SIGNS OF THE TIMES [March 2011]
Two Iranian warships - a frigate and a small destroyer - completed their transit of Egypt’s Suez Canal on Tuesday evening and entered the Mediterranean Sea a short distance from Israel.
It marks the first time that the Iranian navy has entered the Mediterranean since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Israeli officials said that the two ships alone obviously do not pose any direct military threat, but insisted the move is a “major provocation.”
Israeli warships will be following and monitoring the Iranians from a distance as the latter make their way to Syria. The Iranian ships are expected to dock in Syria for a number of months.
Israeli Vice Prime Minister Silvan Shalom said that sending the ships to the Mediterranean is part of Iran’s efforts “against the West for hegemony and control in the Middle Eats.” It is also meant to demonstrate to the surrounding Arab nations that Iran is a power to be reckoned with.
Commenting from Spain, Israeli President Shimon Peres said the naval manoeuvre is an opportunity to refocus attention on Iran’s defiant nuclear program, which threatens not only Israel, but the entire region and the world.
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Bible Talks in 2012 [All our arrangements are subject to the will of God]
Current world affairs are of great interest to us as they are indicators [signs] that God's purpose with the earth, revealed in the Bible, is drawing to its close. Jesus Christ will soon return and set up God's Kingdom with its capital in Jerusalem. The Signs of the Times highlight some of the world events that are of special interest, with particular reference to the Middle East. | 