Email Alerts:     Talk to Editor Jerrell Miller          09/14/2006 08:58

A Visitation of Angels In Columbus, Georgia 

MOBILE, AL -- We thought we would look back today and publish the original testimony from the first edition of The Remnant Newspaper the November 1993 Edition of The Remnant Newspaper.

Do you ever wonder what causes a man to believe. Scripture says blessed are those that have not yet seen and believe. But what happens to a group of men when they see the power of God in a tangible form. Seventeen men at the front of an old fashioned Assembly of God altar saw a glimpse of glory in the early morning hours during an all night prayer meeting. It happened in the mill town of Columbus, Georgia during the height of racial tension among the fires of discontent.

Pastors In Alabama Now

Pastor John Kilpatrick is now the pastor of the Church of His Presence in Daphne, Alabama. His story begins with his call to preach as a young teenager. He was fourteen years old, when his father left his mother for the second time. In a place where many people would find despair he found a large door marked God and walked through it.

The Spiritual Father

He spoke of a gray headed man that became his spiritual father, "I’ll.. Never forget him. He came into my life at a time when all hope had left my family situation." He was talking about Raymond C Wetzel, pastor of Riverview Assembly of God in Columbus, Georgia. John’s oldest sister married an Assembly of God minister and with that change he began to attend the church where this young man’s father was pastor.

The testimony begins when Kilpatrick was fourteen years old at Arnold Junior High School in Columbus, Georgia. I began to see people receive The Baptism in the Holy Ghost and I wanted it badly. I had heard that on that Tuesday night, some of the men of the church were going to be praying for the young people to receive it. At school that day in biology class my teacher set up a projector in the middle of the room to view a film on dissection. Being named Kilpatrick my desk was right next to the projector in the middle of the classroom. It was loud -- I could of cared less about what they were showing because I was seeking the Holy Ghost.

"Well what happened next was unbelievable. All of a sudden the sound of the projector went down just as if someone had turned it down with their hand."

God's Audible Voice

"I heard the audible voice of God begin to speak to me in my left ear. He called me by my name and the first thing he said was, "I have called you this day to preach My word." He also told me that I was to stay away from the boys in my neigborhood because they would be a bad influence on me. He said if you don’t they’ll lead you astray, and you will take the wrong path. The last thing he told me was, ‘this day I will confirm this call to you, this day.’"

Shortly after that the bell rang. I felt no difference than what I felt like when I walked in, but when I stood up to walk, I couldn’t feel a thing. I knew I was walking but I couldn’t feel my legs morning."

"Well I went to my math class next, and there was a substitute teacher named Mr. Chaplain, who was a former Baptist preacher. As I walked in he looked at me and motioned for me to come forward. He said, "Son what’s happened to you? You’re radiating." Kilpatrick thinking that tis might be the verification to preach said, "Mr. Chaplain, you won’t believe this but God has just called me to preach in the last class. While this was not the person God used to verify my call -- it was a sure sign that something had changed me."

"I went the rest of the day in school and another eventful happened. The bell rang at 3:25 and I ran home. I came up the front steps of the house, snatched the screen door open and ran in an said -- mama, mama come here --- I go something to tell you. She walked from the back of the house kind of slowly and said "I got something to tell you! Come here, son, sit down. Today a woman came by here. I’ve never seen her in my life, she was selling doughnuts for the Church of God. She didn’t ask me if I had any kids or anything like that, we didn’t talk about that -- I went to the back to get a dollar to pay her, and after I paid her, she started down the steps. Suddenly she stopped, turned around, laid the doughnuts on the bannister, raided her hands and began to speak, the Spirit of God spoke through her in tongues and interpretation. "This day I have called your son in to the ministry. This day I have anointed him to do my work,’ and she said, "to keep him away from the other boys in the neighborhood for they will have a bad influence." The call of God on the young man had been verified by a total stranger.

Kilpatrick begin to talk about his early years as a new believer and how God taught him though the godly example of his pastor, Raymond C. Wetzel. "I could see the old white shirt of the pastor. He always took that coat off the knelt down in the back of the church in his long sleeve white shirt. Those all night prayer meeting was where I cut my spiritual teeth. Columbus, Georgia was a mill town and the men used to get off work late and come to the church and pray late at night We had all kinds in the late night prayer meeting. We had the kind that would pray aloud and bang the altars -- you could hear them all over the church. Then we had the quiet type that would lift their voices gently as they prayed."

A Supernatural Visit

"Something came up in our church one time when there was sort of a group, an elements that got together that was trying to bring an insurrection against our pastor. They didn’t like him for various reasons, mainly because he was too powerful, he was a man of God. They wanted more of a social type church, big wigs and this kind of thing, that’s the bottom line. Our pastor was a man of God that just let the Spirit of God have its way."

"One night after the Sunday service we went to get a hamburger in the little cafe on 2nd Avenue. We sat around and talked and I notices that the pastor’s heart was burdened. He was thinking about resigning the church because he just didn’t want to be in the middle of a fight. He was quiet and wasn’t talking much."

"We came back to the church that night, it was in the sixties. There was a lot of looting in Columbus, Georgia because of the race riots during the Civil Rights era. The church was in an area where they were having some racial problems at the time. While those problems were going on at the time, we had had some break-ins and the police were coming by every hour on the hour to check the church."

"I’ll never forget that night we were in there praying an it seemed as if someone tilted the building upon one end and we were climbing a hill. It was an effort to walk and an effort to pray. I remember the men just stopped praying and got quiet. Each one began to migrate up toward the front alter bench. One by one, each man was sitting on the bench -- and directly -- the pastor was the last one to come toward the front.

Our church was an old style church and from the floor to the ceiling was anywhere from 16 to 21 feet high. We had doors with two slip bolts at the top and the bottom of the door. In all there were five locks on the doors. While we were sitting, a spirit of expectancy flooded the church. All of a sudden those doors flew open and I can still hear the loud pop of the tin door knob hitting the plater walls, first one opened, then another. In through those doors walked one angel, he filled that church from the floor to the ceiling. He took a sharp right turn and went and stood in the corner where the pastor prayed all the time. Just behind him came another angel. This one took a sharp left and stood in the lift corner of the building."

"a power field of energy bursting all around them"

"As they stood there they were beautiful and tranquil looking. Both angels had a power field of energy bursting all around them. They just stood there at attention. What seemed to be a few minutes actually went into quiet a while. They were standing guard over the church. When it was time for them to leave, it was like and invisible que, not discernible with the natural ear. They turned, came back to the middle isle -- and like soldiers they walked out those open doors."

"After the angels left we followed the pastor back to that area -- as we got back to the area we all fell under the power of the Spirit. Those doors were still open and nobody bothered us all night long. When you see something like that you know that there is a real supernatural world. What followed in the next service was an answer to the pastors prayers."

"With seventeen men having seen the angels i the church you’re not going to keep something like that silent. The whole church knew about the event by the next times they me, but what happened the following evening was another miracle."

"Nothing seemed unusual until the pastor began to pray, just before the offering. As the first words came out of his mouth the entire church was slain under the power of the Holy Spirit, and from that moment on the church never had another serious problem while Brother Wetzel was pastor. The Spiritual authority of that pastor was verified through the power of prayer -- a supernatural God paid a visit to a small church in Columbus, Georgia.

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL -- With tens of thousands of Israeli soldiers still stationed in southern Lebanon, and with senior army leaders warning that fighting with Hizbullah forces could resume at any time (possibly assisted by Lebanese army units now being deployed in south Lebanon), fierce dissent continues to mount in Israel over how government and military leaders have handled the war so far in Lebanon. At a tense meeting yesterday in the coastal town of Hadera , which was struck by Hizbullah rockets during the 34 day conflict, hundreds of officers and servicemen from the elite Alexandroni brigade hurled charges of ineptitude against IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz.  One reserve solider held up a banner declaring “YOU PREVENTED US FROM WINNING.”  Military analysts said it was it was the first time in Israel ’s modern history that an entire reserve brigade had staged such a protest against senior IDF commanders.  This came as retiring General Yossi Heiman, who commanded the paratroopers and infantry units in the Lebanon conflict, publicly stated that military leaders were “guilty of the sin of arrogance” in their conduct of the war.    

 ISRAELI GOVERNMENT UNDER FIRE BY HANDLING OF THE WAR

On the political front, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert continues his attempts at damage control over his handling of the war.  This comes as dozens of members of the Alexandroni brigade marched to Jerusalem today to stage a protest outside of his office, demanding his immediate resignation.  During a tour today of areas heavily damaged in the north of Israel during the nearly five week daily rocket barrage, Olmert said that previous governments (meaning Ariel Sharon’s) knew about the dangers lurking in the north, but did nothing about it.  “We knew what Iran and Syria were doing in arming Hizbullah, but we acted as if we didn’t know,” he said.  Many of Olmert’s critics say he likewise did not adequately deal with the core issue that he mentioned, Syrian frontline support for Hizbullah, backed by Iran .   

Defense Minister Amir Peretz Under Fire Because Of Poor Handling of War

The besieged Premier was pressured at Sunday’s cabinet meeting to consider appointing an official State Commission of Enquiry to examine the conduct of the war, which would have legal powers to subpoena witnesses and bring formal legal charges against government and military leaders if deemed necessary.  So far Olmert has only agreed to the establishment of a lesser panel headed by one of his political cronies, former army general Amnon Liptkin-Shahak, which convened for the first time on Sunday.  Meanwhile a move to replace Defense Minister Amir Peretz as Labor party leader is gaining steam, led by two disgruntled Labor Knesset members. 

Syria Rearms Hezbullah and Lebanese Army Enters Area, A Danger To IDF

While the Israeli political pot continues to boil, IDF commanders are warning that fresh fighting could erupt in the coming months, or even weeks, due to stepped up Syrian and Iranian attempts to rearm their Lebanese Shiite proxy force.  They say that despite the fact that UN resolution 1701 called for a total arms embargo against Hizbullah, the two rogue states have increased efforts over the past few days to supply more rockets and other weapons to their puppet militia force.  This reality was behind the late Friday IDF commando raid deep into the Bekaa Valley near Syrian territory, which Lebanon called a violation of the ceasefire.  Israeli officials shot back that it was Beirut that was violating the ceasefire by refusing to disarm Hizbullah fighters while turning a blind eye to Syria ’s re-supply activities. Israeli military leaders have asked the government for permission to bomb any trucks suspected of carrying weapons into Lebanon , even though they acknowledged this could give Hizbullah an excuse to resume rocket attacks upon northern Israel .  At the same time, the IDF says that a naval blockade of Lebanon —mainly designed to keep Syrian and Iranian military supplies from arriving by sea—will continue for at least the next few weeks.  All this comes as attempts to set up a viable UN buffer force continue to move ahead at an extremely slow pace, due mainly to France ’s last minute decision to barely participate in the international force.  

  IR AN 'S NUCLEAR MISSILE VENTURE

 While focusing on the highly volatile situation in Lebanon , Israeli officials are also keeping a wary eye on dramatic developments in Iran .  Senior IDF officers told Israeli reporters that the military is keeping close tabs on a huge Iranian military exercise taking place in nearly half of the Islamic country’s 30 provinces.  Alarm bells rang Sunday when the extremist regime tested 10 missiles dubbed as “Lightning” in Farsi.  Although relatively short range (estimated to be between 50 to 180 miles), the missiles could hit many parts of Israel if fired from Lebanese or Syrian territory.

 IRAN'S SURPRISE WITH ISRAEL

Officials also remain on alert over Iran ’s declared intentions to give a “surprise” answer tomorrow to the UN demand that it halt its nuclear enrichment program.  While internet sights have been abuzz with speculation that Iran might fire a nuclear tipped long-rang missile at Israel—due in part to President Ahmadinejad’s enigmatic statement that the sky over Jerusalem would “glow with light” on that date—most Israeli analysts strongly doubt that Iran is anywhere near that far along in its nuclear weapons program.  Besides, that, Israel would undoubtedly respond by wiping out Iran with its own nuclear arsenal, known to be substantial, if undeclared.  Personally I would not be surprised if Iran is preparing to test a nuclear device, as the Russian defense minister reportedly told his NATO colleagues already last December, and that this could be its August 22 “answer” to the United States and other nations.  This might amount to a symbolic “glow” over Jerusalem in the minds of the Iranian Shiite extremists who rule the country, since everyone knows Iran ’s ultimate aim is to annihilate the world’s only Jewish state and “liberate” Jerusalem from hated Zionist rule. 

I will be giving my regular weekly report on events here in Israel and the region today on the Moody Broadcasting Network’s Prime Time America program, heard on radio stations across the country.  The program begins at 5:00 PM EST , which is 21:00 GMT . It can also be accessed via their web site, www.mbn.org  Thanks again to all who have expressed concern over my visa situation, which could potentially end my work in Israel after 26 years.  I continue to receive valuable support from here and abroad over this issue, and will update you when there is substantial news about it.  Meanwhile thanks for your prayers for a satisfactory outcome.   

DAPHNE, AL -- God puts his hand on certain places at certain times, people still look for the Brownsville Revival to return to the Pensacola City but the center piece of that revival lives in Alabama now.  Pastor John Kilpatrick told The Remnant, "To much is given, much is expected."  We have followed this miracle man for many years and as the archives of this man is filled with the supernatural, then you can't forget he lives in a city where Jubilees are called the miracle harvest.  A Jubilee in Daphne, Alabama is the harvest of fish through some strange event that happens on the beaches of the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay, only in the city of Daphne, Alabama.  When you visit his church at the Daphne Civic Center on Sunday morning you'll hear the teacher in the pulpit.  His training was sure in Columbus, Georgia under a local pastor who cared for him.  This fatherless child saw angels in the back of a church with 16 other men one night.  It has been the miracles in this man's life that has marked him for greatness.  To much is given much is expected and that's what the people feel like when they come to his church

 

CHUCK PIERCE SAW LEBANON BEFORE IT HAPPENED

MOBILE, AL -- The amazing prophecy of Chuck Pierce rings the bell again, here is what Pierce said, on January 29th of this year. "On January 29, 2006 when I was speaking in a church service at Jubilee Church in Camarillo, the Lord began to speak to me about Lebanon. One of the things they do at Jubilee is pray for the nations each Sunday. When I saw the flag of Lebanon, it lit up by the Holy Spirit for me to see. The Lord then began to quicken a prophetic word to me. He said, "Watch Lebanon." Not only was He speaking to that church and the people there as a personal call for them to watch over the nation of Lebanon, but I felt like He was speaking to us as His people that Lebanon would become a real prayer focus and issue this year. I was hesitant to interrupt the service and give this word because I was not confident over who in the service would understand the concept of Lebanon today. However, I am glad that I heeded the Lord's voice that He was calling us to pray for Lebanon this year.

I heard the Lord say the following:
"In the midst of the summer at the hottest point you will begin to see the snow of Lebanon melt. Watch as Palestine and Syria form an ungodly alliance with Lebanon. For Lebanon is at the end of the fork of the road of change for the Middle East. Lebanon will become an issue that causes the Middle East to go one way or the other. In the midst of the beauty and grandeur of this place I will begin to write a new script over how the nations will realign. Out of Lebanon a new wineskin will form and a new river will begin to rise. I will bring conflict into Lebanon because it is the boundary that I will deal with this year concerning My promised land of Israel. The warlike tribes of Lebanon will once again arise. But in the end I will win this war, and the riches that have been withheld from My kingdom plan will be released. Watch and see for there is a new vision. For in the days ahead you will hear a cry arise from the deep affliction and mourning that comes out of Lebanon. Out of the ancient city of Damascus, you will see a caravan arise. I, Ancient of Days, will create a conflict in Damascus. My power will be displayed to the world when I break the confederation of demonic hosts that are aligned against My covenant plan. Out of Damascus will come a new move of My Spirit. Many conversions and miracles will occur in the region that surrounds Damascus. Watch because I am realigning the nations of this region. I will send angelic forces to guard My plan. No matter how Syria arises against that plan at this time, I will have warring angelic forces that will counteract the plan of men that are aligned with evil forces to create havoc. Sing the songs of the Ancient of Days for it is those songs that will create the sound of victory over the lands of this region."

ONE SOLDIER IS KILLED THE WHOLE NATION MORNS

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL -- On Wednesday night at midnight our good friend, Dvora Ganani of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, called to say Shlomit’s (her secretary) husband, Yoni, had been killed.  He was among 15 soldiers killed that one day.  On Monday, we had traveled again to the north to Maalot to be with the mayors.  Shlomit was supposed to be with us.  However, Dvora was a blessing to give Shlomit the day off because Yoni was able to be with her for the day before leaving for Lebanon.  Yoni had just completed his B.S. in physics and was preparing for his Master’s Degree. 

On Tuesday, we brought a California tour group to the office to speak with Dvora and to be a blessing at a soup kitchen.  Shlomit walked out to the car as we left the office, and was in such high spirits to have spent the whole day before with Yoni, not knowing what was ahead for him in Lebanon.

Shlomit asked for prayer for Yoni; I don’t know if I really took hold in prayer. 

We Christians whom God has appointed to pray for Israel in this hour have a responsibility that I’m not sure we (I speak for myself) take seriously enough.  Our prayer and worship opens the heavens and allow the angelic hosts to do – at His bidding.  Our prayer and worship allows the Glory of the Lord to pour out unhindered, annihilating the plans of the enemy, providing protection for God’s people, but also, to reach in and change the heart of a man.  Prayer and worship releases His Presence in fullness.  Nothing else will change the heart of the enemy.

So, I repented; I really repented.  Not with condemnation, but with a question:  could more fervent prayer have saved Yoni’s life? 

Today on Shabbat, we had some Israeli friends visiting with us on our balcony.  I asked if they knew people at their kibbutz who had been killed in any of the wars.  They both looked at me as if I was from outer space.  Both responded (what I knew) vehemently:  there is NO ONE in the whole nation unaffected by – one death – of a soldier or a victim of a suicide bombing, or any other form of violence.  The nation is too small.  If it’s not your own friend or a family member, it’s the friend or family member of your friend.

So, as we have become a part of Israeli society, Bill and I are mourning with Shlomit, her parents, Dvora and the office about Yoni.  The Bible says to do the same. 

We thank you for your ongoing prayers and worship.  It’s the only thing to keep the heavens open for the outpouring of God’s great and mighty Presence.

Love and blessings from Jerusalem,

Connie and Bill Wilson

Canon Andrew White

BETHLEHEM, ISRAEL -- He was spoken over by Ruth Heflin in prophecy as a student in Jerusalem and today he travels the world as a peace maker. Blessed are the peace makers for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.  Andrew Whites story about the Negotiations with Hamas at the Church of the Nativity is in  the August Issue of The Remnant International.  What is God doing in Israel today. The story of the Horizon of Armageddon and the fantastic revival that happened in London this month.  Read about the move of God in this International Paper and also receive the a subscription to the International Newspaper for $5 a month today by calling us at 888 755-9145.  More that just a view from the past a blast from the present in the Holy Ghost.  Not by might nor power but by my Spirit saith the Lord.  

TAMPA, FL -- He is still a major force in revival in America, he said he was led to come to America even as a child to touch this country with major revival.  Dr. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne has paid the price to be where they are at today.  If you visit the River Church at Tampa you will see the people coming in going from this house who have a major influence over this world.  Since the early 1990's the roster of people who have been touched by Pentecostal Revival is endless.  His influence is under the umbrella of God.  He would tell you that he is not a famous person but that he is just under the influence of mighty God. We still have our eye on Israel but we know that there is a balance in what is happening right now.  If God said that His influence would be over the world like the waters of the seas.  

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL -- Israel suffered its one of its worst civilian casualty death tolls of the war today, as Hezbullah’s 23 day deliberate rocket assault upon known civilian centers throughout northern Israel continued unabated. Seven Israeli civilians had been slain by sundown, even though the number of rockets fired by then was less than half that of yesterday’s record 215. Three perished when Syrian-and Iranian supplied rockets came crashing down around the hard hit border town of Ma’alot, which made world headlines in May 1974 when PLO terrorists attacked an apartment building and then took hostage over 100 Israeli pupils huddled inside the communities high school, leaving over 20 teenagers dead.  Another four people were killed today in the mixed Arab-Jewish port town of Acco, located due north of Haifa.

  Analysts said the relatively high casualty rate may be at least partially due to growing public weariness with having to spend many hours every day in crowded bomb shelters, made worse by an intensifying mid-summer heat wave and today’s Tisha b’Av fast day—observed by many Israelis. On top of that, the radical Shiite group fired rockets and mortar shells into Israel for the first time during the night, causing many citizens to rush to shelters where they stayed put until dawn.  

  Meanwhile three IDF soldiers were confirmed to have died—the third in just the past few minutes—when their tank was struck by Hizbullah fire in southern Lebanon.  As of this morning, 81 soldiers were in several hospitals being treated for wounds sustained in the war, three of them in very serious condition.  Nearly 30 civilians were also being treated before today’s deadly rocket blitz added to that number. Unconfirmed foreign media reports say at least two additional soldiers have also been killed during today’s fierce clashes with highly-trained Hizbullah fighters.  

As more IDF troops pour into south Lebanon, the Israeli government has stated that army commanders have been instructed to establish at least a six kilometer (about three and half mile) wide enclave by this evening. The army will then use that sanitized border zone—where some 25% of the 2,000 plus Hizbullah rockets that have struck Israel have been fired from—to push forward up to the Litani River.

  The action will effectively recreate the buffer "security zone" that existed from June 1982 until May 2000.  IDF forces will continue to clean out local pockets of Hizbullah fighters as necessary, say army commanders, until some sort of international force can take possession of the border area—finally fulfilling UN Resolution 1559 to clear the area of non-governmental militias while allowing the Lebanese army to take control of the zone.  Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said today that an international force of at least 15,000 soldiers will be needed to control the zone. Efforts to create such a force are beginning at the United Nations in New York.  

QUESTIONABLE NUMBERS 

In Beirut, several Lebanese government leaders continued to justify Hezbullah daily deliberate attempts to slaughter Israeli civilians. They did this while claiming that around 900 Lebanese civilians have perished in the three week war.  However Israeli officials are skeptical of that claim, noting that Hizbullah militiamen often engage in battle while wearing civilian clothes, and so can more easily pass as civilian casualties.  For instance they note that Hizbullah claimed that 15 civilians were killed during a daring IDF helicopter raid into Baalbek Tuesday night, whereas soldiers involved insisted, with videotape evidence, that all were armed fighters who engaged them in combat.

  The number of Lebanese civilians confirmed to have been slain in an IDF Air Force bombing in the town of Qana on Sunday has been dramatically reduced today, from some 54 to 59, to 28. A local Lebanese hospital confirmed the smaller figure after the international group Human Rights Watch said it could only confirm 28 victims, 16 of them under age 20. However it said another 13 people who were earlier said to be in the building are unaccounted for, despite massive efforts to pull all of the victims out of the rubble. The group confirmed Israeli contentions that they may have previously fled the town, as all civilians were instructed to several days before the air raid was launched.

  An army investigation into the tragedy released today said that some 150 Hizbullah Katyusha rockets had been launched from inside and right around the town in the days before the air bombing took place.  The army report insisted that IDF commanders had hard intelligence that Hizbullah had fired and hidden rockets inside the four story civilian building that was struck, declaring again that it was not known in advance that civilian non residents of the building had taken shelter in its basement.

  While various international human rights and aid organizations continued to loudly condemn Israel over the inevitable deaths of hundreds of Lebanese civilians in a war started by a rouge Lebanese militia operating completely away from governmental supervision along Israel’s border for over six years, the militia’s ultimate sponsor vowed again today to wipe out millions of Jewish and Arab civilians living in the world’s only Jewish-run state. The pledge also included indirect, but clear threats to overthrow pro-west governments ruling in Jordan and Egypt.

  As usual, the vow to wipe Israel off of the face of the Middle East map—which experts agree could only be accomplished in a horrific nuclear war that would undoubtedly leave millions dead and injured—was made by deranged Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.  He told an emergency Islamic conference in Malaysia that the "main solution to the regional crisis is the elimination of the Zionist regime." But possibly reflecting the fact that his country’s surrogate Lebanese Shiite force is currently being pummeled in Lebanon, he added that "at this stage" he was demanding "that an immediate ceasefire be implemented."

  The Iranian leader went on to condemn "regional Muslim powers" that had supposedly betrayed the Islamic cause by "doing deals under the table with the Zionist enemy"—presumably a reference to peace treaties in force between Israel, Jordan and Egypt.  It should be recalled that Iran and Syria crushed an American-brokered peace treaty between Israel and Lebanon in 1983 (I actually attended the signing ceremony at a hotel in northern Israel) by unleashing a flood of Hizbullah terror attacks upon American and French peacekeeping forces, along with attacks upon Israeli forces who would have quickly evacuated the country if the treaty had not been wiped out before it could be implemented.

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL -- Israeli military commanders were given government permission late last night to widen their operations in southern Lebanon, with the goal to drive all Hizbullah ground forces and rocket launchers north of the Litani River. They hope to achieve this goal before Friday, when growing international diplomatic pressure to end the fighting is expected to reach a climax. Yasser Arafat’s PLO fighters were driven out of the same area—some 15 to 18 miles north of the Israeli border on average, and about 25 miles wide—in just a few hours in 1982, but they were not as heavily armed or well trained as the Iranian-backed Lebanese fighters.

To help accomplish the goal, up to 15,000 reserve soldiers received their call-up notices early today. Thousands more remain on alert to be drafted into the army on a moment’s notice. It is not clear if the IDF will enter the main town in the zone, the ancient port of Tyre, which is a major Hizbullah stronghold. Analysts say any attempt to do so would probably involve protracted fighting, unless Hizbullah commanders order a retreat in the face of overwhelming Israeli firepower. Many analysts say capturing the town is the only way to insure that Israel’s former "Security Zone" is emptied of Hizbullah rocket launchers.

Foreign news reports say three IDF soldiers were killed this morning when a Hezbullah anti-tank rocket struck their armored vehicle during intense fighting in the village of Ayta a-Shabn, near the town of Zarit. The IDF has so far not announced the reported deaths, but has admitted that some soldiers were wounded in the fighting. Israeli army commanders said at least 20 Hezbullah fighters have been killed in heavy clashes taking place in the central and western sections of south Lebanon over the past 24 hours, supported by constant Israeli artillery fire from across the border.

The IDF said it took total control today over the town of Taibeh, near to where the Litani River bends north. The town is located close to the main Maronite Catholic town in the south, Marjayoun, which is due north of Israel’s northernmost town, Metulla. Hezbullah TV admitted that fierce clashes were taking place in that town, and in several other portions of southern Lebanon. The Shiite militia lobbed several Katyusha rockets into Israeli territory by 5:00 PM, far less than on Sunday. IDF spokesmen say they believe they have destroyed most of the militia group’s rocket launchers, but admit that Hezbullah still probably has up to 9,000 rockets in its large arsenal, including some that could strike Tel Aviv. Home Front Command officials have warned over one million Israelis to stay close to their bomb shelters despite today’s relatively light rocket barrage. Meanwhile a total closure was quietly imposed overnight in Judea and Samaria, barring all Palestinians, apart from special cases, from entering Israel. Analysts said this was designed to lessen the chances of Palestinian terrorist attacks being launched inside of Israel while fighting rages in the north.

SYRIA ON FULL ALERT

With full ground combat now going on in many locations, Syrian dictator Bashar Assad announced today that his military forces have been placed on the highest state of alert. He said Syria could not stand by while "Israeli aggression destroys our brotherly neighbor of Lebanon." This came as Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz warned that the IDF would fire at any vehicle carrying arms from Syria into Lebanon, as it did overnight. Another Air Force strike was reported near the border today, along with the bombing of several Hezbullah positions in the Bekaa Valley just west of Syria. Despite the action, Peretz added that Israel has no intention to enter a war with the Syrians, who possess a substantial air force, a large army and thousands of Scud ballistic missiles and chemical capability. Various media reports say Iranian missile batteries have recently been set up in central Syria which can strike most portions of Israel as well.

Military analysts here in Jerusalem continue to suspect that both Hezbullah and Iranian leaders are putting intense pressure on the Assad regime to open another war front on the strategic Golan Heights, captured from Syria during the 1967 Six Day war. Such concerns were intensified when Iran’s foreign minister flew to Beirut yesterday to hold "urgent talks" with his Lebanese counterpart. Afterwards he told a press conference that the Islamic regime ruling Iran was offering its "full support to Lebanon’s efforts to confront the criminal Zionist aggressors."

TECHNICAL NOTE

I wish to thank again the many folks who have written to express appreciation for these daily war updates, which are now being read by tens of thousands of people around the world, including some government and media leaders. However, Israel has suffered a partial breakdown in its internet services since the beginning of the conflict three weeks ago, due to the extra heavy e mail traffic in and out of the country and multipled overseas visits to Israeli news sites every hour. Therefore I have not been able to update my own web site for several days, nor have I been able to read any of the mail that has come into my e mail list address since the middle of last week. So please forgive me if you have written and had no response.

My internet supplier, Israel’s largest, is located in Haifa. Repeated phone calls to see what might be done to rectify the situation have been met with a recorded notice that the provider is under tremendous extra pressure due to the situation in the north, and will try to answer as quickly as possible. So far I have not succeeded in getting through. This is just one more tiny aspect of the war that is not apparent to most people around the globe.

Speaking of the situation in the rocket-blitzed north, I had to scratch my head while listening to an interview on Britain’s Sky lunchtime news on Monday. The interviewer asked a representative of the Oxfam charity what the needs were in southern Lebanon. After a very full and graphic description of the terrible suffering that many civilians are sadly enduring there, she was asked if the group was doing anything to aid Israeli civilians suffering under daily Hezbullah rocket fire just south of the international border.

The Oxfam representative totally ignored the question, launching instead into an impassioned description of current Palestinian suffering in the Gaza Strip! But the fact is that fully one-forth of Israel’s population has been directly affected by the conflict, if not as severely in most cases as Lebanese civilians living in the main battle zone. Still, to reside in a crowded bomb shelter for three weeks in the summer heat, to have normal life turned totally upside down, with most regular business and recreational activity suspended, to be ready to rush to a bomb shelter at a moment’s notice—none of that is easy to live with, especially for the thousands of children from families not able to evacuate the affected areas for financial or other reasons. I know exactly how it feels, since I lived under the very same conditions during 1981 and 1982.

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