Is the Middle East on the brink of a major conflict?

A dangerous and unstable situation is developing in the Middle East and Persian Gulf. On Wednesday, 17 July 2019, the Uglich, a Russian corvette, carrying artillery and Kalibr long-range missiles entered the Mediterranean and docked in Syria. Russia also deployed S-300 missile defense systems in Syria during February 2019.

On 20 June 2019, a US RQ-4A Global Hawk BAMS-D surveillance Drone was shot down by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps’s (IRGC), fuelling the tensions even more. The United States sent a contingent of war ships to the Persian Gulf as a warning to Iran after three oil tankers were attacked, apparently by Iran.

On Thursday, 18 July 2019, the USS Boxer, a US amphibious assault ship, destroyed an Iranian Drone in the Strait of Hormuz after it came within 914 meters of the ship. Iran denied the claims of the US military.

As a result of the mounting tensions with Iran, the United States decided to deploy 500 troops to Saudi Arabia. The new troops would be in addition to a small number of troops and support personnel already in Saudi Arabia readying a Patriot missile defense battery and a runway.

It is generally believed that Iran will use its proxies, like Hezbollah in Lebanon and Islamic Jihad in Gaza to attack Israel in case of a war with Iran. It is in this context that the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Thursday, 18 July 2019: “Israel will deploy great force. Even if we have to stand alone against Iran and its entities we will.” To Hezbollah, he warned: “There will be no immunity for anyone who fires missiles at Israel, even if they hide in populated areas.”

Are we on a fast track in seeing the fulfillment of Biblical prophesies in our lifetime?