The situation in Iran seems to be getting more critical:
Iran: Protests persist as regime warns US, Israel of strike
11 January 2026
Mass anti-government protests in Iran are in their third week despite what activists call a ‘brutal’ clampdown
At least 192 protesters have been killed…
Iran’s parliament convened Sunday to discuss the protests
Tehran warns that US troops and Israel will be targets if the United States strikes …
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said the government will listen to protesters but warned that “rioters” shouldn’t be allowed to disrupt society.
www.dw.com
11 January 2026
Iran’s state media say dozens of members of the security forces have been killed during protests against an economic crisis, as the parliament speaker warns the United States and Israel of retaliatory strikes if Washington attacks the country. …
Speaking in parliament on Sunday after threats of military strikes by US President Donald Trump if Iranian authorities kill protesters, Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned the US against “a miscalculation”.
“Let us be clear, in the case of an attack on Iran, the occupied territories [Israel] as well as all US bases and ships will be our legitimate target,” said Qalibaf, a former commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). …
www.aljazeera.com
Iran: Exiled crown prince ….Reza Pahlavi, son of the last shah of Iran, had called for the mass rallies to continue this weekend
They have since evolved into calls to overthrow the Islamic regime.
www.dw.com
Iran cracks down on protests and threatens US and Israel of retaliation in case of intervention
11 January 2026
Washington and Tel Aviv reportedly discussed the possibility of US intervention in Iran.
Meanwhile, Iran’s nationwide internet blackout crosses the 60 hour mark, as the death toll rises …
Tehran warned that US troops and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if the US strikes Iran, as President Donald Trump reiterated US support for Iranian protesters.
“In the event of a military attack by the United States, both the occupied territory* (Israel) and centres of the US military and shipping will be our legitimate targets,” Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said, speaking in parliament on Sunday.
*Iran does not recognise Israel and considers it occupied Palestinian territory.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed in a phone call on Saturday the possibility of US intervention in Iran, according to German magazine Der Spiegel.
The warning comes after US President Donald Trump reiterated Washington is willing to step up to protect peaceful demonstrators.
www.euronews.com
Iran’s leaders know that the USA is willing to bomb their country.
Notice also what the USA did in Syria:
US launches new retaliatory strikes against IS in Syria after deadly ambush
January 11, 2026
The U.S. has launched another round of retaliatory strikes against the Islamic State group in Syria following last month’s ambush that killed two U.S. soldiers and one American civilian interpreter in the country.
The large-scale strikes, conducted by the U.S. alongside partner forces, occurred …. Saturday, according to the U.S. Central Command. The strikes hit multiple IS targets across Syria. …
Syria recently joined the global coalition against the IS.
www.apnews.com
So, we see in Syria, that the officially accepted government is supportive of the USA, but the Islamic State supporters there are not.
The Islamic State supporters want to fight.
The government of Iran is threatening to fight.
And then there is Hezbollah:
January 11, 2026
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee says that the ousting of the Iranian regime would also mean the end of the Iran-backed terror groups Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis. www.timesofisrael.com
Hezbollah does not want to be ended. Nor does Hamas nor the Houthis nor ISIS (the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria).
Related to Hezbollah’s and Iran’s possible future plans, Michael Snyder posted the following last Fall:
Watch The Middle East! Israel, Iran And Hezbollah Are All Preparing For Something Really Big
November 6, 2025
If there is going to be “peace in the Middle East”, why are Israel, Iran and Hezbollah feverishly preparing for war? I am watching the Middle East very closely, because I expect something really big to happen.
The Iranians are stockpiling missiles like never before. The clock is ticking, and the Middle East could potentially erupt in flames at any moment.
A lot of people out there seem to think that Hezbollah has been totally defeated.
But of course that is not the case at all.
It is still very formidable, and it is being reported that Hezbollah is “working on rebuilding the Radwan Force and retrieving weapons from its bunkers”…
The Israeli army has intensified military preparations along the northern front, amid growing indications that Israel is preparing for a major confrontation with Hezbollah, according to reports from Israeli media.
Army Radio cited informed sources as saying that the anticipated operation will involve wide-scale assassinations of senior Hezbollah commanders and strikes on key positions deep inside Lebanon. The sources added that the operation could be launched “at any moment,”
The reports suggest Israel aims to neutralize Hezbollah’s leadership and infrastructure, even as a fragile ceasefire remains officially in place.
Of course we can now see this plan in action. …
There is no point in pretending.
Israel and Hezbollah are at war again.
Hezbollah is ruling out any negotiations, …
While all of this has been going on, the Iranians have also been preparing for another round of fighting.
Iran has been feverishly stockpiling missiles, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is claiming that his nation’s missile forces are now “far greater than during the 12-day war”…
“The Islamic Republic’s approach was to rely on domestically produced military equipment, and the result was that those who initially demanded unconditional surrender ended up accepting an unconditional ceasefire on the 12th day…International relations are based on power. We must be strong, and the armed forces have gone above and beyond in this regard. Our missile power today is far greater than during the 12-day war.”
I don’t think that he is exaggerating. …
We are supposed to believe that the Iranian nuclear program has been set back for a long time and is no longer an imminent threat.
I am not buying that. …
Sadly, I expect war to continue to be a major theme in 2026, and that is not good news for any of us.
Hezbollah has long been angry with Israel–and has also wanted revenge since Israel hit many with its terroristic pager explosives last year
Iran is also angry with Israel. Iran obviously keeps up with posted news, and hence must be aware that Israel wants to launch a major attack again, possibly with USA involvement.
Dr Thiel believes that Iran has been preparing and it remains his belief that Hezbollah and Iran will one day reign a volley of bombs on Israel, probably with support from some in Syria. Those in Jerusalem, and not just in the northern portion of Israel, should be concerned.
The Bible shows that God will allow someone, like an Iranian-Syrian confederation, to strike the nation of Israel:
From Isaiah 22:1-14 we read
1 The burden against the Valley of Vision.
What ails you now, that you have all gone up to the housetops, 2 You who are full of noise, A tumultuous city, a joyous city? Your slain men are not slain with the sword, Nor dead in battle. 3 All your rulers have fled together; They are captured by the archers. All who are found in you are bound together; They have fled from afar. 4 Therefore I said, “Look away from me, I will weep bitterly; Do not labor to comfort me Because of the plundering of the daughter of my people.”
5 For it is a day of trouble and treading down and perplexity By the Lord God of hosts In the Valley of Vision — Breaking down the walls And of crying to the mountain. 6 Elam bore the quiver With chariots of men and horsemen, And Kir uncovered the shield. 7 It shall come to pass that your choicest valleys Shall be full of chariots, And the horsemen shall set themselves in array at the gate.
8 He removed the protection of Judah. You looked in that day to the armor of the House of the Forest; 9 You also saw the damage to the city of David, That it was great; And you gathered together the waters of the lower pool. 10 You numbered the houses of Jerusalem, And the houses you broke down To fortify the wall. 11 You also made a reservoir between the two walls For the water of the old pool. But you did not look to its Maker, Nor did you have respect for Him who fashioned it long ago.
12 And in that day the Lord God of hosts Called for weeping and for mourning,For baldness and for girding with sackcloth. 13 But instead, joy and gladness, Slaying oxen and killing sheep, Eating meat and drinking wine: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”
14 Then it was revealed in my hearing by the Lord of hosts,”Surely for this iniquity there will be no atonement for you, Even to your death,” says the Lord God of hosts. (Isaiah 22:1-14
The old Worldwide Church of God published the following related to Elam:
Iranians comprise nearly 70 percent of the country. Iranians, though Islamic, are totally distinct from the neighboring Arab peoples of the Middle East. They are a mixed people of the remnants of Media and Elam and other ancestors of Semitic and Hamitic stock.
(Stump K. Plain Truth, July/August 1986)
The Bible tells that after Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria took over Damascus, he moved Syrians to Kir. While this does not mean that Kir must (or must only) be a reference to Syria, the fact that Syria is an ally of Iran is interesting. Some believe Kir is an area in the south of Iran, while others suggest closer to the Black Sea. God’s word has the expression “the Syrians from Kir” (Amos 9:7), which is basically confirmation that Kir of Isaiah 22 would include Syrians. The Bible also tells of a time when Kir will be destroyed (Isaiah 15:1b) and also says that Syria’s capital Damascus will be destroyed (Isaiah 17:1).
The “House of the Forest” was anciently located in Lebanon (e.g. 1 Kings 7:2, 10:17,21; 2 Chronicles 9:16,20.
Here is the Catholic Public Domain Version translation of Isaiah 22:8:
8 And the covering of Judah will be exposed, and in that day, you will see the weaponry of the forest house.
A way for Judah to “see the weaponry of the forest house” would be a massive attack by Hezbollah. In Isaiah 22:8, “Judah” is a reference to those in the land commonly called Israel–God will allow Israel to be attacked!
In Isaiah 22: 8, “Judah” is a reference to those in the land commonly called Israel–God will allow Israel to be attacked!
The City of David (Isaiah 22:9) is commonly known as Jerusalem. Great damage is expected.
Dr thiels view is that, Iran, Hezbollah, and the Islamic State (which is probably mainly in Syria at this time) are most likely consulting with each other to determine how and when to launch a major attack against Israel.
Israel’s ‘Iron Dome’ and other defenses will not be able to protect Jerusalem against enough of the coming attack to prevent great damage.
That said, IF Jesus is to return between 2033-2036, then he expects a regional war involving Israel will occur soon, beyond what we have seen with Israel and Gaza and Hezbollah before, and/or a proposed peace plan that will be confirmed by the “prince” of Daniel 9:26-27 in 2026.
WE all need to watch as Jesus said (Mark 13:37).
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