NEW aviation incident between Turkey-Syria

UPDATE #1: 
Turkey reveals inside information for the first time. From Hurriyet Daily News in Turkey--
"Turkey has found out that the order to down a Turkish jet was given by the Bashar al-Assad administration, while a ranking Turkish source said the Syrian regime “should pay” for the attack...Breaking its silence about the incident yesterday, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu provided detailed information on how the incident took place and accused of Syria misinforming the international community. "

-------end update. more at link above-------------

Le Figaro, the nearly 200-year-old well respected French newspaper, reports the following today. It has been Google-translated:

"A new air incident between Syria and Turkey , which has no injury or property damage, occurred over the Mediterranean after the crash of a fighter aircraft F-4 Turkish killed Friday by Syria, today said a European diplomatic source. A Casa CN-235 aircraft search and rescue of the Turkish army who participated in the research of the two pilots of the F-4 has been pointed to by a system of Syrian air defense, the last step before opening fire, the source said. This defense system includes a radar and missiles. "When an aircraft is pointed to by a system of defense, he is warned by his instruments, and that's what happened," the source said. It is unclear whether the aircraft was at the time of this incident in Syrian airspace, or within 12 nautical miles (approx. 22 km) from the Syrian coast, or in the international arena. This incident, which held on Friday or Saturday, was reported by the Turkish Foreign Ministry diplomats of the countries of the European Union and NATO at a meeting Sunday in Ankara, the source said. A fighter plane F- 4 Turkey was shot dead Friday by Syrian air defense , while, according to Ankara, he made ​​a training mission, was unarmed, and was in international airspace, after a brief foray into space Syrian. Both drivers are missing. Following this incident, Turkey requested an urgent meeting with his allies of NATO , which will take place tomorrow in Brussels.'

Now the fact that Turkey is calling an urgent meeting of NATO is very interesting. The entire point of the North Atlantic Treaty Organizations is that it provides umbrella defense for each of its members. "The organization constitutes a system of collective defence whereby its member states agree to mutual defense in response to an attack by any external party' NATO has added new members seven times since first forming in 1949, and now comprises 28 nations," according to Wikipedia. The member nations are: Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Rep, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States.

Did Turkey call an urgent NATO meeting for the purpose of requesting military defense? Turkey has promised to answer the Syrian attack definitively.

Washington Post reports, "NATO will discuss downing of Turkish plane by Syria; Turkey considers retaliation"

But the Post reports in its opening sentence that NATO will likely not respond militarily. There seems to be little appetite for yet another military intervention. However, the second incident, reported today of the missile radar locking onto the Turkish search and rescue jet, does not bode well for a peaceful outcome, or even of Syria passing a straight-face test about wanting to remain "neighborly."

Meanwhile, 38 Syrian officers defected to Turkey overnight, escalating tensions yet again.

With Turkey and Syria at odds in the north, Egypt and Israel in the south are at a low point in relations. With the election of a hardened Islamist to the Egyptian Presidency, on the back of a successful campaign that had vowed to march to Jerusalem and take it over, Israel is understandably worried. The rocket attacks from Gaza have been increasing. Yet another truce has been formed but Israeli PM Netanyahu vowed to hit Gaza if this one is broken.With Hamas's track record in keeping truces (the one agreed to earlier in the week lasted only a few hours) I am not holding out hope that Israel's patience will remain forbearing forever.

While hatred in Egypt is rising against Israel, at the same time, the new President Morsi wants closer ties to Iran.

What to do? Keep looking up for our Redemption, He is in total control. Don't you think it is amazing that the ancient, centuries old prophecies of Isaiah 17, Isaiah 19, Ezekiel 38-39, Psalm 83 are all unfolding so precisely?

Yet this is the very time for fervent prayer that people in the path of these prophecies to have their eyes and heart opened to the truth of Jesus's soon return. Pray, pray, pray, Don't just pray once a week, or once a day, fervent prayer at this tumultuous time at the very END of the age is called for.

There was a persistent widow, you see,

"Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’” Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? 8 I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”' (Luke 18:1-8)

The disciples had asked when the Kingdom would come. Jesus answered in this parable, saying in the example that they should not ever, ever, ever give up praying. If an unjust judge responds to persistence, how much MORE so will the Righteous Branch of the Protector of Israel respond? Here is a preached explanation of the kind of faith Jesus will be looking for at His return:

"However, when the Son of Man comes will He find faith on the earth?" Will He find this kind of persevering faith? Will He find this kind of persevering prayer? Will He find this kind of enduring confidence? This is definitely eschatological praying. No one of us knows the time of the Rapture. We don't know when the events that are the Second Coming will be launched. We don't know when the day of the Lord is going to come, but two thousand years have passed by, believers have been waiting and waiting, and suffering at the hand of sinners. Sin escalates, evil men grow worse and worse and worse. We see the pollution inside and outside Christendom. False teachers abound everywhere. We're endeavoring to endure true and faithful, trusting in the Word of God. We have been promised that He will come. We believe that He will come. And here He says, "Keep praying for that event." He will come but part of the means of that coming is our prayer life. Prayer moves God to accomplish His work and therefore having accomplished His work, bringing it to its great culmination in His Second Coming. He will come. He promises He will come. He will be faithful to His elect. He will bring judgment to the ungodly. He will vindicate the saints. He will exalt Himself. He will establish His throne on earth. He will reign in a Kingdom on earth and He will establish the new heaven and the new earth. And that is what we are to pray for relentlessly." (source)

So pray for hearts to be changed. Pray for repentance. Pray for eyes to be opened to the nearness of the times. Pray for sins to be forgiven. Pray Pray Pray!