Commentators were shocked when Syrian dictator Bashar Assad’s government was suddenly overthrown on December 8. They didn’t see it coming.

And even as they evaluate and assess what happened, many of them recognize how Turkey’s backing empowered the rebels. Yet they completely overlook another crucial aspect: the significant role Germany played in Turkey’s support.

These commentators have no real understanding of what Germany did. But they could if they would pay attention to biblical prophecy!

It was biblical prophecy that informed my view—over 12 years ago—that Syria would be divided from Iran. That has happened! That shows you that prophecy, when you understand it properly, can be relied on!

And a true understanding of Bible prophecy exposes what Germany has been doing in Syria. Prophecy gives us profound insight into exactly what just happened. It also tells us what will happen next.

In 2012—over 12 years ago—I wrote this: “Turkey has also been allied with Iran. But it, too, is going to side with Germany in the future. Why? Because it disagrees with what Iran is doing in Syria. While Iran supports the Assad regime, Turkey supports the rebels.” I also wrote, “Biblical prophecy reveals that very soon Syria will no longer align with Iran. It also shows that Germany will help cause this split.”

I want to add something to that: I believe today that Germany’s backing is what mainly caused Syria to fall. It did more than just “help cause the split”: It is the main reason that the Assad government collapsed!

How Germany Backed Turkey

According to Psalm 83, Syria and several other Arab states will be allied with Turkey and Germany. This is very different from the Iran-led alliance described in Bible prophecy. These two confederations are opposed to one another. (Read Chapter 4 of my free booklet The King of the South for a detailed explanation.)

In Psalm 83, Edom represents modern-day Turkey, which has been allied with both Iran and Germany. Based on this prophecy, I noted back in 2012 that Turkish-Iranian ties would break over Syria.

Turkey was actually the main driving factor behind the recent rebel uprising. This is certain to have angered Iran greatly. Clearly Turkey broke with Iran over Syria, a crucial ally of Iran’s. In losing that ally, Iran has lost much of its ability to supply Hezbollah in Lebanon. Combined with Israel’s decimation of that terrorist group, this loosens Iran’s already weakening grip over Hezbollah. This is devastating for Iran.

Turkey isn’t the only one that wanted Iran out of Syria—Germany did too. This is a point of agreement between these two countries. (And remember, besides the two being nato allies, Turkey is a favored trading partner of Germany. And Germany’s president calls it a “valuable friend.”)

Turkey’s support for the Syrian rebellion was strongly assisted by German armaments.

Just before Turkey sparked this uprising, Germany resumed major arms exports to Turkey. “Germany and Turkey want to cooperate more closely again after years of restraint in the arms sector,” reported German public broadcaster zdf (October 19). On December 12, it was revealed just how big this deal is. A report by the Federal Ministry of Economics says Germany approved arms exports worth $242 million to Turkey in 2024, the highest amount since 2006. This was broken up into $83.7 million for weapons of war and $158.7 million for other military equipment. Handelsblatt wrote, “The figures now published reflect a change of course in recent months. At the end of September, Green politician Robert Habeck’s Ministry of Economics announced that torpedoes, guided missiles and components for submarines were once again being approved for Turkey on a larger scale” (December 12).

This massive influx of arms from Germany surely encouraged Turkey to spark this rebellion in Syria! Receiving arms from Germany is a game changer. And Germany has plenty of arms to supply. It is one of the greatest exporters of armaments in the world. That is a stunning reality, especially when you consider that, after World War ii, Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt said they were determined to never allow Germany to rise up militarily again!

Keep in mind that Germany’s agreement to send major weapons systems to Turkey may be an overt sign of much more going on behind the scenes.

It could well be that events in Syria would not have been possible without Germany’s backing. We could say that Germany initiated this uprising! Based on Bible prophecy, I believe we can say this with certainty!

Germany and Turkey are very different countries, with different ideas in many areas—but they are working together, and they are aligned in their thinking on Syria. Turkey certainly took advantage of Germany’s aid in helping these Syrian rebels. Both of them are looking for an advantage there—but it was all initiated by Germany.

At a joint press conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on October 19, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said: “I have emphasized that we will continue to support Turkey in dealing with the consequences of the Syrian civil war and its highest numbers of refugees, both nationally and within the framework of the European Union.” Scholz is looking after the interests of the European Union.

At that press conference, Scholz was asked, “Mr. Chancellor, for many years the German government only authorized arms exports to Turkey sporadically. That now seems to be changing. Is the German government now treating Turkey like any other nato partner? Or are there still restrictions? Have you signaled your approval to the Turkish president on the subject of Eurofighters?”

It was an excellent question. Turkey is planning to purchase 40 Eurofighter jets from the United Kingdom. Germany had blocked that sale since the jets use German technology. But Scholz’s response indicates the project will now proceed.

Germany’s arms exports have been controversial since Turkey used German Leopard tanks for military missions in Syria in 2018. German defense electronics manufacturer Hensoldt has offices and staff in Turkey. It told Reuters that it has been equipping Bayraktar TB2 drones with its optical sensors since 2020. Hensoldt said it had also supplied two other Turkish drone manufacturers, Turkish Aerospace Industries and Lentatek. “Without these types of sensors, drones as we know them wouldn’t work,” said Kelsey Gallagher, a researcher with Project Ploughshares, a Canadian peace research institute.

Because Hensoldt develops and manufactures argos ii by its subsidiary in South Africa, it claims to be free of any components governed by German export law or the United States’ International Traffic in Arms Regulations. That means Germany is empowering Turkey secretively!

In 2020, Turkey started using the Bayraktar TB2 drones and anka-s of the Turkish Aerospace Industries extensively in Syria during its Operation Spring Shield. Global analysts were surprised at the speed at which Turkey eliminated key military assets of the Assad regime and Russia.

Turkish drones have become world famous. “The whole world is a customer,” the drone’s designer told Reuters in May 2022. At the time, Ukraine was using them to fight against Russia!

In Syria, these drones gave the rebels the key advantage over Assad’s troops. This was a decisive factor. The rebels also learned from Ukraine’s drone warfare, which Germany has heavily supported through various drone manufacturers.

After already significantly weakening Russia in Ukraine and Syria, Turkey then focused on empowering the rebel groups. Regional expert Andre Bank from the giga Institute of Middle East Studies in Hamburg noted: “hts recently acquired new weapons. The group currently uses drones and missile systems. One could presume they were procured from Turkey.”

Foreign affairs think tank Stimson Center commented, “Footage of hts fighters demonstrating professional skills in drone warfare and other enhanced military capabilities able to adapt and innovate in response to Russian and Syrian bombardment suggests that the fighters have received significant help from Turkey.”

What people forget, however, is that it was Germany that originally helped Turkey become a drone power.

In a statement published on December 16, Assad himself named drone strikes as a key factor in the overthrow of his government: “I remained in Damascus, carrying out my duties until the early hours of Sunday, 8 December 2024. As terrorist forces infiltrated Damascus, I moved to Latakia in coordination with our Russian allies to oversee combat operations. Upon arrival at the Khmeimim Air Base that morning, it became clear that our forces had completely withdrawn from all battle lines and that the last army positions had fallen. As the field situation in the area continued to deteriorate, the Russian military base itself came under intensified attack by drone strikes. With no viable means of leaving the base, Moscow requested that the base’s command arrange an immediate evacuation to Russia on the evening of Sunday, 8 December.”

Due to German secrecy, we can’t know for sure what role Germany played in enabling those drone strikes, but it is one of the few countries with that capability—and it has a history of surprises. Certainly Germany was hoping and waiting for Assad to leave Syria. It appears that, in the end, it decided to hasten the process. It wanted that power, and it saw a way to make it happen. It was Germany’s backing most of all that caused Syria’s collapse!

These are just a few signs that Germany was the real power behind the toppling of the Assad regime that shocked the whole world. The real question, though, is why did it do it?

Prophecy answers. I recommend that you read my cover story in our new Trumpet issue. (I repeated some of that article in this article you just read, so it will sound somewhat familiar.) It goes beyond and explains why Germany has its sights set on Syria, and what we can expect in the time ahead in that nation. It is truly explosive prophecy!