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The Rapture Report – 11/5/2017 – Lebanese PM Saad Hariri resigns, cites fear of assassination

The Rapture Report – 11/5/2017 – Lebanese PM Saad Hariri resigns, cites fear of assassination
By Chris Schang

This weekend we saw once again how fragile the balance of power in the Middle East is. The weekend saw Lebanon’s PM Hariri suddenly resign from the position out of fears for his safety. The Jerusalem Post reports:

Lebanon’s prime minister Saad al-Hariri resigned on Saturday, citing an assassination plot against him and accusing Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah of sowing strife in the Arab world. His resignation thrusts Lebanon back into the frontline of Saudi-Iranian regional rivalry and seems likely to exacerbate sectarian tensions between Lebanese Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims. It also shatters a coalition government formed last year after years of political deadlock, and which was seen as representing a victory for Shi’ite Hezbollah and Iran.

Hariri, who is closely allied with Saudi Arabia, alleged in a televised broadcast that Hezbollah was “directing weapons” at Yemenis, Syrians and Lebanese and said the Arab world would “cut off the hands that wickedly extend to it”. Hariri’s coalition, which took office last year, grouped nearly all of Lebanon’s main political parties, including the Future Movement and Hezbollah.

Hariri believes that the Iranian backed Hezbollah terrorist group was plotting to assassinate him, and he was determined not to become a victim like his father back in 2005. The Jerusalem Post reports:

“We are living in a climate similar to the atmosphere that prevailed before the assassination of [his father the late prime minister] martyr Rafik al-Hariri. I have sensed what is being plotted covertly to target my life,” Hariri said. Rafik al-Hariri was killed in a 2005 Beirut waterfront bomb attack that also killed 21 other people, shaking the country and pushing his son Saad into politics.

In a statement read from an undisclosed location, Hariri said Hezbollah and Iran had brought Lebanon into the “eye of a storm” of international sanctions. President Michel Aoun’s office said Hariri had called him from “outside Lebanon” to inform him of his resignation. Hariri flew to Saudi Arabia on Friday after a meeting in Beirut with Ali Akbar Velayati, the top adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Afterwards, Velayati described Hariri’s coalition as “a victory” and “great success”.

I’ve always wondered why Saad Hariri took over in Lebanese politics when his father was killed. And then to turn around and form a government with the Hezbollah who are widely believed to be behind the assassination. It would seem like the killing of his father would have ended all political inclinations; at least for me it would have. This has always baffled me, but I guess in the end Saad Hariri felt things were too dangerous to continue in his capacity. If things really are that bad in Lebanon, I’m glad to see him get out of the job.

It appears that Iran is gaining a massive amount of influence in countries all around the Middle East. We know that Saudi Arabia and Israel have warned about this very thing in the recent past. In fact, Netanyahu repeated this same thing today when he found out about the resignation. Netanyahu and Trump have both spoken lately and warned about Iran’s evil influence in the region.

According to some reports, Saad Hariri was tipped off by Western intelligence agencies about the suspected assassination plot. The Jerusalem Post reports:

Western intelligence agencies warned former Lebanese prime minister Saad al-Hariri of an assassination plot against him, the Saudi-owned pan-Arab newspaper Asharq al-Awsat reported on Sunday. It cited unnamed sources close to Hariri. However, al-Mayadin, a Lebanese news channel, reported that Major General Abbas Ibrahim, head of Lebanon’s General Security, told it that he was not aware of any information about an assassination plot against political figures in Lebanon.

Asharq al-Awsat reported that the sources “revealed that he had received Western warnings of an assassination attempt that was prepared against him”. It did not give further details of the alleged plot. Hariri announced his surprise resignation on Saturday, citing a plot to kill him, and saying the climate in Lebanon resembled that before the assassination of his father Rafik al-Hariri, who was also prime minister, in 2005. He criticized Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah for their role in Lebanon and other Arab countries.

Further, it is reported by the Times of Israel that Hariri had actually escaped an assassination plot in the last few days and that this was behind his latest moves. The Times of Israel reports:

An assassination attempt on Lebanon’s prime minister Saad Hariri was reportedly thwarted just days before he announced his resignation during a trip to Saudi Arabia on Saturday, citing threats on his life. The plot was reported by Saudi Arabia’s Al-Arabiya news station, citing unnamed sources, and occurred “a couple of days ago.” It did not say who tried to kill him.

The report gave few details except to quote a source as saying “the planners of Hariri’s assassination attempt disrupted the watchtowers (control towers) when his convoy was passing by.” It was not immediately clear what they were referring to. The report came hours after Hariri announced he would resign in a surprise move that plunged the country into uncertainty amid heightened regional tensions.

In a televised address from Riyadh, Hariri said he feared for his life: “We are living in a climate similar to the atmosphere that prevailed before the assassination of martyr Rafik Hariri” — Saad’s father, a former prime minister who was assassinated in 2005, allegedly by Hezbollah. “I have sensed what is being plotted covertly to target my life,” he said. Hariri fired a vicious tirade against Iran and Hezbollah for what he said was their meddling in Arab affairs and said “Iran’s arms in the region will be cut off.

I do not blame Saad Hariri for taking off to Saudi Arabia to save his life. I’m sure after having gone through his father’s assassination he knew well enough that his life was in danger, especially if he survived an assassination attempt just days before. Saad Hariri definitely needs our prayers in the days ahead. He is one of the few that have stood up and backed up what Israel, Trump, and the Saudis have said about the evil influence of Iran in the region.

I don’t know about other people, but it seems to me that there is a lot of turmoil in the Middle East region right now. We have seen Fatah and Hamas making nice and getting together for the sake of so called “Palestinian” reconciliation. As many know, Hamas is funded by Iran despite their ongoing off and on disagreements on things. Now we are seeing political turmoil in Lebanon with another Iranian backed proxy in Hezbollah.

I would venture ,enough to say that it seems to me the stage may be getting set for what could turn out to be Psalm 83, if it is indeed a prophecy. The reason is that I believe Iran will try to take out Israel by using its proxy terrorist groups on the border of Israel. When this doesn’t work out as they hope, they will be forced into trying to do the job themselves—with the large coalition that is spoken about in Ezekiel 38-39. This is of course doomed from the outset due to the supernatural intervention by the God of Israel.

We know from the Bible that all these evil plots are destined to fail. For God has brought Israel back into the land a second time and has promised that He would never again scatter the people. It is also a given that he will not let Israel be destroyed.

I think the coming days and weeks will be very interesting as we will continue to see Iran exert its influence over the region. I think many more surprises are in store for us as the stage is set for Bible prophecy fulfillment. We definitely need to continue to watch the political situation in the Middle East.

Keep watching my friends, for when we least expect it the Father will give the signal to the Son to go get his Bride in the rapture of the church. May that be very soon.

As always, keep looking up, for our redemption is drawing nigh.

God bless.

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