During this Christmas Season, one cannot celebrate without reflecting on the story of the Magi — the Wise Men. They traveled a great distance, following a star, and carrying treasure chests filled with gold, frankincense and myrrh. They stopped at Herod’s castle on their journey to Bethlehem to pay their respects to the king. The demented, demon-possessed Herod attempted to trick the Magi. They had their agenda, and the king certainly had his. Israel’s newest wise man bearing gifts is US President Barack Obama. Much as did Herod, he also has his own agenda—to find a way to push the Iranian crisis into the hands of the next president. Mr. Obama would then be able to go down in history as an anti-war president no matter the cost.Having worked with Israeli intelligence leaders for decades, and presently knowing many of the key chiefs, I was informed on my recent trip to Jerusalem that Iran believes it is breaking up the US-Israel coalition. This is giving the Iranians enormous confidence. They believe they hold a stronger hand than Israel, and that the US stand-down with Syria, Iran’s proxy, was comparable to the Titanic plowing into an iceberg. Iran has been waging a terrorist war since the night in 1983 when the Marine barracks in Beirut were bombed by an Iranian proxy, Hezbollah. Their leaders feel very confident that they have the upper hand, and see Obama as a weak, naïve leader willing to undermine America’s strongest ally, Israel. Iran’s main retaliatory force comprises 300 to 400 Shahab-3 surface-to-surface missiles with a range of 1,300 kilometers and the Khadir with a range of 1,600 kilometers. The Shahab payload is a one-ton warhead of conventional explosives; the Khadir can carry 750 kilograms. Additionally, Iran’s leaders are aware that there are now 20,000 missiles in the hands of Hezbollah in Lebanon that can be launched into Israel in the event of an attack. In a meeting with the former director of Israel’s atomic agency, I was given a Gog/Magog summary. I was told that if Iran, a non-Arab state, goes nuclear, within a decade there will be a worldwide Armageddon. Nuclear reactors will be on both sides of the 200-mile Persian Gulf, with an apocalyptic war raging between Shi’a and Sunni Muslims. Sanctions against Iran were the only hope for innocent Iranians to overthrow their fascist regime. Now that President Obama has given gifts to Persia in the form of sanctions relief, Israel realizes that it is alone. Iran is not capable of fighting an air war with Israel. Its most advanced jet, the Sukhoi Su-24, cannot reach Israel and return home without mid-air refueling, and is vulnerable to air defense radars. Iran’s naval strikes are very limited and with Israel’s air defense system, it would be highly unlikely that an Iranian missile would penetrate it. What, then, is President Obama’s strategy for showing how tough he is as Commander in Chief? It is quite simple — sending John Kerry to Israel again and again to pressure Israel to release terrorists and make peace with the Palestinian terrorist state.Air Force General Tomer Gar gave me a high-level briefing on one of Israel’s most strategic Air Force bases. At that time, President Obama’s plane had just landed in Tel Aviv. General Gar handed me a gift, a picture of Auschwitz with the words emblazoned on it: We, the Israeli Air Force, pilots in the skies over the camp of atrocities, have risen from the ashes of millions of victims and carry their silent cry. We salute their courage and pledge to serve as the defenders of the Jewish people and the State of Israel. Auschwitz, September 4, 2003. Then he wrote by hand: “The voice of thunder was in the heavens…the earth trembled and shook,” (Psalm 78:19.)Above the concentration camp are three Israeli jets suspended in the sky.I asked the General Gar, “How do you feel about President Obama?”He responded, “President Obama has his own agenda. At the end of the day, our decisions must only be made on what steps are necessary for us to defend the Jewish state, so that what happened in Auschwitz never happens again.”**********Dr. Michael Evans is a #1 New York Times bestselling author. His latest non-fiction book, Persia: The Final Jihad is available at www.TimeWorthyBooks.com.
