Money

We Haven’t Seen A Subprime Borrower Meltdown Of This Magnitude Since The Last Financial Crisis

October 23, 2023October 23, 2023 by Michael

It is happening again. All over America, borrowers are getting behind on their payments. In particular, subprime borrowers are having a very difficult time paying the bills. Does that ring a bell? That should, because the last time we witnessed anything like this was during the last financial crisis. When things start to go bad, those at the bottom of the economic food chain feel it first, and that is why the numbers that have been coming out lately are so alarming.

For example, the percentage of subprime borrowers that are at least 60 days behind on their auto loans reached 6.11 percent last month.

That figure is the highest ever recorded…

The percent of subprime auto borrowers at least 60 days past due on their loans rose to 6.11% in September, the highest in data going back to 1994, according to Fitch Ratings.

“The subprime borrower is getting squeezed,” said Margaret Rowe, senior director with Fitch.

Let this sink in for a moment.

We never saw a number this high during the Great Recession.

And we never saw a number this high during the COVID pandemic.

So this is really bad.

Credit card delinquency rates at small banks have also hit an all-time record high…

Credit Card Delinquency rates at small banks have reached 7.51%, the highest level ever recorded

Once again, we never saw a number this high during the Great Recession.

And we never saw a number this high during the COVID pandemic.

Needless to say, it isn’t the wealthy that are getting behind on their credit card payments.

Instead, it is ordinary Americans that are deeply struggling to pay the bills in this harsh economic environment.

Alarmingly, early-stage mortgage delinquencies are also spiking…

Meanwhile, early-stage delinquencies (30 and 60 days past due) continued to increase. In September, 48,800 (+5.1%) additional borrowers were 30-days late on their mortgage payments, while 8,700 (+3%) were 60-days late on their mortgage payments. These rates have been going up for the past four months and six months, respectively.

And foreclosures have started to jump at a pace that is absolutely breathtaking…

Home foreclosures are on the rise as Americans continue to grapple with the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

That is according to a new report published by real estate data provider ATTOM, which found that foreclosure filings – which includes default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions – surged 28% in the third quarter to 124,539.

Foreclosures are up 34% from the same time one year ago.

Just like we witnessed in 2008 and 2009, millions upon millions of Americans have gotten way too overextended.

Even though everyone knew that the cost of living was rising much faster than paychecks were, a lot of people out there just kept spending like they always had been.

They thought that things would eventually work out okay in the long run, but instead they just kept getting deeper and deeper into debt.

Now a day of reckoning has arrived, and there are many that simply cannot keep up with all of their payments.

And many are falling out of the middle class altogether.

In all my years of writing, I have never seen poverty increase in the U.S. as fast as it is rising right now.

Recently, we learned that the percentage of Californians living in poverty jumped from 11 percent in 2021 to 16.4 percent last year…

Poverty has increased dramatically in California and the nation, a surge that new studies attribute to the expiration of pandemic-era federal relief programs such as the expanded Child Tax Credit.

The spike has been particularly steep among Black and Latino Californians and children across all ethnicities.

Researchers found 16.4% of Californians were living in poverty last year, up from 11% in 2021. The rate of child poverty more than doubled last year.

What will the final number for 2023 be?

Will it be above 20 percent?

The economy is moving in the wrong direction very rapidly now, and the war in the Middle East hasn’t even fully erupted yet.

So what in the world will conditions look like once that happens?

Our economic prosperity is completely and utterly dependent on cheap energy.

Without it, everything will change.

Once the flow of Middle Eastern oil stops due to the war, the price of oil is going to go completely nuts.

And once that happens, a nightmare scenario could quickly unfold.

In a recent article, Tuomas Malinen detailed what he thinks might happen…

The conflict escalates into a regional war with the U.S. becoming directly involved.

OPEC responds with an oil embargo.

Iran closes the strait of Hormuz.

The price of oil reaches $300/barrel.

Europe succumbs into a full-blown energy crisis due to LNG shortage.

Massive spike in energy prices reinvigorates inflation with central banks responding accordingly.

Financial markets and the global banking sector collapse.

Debt crisis engulfs the U.S. forcing the Federal Reserve to enact yet another financial market bailout.

Petrodollar trade collapses.

Hyperinflation emerges.

I don’t think that he is too far off the mark.

We were already facing a major crisis even without the war in the Middle East.

As I discussed the other day, U.S. banks are closing hundreds of branches and are laying off thousands of workers.

And the truth is that the banks are the beating heart of our entire financial system.

We are so close to a full-blown economic meltdown.

The only thing that could really save us now is if peace broke out in the Middle East.

Unfortunately, this is not going to be a time of peace.

This is going to be a time of war.

So that means that extremely harsh economic conditions are ahead of us, and most Americans are completely and utterly unprepared for such a reality.

Michael’s new book entitled “End Times” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.

About the Author: My name is Michael and my brand new book entitled “End Times” is now available on Amazon.com. In addition to my new book I have written six other books that are available on Amazon.com including “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”. (#CommissionsEarned) When you purchase any of these books you help to support the work that I am doing, and one way that you can really help is by sending copies as gifts to family and friends. Time is short, and I need help getting these warnings into the hands of as many people as possible. I have also started a brand new Substack newsletter, and I encourage you to subscribe so that you won’t miss any of my articles. I have published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe. I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but I also ask that they include this “About the Author” section with each article. The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions. I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is definitely a great help. These are such troubled times, and people need hope. John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” If you have not already done so, I strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.

Fighting Has Erupted On Multiple Fronts As Israel Braces For A War Of National Survival

October 22, 2023October 22, 2023 by Michael

It is becoming clear that Israel is going to have to battle enemies on multiple fronts, and that means that this war is going to look a whole lot different than a lot of people thought that it would. If the fighting could have been confined to just Israel and Hamas, there still would have been a lot of death and destruction, but everyone knows that Hamas is no match for the IDF. But if Hezbollah, Syria, Iran and the Palestinians in the West Bank all jump into the conflict, all of a sudden this becomes a war of national survival for Israel, and in such a scenario it is much more likely that weapons of mass destruction will be used. So it should deeply alarm all of us that fighting has now erupted on multiple fronts.

On Sunday, IDF troops clashed with Hamas terrorists inside the Gaza Strip…

Hamas fighters and Israeli forces engaged in limited clashes inside Gaza on Sunday as the Israeli military ramped up airstrikes on the Palestinian enclave ahead of what its spokesperson described as the “next stage” of its war on the militant group.

Hamas claimed its fighters had destroyed two Israeli military bulldozers and a tank in an ambush near the Gazan city of Khan Younis, forcing Israeli troops to retreat without their vehicles. The Israel Defense Forces confirmed its forces had been operating inside Gaza during the incident, and said an IDF tank struck militants who had fired on its troops.

The episode appeared to be one of the first skirmishes between the two sides on the ground inside the strip since war broke out after Hamas’ deadly October 7 attack on Israel which killed more than 1,400 people. On October 13, the IDF said it had carried out raids inside Gaza.

According to the IDF, this raid was part of the preparation for a full-blown ground invasion.

And I think that we are very close to the moment when that full-blown ground invasion will be launched.

Meanwhile, the Israelis have evacuated more towns and villages near the northern border in anticipation of a war with Hezbollah…

On Sunday, the defense minister confirmed that another 14 towns and villages have been told to evacuate, in addition to the 28 initially ordered to do so last week. “According to the IDF and Defense Ministry, the 14 communities being added to the list are: Snir, Dan, Beit Hillel, She’ar Yashuv, Hagoshrim, Liman, Matzuva, Eylon, Goren, Gornot HaGalil, Even Menachem, Sasa, Tziv’on and Ramot Naftali,” Times of Israel details.

Evacuating those areas is a wise move, because fighting along the northern border just continues to escalate…

Fears mounted Sunday that the Israel-Gaza war could swell into a wider conflict amid rising cross-border attacks on Israel’s north from Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon and expanding Israeli airstrikes across the region.

On Sunday, Hezbollah released video of a particularly disturbing attack on the Biranit barracks that happened on Friday…

Israel sees Iran-backed Hezbollah as its most serious threat, estimating it has some 150,000 rockets and missiles aimed at Israel.

Israeli military spokesman Jonathan Conricus accused the group early Sunday of “escalating the situation steadily.” He said the recent cross-border skirmishes had produced both Israeli troop and civilian casualties but did not provide additional details.

Hezbollah on Sunday posted a video of what it said was a Friday attack targeting the Biranit barracks near the Lebanon-Israel border, the command center of the Israeli military’s northern division. Footage shared by the group showed an overhead view of a strike on what it described as a gathering of soldiers.

Fighting Hamas and Hezbollah at the same time would be difficult enough, but it appears that Israel will be forced to tangle with Syria as well.

Iran sends enormous amounts of weapons and supplies to Hezbollah by flying them into airports in Syria, and on Sunday the IDF bombed the international airports in Damascus and Aleppo for the third time in ten days…

Syria said it was forced to shut down international airports in Damascus and Aleppo because of the Israeli strike. The Syrian Transport Ministry said landing strips at both airports were damaged by missiles and one civilian worker was killed and another wounded at Damascus International Airport. Israel has carried out several strikes in Syria since the war began, citing the need to prevent Hezbollah and other militant groups from bringing in arms from Iran, which also supports Hamas.

We have also seen clashes directly along Israel’s border with Syria in recent days, and I fully expect an intensification of fighting in that area during the week ahead.

On top of everything else, fighting has also erupted in the West Bank…

In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Israeli forces killed at least five people there early Sunday, according to the local Health Ministry. Two were killed in an airstrike on a mosque in the town of Jenin, which the Israeli military said belonged to Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants who had carried out several attacks and were planning another one.

Can the IDF handle enemies coming from all directions at once?

I don’t know.

We shall see what happens in the days ahead.

But I think that it is quite likely that if Hezbollah enters the war the U.S. military will intervene.

Over the weekend, we learned that the Biden administration has decided to send even more air defense assets to the region…

The U.S. will send a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system and additional Patriot air defense missile system battalions to the Middle East, the Pentagon said on Saturday, in response to recent attacks on U.S. troops in the region.

The United States has sent a significant amount of naval power to the Middle East in recent weeks, including two aircraft carriers, their support ships and about 2,000 Marines.

The Biden administration had been trying to delay a full-blown ground invasion of Gaza for a couple of reasons.

Number one, there was hope that negotiations could secure the release of more of the hostages.

Number two, there was hope that diplomacy could keep Hezbollah out of the war.

But now the time for talk is ending, and the IDF is gearing up for a major ground campaign in Gaza.

Once that happens there will be no turning back, so brace yourselves for what is coming next…

Michael’s new book entitled “End Times” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.

A Financial Crisis Is Here! U.S. Banks Are Closing Down Hundreds Of Branches And Laying Off Thousands Of Workers

October 19, 2023 by Michael

I know that there is a lot going on in the world right now, but I just had to write about what is happening to our banks. High interest rates and chaos in the real estate industry are combining to put an enormous amount of pressure on our largest financial institutions. As a result, banks are getting very tight with their money, they are closing down hundreds of branches, and they are laying off thousands of workers. We are in the early stages of the worst financial crisis since 2008 and 2009, and I fully expect conditions to get even worse in the months ahead.

During the first week of October alone, U.S. banks closed a whopping 54 local branches…

Major US banks are continuing to close branches across the US, leaving an increasing number of Americans without access to basic financial services.

Bank of America axed 21 branches in the first week of October, according to a bulletin published by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) on Friday.

Wells Fargo shuttered 15, while US Bank and Chase reported closing nine and three respectively.

In total, some 54 locations had either closed or were scheduled to close between October 1 and October 7.

That is just one week!

Of course bank branches have been closing at a frightening pace for quite some time now.

Last year, U.S. banks shut down about 2,000 more branches than they opened…

Banks are closing branches faster than they’re opening new ones. U.S. banks closed over 3,000 branches last year while opening just 1,000. JPMorgan Chase led in branch closures last year, shuttering 144 branches, while opening 133. The trend will likely continue as banks face staunch competition for deposits and younger customers from online banks, fintech firms and Big Tech.

Unless you live under a rock, I am sure that you have noticed this happening in your own local area.

For many Americans, a “trip to the bank” is no longer just a few minutes away.

And our banks are also laying off staggering numbers of workers here in 2023…

The largest American banks have been quietly laying off workers all year — and some of the deepest cuts are yet to come.

Even as the economy has surprised forecasters with its resilience, lenders have cut headcount or announced plans to do so, with the key exception being JPMorgan Chase, the biggest and most profitable U.S. bank.

Pressured by the impact of higher interest rates on the mortgage business, Wall Street deal-making and funding costs, the next five largest U.S. banks have cut a combined 20,000 positions so far this year, according to company filings.

The banking industry is in trouble.

Big trouble.

And this is happening at a time when economic conditions are steadily deteriorating.

In fact, we just learned that the Conference Board’s index of leading economic indicators has now fallen for 18 months in a row…

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for the U.S. declined by 0.7 percent in September 2023 to 104.6 (2016=100), following a decline of 0.5 percent in August. The LEI is down 3.4 percent over the six-month period between March and September 2023, an improvement from its 4.6 percent contraction over the previous six months (September 2022 to March 2023).

“The LEI for the US fell again in September, marking a year and a half of consecutive monthly declines since April 2022,” said Justyna Zabinska-La Monica, Senior Manager, Business Cycle Indicators, at The Conference Board. “In September, negative or flat contributions from nine of the index’s ten components more than offset fewer initial claims for unemployment insurance. Although the six-month growth rate in the LEI is somewhat less negative, and the recession signal did not sound, it still signals risk of economic weakness ahead. So far, the US economy has shown considerable resilience despite pressures from rising interest rates and high inflation. Nonetheless, The Conference Board forecasts that this trend will not be sustained for much longer, and a shallow recession is likely in the first half of 2024.”

If things are this bad now, what is going to happen if the hot phase of World War III suddenly erupts in the Middle East?

At this point, nobody can claim that the economy is headed in the right direction.

During the first nine months of this year, the number of commercial Chapter 11 bankruptcies was 61 percent higher than it was during the same period a year ago…

A wide array of U.S. businesses have struggled this year. In the first nine months of 2023, commercial Chapter 11 bankruptcies have soared 61% year over year to 4,553, according to Epiq Bankruptcy, which provides U.S. bankruptcy filing data.

61 percent!

Let that number sink in for a moment.

And we have just learned that sales of previously owned homes have dropped to a level not seen since 2010 when the U.S. “was in the midst of a foreclosure crisis”…

Sales of previously owned homes dropped 2% in September from August to a seasonally adjusted, annualized rate of 3.96 million units, according to the National Association of Realtors. Sales were 15.4% lower compared with September 2022.

This is the slowest sales pace since October 2010, during the Great Recession, when the market was in the midst of a foreclosure crisis. As a comparison, just two years ago, when mortgage rates hovered around 3%, home sales were running at a 6.6 million pace. The average rate on the 30-year fixed today is right around 8%, according to Mortgage News Daily.

Speaking of home foreclosures, they are up 34 percent compared to the same time in 2022…

Home foreclosures are on the rise as Americans continue to grapple with the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

That is according to a new report published by real estate data provider ATTOM, which found that foreclosure filings – which includes default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions – surged 28% in the third quarter to 124,539.

Foreclosures are up 34% from the same time one year ago.

A new economic crisis is here.

And the truth is that it is going to get a whole lot worse.

So even though things are not great now, enjoy these last few days of relative stability while you still can, because war in the Middle East will soon plunge the entire global economy into a state of great turmoil.

Michael’s new book entitled “End Times” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.

Every Signal Indicates That War With Hezbollah Is About To Start As Iran Raises The Black Flag

October 18, 2023October 18, 2023 by Michael

All of the signs are telling us that a war between Israel and Hezbollah is imminent. And once it begins, the U.S. and Iran will inevitably get sucked into the conflict as well. We are literally talking about an apocalyptic scenario, and that is going to have enormous implications for all of us. Hezbollah has an arsenal of 130,000 missiles that it can launch at Israeli cities, Iran possesses even greater firepower than Hezbollah does, and the Israelis have quite a few surprises up their sleeves. I will just leave it at that for now. As this war evolves, the entire world will be shocked by the death and destruction that we witness.

Unfortunately, there is no turning back now.

On Wednesday, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Iran met in Jeddah…

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on the sidelines of a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Jeddah, where they discussed the current military escalation in Gaza and surrounding areas, the Kingdom’s foreign ministry said on X.

Based on what they have been hearing from the Iranians, the Saudis must believe that a war between Israel and Hezbollah is imminent, because they have instructed their citizens to leave Lebanon immediately…

Saudi Arabia calls on its citizens to abide by the travel advisory to Lebanon and for those in the country to immediately leave.

The Saudi Embassy in Lebanon said it was closely following developments in south Lebanon, “calling on all citizens to adhere to the travel ban and to leave Lebanese territory immediately for those who are currently in Lebanon.”

The U.S. State Department also seems convinced that big trouble is brewing…

The US is elevating its travel advisory and allowing non-emergency personnel to leave Lebanon after the embassy in Beirut was targeted by Pro-Palestinian protestors who started a fire at the complex.

US military groups deployed smoke and gas to disperse the protestors who gathered at the embassy following an attack on a hospital in Gaza. Hours after the protests began, the State Department issued the travel advisory.

‘The Department authorized the voluntary, temporary departure of family members of US government personnel and some non-emergency personnel from US Embassy Beirut due to the unpredictable security situation in Lebanon,’ the announcement read.

This is likely just the first step toward a full evacuation of the U.S. embassy in Beirut.

Israel also appears to be preparing for a war with Hezbollah to erupt.

As I discussed yesterday, 28 towns and communities along Israel’s northern border are being evacuated.

On the other side of that border, there are reports that peacekeepers are evacuating in anticipation of the coming conflict…

Arab and Iranian social media channels are publishing footage in which, allegedly, UNIFIL forces, the peacekeepers in Southern Lebanon, are urgently evacuating their base in Naqoura on the border with Israel, in anticipation of war.

In this world, what people actually do is far more important than what they say.

And right now everyone is telling us the exact same thing by their actions.

In Iran, a black flag has been ominously raised above the Imam Reza Mosque.

A black flag flies over the Imam Reza Mosque in Iran, for the first time in history.

If anyone knows what this means, please write . pic.twitter.com/G7rLpvDUQA

— Sprinter (@Sprinter99800) October 17, 2023

There has been a lot of debate about what this could mean.

But without a doubt, it certainly isn’t a good sign to have a black flag flying on top of the world’s largest mosque…

In a historic and unprecedented move, a black flag has been hoisted above the illuminated Razavi dome, of the Imam Reza mosque complex in Iran – a stark departure from tradition as it’s outside of Muharram, the month of mourning in the Islamic calendar.

The Imam Reza mosque complex in Mashhad, Iran, home to the mausoleum of Imam Reza, also known as Ali al-Rida, is an iconic religious complex and the largest mosque in the world by area.

At this stage, it is difficult to imagine a scenario in which a full-blown regional war does not erupt.

And the U.S. military has brought a lot of firepower into the region in case that happens…

The United States is amassing a war machine in the Middle East in a clear message to Iran to stay on the sidelines as Israel prepares to launch a ground invasion into Gaza to destroy the terror group Hamas.

Within hours of the horrific onslaught on Israel by Hamas on Oct. 7 the U.S. began moving warships, jets and special forces to the region.

Two aircraft carriers including the world’s largest – the USS Gerald R. Ford – have been sent to the eastern Mediterranean, along with scores of planes that could carry out air strikes.

If the U.S. is forced to help defend Israel against Hezbollah, there will be widespread support from across the political spectrum.

Of course there would be exceptions, but overall most members of Congress support U.S. military action if that becomes necessary.

For example, during an appearance on Meet the Press U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham had some very threatening words for both Iran and Hezbollah…

“Here’s my message: If Hezbollah, which is a proxy of Iran, launches a massive attack on Israel, I would consider that a threat to the state of Israel existential in nature,” he added.

Graham said he will introduce a resolution in the Senate to “allow military action by the United States in conjunction with Israel to knock Iran out of the oil business.”

In a direct message to Iran, he said, “Iran, if you escalate this war, we’re coming for you.”

Unfortunately, such threats are not causing Hezbollah to back down.

In fact, there were more clashes along Israel’s northern border on Wednesday…

Hezbollah said it had attacked five locations on Wednesday including an Israeli barracks in Zar’it and a position across the border from Lebanon’s Ras Naqoura area, using guided missiles in several of the strikes.

The Israeli army said it was responding to shots fired at its military posts in the area of Zar’it, and also responding after militants fired anti-tank missiles towards Israel’s Kibbutz Manara and Rosh HaNikra near the border.

The army said it would “continue to strike terror targets belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organization”.

We were warned way in advance that this was coming.

Now the Great Middle East War is here.

The Iranians have hoisted a black flag above their largest mosque, and it appears that things are about to break loose in a major way.

Michael’s new book entitled “End Times” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.

The U.S. Prepares To Use Military Force Against Hezbollah If It Joins The War Against Israel

October 17, 2023October 17, 2023 by Michael

We are witnessing an old-fashioned standoff in the Middle East right now. The IDF was supposed to have sent thousands of troops storming into Gaza by now, but threats from Hezbollah and Iran have caused Israeli officials to pause. Do the Israelis really want to fight an extremely bloody two front war? Iran has actually brought up the possibility of “pre-emptive action”, but that would inevitably spark a military response from the United States. Do the Iranians really want to fight the U.S. military? There are some that are hoping that this standoff will ultimately allow cooler heads to prevail, but I see it as the calm before the storm.

After everything that has happened, there is no way that Israel can allow Hamas to survive.

And on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu certainly did not sound like a man that is ready to back down…

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while speaking alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at a news conference on Tuesday, described Hamas as “the new Nazis,” and called on the world to unite and eradicate the terrorist organization the same way it defeated the Nazis.

During his remarks, Netanyahu also stated that the atrocities that Hamas just committed were “the worst crimes committed against Jews since the Holocaust”…

Hamas-led forces crossed the Israel-Gaza border Oct. 7, slaughtering 1,400 Israeli men, women, children and elderly in what has become the deadliest terror attack in Israel’s history.

“The savagery we witnessed perpetrated by the Hamas murderers coming out of Gaza were the worst crimes committed against Jews since the Holocaust,” Netanyahu said during the news conference.

If the Israeli government were to decide not to invade Gaza, Netanyahu would almost inevitably be forced to resign in disgrace.

The Israeli people want Hamas to be destroyed, and that means going into Gaza.

But if that happens, it will likely mean a two front war.

In fact, Iran’s foreign minister has even suggested that there could be “pre-emptive action” even before the IDF sends troops pouring into Gaza…

“The possibility of pre-emptive action by the resistance axis is expected in the coming hours,” Iran’s foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said in a live broadcast to state TV, as he referred to his meeting with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Saturday.

Earlier Monday, Iran’s top diplomat and president, Ebrahim Raisi had said time was running out to reach a political solution and warned against the expansion of the Israel-Hamas war to other fronts.

Amir-Abdollahian said Monday that “the resistance leaders” will not allow Israel “to do whatever it wants in Gaza”.

Iranian leaders like to make dramatic statements, but I have never seen them talk quite like this.

For example, just check out some of the statements that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei just made in front of the entire world…

– “We MUST Respond to What is Happening in Gaza”

– “The usurper Zionist regime must be prosecuted.”

– “This should be realized by those who want Iran to stop certain Resistance groups, and they shouldn’t have any expectation from us.”

– “All parties should refrain from asking anyone to prevent a group from taking steps in response to the crimes of the Zionists”

– “Our numerous intelligence reports show that the US is formulating the Zionist regime’s current policy, and what is being done is governed by US policymaking. The US must be held responsible for this situation.”

– “If the crimes of the Zionist entity continue, no one will be able to stand up to Muslims and the resistance forces.”

– “Whatever crimes the Zionist regime commits will fail to compensate for its disgraceful defeat during the Al-Aqsa Storm operation.”

So when Israeli forces finally go into Gaza, what will the Iranian response look like?

The first thing I expect to happen is for Hezbollah to join the war.

That would mean a two front war, and the Israelis appear to be rapidly preparing for such a scenario.

In fact, it is being reported that 28 towns and communities in northern Israel are going to be evacuated…

But there are continuing signs the situation is sliding toward that feared two-front scenario, as the IDF has initiated a plan to evacuate all civilians who live within two kilometers of the Lebanese border. They said the repeat rocket and mortar fire make it necessary, also in preparation for potential greater military action.

The country’s National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA) will oversee transferring of Israeli civilians to state-funded guesthouses. In total a whopping 28 towns and communities will be evacuated.

NEMA has listed them out as follows: Ghajar, Dishon, Kfar Yuval, Margaliot, Metula, Avivim, Dovev, Ma’ayan Baruch, Bar’am, Manara, Yiftah, Malkia, Misgav Am, Yir’on, Dafna, Arab al-Aramshe, Shlomi, Netu’a, Ya’ara, Shtula, Matat, Zar’it, Shomera, Betzet, Adamit, Rosh Hanikra, Hanita and Kfar Giladi.

The good news is that a full-blown war between Israel and Hezbollah has not erupted just yet.

But Hezbollah is calling for “a day of unprecedented anger” on Wednesday…

Lebanon’s Hezbollah group denounced what they said was Israel’s deadly attack on a Gaza hospital that killed hundreds of Palestinians, announcing Wednesday “a day of unprecedented anger” against Israel and Biden’s visit to the country, according to a statement released by Hezbollah late on Tuesday.

“The attack reveals the true criminal face of this entity and its sponsor…the United States, which bears direct and complete responsibility for this massacre,” according to the statement.

And as I write this article, there are reports of vast numbers of protesters heading toward the U.S. embassy in Beirut.

In Beirut, Lebanon everyone is heading towards the US EMBASSY. pic.twitter.com/Q6ncVoWLml

— Iran Observer (@IranObserver0) October 17, 2023

Needless to say, events could spiral out of control very rapidly.

If Hezbollah does go to war with Israel, the Biden administration has already discussed using military force against Hezbollah…

The White House has been discussing the possibility of using military force if Hezbollah joins the war in Gaza and attacks Israel with its huge arsenal of rockets, three U.S. officials and one Israeli official with knowledge of the situation tell Axios.

Once the U.S. starts bombing targets in Lebanon, there will be no turning back.

All U.S. facilities and bases all over the Middle East would suddenly become targets for Islamic terrorists, and it is likely that we would see terror attacks inside the United States as well.

So going to war should not be done lightly.

But Hezbollah has at least 130,000 missiles ready to be fired at Israel, and once large numbers of missiles start raining down on Tel Aviv and Jerusalem no U.S. president is just going to sit there and watch it happen.

In fact, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has already told Arab leaders that we are “not fooling around”…

Two U.S. officials said Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Arab leaders in the region, with whom he’d met in recent days, that the U.S. “is not fooling around” by sending so many military assets to the region in support of Israel.

At this hour, two U.S. aircraft carriers and thousands of troops are in the eastern Mediterranean waiting for orders…

The United States is sending an amphibious task force of thousands of U.S. sailors and Marines toward Israel, where they will be positioned aboard warships in case the conflict there with Hamas expands.

Two defense officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss planned military movements, said Monday that the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group, numbering more than 4,000 sailors and Marines, will join a growing American fleet off the coast of Israel that will include two aircraft carriers and their associated escort ships.

The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., is deployed with the amphibious task force and trained for a wide array of missions, including some special operations. The USS Bataan and the USS Carter Hall, two of the warships carrying personnel from the unit, were in the Gulf of Oman on Monday, having left Kuwait recently after Hamas’s unprecedented cross-border attack on Israel on Oct. 7.

We really are on the brink of the hot phase of World War III.

Once Israeli troops move into Gaza, we are going to see who was bluffing and who was not.

Unfortunately, I think that we will quickly realize that almost all of the threats being made on both sides were actually real.

The Great Middle East War is here, and it is going to be extremely bloody.

Michael’s new book entitled “End Times” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.

We Are Literally On The Brink Of An Apocalyptic War Between Israel And Iran

October 15, 2023October 15, 2023 by Michael

The crisis in the Middle East has taken another very ominous turn. Iran is threatening to get directly involved in the conflict, and that should deeply alarm all of us. For a long time, I have been specifically warning my readers that an apocalyptic conflict between Israel and Iran would be coming. Sadly, now we are literally on the verge of seeing that happen. Both nations possess weapons of immense destructive power, and there is going to be so much death and destruction in the days ahead.

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to signal that a massive military offensive in Gaza is imminent…

Benjamin Netanyahu has today vowed to ‘demolish’ Hamas with Israeli troops on the Gaza border poised to attack at any moment.

Israel’s armed forces is ‘ready’ to defeat the ‘bloodthirsty monsters’, the Israeli Prime Minister said, with a land, sea, and air offensive imminent.

Israeli tanks and troops have gathered on the border and are carrying out simulations ready to spring an invasion of Gaza at any time after Hamas terrorists killed 1,300 Israelis in a surprise attack last Saturday.

But if Israel goes in, Hezbollah has already indicated that they will almost certainly enter the conflict.

Of course Hezbollah would only do that if they were directed to do so by Iran, and according to Axios Iran is now warning “that it will have to intervene if the Israeli operation in Gaza continues”…

Iran sent a message to Israel on Saturday stressing that it does not want further escalation in the Hamas-Israel war, but that it will have to intervene if the Israeli operation in Gaza continues, two diplomatic sources with knowledge of the situation told Axios.

Wow.

So is this really it?

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has publicly stated that his nation “has its red lines”, and that “Iran will have to respond” if Israel conducts a major offensive in Gaza…

But Amir-Abdollahian stressed that Iran has its red lines. He said that if the Israeli military operation continues — and especially if Israel follows through on its promise of a ground offensive in Gaza — Iran will have to respond, according to the sources.

In addition, Amir-Abdollahian is also threatening America with “heavy losses” if the U.S. military decides to intervene…

He accused the United States of coming forward “to preserve the statue and puppet of Israel”.

“If the scope of the war expands, heavy losses will befall America as well.”

I could be wrong, but I don’t expect Iran to get directly involved in the conflict right away.

But I do believe that Hezbollah will jump into the war fairly soon after Israeli forces enter Gaza, and Syria could also be pulled in quite rapidly as well.

This would especially be true if the IDF keeps bombing Syria’s largest airports…

On Saturday, Israel allegedly launched an air strike against Syria’s Aleppo Airport. The Syrian government confirmed the attack and said, “The Israeli enemy carried out an air attack from the direction of the Mediterranean Sea, targeting Aleppo International Airport, which led to material damage to the airport and it being out of service.”

The reason why the Israelis are bombing airports in Syria is because that is one of the primary ways that Iran gets weapons to Hezbollah…

Referring to this development, Joel Rayburn, Director of the American Centre for Levant Studies, wrote, “Repeated Israeli strikes to disable Damascus and Aleppo airports are, to my mind, a strong indication that 1) the Iranian regime is trying to move strategic weapons to or via Syria to open a northern front and 2) the Israelis are determined to preempt that.”

The Israeli official re-shared this post, stating that Iranians are engaged in arms transfers.

Syria’s Damascus and Aleppo airports are known as transit points for Iranian arms sent to Hezbollah, a powerful Islamist militant group in both Syria and Lebanon.

We are so close to a major regional war.

The U.S. and other western powers are trying to keep Iran and Hezbollah out of the conflict, but it just isn’t working.

On Sunday, there was more fighting along Israel’s northern border yet again…

A Hezbollah spokeswoman, Rana Sahili, says today’s increase in the intensity of the exchanges between Israel and the Lebanese terror group doesn’t indicate Hezbollah has decided to fully enter into the Hamas-Israel war.

The fighting on the border is “only skirmishes” and represents a “warning,” she says.

Hezbollah is not ready to formally go to war just yet.

But once the Israelis make their move in Gaza, expect Hezbollah to pull the trigger.

And once that happens, the Biden administration will have a decision to make.

If Hezbollah starts firing thousands of missiles into Israel, I think that the Biden administration will order strikes against Hezbollah.

The two aircraft carriers that have been ordered into the eastern Mediterranean Sea have been sent there to deter Hezbollah and Iran, but they will take action if it becomes necessary…

The Pentagon has ordered a second carrier strike group to the eastern Mediterranean Sea and is sending Air Force fighter jets to the region as Israel prepares to expand its Gaza operations, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement Saturday.

The US warships are not intended to join the fighting in Gaza or take part in Israel’s operations, but the presence of two of the Navy’s most powerful vessels is designed to send a message of deterrence to Iran and Iranian proxies in the region, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The movements are “part of our effort to deter hostile actions against Israel or any efforts toward widening this war following Hamas’s attack on Israel,” Austin said in the statement.

As I have discussed previously, I hope that those carriers are being kept at a safe distance, because Hezbollah does have missiles that are capable of sinking an aircraft carrier.

As this conflict evolves, we are going to see images on our television screens that are going to absolutely shock all of us.

So many people are going to die, and our world will be permanently changed by the horrors that we will soon witness.

Michael’s new book entitled “End Times” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.

If Israel, Hezbollah And The U.S. All Do What They Say They Will Do, Prepare For The Hot Phase Of World War III

October 12, 2023 by Michael

Most people have no idea what is about to happen in the Middle East. The mainstream media is treating this crisis as simply a temporary conflict between Israel and Hamas that will eventually pass. But that isn’t what this is. This is the final conflict between Israel and Hamas, and it is going to spark a much wider war. Sadly, after the atrocities that Hamas has just committed, the Israelis have no choice. If U.S. women were raped and U.S. babies were ruthlessly slaughtered most Americans would feel the exact same way. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is telling us that “every member of Hamas is a dead man”, and the only way to accomplish that is to go into Gaza and kill them…

Announcing the formation of a unity government in a late night TV appearance, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to keep fighting Hamas. “Every member of Hamas is a dead man,” he said.

“Hamas is Daesh [Islamic State group] and we will crush them and destroy them as the world has destroyed Daesh,” he said in a brief televised statement, the first delivered jointly with his war cabinet.

Netanyahu also detailed some of the atrocities that took place during the Hamas attack. He said boys and girls were shot in the head and that people had been burned alive.

If Israel moves into Gaza, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Hezbollah has warned “that it is prepared to open a second front”…

If Hezbollah—which is designated a terrorist group by the U.S. and is closely linked to Iran—enters the conflict in a concerted way, it would stretch Israel’s army and strain the country’s air defenses, given Hezbollah’s arsenal of missiles capable of striking Tel Aviv.

Hezbollah has privately warned Israel that it is prepared to open a second front if Israeli forces launch a ground assault in Gaza, according to Arab officials and diplomats. But whether Hezbollah follows through with the threat is a central topic of debate for Israeli leaders.

The Biden administration seems to think that Hezbollah is probably bluffing.

But they aren’t bluffing.

And if Hezbollah officially enters the war, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is pledging to “return Lebanon to the Stone Age”…

Israeli leaders are trying to deter Hezbollah from joining the fight. “Do not make a mistake,” Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said while visiting troops in northern Israel on Tuesday. “If, God forbid, an escalation or confrontation erupts here, we will return Lebanon to the Stone Age.”

In addition, as I discussed yesterday, there have been reports that Israel has also threatened to destroy Damascus.

Needless to say, such a move would bring Syria into the war.

And actually Israel is already conducting air strikes in Syria.

On Thursday, the IDF bombed the major airports in Damascus and Aleppo…

But it seems Israel is indeed holding the Syrian government under Bashar al-Assad responsible, as on Thursday the IDF has struck back against Syrian targets. Syrian state television is now confirming that Israel has launched attacks on the country’s two main international airports, in the capital of Damascus and Aleppo in the north. It happened while an Iranian plane was inbound.

According to Reuters, “Local media channel Sham FM said Syrian air defenses were launched in response to both attacks. It said here had been damage but no casualties at the Aleppo airport, but did not give any information on the impact of the strike on Damascus Airport.”

State media has confirmed that the Israeli strikes hit runways and have left both airports out of commission. It’s not the first time Israel has attacked these airports, but them being both hit in a simultaneous operation appears a first. The Israeli army spokesman has also announced, “We bombed Damascus and Aleppo airports in response to the firing of mortar shells from Syria.”

On top of everything else, the Wall Street Journal is also reporting that the U.S. is promising to defend Israel if Hezbollah “launches a major attack”…

The U.S. has in turn warned Hezbollah and Iran that it will defend Israel if the Lebanese militant group launches a major attack. Israel’s defense minister vowed to send Lebanon back to “the Stone Age” if Hezbollah attacked. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel, where he said the U.S. had sent an aircraft carrier to the region to deter Hezbollah from entering the fight.

“We’re on the sword’s edge,” said one former Israeli defense official. “Brinkmanship is a dangerous way of life.”

If the U.S. starts bombing Hezbollah positions in Lebanon, Hezbollah units in Syria and Iraq will consider U.S. forces in those two countries to be fair game.

Of course if everything that I have discussed above actually happens, it will only be a matter of time before Iran is directly involved in the conflict.

Can you see how this war could spiral out of control very quickly?

But at this point there is no turning back.

On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shared photographic evidence of the atrocities that Hamas has committed…

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has shared horrifying proof that babies were ‘murdered by Hamas monsters’.

Netanyahu showed US Secretary of State Antony Blinken graphic photos of babies who had been burned to death. Express.co.uk has decided against publishing the photos due to their extremely graphic nature.

A spokesperson for the Israeli PM said he shared “horrifying photos of babies murdered and burned by the Hamas monsters”. He added: “Hamas is inhuman. Hamas is ISIS.”

During a press conference, Israel’s President Isaac Herzog shared some of the harrowing reports he received from investigators, including that the bodies of those murdered by Hamas presented “signs of torture”.

And it is being reported that journalists from the Jerusalem Post have confirmed that babies were actually beheaded by Hamas at the Kfar Aza kibbutz…

It comes as apparently verified photographs of other babies beheaded by the ruthless terrorists in the Kfar Aza kibbutz just a mile away from the border were ‘confirmed’ by journalists at the Jerusalem Post.

The Kfar Aza kibbutz was one of the first Israeli settlements to be targeted on Saturday morning by Hamas. It was here that the terrorists, wielding assault rifles and grenades, ruthlessly shot dead screaming families as they begged for their lives before setting fire to their homes.

But that isn’t all that has been confirmed.

In one instance, one woman actually had an unborn child “sliced from her womb” by Hamas terrorists…

A rescue team who visited the kibbutz, where the smell of rotting bodies still hangs in the air, told how they saw a pregnant lady lying on the floor of the first house they walked into. When they turned her over, they saw that her unborn baby had been sliced from her womb.

‘We saw a pregnant lady lying on the floor, and then we turn her around and see that the stomach is cut open, wide open,’ Yossi Landau, an aid worker at the NGO Zaka, told i24News, his voice cracking with emotion.

‘The unborn baby, still connected with umbilical cord, was stabbed with a knife. And the mother was shot in the head. And you use your imagination, trying to figure out what came first.’

How would you feel if that had been done to someone that you love?

Right now, the people of Israel are filled with fury.

Israel will send troops into Gaza because they have no other option.

And when that happens, the Great Middle East War will have begun.

I have been warning that this war would be coming, and now it is here.

We are going to see unimaginable death and destruction in the days ahead, and our world will never be the same again.

Michael’s new book entitled “End Times” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.

Will Israel Soon Turn Damascus Into A Pile Of Rubble?

October 11, 2023October 11, 2023 by Michael

As soon as Israel sends troops into Gaza, a chain of events will begin which nobody is going to be able to control. I believe that one of those events will be Hezbollah entering the conflict from the north. As I discussed yesterday, there is no way that Hezbollah is just going to sit there and watch Hamas get systematically wiped out by the IDF. Hezbollah is already mobilizing their forces and making preparations to join the fight. But if that happens, Israel is going to hit back extremely hard. In fact, there are reports that Israel has already warned Hezbollah that if it enters the war the Israelis will “destroy Damascus”…

Ynet News :

“IDF will destroy Damascus, target Syrian President Assad if Hezbollah joins war; US warships will support Israel in war.” – Message relayed via France

Unfortunately, this threat has not caused Hezbollah to back down.

In fact, Fox News is reporting that the Israelis are now “actively fighting a secondary front along Israel’s northern border with Hezbollah in Lebanon”…

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said Wednesday that the Israeli army shelled the Lebanese border town of Duhaira and the surrounding area where the missile attack came from. He also said Israel was actively fighting a secondary front along Israel’s northern border with Hezbollah in Lebanon, in addition to the counteroffensive the IDF is launching in the Gaza Strip.

“We have deployed tens of thousands of additional units along the northern border,” Conricus said, including infantry, special forces, armored forces, artillery, air forces, and “additional assets including intelligence and logistics.”

Hezbollah has not formally entered the war yet.

But I think that will likely happen very quickly once Israel invades Gaza.

So could Israel actually turn Damascus into a pile or rubble?

Well, just consider what the IDF is already doing to Gaza.

We are being told that Gaza was hit by an astounding 250 airstrikes in a single hour…

Pictures show neighbourhoods in Gaza almost destroyed after Israel launched 250 airstrikes in just one hour.

It comes after an Israeli defense official promise the strip will become a ‘tent city’ with every building to be demolished.

The IDF is not messing around.

One Israeli military official admitted that they are attacking “on an unprecedented scale”, and nobody can really argue with that fact…

Brig. Gen. Omer Tishler, the Israel Air Force’s chief of staff, says fighter jets are striking the Gaza Strip on an “unprecedented scale.”

“We are attacking the Gaza Strip on an unprecedented scale, because what happened here is something that has never happened before. There is an enemy here firing rockets, raiding a civilian population,” Tishler says in a call with reporters.

“We are never going back to that,” he says.

So far, a whopping 2,687 targets inside Gaza have been hit…

The Israel Defense Forces has carried out strikes against 2,687 targets across the Gaza Strip since Saturday, according to fresh military data.

According to the data, 1,329 of the targets are multi-story buildings containing Hamas assets, including war rooms where the terror group manages the fighting against Israel.

One of those targets was the Islamic University of Gaza.

We are being told that it was a “central training center”, and now it has been completely destroyed…

The Israel Defense Forces says it has bombed the Islamic University of Gaza, “which serves as a central training center for Hamas engineers.”

The military says fighter jets targeted the campus, located in Gaza City.

According to the IDF, the university was “an important center of political and military power” for Hamas and a “training institution for the development and production of weapons.”

IDF says it has bombed the Islamic University of Gaza, “which serves as a central training center for Hamas engineers.” pic.twitter.com/cKu7jEzsNq

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) October 11, 2023

In the past, Israel was always so careful to avoid collateral damage when it would conduct attacks in Gaza.

But now Israel’s defense minister is making it clear that there will be no holding back…

Yoav Gallant, the Israeli defense minister, said ‘all restraints on fighters have been released’ and promised an intensification of fighting.

‘Hamas wanted a change and it will get one. What was in Gaza will no longer be,’ he said.

‘We started the offensive from the air, later on we will also come from the ground. We’ve been controlling the area since Day Two and we are on the offensive. It will only intensify.

‘Whoever comes to decapitate, murder women, Holocaust survivors — we will eliminate him at the height of our power and without compromise.’

If the IDF were to apply the same treatment to Damascus, it would draw Syria into the war.

Once Hamas, Hezbollah and Syria have all entered the war, it is probably just a matter of time before Iran joins the conflict too.

And once Iran enters the war, there is no telling how far things could escalate.

Already, one member of the Knesset named Revital Gotliv has been calling for the use of nuclear weapons…

“Jericho Missile! Jericho Missile! Strategic alert. before considering the introduction of forces. Doomsday weapon! This is my opinion. May God preserve all our strength,” Gotliv wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday, according to a translation.

Another post says: “I urge you to do everything and use Doomsday weapons fearlessly against our enemies,” adding that Israel “must use everything in its arsenal.”

On Tuesday, she continued with her calls of urgency.

“Only an explosion that shakes the Middle East will restore this country’s dignity, strength and security!” Gotliv posted. “It’s time to kiss doomsday. Shooting powerful missiles without limit. Not flattening a neighbourhood. Crushing and flattening Gaza. … without mercy! without mercy!”

Everyone knows that Israel has nukes, and let us hope that they will not be used any time soon.

But we should all be able to understand why she is so furious.

At one location that Hamas attacked in southern Israel, “knives were found left in some of the children”…

There is evidence in Kibbutz Be’eri that children were slain in front of their parents, Maj. Doron Spielman says. Knives were found left in some of the children.

Bodies are still being taken out of the kibbutz, which Spielman says will be remembered as a symbol of Hamas’s massacre, like Auschwitz is the symbol of the Holocaust.

Some 1,200 Israelis were slaughtered by the terror group, including over 100 at Be’eri alone.

When Hamas decided to rape women, murder children and kidnap the elderly, they awakened the full fury of the Jewish people.

And when Israel sends troops into Gaza, the Great Middle East War will be unleashed.

In my most recent book, I wrote about an “endless barrage of missiles” being fired at Israel.

I believe that is about to become a reality.

There is going to be so much death and destruction in the days ahead, and there will be many more cities that will be transformed into piles of rubble before this is all over.

Michael’s new book entitled “End Times” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.

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