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Support for Syrian Rebels Reveals New Alliance
One of the most prophetic articles the Trumpet has ever produced was probably our editor in chief Gerald Flurry’s article “Is Iraq About to Fall to Iran?” all the way back in 1994. That fall has now happened—thanks to America’s invasion of Iraq.
But that article contained a second prophecy that is now being fulfilled in a striking way. Mr. Flurry pointed to an obscure prophecy in Psalm 83 that listed a group of Arab nations that would ally with Germany. He said the modern identity of those nations was Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. Elsewhere he included the Gulf states—Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, etc.—in this list.
The Trumpet uses world events and history as well as Bible prophecy to forecast the future. But back in 1994, outside of the Bible, there was no reason to expect such an alliance. There was simply no evidence for it. No one else predicted it.
But now you can read about that alliance in your newspaper.
Last week, the Financial Times published the results of an in-depth investigation into those supporting Syria’s rebels. Here’s what it concluded: “The West’s reluctance to intervene more forcefully in Syria has all but left Bashar al-Assad’s opponents reliant for support on Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, though since late last year, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan have joined the rebels’ backers as junior partners” (emphasis added). There it is. The Arabic part of the Psalm 83 alliance. Other sources also point to organizations in Lebanon as a key supporter of the opposition.
The FT found that Qatar has spent up to $3 billion in support of Syria’s rebels, citing “sources close to the Qatari government.” It describes how Saudi Arabia, not wanting to allow Qatar to take the lead in Syria, has dramatically stepped up its support for the rebels.
“A supply route across Jordan’s border to southern Syria has opened up in recent months,” it writes. “The Jordanian government, which is terrified of jihadis getting the upper hand in its neighbor, has been reluctantly allowing Saudi deliveries.”
Several months ago, Stratfor reached a similar conclusion. Foreign weapons were turning up “well beyond the point where they could be considered coincidental,” it wrote. “This means that the current level of external intervention in Syria is similar to the level exercised against the Soviet Union and its Communist proxies following the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan. The external supporters are providing not only training, intelligence and assistance, but also weapons—exogenous weapons that make the external provision of weapons obvious to the world.”
It identified the Syrian rebels’ supporters as the United States, Saudi Arabia and “regional powers such as Turkey, Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.” It’s the Arab part of the Psalm 83 alliance again.
Germany’s Role
What about Germany? Has it joined its Psalm 83 allies in supplying arms to the rebels? It’s certainly possible. Germany’s intelligence service was caught smuggling weapons during the Balkan wars. It helped deliver tanks, artillery and even mig-21 airplanes to the Croats. At the time, Britain’s Telegraph wrote, “For many German politicians, however, the nub of the problem may not be the bnd’s operations at all—rather that it appears to have been caught out” (April 20, 1997).
Reuters reported that one of the main sources of light arms for the Syrian rebels is the Black Sea region—with its large stockpiles of ex-Soviet weaponry. Another source is probably Croatia. Germany’s smuggling in the Balkans proves that it has the connections and experience necessary to be behind the smuggling.
It is possible, but definitely not certain. Germany is one of the EU’s biggest opponents to arming the rebels. While it could be playing a murky game, there’s no evidence to support that.
But it certainly is arming those who are arming the rebels. Here, the Psalm 83 alliance is also building before our eyes. Between 2002 and 2011, Germany sold roughly $350 million worth of arms to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the uae. Over the next decade, it’s projected to sell $26.5 billion to those three countries. That’s 75 times more—75,000 percent. In addition, Turkey has been a longstanding recipient of German arms.
As Saudi Arabia and Qatar pass small arms on to the rebels, they’re buying them from Germany. From 2008 to 2011, Germany sold roughly $150 million worth of small arms and ammunition to Saudi Arabia. In contrast, America sold around $70 million over the same period of time. This is in addition to the Heckler and Koch assault rifle plant that Germany has allowed Saudi Arabia to build.
Saudi Arabia doesn’t appear to be passing these new weapons on to the rebels. But rebels are often reported to have some Austrian Steyr aug rifles. Saudi Arabia is one of the only nations in the region to use the Steyr aug. The rebels seem to be receiving Saudi Arabia’s hand-me-downs, as the Saudis buy (and build) new German guns.
Germany’s military support of these nations has been one of the most important changes to its foreign policy in the past decade. It’s actively cultivating an alliance in the Middle East—an alliance made up of exactly the nations Mr. Flurry listed in 1994.
We’re just a few steps away from seeing the Psalm 83 alliance fully set up. The chapter lists Syria as a member of the alliance. This seems to imply that the rebels will win, perhaps with German support, though there are other ways this could work out.
But Psalm 83 contains an important warning. Verse four of that chapter shows that the goal of this alliance is to destroy Israel. We’ve long warned that Germany will double cross Israel, catching the world completely by surprise.
The rebels in Syria include Islamists who hate Israel. In the grip of huge unemployment, Europe is undergoing massive social changes that will bring dangerous leaders into power. These leaders wouldn’t be afraid to ally themselves with some radical Islamists in pursuit of their common goal.
A German-led surprise attack on Israel may sound unlikely now. But an alliance that included Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, the Gulf states and Germany sounded unlikely in 1994. That’s quite a large number of specific states. But you can see that alliance coming together right now. The Bible has once again proven itself uncannily accurate in forecasting world events. For more of what it forecasts for the Middle East, read our free booklet The King of the South.