Matthew 24:4-6
(KJV) And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
Revelation 6:3-4
(KJV) And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.
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And Now, an Update:
On The Eastern Front
Ukrainian president Zelenskyy just met virtually with Murphy, other U.S. governors
From the article:
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and more than two dozen other U.S. governors spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy via video conference Tuesday to discuss the country’s ongoing war with Russia — now more than a year old — and pledge bipartisan support.
No video from the virtual meeting was released, but the event’s organizer, the National Governors Association, which Murphy chairs, provided comments Zelenskyy made during the call. It comes as some Republican officials have urged President Joe Biden’s administration to curtail sending U.S. military aid to Ukraine.
Zelenskyy said Ukrainian families are “torn by the war” and asked the governors to ponder what may happen if this “spreads further across Europe, through the cities and lands of your allies.”
“Ukraine is capable of preventing the expansion of the war,” he said, according to the NGA. “We are able to defeat Russia on our land. That is why we ask the USA for support, for weapons and finances.”
Zelensky also asked America to “stand with us” during Ukraine’s reconstruction, which he said will be the “the largest economic project in Europe in the lifetime of several generations.”
“Thank you, America, for the help that lets us win,” Zelenskyy added.
Murphy, a Democrat, said during a virtual news conference afterwards that Zelenskyy “made the point this isn’t just a Ukraine war” but an “existential threat to our freedoms everywhere, to our values everywhere” and added “we’re fighting so you guys don’t have to fight.”…
…Asked how he feels about fellow Republicans who want to scale back or stop American aid to Ukraine, Cox said it’s a “false narrative” that it’s “a blank check or nothing” and stressed we “should always be very careful” about how the nation spends its tax dollars. But, he added, there is a “very unified front” among governors and many Republicans….
…Asked if the effort to help Ukraine detracts from the U.S.’s effort to deter threats from China, Murphy said: “Absolutely not.”
“To the contrary,” he said. “This is showing our will to defend freedom, to defend democracy. I think this is a holy cow moment for everyone who’s watching this, including the Chinese.”
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From 14440 Daily Digest:
Ukraine Leak
| The Justice Department is investigating a leak of classified US intelligence documents uploaded to a Discord server early last month. Images of some of those documents were shared widely on social media last week in a significant breach of American intelligence. The leaked materials consisted of several photographs of files—portions of which are believed to be doctored—containing sensitive information from across the US espionage community. Most of the reports—which reportedly confirm claims the US has deeply infiltrated Russian intelligence—are US assessments of the Ukraine war. They also reveal sensitive information regarding China, Iran, and others, including a failed attempt by Russia’s Wagner group to negotiate an arms deal with NATO member Turkey, as well as previously undisclosed advanced US satellite systems. Analysts expect the leak to have widespread repercussions for current intelligence sharing among the US and its allies; on Friday, the Pentagon restricted the flow of intelligence in an attempt to minimize the chance of further leaks. |
Jerusalem Tensions
| Israel carried out airstrikes in Syria yesterday, retaliating after six missiles were launched into Israel from Syria Friday. At least one rocket landed in Golan Heights, a strategic border region controlled by Israel since the Six-Day War in 1967 but still claimed by Syria (see overview). The exchange came days after dozens of rockets were fired by the militant group Hamas from both Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, reportedly responding to an effort by Israeli police earlier in the week to remove protestors from the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Also over the weekend, an Italian tourist was killed and seven other people injured in what is believed to be a car-ramming attack in the Israel capital of Tel Aviv. The increase in violence comes as followers of the region’s major religions—Judaism, Islam, and Christianity—flock to Israel on pilgrimage to their respective holy sites. Explore the country’s major religious sites here. |
A Historic Handshake
Saudi Arabia and Iran formally reestablished diplomatic relations yesterday, a significant milestone in the relationship between two of the largest powers in the Middle East. The pair cut off ties seven years ago after Saudi embassies in Iran were attacked following the Saudi execution of a popular Shia cleric. Saudi Arabia and Iran have been engaged in a regional power struggle for decades, exacerbated by the differing sectarian religious views—Saudi is roughly 90% Sunni Muslim, while Iran is about 90% Shia Muslim (see background). The regional conflict has also become a proxy for greater world powers, with Saudi Arabia generally working with the West and Iran forging close ties with Russia and China. Notably, the deal was brokered by China, marking one of the country’s biggest diplomatic moves in modern geopolitics. Analysts suggest China facilitated negotiations in an effort to gain global prestige, countering the deals made under the Abraham Accords during the Trump administration.
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From The 1440 Daily Digest:
| New cases of suspected poisonous-gas attacks on mainly girls’ schools in Iran emerged this week, following a wave of incidents in recent months. At least a dozen attacks were reported yesterday throughout the country. Thousands of students have reportedly been affected by similar incidents since the first cases were reported in November, with at least 26 schools being affected on a single day in March. Students have reported symptoms such as respiratory problems, nausea, dizziness, and fatigue. See our previous write-up here and see a visual breakdown of the suspected poisonings here. The news comes weeks after Iran announced the arrest of more than 100 people in connection with the poisoning incidents. Iranian officials suggest the incidents may be a deliberate effort to prevent girls from receiving an education. However, the exact chemicals causing the symptoms remain unclear. |
Internal Problems in Persia as it aligns with China?
US troops deployed in Ukraine, Biden spokesperson confirms
From the Artcle:
The U.S. has confirmed there is a “small U.S. military presence” deployed in Ukraine after leaked documents indicated several Western countries had special forces units on the ground amid Russia’s invasion.
National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told Fox News on Wednesday U.S. troops are in Ukraine, but “are not fighting on the battlefield.”
“I won’t talk to the specifics of numbers and that kind of thing,” he said. “There is a small U.S. military presence at the embassy in conjunction with the Defense Attachés office to help us work on accountability of the material that is going in and out of Ukraine.”
“So they’re attached to that embassy and to [the Defense Attaché],” he added.
The comment came after a leaked top secret document indicated 14 U.S. special forces units were in Ukraine, as well as 50 from the U.K. and 33 from other NATO member countries, as reported by BBC.
The Associated Press previously reported that a small number of U.S. forces had begun doing on-site inspections in Ukraine to make sure weapons from Western countries are properly accounted for.
A defense attaché is a military service member appointed to an embassy abroad as a representative of their country’s military. In Ukraine, U.S. defense attachés advise the U.S. ambassador and other personnel on “all defense and security matters and [provide] timely, accurate information to senior leaders on defense and security issues affecting Ukraine and the region,” according to the office’s website….
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On The Western Front
China ‘Encouraging Proliferation’ of Nukes in Iran, North Korea: Report
From the article:
China’s communist regime is destabilizing global security and encouraging nuclear proliferation among nations, according to a new report.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which rules China as a single-party state, is rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal, said Richard Weitz, a senior fellow at conservative think tank Hudson Institute.
“China’s nuclear buildup, as noted by many, has been awesome,” Weitz said during an April 5 launch event for a new report that he helped author on the subject.
“It’s rapidly increasing not only its nuclear warheads, but also its delivery systems and improving their effectiveness.”
The China regime’s efforts to expand and enhance its nuclear arsenal have come under scrutiny since November of 2021, following the publication of a Pentagon report that warned the regime would likely have 1,000 nuclear weapons by 2030.
That report also stated that China will have at least 200 land-based nuclear missiles capable of hitting the United States by 2026….
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China launches war games around Taiwan
From the article:
This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission.
Seventy-one Chinese warplanes and nine ships were detected around Taiwan on Saturday, officials said, as Beijing launched three days of war games and patrols near the island after the Taiwanese president met with the U.S. house speaker in California.
As of 4 p.m. (local time), 45 of the Chinese air force planes, which included J-10,J-11, J-16, and J-20 fighter-jets as well as H-6K bombers, had crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait – the de facto boundary between Taiwan and mainland China – Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said.
It marked the largest incursion into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) this year. An ADIZ is an area where foreign aircraft are tracked and identified before flying farther into a country’s airspace.
China carried out the maneuvers three days after Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen met with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy near Los Angeles – the first meeting of its kind on American soil, despite angry warnings from Beijing.
The ministry “condemned such irrational actions and will defend Taiwan’s security with solid combat readiness,” it said.
Also on Saturday morning, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command announced in a statement that “United Sword” drills would take place from April 8 to April 10 “as planned.”
The Command’s spokesman, Col. Shi Yi, said the exercise would be held in the Taiwan Strait and in the sea and airspace to the north, east and south of Taiwan….
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Fom The 1440 Dailt Gigest:
Myanmar Military Attack
| At least 50 people, including civilians, were killed in central Myanmar early Tuesday after the nation’s military junta launched an airstrike on an antigovernment ceremony outside the city of Mandalay, the nation’s second-largest. Members of the People’s Defense Force—the armed wing of the opposition, prodemocracy National Unity Government—were opening a local office in Pa Zi Gyi village when fighter jets attacked. Myanmar—also known as Burma—has been fighting one of the world’s longest-running civil wars, a conflict driven by the country’s nearly 100 ethnic minorities (see background). Despite a brief period of multiparty democracy last decade, a coup in 2021 returned the southeastern Asian country to military rule, prompting lawmakers from jailed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s party to form an alternative government, which today reportedly controls almost half of the country’s territory. The junta has promised to hold elections in August of this year after extending a February 2021 state of emergency for the third time. |
China is Preparing for War; Is the US Ready?
News Analysis
The ammunition is running low, casualties are immense, medicine and other critical supplies have not come for weeks, and a nuclear attack on the American homeland is imminent.
It is a dramatic scene, more closely resembling a Hollywood drama than any war that the United States has actually fought in the last half-century. It is nevertheless what many expect a war between the United States and communist China could look like this decade.
Both the United States and China are investing record-breaking sums in building up their military capabilities. Leadership on both sides increasingly appears to consider such a conflict as inevitable, despite rhetoric to the contrary.
The cause for that mutual enmity is the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) claim that democratic Taiwan belongs to China, and CCP leader Xi Jinping’s desire to force that unification within a few years’ time.
Xi has ordered the regime’s military wing to prepare for war, and to be ready to launch an invasion of Taiwan by 2027….
There’s that 2027 date again!
On the Homefront
Arrests made after 6 wounded in ‘senior skip day’ shooting on South Carolina beach
Video: Active shooter kills 5, injures 6 at KY bank
US Military Would Need Conscription to Fight China: Expert
The U.S. military could not achieve victory in a war with China using its current, all-volunteer force, according to one expert.
The United States will thus need to radically transform its force structure to better contend with the emerging threat environment, up to and including by reinstating conscription, said Jonathan Askonas, an assistant professor of Politics at Catholic University of America.
“This is a five-alarm fire,” Askonas said during an April 11 discussion with the Hudson Institute think tank. “We’re facing global threats and we have a force structure which we know will not work against those threats.
“We basically can’t fight a war larger than Iraq with the all-volunteer force.”
The all-volunteer force has been a staple of U.S. military organization since 1973, when the draft was terminated along with the United States’ direct involvement in the Vietnam War….
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Are We at the Convergence?
Zechariah 13:7-9
(KJV) Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.
Revelation 18:4
(KJV) And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
Come out of Babylon for her Judgement is near!
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The Ezekiel 33 Watchman Report 
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