah 16:16, 17. 

That prophecy is expressed to occur during the time when Israel is regathered from all nations of the earth. God’s intention is for them to RETURN to His Land for redemption, and is forcefully making that fact entirely clear to the Jews of the Diaspora. <>Jerusalem Post

Note: Splinters is released and emailed to you sporadically by eTPL31 as a brief compendium of information relating to the fulfillment of Bible prophecy of every kind. <>HEL

 Splinters 95

eTPL31, June 5, 2021

Iran’s Largest Warship Burns and Sinks in Gulf of Oman

A mysterious “accident” aboard the Kharg, Iran’s largest naval vessel at 679- foot length, burned out of control for several hours and resulted in the vessel sinking on Wednesday. It was the latest disaster to strike the Iranian navy amid ongoing tension with Israel and the West.

The ship was said by Iran to be a training ship as well as a resupply ship for other Iranian vessels in the Gulf. It was reported that about 400 sailors were removed from the ship without any loss of life, but with 33 injuries.

The Kharg, like most of Iran’s major military hardware, was an aging vessel. It was built in Britain and launched in 1977; it entered the Iranian navy in 1984. Other aging equipment has been the source of major dysfunctions which include a malfunction of the ejector seats of an F-5 fighter plane, killing two pilots while parked in a hangar!

A thorough investigation is said to have begun into the Kharg disaster.

Only a few hours later a significant fire broke out at an Iranian oil refinery in the capital, Tehran, laying down thick layers of black smoke over the city. The Tondgooyan Petrochemical Co. was the victim in this case. High temperatures in the capital may have contributed to the blaze as the thermometer reached 40 degrees Celsius (or 104 degrees F). No word has been issued on injuries that may have been suffered.

The fire has burned into the second day. Firefighters are now saying they hope it will stop once in runs out of fuel from two waste tanks on the site.

Do all these disasters look like safety incompetence ... or sabotage? We would guess the latter. But the Iranians will never know for sure.... <>WAPO

Water Theft near Hebron Blamed on Local Arabs

Israeli authorities discovered a pirate connection to the main water line between Carmel and Maon in Mount Hebron where Israeli residents of the area have been subjected to recurring water shut-offs during summer months past.

The thefts also caused agricultural irrigation and drinking water shortages to the farmers of the local area. The stolen water was routed to reservoirs built by Pales******* who then would collect the water in tankers and sell it. <>World Israel News

Bird Flu in China is said to Jump from Animals to Humans

A 41-year old man of Zhenjiang, China, visiting a local hospital on May 28, was diagnosed with bird flu. He is the first human case of H10N3 bird flu according to scientists. A close watch is being observed in the city to detect other cases of this unusual shift.

Said to be an “accidental cross-species transmission” of such a disease, the probability of large-scale transmission is projected to be low.

Ohboy ... China again! <>Wall St. Journal

Covid-19 Rages Ahead in Many Parts of the World

Although optimism prevails in North America as to the conquest of Covid-19, much of the world continues to suffer increased numbers of infections – countries like Malaysia, for example, which has put in place a near universal lock-down of the country until June 14th, its second in a little over one year.

May 29th saw over 8,000 new cases diagnosed for a new record. Nearly 40% of the deaths in Malaysia occurred in May of this year as the number of infections soared nearly five-fold compared to last year.

A government spokesman said many ethnic Malay Muslims violated Covid-19 safety rules that banned them from visiting each other during the Eid Festival just passed – after which 24 Eid clusters were detected with 850 new cases. Many of the cases were asymptomatic, but some were grave.

At the same time Latin America’s Covid-19 cases and deaths are “plateauing at alarmingly high levels” according to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). Just the week before last, 1.2 million new cases were diagnosed and 31,000 people died of the disease!

The PAHO chief also referred to recent analysis by the World Health Organization (WHO) that concluded that the total global Covid-19 death toll was likely to be a “significant under-count,” a condition that has occurred due to the stark fact that many people have stopped adhering to health measures designed to limit the spread of the virus. An agency of the UNO corroborated those suppositions saying that the number of cases and deaths could be as much as three times higher than reported! That would mean about 6 to 8 million deaths may have occurred. <>Associated Press/RT.com

U.S. acts to Replenish Iron Dome Magazine for Israelis

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz was in Washington recently to meet with Lloyd Austin and other American officials where he submitted a request for a billion dollars to replenish the nation’s Iron Dome anti-missile missile reserves. He said that Iron Dome performed extremely well during the eleven day conflict with Gaza.

Senator Lindsey Graham said in Israel at about the same time, Iron Dome was instrumental in saving thousands of Israeli lives and tens of thousands of Pales****** lives during the conflict. He said that the request should “sail through Congress.”

Mr. Gantz praised the Biden administration as a true friend of Israel, saying that “The United States was and will continue to be Israel’s most important ally in maintaining its security and security superiority in the region… Israel has and will have no better partner than the US. Even if there are disagreements, they will be solved behind closed doors and not with defiant rhetoric that could harm Israel’s security,” he said. <>Times Of Israel

Huge Backlash of Anti-Semitism in North America to Gaza Conflict

Jewish lives face a widespread threat of danger in North America from “the left” and from Islamists according to William Darof, CEO of the US Presidents’ Conference of Jewish Organizations in an interview with Israel’s KAN-11 news service. He said that the catastrophe is unprecedented and represents a widespread threat to Jewish lives.

London, last week saw the largest pro-Palestinian demonstration in its history. <>DEBKAFile

Will the new Israeli Government be Successful?

Many observers are wary that the new Israeli government of Naftali Bennett will not last long, and that the due to the inclusion of several parties with contrary agendas, including the Ra’am faction – four Knesset seats controlled by the Israeli Arab party that is affiliated with Hamas! As it moves forward, it will likely not tackle such thorny issues as settlement expansion in Judea and Samaria, but instead will focus on Israel’s economy as it emerges from the Covid-19 crisis. Mr. Bennett will be the first overtly religious Orthodox Jew to head the state and would serve for the first two years of a four-year term. <>The Telegraph

 Note: Splinters is released and emailed to you sporadically by eTPL31 as a brief compendium of information relating to the fulfillment of Bible prophecy of every kind. <>HEL

Splinters 96

eTPL31, June 11, 2021

Attacks on U. S. Jews Flare up Nationwide

An ominous net of hatred has suddenly fallen upon the Jews of the Diaspora in America, and attacks on Jews show a widespread, unusual pattern.

In Tucson, Arizona, a Chabad Jewish faith center was spray-painted with a swastika and the words “dirty kyke.” Arizona State House representative Alma Hernandez spoke out saying, “The amount of Jewish hate isn’t shocking. The silence is.”

In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a banner was draped over an overhead bridge: “Your tax $$ fund Israeli apartheid.”

In San Francisco, Manny’s Café was attacked for the second time this year with phrases “Racist pigz,” “Zionist pigz,” and “Free Palestine,” marred the walls. Located in the Mission District, Manny is Jewish and an Israeli whose family ironically escaped persecution in Afghanistan.

In another unnamed location, pro-Pales****** “activists” were observed screaming at and intimidating Jewish customers with filthy slurs of the worst kind.

Anti-Semitic incidents such as these have increased noticeably just since the recent  Israeli-Gaza conflict which Israel named “Guardian of the Walls.”

Many feel that the usually-dormant feelings found resurgence in that conflict as impetus to overt expressions of Jew-hatred. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) tracks such incidents and has stated that the increase has been a 75% increase in such hate crimes. And these are only the incidents which have been reported.

Most of these insults include physical assault, vandalism of property, and harassment of persons, but include cyber-bullying. Recently Lily Ebert, a 97=year old Holocaust survivor wished her TikTok followers a “Good Shabbos” and received retorts such as “Happy Holocaust,,” “Peace be upon Hitler,” and “How are you still alive?”

The climate of hatred seems to have brought the world again to the attitude of Balak: Enraged at Balaam, Balak struck his hands together. “I called you,” Balak said to Balaam, “to damn my enemies.” Numbers 24:10 (The Israel BibleTM) <>Israel 365 News

BLM Co-founder Calls for Elimination of Israel

Patrisse Culoors often speaks of needing to end Israel. The co-founder of Black Lives Matter (BLM), an Anti-Semitic hate group with a Marxist base, has blinded many as to her real mission – which is not about helping Blacks. It is a movement destructive to the decency fabric of America and the world.

She drums on and on about Israel being “an apartheid state,” while the truth is that Israel is the only country in the world that has taken Black persons out of Africa and has brought them to freedom. She minimizes the actual apartheid of South Africa by accusing Israel of being apartheid!

Hating the Jewish state is the same as hating Jews. The truth is, Israel’s Jewish, Muslim, Christian and Druze have equal opportunities of voting rights, employment, work and a free life. In Israel one sees Jews sitting next to Muslims, Ethiopians beside Christians, all getting along perfectly for the most part.

BLM consistently distorts truth, claiming defense of Black rights and caring about truth. But they clearly do not care about truth. Instead their goal is to bring down Israel and America – and anyone else who stands for democracy and freedom. <>Israel Unwired

Auschwitz Liberator Dead at Age 98

David Dishman, a Soviet T-34 tank driver, crashed the electric fence at Auschwitz in April, 1945, helping to liberate the Jewish inmates. He died last week at age 98, perhaps the last of such liberators at that detention camp. <>Algemeiner

Protests by BDS Protesters Prevent Unlading of Israeli Ships in USA

Last Sunday marked the second successful protest by Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) groups to prevent Israeli cargoes from being unloaded in the Port of New York/New Jersey. The first one was a protest against unloading the ZIM Lines container vessel that had docked at Oakland, California. A third such protest was scheduled to be staged in Detroit; we have not learned the outcome of some of these protests but the ship docked at Oakland lifted anchor and sailed out to sea still bearing its full cargo of containers.

ZIM is based in Haifa, Israel, and is a significant factor in container shipping, as it controls 1.5% of global container capacity (Wall St. Journal) and was recently listed on the New York Stock Exchange (early 2021). Plans of the protesters are said also to include resistance protests in Vancouver, Philadelphia and London.

The protests were organized by the Arab Resource and Organizing Center and marked part of an International Week of Solidarity according to a press release. A woman is pictured speaking through a megaphone saying, “This is one the most [sic] strongest and most direct forms of boycott, divest, sanctions ....What’s even better is … engaging workers on the question of Palestine.”

A Port Authority of New York and New Jersey spokesperson declined to comment. <>Algemeiner and Israel 365 News

Blasts Continue to Rattle Iranian Facilities

In the latest round of incidents, Iran’s largest naval ship, the Kharg, a training and support vessel caught fire and sank in the Gulf of Oman. The fire’s source was not identified.

The next day, an enormous explosion and fire occurred at an oil refinery in South Tehran, causing extensive damage. No casualties were reported.

An explosion and fire were reported at the Zarand Iranian Steel Company in eastern Iran on Saturday night, in the latest in a series of similar incidents throughout Iran, according to Iranian media.

In addition, there were sporadic outbreaks of fires at a number of petrochemical plants in Iran in recent weeks. The nuclear facility at Natanz suffered extensive damage from an incident with the last few weeks.

Iranian military sites have not escaped. The Guardian reported that a fire broke out in the Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company which produces a number of small aircraft including drones, for Iranian and pro-Iranian forces in Isfahan Province.

In April, just after dozens of advanced centrifuges went online at Natanz, the country’s premier nuclear facility, an explosion occurred sidelining entire sections of the facility perhaps for months. <>J Post and Israel 365 News

Israeli Government is Fragile, Perhaps Dysfunctional Before it Starts?

Israeli politics is likely the most complex in the world today. The new government which was just formed consists of eight different political parties including a Hamas-affiliated Arab party with five Knesset seats. Just how well would one predict the conglomerate to function?

Space does not permit an in-depth discussion of its makeup, but its two most prominent leaders believe they can make it work. Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid head two of the components of the coalition and will share the premiership for two years each.

It seems to be true that the coalition exists for the sole purpose of un-seating Prime Minister Netanyahu with great vehemence and determination... <>Algemeiner

Note: Splinters is released and emailed to you sporadically by eTPL31 as a brief compendium of information relating to the fulfillment of Bible prophecy of every kind. <>HEL

Splinters 97

eTPL32, June 17, 2021

Rebellion Already Surfacing in new Israeli Government

Trouble is already cropping up in the ranks of the new Israeli government installed last Sunday. How can it last when beset by such intentions as these...?

The eight-party coalition is made up of widely disparate ideologies, one of which is closely allied with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. That party is Ra’am, the four-seat Arab party. Earlier this week the chairman of that party, Ayman Odeh, spoke at the Israeli Flag Day parade, claimed that the Israeli capital “will one day be the capital of Palestine.” He said “Our people will cause them to be ashamed and withdraw from these places,” he says, referring to the marchers in the parade, and “On these walls the flag of Palestine will be hoisted and Jerusalem will be the capital of recaptured Palestine.” At the same time, Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas said that the flag parade in Jerusalem was an “unrestrained provocation,” and said authorities should have canceled the event which commemorates the capture of Jerusalem  during the 1967 Six Day War. <>Times of Israel

Just when you thought it was Safe...

Many portions of the world are making a concerted effort to return to “normality” in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, dropping masking requirements, relaxing social distancing and other measures – but evidence is glaring that such may the wrong decision.

Earlier this morning, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, the medical advisor for CNN, stated that the U.K. variant of the virus is 50% more virulent that the original strain, but that the relatively new Delta strain (which was discovered first in India) is 60% more infective than the U.K. strain. That makes it more than 100% more dangerous than the original.

Just what is the Delta strain? In an effort to remove national stigma from any of the variants, the World Health Organization has relabeled the various strains with letters from the Greek alphabet. The Delta strain is a recently-emergent variant first detected in India in late 2020.

Today it is the dominant infectious type in Britain and has made serious inroads into the United States, comprising just over 6% of all new infections here. But in some states it makes up nearly 20% of new cases – a serious drift that shows no signs of slowing. If the trend continues it could interfere with the intended progress toward normality.

The entire set of mutations seen in Delta seem to make it change the way the virus attaches to a cell, making an activation step easier and block some (but not all) the antibodies that do the most good, according to Benjamin Neuman, Chief Virologist at Texas A&M University’s Global Health Research Complex.

It is also believed to produce more severe illness and bizarre symptoms such as gangrene and hearing loss. And it is “out-competing” other versions of the virus...

Are folks now immune to Covid-19 protected from the Delta variant? At this time the consensus seems to be that Delta is a concern mostly for people who are un-vaccinated or who have not had the infection (and have as a result produced their own antibodies). It seems to have infected huge numbers in India because that country’s vaccination rate is so low.

The vaccines protect most particularly against serious subsequent infections and hospitalizations and even death. The Public Health officials in Britain say it is important for people to be sure to get both “jabs” of whatever vaccine they have available for maximum protection. As we move into the fall months, with more indoor gatherings, a leap forward in infections will be seen, but only among those who remain unvaccinated.<>Huffington Post

England may not end its Lockdown as Scheduled

Because of the increasing infections of the Delta variant in Britain, England may not end its lock-down on June 21, as planned because infections from that variant tripled over one week. Forty two persons have now died from the Delta variant, twelve of whom had received both vaccine doses.

Doctors continue to urge everyone to get vaccinated. In a response to the abruptly higher case numbers, Dr. Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency said, "Vaccination is our best defense. If you are eligible, we urge you to come forward and be vaccinated. Remember that two doses provide significantly more protection than a single dose."

The longer the lockdown lasts the more persons will be able to get the vaccine before being exposed to many other people; for that reason, it is likely to be prolonged. She added, "Get vaccinated, work from home where you can and remember ‘hands, face, space, fresh air’ at all times. These measures work, and they save lives." <>YahooNews

Wildfires around Jerusalem are result of Arson

The deeply-ingrained hatred of Israel’s enemies is unforgiveable. Many lovers of the Jewish people graciously have planted trees in Israel’s incredibly beautiful forests, but their devotions are being deliberately incinerated in deep spite of Israel’s success by her enemies ... the Pales*******, whose only mantra is destruction of the forests.

Fire and Rescue Commissioner Dedi Simchi told a Channel 13 news reporter on Wednesday that “We did not see any lightning in the skies over the country today, and we will clarify if this was arson or not later.” He confirmed that there were two starting points of the fires in an area about 11 miles from Jerusalem that seemed man-made but that the fire service was considering that they may have been due to negligence. Mysteriously, the two starting points increased to ten in a short while: Arson? Probably.

More than a square mile (640 acres) of forestland burned throughout the day temporarily closing roads and the Tel-Aviv-Jerusalem rail line, also forcing evacuation of people from one small kibbutz and Abu Ghosh. More than 70 firefighting teams were on hand to combat the blaze along with ten fire-fighting planes and two helicopters; all were busy all night to extinguish all flames. The forest that was burned was planted over 100 years ago in Wild Mountain National Park and is under supervision of Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael and the Jewish National Fund. ‘

Videotapes from security camera are being reviewed by investigators. Channel 12 said that the police have evidence that two “youths” were seen running away from at least one site where the fires began. <>World Israel News

Iran being supplied Efficient Russian Satellite for Israeli Surveillance

June 10. The deal has been in the works for some time – an agreement by Russia to sell a new satellite system to Iran for a much higher resolution view of Israeli and American activities than were possible heretofore. The Kanopus-V Satellite will be able to follow Israeli and US military targets across the entire Middle East including continuous monitoring of installations such as Persian Gulf oil refineries and US and Israeli military bases as well as Iraqi barracks housing US troops.

Produced as a civilian surveillance system, Kanopus-V’s camera has a resolution of 1.2 meters from its flight level – a considerable improvement of previous Iranian capabilities. The Guard Corps launched (in April 2020) Iran’s first military satellite, the Noor-1, which caused then-US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to call for Tehran to be restrained because that action violated a UN Security Council Resolution. <>DEBKAFile

Note: Splinters is released and emailed to you sporadically by eTPL32 as a brief compendium of information relating to the fulfillment of Bible prophecy of every kind. /<>HEL

Splinters 98

eTPL32, June 26, 2021

Covid’s Delta Variant on a Rampage

The July 4th fireworks display planned for the holiday evening in Washington is billed as a “freedom from Covid” celebration ... but not so fast! The World Health Organization (WHO) is warning that the Delta variant of the disease is more transmissible than earlier forms by about 60%, and 110% more than the original strain. And it’s on a track to becoming the most dominant strain worldwide.

Executive Director of the WHO’s health emergencies program, Dr. Mike Ryan told CNBC earlier in the week that “Delta has the potential ‘to be more lethal because it’s more efficient in the way it transmits between humans.’” He added, "It will pick off the more vulnerable more efficiently than previous variants. They will become ill and be hospitalized; many of them will die.”

In other words, it’s able to find and infect the weakest people among us, but in addition has exhibited the worrisome trait of infecting folk who have already received two vaccinations for Covid-19. For people who have not received the vaccine, they remain at even further risk, he said.  Delta is set to become the dominant strain in the U.S. with 30% of new cases being of that variety as of last Wednesday. <>Business Insider

Another Iranian Factory Damaged by Explosions

A factory producing blades for uranium enrichment centrifuges in Karaj, Iran, was hit by explosions which were brought on by quad-copters that bombed the plant on June 23rd. According to the New York Times, the ‘copters originated from an area nearby, obviously having been released by Iranian dissidents acting against the new regime in Iran. The factory’s centrifuge parts supply the nuclear facilities at Fordow and Natanz.

It has retarded Iran’s nuclear initiative significantly, being another act of sabotage against the nuclear advances being pursued by Iran, and follows on earlier explosions at the nuclear facilities themselves and the assassination of Iran’s chief nuclear physicist by a pickup-mounted robotic machine gun several weeks ago.

Iran’s aviation agency announced on Wednesday that a new law will require all civilian drones to be registered with the government within six months, the Times reported. Probably a good idea...   <>Israel 365 News

Israel Successful in Tests of Airborne Anti-Missile Laser System

Israel has unveiled a fantastic new anti-missile weapon which may be carried aloft by drones (no human lives at risk) and sent into enemy airspace to destroy missiles that have just been launched (and are therefore still over enemy territory!).

The test equipment was carried aloft by a Cessna commercial airplane and successfully destroyed missiles in flight up to a mile away as demonstrated in a video clip produced by Elbit Systems, an Israeli aerospace defense contractor, and the IDF.

The weapon is seen as the highly favored proxy for the Iron Dome anti-missile defense system which is cumbersome to deploy, and costs about $150,000 per launch.

In contrast, the new laser system costs less that $5 per discharge and has an unlimited magazine as long as high-voltage electricity is available. The intensive laser beam causes the target missiles to burst into flame and crash out of control in about ten seconds! Our presumption is that it will also be highly effective against the increasing number of fire balloons that are being sent into Israel from the Gaza Strip.

The weapon is the first of a series of laser-based munitions that will complement the Iron Dome system, being capable of going into enemy airspace and destroying targets at long range. A ground-based laser weapon is also being developed that will be vehicle-mounted and protect maneuvering forces in the field. <>Abstracted from Milestone Snippets (Don Pearce).

No More Mr. Nice Guy?

 Israel’s defense minister, Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, is visiting the U.S. in order to prove (again) that Iran is cheating on the nuclear agreement. After Iran elected a new hard-line president, and in light of the American push to sign a new nuclear deal with Iran, Israel has ordered several army units to prepare for armed conflict with Iran, according to the Israeli Defense Ministry.

However, it seems obvious to us that Israel is taking steps in other ways to retard the Iranian nuclear initiative. Last month the nuclear power plant at Natanz was shut down by an explosion. Electric service to Tehran and several arms plants was severely disrupted by the incident with Tehran suffering widespread electrical outages.

This new development recognizes the conclusion that a satisfactory nuclear agreement with President Raisi will be nearly impossible once he takes office in mid-August. Not only is the nuclear program problematic, but so also are Iran’s ballistic missile advances as well as its regional subversion. <>Milestone Snippets (Don Pearce)

U.S. Delays next Round of Iran Talks to Hear Israeli Position

In a sharp departure from former PM Netanyahu’s policy of blocking any dialog with the Biden Administration’s plan to reenter the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the new Israeli government has sent experts to Washington to discuss in-depth some ways to enforce the JCPOA’s limitations of Iran’s nuclear program – including which sanctions to keep and which ones to relinquish if the U.S. returns to the deal.

A spokesman for the Kelman Institute for Conflict Transformation, Ofer Zalzberg, has stated that “the sense in Washington is that post-Netanyahu Israel … wants to prevent an Iranian nuclear weapon through a strong agreement. The US is keen on cooperative relations with Israel on this, though it would mean taking time for dialogue with Israel's new government – and hence a delay in negotiations with Iran – and likely placing more demanding positions to Iran,” Zalzberg said.

This seems to be in line with the new Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s view that he wants “no daylight” between his administration and the Biden administration.

That attitude is the reverse of that of Netanyahu, who was edgy about revealing any secret plans to Washington for fear of “leaks” of the information to the press and a possible compromise of Israel’s security – an infraction which has occurred in the past, much to Israel’s chagrin.

The Jerusalem Post reported that “talk in Tehran that the US is ‘close to lifting oil sanctions is an exaggeration,’ the source with knowledge of the American side of the talks said.”<>JPost

Controversy: Reopen the Pales****** Consulate in Jerusalem?

Although we personally cannot accept that the U.S. intention to re-open the Pales****** consulate in Jerusalem would “again divide the city,” that is the opinion of some observers. The consulate in question was closed down during the previous Trump administration.

Reopening the facility could be a problem because Jerusalem now IS Israel’s capital; the Biden administration will need the Bennett government’s permission to reopen the liaison office. The U.S. administration is clearly heading toward such division. A visible shift in U.S. attitudes toward the status of Jerusalem was reported by Israel 365 News, when “a dual citizen of Israel and the U.S. who was born in Efrat had their ‘place of birth’ on their passport renewed as born in the ‘West Bank,’” a purely Islamic term for Judea and Samaria. This in our opinion is a foolish undertaking of the Biden administration.... <>Israel 365 News

Note: Splinters is released and emailed to you sporadically by eTPL32 as a brief compendium of information relating to the fulfillment of Bible prophecy of every kind. <>HEL

 Splinters 99

eTPL32, July 5, 2021

Armed and Lethal New Robot on Wheels Patrols Gaza Border

Only about a month has passed since the Israeli-Gaza confrontation in May, but new advancements are being developed to add security to Israeli civilians as part of a new program called “momentum.”

The IDF’s Gaza Division is now utilizing an all-terrain, semi-autonomous rubber-tired, six-wheeled robot equipped with dozens of sensors, automated driving system, and advanced firing capabilities which include a 7.62mm machine gun operated remotely.

 The unmanned vehicle has a public address system that may be used to warn border infiltrators to cease and desist. The system is designated Jaguar, and presumably carries video cameras for both daytime and nighttime real time surveillance. <>Israel 365

Kit 300: Sounds like Harry Potter’s “Invisibility Cloak”

Hezbollah in Lebanon has obtained advanced equipment allowing it to both visualize and observe via thermal imaging along the Israeli border – a new development which requires countermeasures by Israel.

A thin material called Kit 300 that contains microfibers, metals and polymers woven into a lightweight sheet-like material weighing only 500 grams (just over a pound) is now available to the IDF. It has been developed by Polaris Solutions which is an Israeli firm based in Caesarea that specializes in “innovative and effective technology for survivability solutions,” in partnership with the Israeli Defense Ministry.

The material effectively shields both personnel and objects from visual sight as well as from electronic detection!

Dr. Gal Harari, a spokesman for the ministry, said “soldiers on the move can wrap themselves in the sheet.” Soldiers installing a military position can join sheets together to form a barrier resembling rock. Individual sheets may be folded into small rolls. “Anyone staring at them with binoculars from afar will not see soldiers” he said.

Polaris is working with other companies to develop camouflage unique to their needs. Internationally, Kit 300 is also called Jag Hide. <>United with Israel

More Technological Advances in Israel’s Quiver

The above-described devices are only for starters. The output of advanced devices in Israel is astonishing as to quality and quantity comes from nearly 2,000 Israeli firms that have been set up just for this purpose in multiple fields.

Many of our readers will be familiar with Waze – a GPS navigation system for drivers or walkers that assist millions every day without charge and via cell phone screens. Re-Walk assists anyone who is paralyzed to walk again. The Pill Camera is swallowed by a patient and takes tens of thousands of photos of the gastrointestinal tract as it moves through the stomach and small bowel detecting any abnormality including cancer and ulcers. The Laser Dome is an airborne laser system that utilizes a concentrated beam of high energy to destroy missiles of all sorts in a ten-second “lock” while costing about $1 per discharge.  It has an unlimited magazine as long as electricity is supplied to it. It will doubtless also be utilized against the fire kites and fire balloons of Hamas before they cross the border into Israel, and could conceivably be utilized to incinerate flammable objects from long distances! <>Israel Unwired

Another Novel Innovation is Seabreaker – a new 300km Missile

A big obstacle using the usual sensors, is that any target hidden in a forest or afloat on an open sea is difficult for radars to “see” with any degree of efficiency. The intended target is lost in the “background” noise and can rarely be located by that means.

But the game has changed...

The Israeli arms manufacturing firm Raphael has released a report on Seabreaker.

It reports that, “With an advanced IIR (Imaging Infra-Red) seeker, the Seabreaker can engage both maritime and land targets in advanced anti-access or area denial arenas. It can hit targets in littoral or brown water, including archipelagos and also strike targets where previous ‘generation RF-seeker-based missiles are not effective.’”

The new missile is four meters long, weighs less than 400 kilograms, and flies at near sonic speeds (over 500 mph) towards its target. It carries infrared homing and automatic target recognition gear and can be launched either day or night and even in inclement weather. It may be launched from ships at sea as a sea-to-sea weapon, or from a Humvee as ground-to-ground ordnance – and presumably even from aircraft – toward targets up to 300 kilometers away.

As such, it is a “surgical-strike” weapon (limits collateral damage) and operates in GPS-denied areas and cannot be defeated by electronic countermeasures; it is jam-resistant, and has a mid-flight abort capability and a battle-damage assessment feature all operated and observed by remote operators, thus risking no human operators.

The little missile dodges obstacles as it flies in terrain-following low-level flight above the ground or skims the seas below enemy air defense radar. It is lost in “ground clutter” to such enemy sensors and cannot be detected. It can automatically acquire a target after launch and instantly communicates all information to its remote operators up to the moment of impact upon the target. <> J Post

New Canadian Law could silence Churches Online

If Justin Trudeau, head of the Liberal Party in Canada has his way, his new laws will criminalize “hate speech” online making it punishable by a $50,000 fine (about $40kUS) payable to the Canadian government.

In our opinion, the flaw in this set of laws is that human evaluation would be applied to divine instruction as to its intent to stir up “hate.”

The law would allow the government to take action against “hate crimes and speech,” and would improve the remedies available to victims of such; it would also hold individuals accountable.

David Lametti, minister of justice and Canadian attorney general, said the actions would protect the vulnerable, empower those who are victimized, and hold individuals accountable for the ‘hatred’ they spread online.” His allies justified their Orwellian move by claiming that "hate speech" online can turn into "offline hate."

We see this move as a means of suppressing Bible teaching on such ungodly conduct as homosexuality, lesbianism, trans-genderism and abortion, all of which are summarily condemned by the word of God but are practiced openly by many people around the world who see it as a “right” given them by their governments. They do not recognize the validity of the GOD-given rights of the remainder of the general society not to have these ungodly principles stuffed down their throats or taught to their children – or to have the rights of the unborn broken in such brutal and fatal ways. <>Prophecy News Watch 

Israel and  Gaza Trade Blows after Truce is Established

Another Gaza conflict seems inevitable as the fire balloon crews continue to assault southern Israel with their lethally destructive vehicles as the Bennett-Lapid government looks to be destined for another full blown war by pounding the Gaza Strip for even the smallest offense. Hamas appears to be aiming to topple the government by further dividing Israel’s ability to combat their assaults. <>Israel Unwired/ Splinters 99.

Note: Splinters is released and emailed to you sporadically by eTPL32 as a brief compendium of information relating to the fulfillment of Bible prophecy of every kind. <>HEL

Splinters 100

eTPL32, July 11, 2021

A Prophetic “Blackout” in Tehran?

Here is a short video that you will find informative (less than two minutes long) ... clearly enunciated and amply illustrated.

Iran’s recent power outages (caused by Israeli sabotage?) had an unintended consequence in Tehran. The “Days to Doom” countdown clock pointing to Israel’s destruction by the Islamic Republic of Iran was knocked out by the sudden outage, its large screen now void of any such message. We think it is prophetic of Iran’s national “black out” that is clearly prophesied in Ezekiel 38 and 39, along with the remnant of the Gogian coalition “upon the mountains of Israel.”

But first, there shall be other business for the Christ returned and His Saints – to defeat and destroy all the nations between the Rivers and the Seas (Abraham’s Promised Land – as well as that of Christ and His Saints!). These are the most immediate problem of such long standing ... then comes Gog and his horde, intent upon the conquest of the nascent Kingdom under Christ, but instead, inheriting a massive grave “in Israel!”

How imponderable are the wonderful ways of our God! Access the video directly by clicking on this URL (it’s on YouTube)...  https://youtu.be/QksrIKN7sks 

      <HEL> as referenced by Aaron Schofield.

Delta Corona Virus Spreading Quickly Everywhere

Just as the nation was celebrating the “end” of the coronavirus crisis of the last 18 months, a new variant of the virus is making great inroads all over the world – the Delta variant. It is more highly virulent (transmissible) than the original virus by about 100%. And anyone may be infected by it by only a few moments of close association with another person who is infected.

As of Saturday (July 11) the U.S. has experienced 20,000 new cases of the Delta variant for the last four days. Similar spikes in outbreaks are seen in other countries such as Spain, the U.K., and Israel. Clearly, now is not the time to relax restrictions and allow wider, unprotected commingling of people.

Fortunately the new strain is less toxic, generally, than the older strains (it makes one less ill in most cases), but in young people it is wreaking havoc, putting a significant number in hospital and on ventilation to assist breathing. And apparently having been vaccinated is also little protection against the new strain as several dozen persons have died of the Delta variant who are fully vaccinated.

But the un-vaccinated are still at the greatest risk, prompting authorities to urge that everyone over twelve years of age arrange to be vaccinated as soon as possible. Nearly all the hospitalizations and deaths are among the un-vaccinated.

Obviously, the often-touted “herd immunity” has not been achieved in the U.S. with 48% of the population having received two injections.

Like him or not, Dr. Anthony Fauci said that not only does vaccination give the recipient a high degree of protection, but it also limits further mutations of the virus. He said, “Viruses don’t mutate if they can’t replicate, and you can prevent them from replicating by vaccinating enough people so that the virus has nowhere to go.” (NPR)

We continue to counsel a conservative approach for Believers as issued by Isaiah 26: 20-21: “Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity:”      <HEL> Business Insider, and as abstracted from news reports.

 Adding to the Previous Article,

a new Coronavirus Variant is found in Israel

Four cases of a new coronavirus, the “Delta Plus,” are raising concerns among Israeli health officials. The new strain was discovered by Israel’s incessant evaluation of every new case of the disease and its causative agent. So far little is known of the new strain as to its infectiveness or prognosis. But it seems to prefer younger targets regardless of vaccination status (whether fully vaccinated or not so).

In a related story, earlier in the week the World Health Organization added the LAMBDA variant to the official list of variants. It has been identified in 29 countries and is estimated to be responsible for 82% of new infections in Peru, and about 1/3 of infections in Chile, but is a global health threat about which little is known as yet.

Lambda coronavirus appears to be the “slipperiest” (meaning it mutates more easily) of any yet seen; who knows what dangerous variations lie ahead? <>Arutz Seven

Israeli Navy Welcomes Sa’ar 6 Warship into its Fleet

The Sa’ar 6 vessel INS Magen (Israel Navy Ship “Shield”) is one of the most advanced naval vessels in the world. Ironically the corvette was built by the ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems yard in Kiel, Germany. Three more of the ships are now being constructed there and will be delivered next year.

The 90-meter long ships (2,000 tons displacement) are equipped with multiple electronic devices, formidable weapons of all kinds, and a hangar for a helicopter to be carried on board. It is primarily designed for protection of Israel’s growing natural gas and oil producing wells in the Mediterranean Sea as well as for littoral (coastal) service of a different kind. It is said to be able to operate in shallow seas and is extremely fast (40 knots), powered by two diesel engines driving one propeller.

Known details of its arsenal include the disclosure that it carries “a high-trajectory anti-missile system and a high-trajectory shooting interceptor, close and far-reaching attack capability, long-term survivability, sea and air detection capabilities, and the ability to carry a Seahawk helicopter. The ships will be equipped with the Naval Iron Dome, Barak 8 electronic warfare systems, cyber defense systems and means of detection and surveillance” – all in all, quite a package! <>Israel Navy Today

IDF Launches Autonomous Drone Swarms Successfully

Few armies in the world can launch autonomous drone swarms; so far, the Israeli army is the first to disclose such ability. Israel’s Ghost Squadron launched swarms of the little craft (mostly quad copters) in large numbers upon Gaza in the recent war. They are designed to operate autonomously, communicating with each other in flight as well as their launchers and many other, larger drones already aloft and loitering – awaiting precise instructions as to potential targets. This tactic risks no Israeli lives...

During the recent Gaza war Israel says it launched at least thirty drone swarms which cruised about Gazan skies in loose formation, searching for missile launch sites. When one was discovered and verified by on-board cameras sending real-time photos back to Israeli bases, Israeli jets were dispatched to destroy the launch sites before missiles could get airborne. Others were struck by associated larger drones carrying air to ground missiles as soon as rockets were launched.

That ability requires advance artificial intelligence features which have been difficult to design and make to function in unison – but Israel has accomplished it. The exercises over Gaza are said by IDF spokesmen to have been a preliminary warm-up for the expected conflict with a much more formidable enemy in Lebanon and Syria – Hezbollah – which is reported to have up to 150,000 missiles installed and oriented toward the south, or northern Israel. <>United with Israel

Note: Splinters is released and emailed to you sporadically by eTPL32 as a brief compendium of information relating to the fulfillment of Bible prophecy of every kind. <>HEL

Splinters 101

eTPL32, August 1, 2021

Delta variant of Covid Spreading Rapidly

 The increasing spread of the Delta variant of Covid began in SE Asia. This resulted last week in Malaysia converting nearly its entire oxygen generation capacity to medical use just to meet the demand for patients to breathe. Overflowing hospitals in Malaysia resulted in patients being placed on mats on the floor in intensive care units. Grave preparers have been employed night and day to keep up with the demand for cremation and burial. In India, one saw horrifying images of bodies being burned in open-air pyres in May, but that death rate has been surpassed in at least three nations: Malaysia, Myanmar, and Indonesia.

Horrific reports in Malaysia’s most populous state of Selangor tell of patients who have been dead for three hours or more before any medical personnel came to check on them. Although Malaysia is currently on lock-down, its infection rate is still exceeding ten thousand per day. Only 15% of Malaysia’s population has been vaccinated, but the nation hopes to have over 50% vaccinated by year’s end. <>AP

Israel will Test Oravax – the first Oral Covid-19 Vaccine

 July 22. Oravax Pharmaceuticals is preparing to test its commercial coronavirus vaccine in clinical trials at Sournsky Medical Center in Tel Aviv as soon as it receives clearance from the nation’s Health Ministry.

The new Oravax vaccine is designed to target three structural proteins of the novel coronavirus as opposed to the single-spike protein targeted by the current Moderna and Pfizer vaccines according to Nadav Kidron, the CEO of Oravax Pharmaceuticals. Using this approach, he said “this vaccine should be much more resistant to COVID-19 variants (and) ... even if the virus gets through one line, there is a second line, and if through the second line, there is a third.” It is being tested against all Covid-19 variants, including the Delta one.

The oral vaccine will be administered to 24 patients with Covid-19 who have not been inoculated. Varying doses will be given to determine the level of response of each patient. An oral vaccine will eliminate several barriers to widespread distribution, enabling people to take the vaccine themselves, at home. An oral vaccine is actually preferable to an injected one as the side-effects tend to be much lower. <>JPost

Coronavirus Cases top 3.4 million last Week

Although the overall death toll fell, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported new cases are increasing at an alarming rate. The increased transmission of the virus is being driven by new variants, by the relaxation of Covid-19 protocols by much of the population, and by the large number of people still susceptible to the virus, even though vaccination rates have risen in some countries. Only about 1% of people in the poorer nations have been inoculated – a figure which needs improvement to at least 40% by year’s end. <>Times of Israel

Extreme Heat Cooks a Billion Sea Creatures

A weird plague is in progress as a result of a serious heat dome along the Pacific Northwest coast of North America. Millions of dead mussels and clams coated the rocky shores of Vancouver Island, Canada, their shells gaping open as if they had been boiled. Sea stars were baked to death. Sockeye Salmon swam sluggishly in an overheated Washington river, making it necessary for wildlife officials to truck them to cooler areas.

The deadly effect that it is having has never been seen before by expert observers. The weather system all over the planet is going crazy, resulting in massive flooding by excess rainfall in Europe and the Middle East, and far higher than normal temperatures in many parts of the world.

Professor Christopher Harley, a marine biologist from the University of British Columbia, told reporters “... that (the) number of dead creatures is likely to be much higher." I've been working in the Pacific Northwest for most of the past 25 years, and I have not seen anything like this here," he said. "This is far more extensive than anything I've ever seen."

He compared a mussel trapped on a beach to a toddler left in a car on a hot day. When the record heat came along, there was nothing that the mussel could do. "They are stuck there until the parent comes back, or in this case, the tide comes back in, and there's very little they can do. They're at the mercy of the environment.”

He continued by saying that we have witnessed a lot of bizarre “plagues” lately if we have paid attention. Just two weeks ago, countless birds were suddenly dropping dead from a “mystery disease” in Washington D.C. and nine eastern states.

Last week he wrote about millions of grasshoppers that are voraciously consuming crops in seven western states, some swarms being so huge that they may be detected by radar! Mosquitoes that carry West Nile virus, he said, are being detected in six states and humans have developed the disease in four of the states and/or tested positive for the virus: Arizona, Arkansas, Illinois, and Iowa have confirmed cases in humans. But what is the media doing? It is consuming itself with political matters such as the latest statements by former President Trump, or the glories of the Biden administration. <>PNW

Lebanon on Brink of Collapse Putting Hezbollah in Tight Spot

The Lebanese economy is now in a deeper crisis than ever. Hezbollah is largely held responsible for the collapse and is expected to lend some support, says Israeli Professor Eyal Zisser of Tel Aviv University, but its source of funds is also compromised and there is doubt than any effective help will be given.

The Lebanese currency (the pound) has lost 90% of its value since 2019. About half of the population has sunk below poverty income levels as unemployment has become severe, and salaries are collapsing at the same time.

The latest crisis has hit Lebanon’s water supply in that the nation cannot afford chlorine and other chemicals used to purify its potable water. Families have been largely left on their own to supply their own drinking water; one can imagine how hard that would be in a city the size of Beirut. Long lines at petrol stations indicate the acute shortage of fuel for cars and buses; there is talk of illegal importation of oil and gas from Iran even in the face of the sanctions placed by the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal that are still in place. <>JNS.org and World Israel News.

Dead Sea Subsidence Continues at about One Meter per Year

Concise measurements of the fluctuating water levels in the Dead Sea show that the surface of the body of water is subsiding by about one meter per year. Additionally, the ground is sinking another 15 centimeters (about six inches) per year, totaling around 40 inches per year. This action has been in progress for several years, leaving the boat-landing wharves of the seaside resorts high and dry by hundreds of meters. <>JPost

Covid-19 Delta Variant as Contagious as Chickenpox

The Delta variant is more contagious, more likely to break through protection given by the vaccines, and is apt to cause more severe disease than all other known versions of it according to the U S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as reported by the New York Times. The CDC is still urging compliance with vaccination protocols and urging the populous to “Get your vaccinations!” The “best science” still points to that need and we urge all readers to do just that.  <>Abstracted from Reuters

Note: Splinters is released and emailed to you sporadically by eTPL32 as a brief compendium of information relating to the fulfillment of Bible prophecy of every kind. <>HEL

Splinters 102

eTPL32, August 18, 2021

Is the U.S. Facing Lock Down for the rest of 2021?

For most of this year, the majority of Americas believed that the Covid-19 pandemic was practically over, and their behavior reflected that conviction. But then a new variant – the Delta one – arose and changed that view. The number of new cases is shooting to the moon, triggering new mandates and restrictions all over the nation ... and more controversy.

In previous pandemics and epidemics, vaccinations have effectively stopped the spread of infection and have conferred immunity on those who were vaccinated, but not this time. NBC News reported on August 2, that at least 125,000 fully vaccinated Americans have tested positive for the Covid and 1,400 of these have died of the disease.

If this rate continues or increases we will surely see a return to lockdowns and school closings as well as endless arguments over whether a mask should be worn or not. As for me and my house, we never go anywhere without our mask firmly in place, and this week we have ordered a small supply of the N95 masks (surgical quality) in order to increase our security.

Some have questioned whether the federal government will order a nationwide lockdown. It is doubtful because such a mandate seems not to be allowed by law and would be widely challenged in court. But it may not be a question of a national mandate as so many private employers are now mandating that employees returning to work be vaccinated.

In the finality it will be up to individual state governors to order new lockdowns; but if the administration recommends it, most states will comply with that opinion. That would be a moot point if enough employers, stores, and hospitals impose masks widely. Thus the federal government would not have to try to force people to get the vaccine; it may not have to. That trend is already gaining traction nationwide...

In the latest outbreak in Massachusetts, at least three fourths of the patients had been inoculated against Covid-19, with four of them being admitted to hospital. A vaccinated person may easily carry a full complement of coronavirus after having been vaccinated, and therefore may be as big a threat to others as someone who has the active disease. The worst part is that the Theta variant of Covid is reported to much more contagious and labile (is easier to catch and mutates more readily) than the Delta variant ... and Theta is just now beginning to infect people worldwide.

Things they are a-changing... and waxing worse rather than better!

In our view it is high time the anti-vaccine folks stop arguing and get their vaccinations. Don’t collect your “facts” from Facebook; don’t resist world-class medics!

This pandemic has radically transformed the world’s everyday life in a very short period of time, and it is crystal clear that the worst has not yet come! <>PNW

 Another Iranian Ship Explodes – this time in Port of Latakia

Over a week ago an un-named Iranian ship exploded and the resulting fire injured several crewmen. All this happened in the Port of Latakia, Syria, and was thought to be retaliation against Iran for an earlier attack on a Liberian-registered ship operated by an Israeli billionaire out of London. That ship was named Mercer Street and was moving through the Arabian Sea near Masirah, an Omani-owned island, en route to Fujairah and was unladen. Two members of the crew were killed – a British security guard and the ship’s captain, a Belgian, I believe. The Wall Street Journal reported in March that Israel has targeted at least 12 ships bound for Syria, though the IDF has not confirmed or denied this report. <>Israel 365

The Bootleg Wildfire in Oregon is Half the Size of Rhode Island

Continuing from last week, the incredibly large Bootleg wildfire is burning out of control in the state of Oregon. It already has destroyed 476 square miles of timberland and over 70 houses. Its only redeeming feature is that it is located in a remote area. It is still in progress and is being fanned by a dry southwestern wind causing it to spread further north and west … into areas that are even less populated.

Still only 25% contained, the fire doubtless will rage until winter when rains and snowfall will effectively snuff it out. It is the fourth largest wildfire ever seen in Oregon. <>Times of Israel

Erratic Weather is Wreaking Catastrophe Worldwide

 No single event seems to be explained by “global warming.” Experts on climate have warned over and over that it is causing – and will continue to cause – ever more extreme weather globally including cold and heat waves, floods, droughts, wildfires and storms.

Everyone will recall the recent extensive flooding in Europe where nearly 200 people died, when Belgium and Germany received immense amounts of rainfall in a short time. These conditions are accompanied by extreme temperatures and scorching drought in the US. The UK issued its first-ever extreme heat warning. Food production is being affected in a huge way, especially in the western US and in Mexico. <>Times of Israel

We’re in “Uncharted Territory” says Long Study of Covid

A newly-initiated series of studies into the long-term effects of the Covid pandemic is dubbed “long studies,” denoting studies of the sometimes mysterious long-term, chronic effects of the disease.

The largest of these has been started at University College London where researchers have already noted an incredible 203 different symptoms. The most common ones are “fatigue, brain-fog, and reductions in exercise tolerance.”

But the huge list also included prominent other sequelae such as “sexual dysfunction, shingles, and bladder issues, along with headaches, insomnia, vertigo, neuralgia, neuropsychiatric issues, tremors, sensitivity to noise and light, hallucinations (olfactory and other), tinnitus, and other sensorimotor symptoms were common, and may point to larger neurological issues involving both the central and peripheral nervous system.” The report covers 4,000 patients from 56 countries, and was issued by Athena Akarami of that institution.

The list is appalling and bears significantly on the future of millions of survivors of the pandemic. The severest of these conditions were seen in patients who had shown severe symptoms of the active disease early in their sickness, were over 18 years of age and were ill for 28 days or more. And the majority of the symptoms is long-term as only 6.8% of these victims had recovered by the time the study was completed.

A further worrisome factor is that many of the symptoms are now being observed in patients who were only lightly affected by Covid or even may not have been aware of an infection, yet these symptoms occurred after recovery. <>Health and Wellbeing

Firestorm in West Jerusalem Hills

The extreme drought and hot weather is supporting wildfires in Israel. But this one was due to suspected arson. Now extinguished, it burned several hundred acres of mature forestlands in the beautiful hills of West Jerusalem, at one time threatening Hadassah Hospital Ein Karem – one of the nation’s premier medical institutions. Many homes in the area around the hospital were evacuated and consideration was even given to removing the entire roster of patients in the hospital to another location. <>Israel 365

 Note: Splinters is released and emailed to you sporadically by eTPL32 as a brief compendium of information relating to the fulfillment of Bible prophecy of every kind. <>HEL

Splinters 103

An eTPL32 Production. August 27, 2021

Israel is again being assaulted by increased cases of coronavirus, and on Wednesday diagnosed over 10,000 infections for the first time in the current wave. The Health Ministry is considering reinstating severe restrictions for the High Holidays if the rate continues to rise. The total number of infections since the beginning stands at 1,017,825 with 1,084 patients in hospitals at this moment. Six hundred sixty eight of these are considered to be in serious or critical condition. Nearly 5.5 million Israelis have received two doses of the vaccine and 1.7 million have received three doses – the third dose now being standard operating procedure for the Jewish state.

The gatherings attendant to the High Holidays assemblies will be limited to thirty persons. It is now clear that the third doses work well to prevent infection; there has also been achieved stability of the number of patients in serious condition. <>ArutzSheva

The U. S. Drought Crisis is Extremely Severe

For at least 100 years, the U.S. has been the bread basket of the nations, but those days seem to be at hazard with the prevalence of widespread drought in this country. If present conditions persist the United States will face the worst water crisis it has ever faced.

The extremely hot weather has been a factor, but the water levels in the Southwest have been of concern for many months. The Western portion of the nation is facing Dust Bowl conditions if things continue as they have been. The lush San Joaquin Valley is now noticeably drier with each passing month. Many water wells have gone completely dry in California, and digging deeper wells at great expense has usually not been very productive. A “supply alert” has been issued for Southern California as of yesterday.

As many readers will know, the Colorado River supplies huge quantities of water to the southern portion of California but Lake Mead, its main reservoir, is now at the lowest level since it was originally filled in the 1930s – it is down 146 feet below its peak level in January 2000 and is only 35% full. Lake Powell, the river’s second reservoir is now at 32% of its capacity.

Because the river also drives the hydro turbines of Hoover Dam, hydroelectric losses of billions of kilowatt hours of electricity have also been lost. The loss will impact households from Nebraska to Arizona.

The Colorado supplies water to forty million people in seven western states and Mexico, and irrigates over five million acres of farmland at it drains into the Gulf of California. Las Vegas depends on the Colorado River for 90% of its water supply; Tucson 82%; San Diego around 66%. It is the lifeblood of all these large cities as well as others.

How important is the river for agriculture? California produces 1/3 of our vegetables and 2/3rds of our fruits and nuts. Some farmers in the state are not harvesting any crops this year due to the drought; the outlook for next year is no better. <> PNW

Iran Planning to Drill in Lebanon’s EEZ for Oil and Gas

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has advised Iranian drilling of oil and gas in the Lebanese economic exclusion zone (EEZ) adjacent to the disputed Israeli zone. His suggestion comes in light of the reluctance of nations to do petroleum business with Beirut, a nation strapped for funds and in the throes of crippling inflation due largely to the presence of Hezbollah in its country.

Petroleum engineers say Lebanese waters probably contain at least 25 trillion cubic feet of natural gas worth billions of dollars. Two of its claimed blocs extend into a 330 sq. mile area of water claimed to be in the EEZ of Israel. The political paralysis in Beirut has prevented Lebanon from developing its offshore riches.

Simultaneously, Hezbollah has threatened to attack Israel’s extensive gas infrastructure in the Mediterranean waters but has been deterred by Israel’s extensive increase of its coastal forces including a ship-mounted version of Iron Dome. In addition, Israel is adding five more world-class frigates to its navy for coastal service.

Israel is already engaged in countering Iranian proxies that are increasing in strength in the Syrian Golan; now it will have to contend with the Iranians attempts to establish its forces off Israel’s northern shoreline.  <>United with Israel

Wildfire in Jerusalem’s Western Hills now Largely Extinguished

Anyone who has visited Jerusalem since around 1980 will recall the lush woodlands that spread across the pleasant hills of Western Jerusalem. These artificially-planted forests were beginning to resemble old-growth forests ... until the arsonists came. They adorn formerly rocky hillsides and stony gullies; they improve the climate and stabilize the soil along with providing habitat for numerous forest creatures.

Nearly ten square miles of Sataf Forest were burned about two weeks ago when a fire began in an old, natural Aleppo Pine stand and wildly spread up a connecting wadi to the Sataf.

About 1,500 firefighters were employed for 52 hours to put out the fires – blazes said to have been set deliberately (arson) in three locations.

Nurit Hibsher, head of forestry for the central region of Keren Kayameth LeIsrael-Jewish National fund (KKL-JNF), was interviewed by an Israeli TV station. “In the ten years I have been a forester, I don’t remember fires like this. It’s something really unusual,” she lamented. “Now, a few days later, to look at the damage is really hard. I know how much effort we invested here in Sataf for the past 40 years and in other areas much longer.”

Wildfires have raged in California, Oregon, Turkey, Australia, Morocco, Canada, Greece and even Siberia due to the extreme droughts and atmospheric temperatures that turn living trees into kindling the world over.

The forester knelt to inspect an Atlantic pistachio damaged by the fire. “This will regenerate from the base of the trunk. In a month or two we’ll see new shoots, even before the rains,” she says optimistically. Other species such as Aleppo pines also regenerate.... “They burn very easily, but their pine cones open in the extreme heat of the fire and spread seeds ... for the next generation.”

“During the British Mandate period (they) planted acacias along the coast to stabilize the dunes. We also planted it during the 60s and 70s along the coast. And then we learned it was invasive.” It must be controlled by herbicides and chemicals. <>UWI

Note: Splinters is released and emailed to you sporadically by eTPL32 as a brief compendium of information relating to the fulfillment of Bible prophecy of every kind. <>HEL