Current Events & Trends
Beyond Today Magazine
Beyond Today Magazine: July–August 2016
Course Content
Despite daily U.S. and allied forces’ airstrikes, the self-proclaimed Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) continues to seek the destruction of the Syrian state and the entirety of the current Middle East order. The focus on media attention is on ISIS’ military campaigns and the intense violence that is their calling card.
The terrorist organization is waging war on another front and in another way, however, and ISIS’ endgame holds potential danger for the state of Israel. The Washington Times reports about the next step in ISIS’ push to dominate the Middle East:
“With a media blitz, the Islamic State has set its sights on Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula as the next shot at expanding its empire and establishing a base from which to attack neighboring Israel. The terrorist group’s propaganda units have gone into high gear for recruitment this month to build a force in Sinai large enough to one day conquer Jerusalem—the same way its fighters took over large parts of Syria and Iraq” (Rowan Scarborough, “Islamic State Aims to Destroy Israel, ‘Liberate’ Jerusalem With Sinai Peninsula Terrorist Force,” May 22, 2016).
An armed guerrilla force on the Egyptian-Israeli border would mean immediate danger for both Egyptian and Israeli citizens. ISIS has already promised violence against both groups in pursuing its goal of conquest:
“Islamic State propaganda promises recruits that they will one day ‘liberate’ Jerusalem and end the state of Israel, according to analysis by the Middle East Media Research Institute [MEMRI], which tracks jihadi communications. The Egyptian army, the force standing in the way, is threatened with beheadings if soldiers continue to fight” (ibid.).
If Syria falls and Sinai is overrun, Israel may face a future of being surrounded by extremist forces in both the north and south. To see how things will ultimately turn out in the region, be sure to read our free study guide The Middle East in Bible Prophecy. (Source: The Washington Times.)
