East Coast Quakes and the Sixth Seal: Revelation 6

Items lie on the floor of a grocery store after an earthquake on Sunday, August 9, 2020 in North Carolina.

East Coast Quakes: What to Know About the Tremors Below

By Meteorologist Dominic Ramunni Nationwide PUBLISHED 7:13 PM ET Aug. 11, 2020 PUBLISHED 7:13 PM EDT Aug. 11, 2020

People across the Carolinas and Mid-Atlantic were shaken, literally, on a Sunday morning as a magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck in North Carolina on August 9, 2020.

Centered in Sparta, NC, the tremor knocked groceries off shelves and left many wondering just when the next big one could strike.

Fault Lines

Compared to the West Coast, there are far fewer fault lines in the East. This is why earthquakes in the East are relatively uncommon and weaker in magnitude.

That said, earthquakes still occur in the East.

According to Spectrum News Meteorologist Matthew East, “Earthquakes have occurred in every eastern U.S. state, and a majority of states have recorded damaging earthquakes. However, they are pretty rare. For instance, the Sparta earthquake Sunday was the strongest in North Carolina in over 100 years.”

While nowhere near to the extent of the West Coast, damaging earthquakes can and do affect much of the eastern half of the country.

For example, across the Tennesse River Valley lies the New Madrid Fault Line. While much smaller in size than those found farther west, the fault has managed to produce several earthquakes over magnitude 7.0 in the last couple hundred years.

In 1886, an estimated magnitude 7.0 struck Charleston, South Carolina along a previously unknown seismic zone. Nearly the entire town had to be rebuilt.

Vulnerabilities

The eastern half of the U.S. has its own set of vulnerabilities from earthquakes.

Seismic waves actually travel farther in the East as opposed to the West Coast. This is because the rocks that make up the East are tens, if not hundreds, of millions of years older than in the West.

These older rocks have had much more time to bond together with other rocks under the tremendous pressure of Earth’s crust. This allows seismic energy to transfer between rocks more efficiently during an earthquake, causing the shaking to be felt much further.

This is why, during the latest quake in North Carolina, impacts were felt not just across the state, but reports of shaking came as far as Atlanta, Georgia, nearly 300 miles away.

Reports of shaking from different earthquakes of similar magnitude.

Quakes in the East can also be more damaging to infrastructure than in the West. This is generally due to the older buildings found east. Architects in the early-to-mid 1900s simply were not accounting for earthquakes in their designs for cities along the East Coast.

When a magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck Virginia in 2011, not only were numerous historical monuments in Washington, D.C. damaged, shaking was reported up and down the East Coast with tremors even reported in Canada.

Unpredictable

There is no way to accurately predict when or where an earthquake may strike.

Some quakes will have a smaller earthquake precede the primary one. This is called a foreshock.

The problem is though, it’s difficult to say whether the foreshock is in fact a foreshock and not the primary earthquake. Only time will tell the difference.

The United State Geological Survey (USGS) is experimenting with early warning detection systems in the West Coast.

While this system cannot predict earthquakes before they occur, they can provide warning up to tens of seconds in advance that shaking is imminent. This could provide just enough time to find a secure location before the tremors begin.

Much like hurricanes, tornadoes, or snowstorms, earthquakes are a natural occuring phenomenon that we can prepare for.

The USGS provides an abundance of resources on how to best stay safe when the earth starts to quake.

Terrors groups laud Ariel ‘heroic operation,’ call for escalating attacks outside the Temple Walls

Terrors groups laud Ariel ‘heroic operation,’ call for escalating attacks

Hamas officials consider the Aqsa Mosque compound rallies a “referendum” in support of the armed “resistance” against Israel.

Buoyed by Friday night’s terrorist attack in Ariel and massive support during rallies at the Aqsa Mosque compound (Temple Mount) over the past few weeks, Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups have called for stepping up the fight against Israel. In separate statements, the groups also welcomed the Ariel attack, which resulted in the killing of a security guard.

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Hamas officials said over the weekend that they consider the rallies that took place at the compound as a “referendum” in support of the armed “resistance” against Israel.

During the rallies, thousands of Hamas supporters chanted slogans in support of Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif and the group’s leader in the Gaza Strip, Yayha Sinwar. The demonstrators also called on Hamas to bomb Tel Aviv and “blow up the heads of the Zionists.”

“The decision of the Palestinian people is that the resistance is the option and the shortest way to liberate Palestine and Jerusalem,” said Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who is based in Qatar.

But a leaflet distributed by Fatah activists in east Jerusalem on Friday criticized the worshippers for raising Hamas flags at the holy site. The leaflet also attacked the worshippers for chanting slogans against Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

IDF soldiers prepare for action after a man was killed in a drive by shooting at the entrance to Ariel on April 29, 2022. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON’S UNIT)

A senior PA official in Ramallah condemned the use of the holy site as a podium for “raising political banners and slandering President Abbas.” The official argued that the pro-Hamas rallies at the Aqsa Mosque compound caused “huge damage” to the Palestinians.

In a video released early Saturday, a masked man claiming to represent the Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of the ruling Fatah faction headed by Abbas, claimed “full responsibility” for the Ariel attack. He said that the attack came “in response to the oppression and violation of the occupation government against Muslim and Christian holy sites.”

The masked man pledged that his group will continue “in the path of glory and martyrdom.”

It was not clear whether the Fatah-affiliated group was indeed responsible for the attack.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) organization said that the Palestinians will “continue the fight against the [Israeli] enemy.”

Commenting on the death of Yahya Adwan, a 28-year-old Palestinian from the village of Azun in the northern West Bank who was shot dead by IDF soldiers during clashes shortly after the Ariel attack, PIJ called on Palestinians to avenge his killing.

Abu Hamza, a spokesperson for PIJ’s armed wing, praised the Ariel attack as a “heroic operation” and a “gift from the Palestinians to all the free people on Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day.”

AL-QUDS DAY, an annual event held on the last Friday of Ramadan, was initiated by Iran in 1979 to express support for the Palestinians and call for the destruction of Israel.

Abu Hamza said that the rallies and demonstrations held in Iran and other countries on the day increased hopes of the imminent “defeat of the Zionist entity.”

He praised Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei for supporting “the path of struggle and jihad against the Zionist enemy.”

Hamas also welcomed “the heroic operation” in Ariel, saying that the fight will continue “until liberation and [the right of] return,” a reference to Palestinian refugees and their descendants who are demanding that they be allowed to return to their former homes in Israel.

“This heroic operation, and the continuous resistance operations, dispel the illusions of those who thought that the settlers’ daily crimes against our people, our land and our Islamic and Christian holy sites, and their incursions into blessed al-Aqsa Mosque, will remain without a price and without a response from the resistance,” Hamas said in a statement. “As we salute our heroic resistance fighters, we affirm that the resistance will continue as long as the occupation remains on our land.”

The PLO’s Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) also hailed the Ariel terror attack, urging Palestinians to continue the “struggle” against Israel.

“The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine saluted the heroes of the attack on the Ariel settlement, who expressed the choice of our Palestinian people to resist the occupation,” the PFLP said in a statement. “The armed action of the resistance factions is the best response to the occupation and its crimes.”

The PFLP called on Palestinians to “expand and escalate all forms of engagement with the Zionist enemy.”

The DFLP, for its part, said that it considers the Ariel attack as “a blow to the occupation’s security system and its fortifications.”

The group said that the attack came “in response to the occupation’s crimes, terrorism, settler violence, attacks on worshipers in the courtyards of al-Aqsa Mosque, and daily arrests and incursions. Our people will continue their resistance in all forms until the liberation of their land.”

Iranian Horn Moves Centrifuge-Parts Workshop Underground

Iran Moves Centrifuge-Parts Workshop Underground at Natanz, IAEA Says

Baghdad – London – Fadhel al-Nashmi

Thursday, 28 April, 2022

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi with Iraqi Speaker Mohammad al-Halbousi in Tehran (EPA)

The Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, has warned that Tehran would react swiftly and decisively to any action to harm his country’s security from Iraqi territory.

Shamkhani spoke during his reception of the Iraqi Speaker, Mohammad al-Halbousi, who arrived on his first visit to Tehran since he was elected for a second term in January.

The Speaker and the accompanying delegation met with senior officials in Tehran, including President Ebrahim Raisi.

Shamkhani addressed the “unacceptable” moves made from inside Iraqi soil against Iran’s security, stressing that Tehran adopts a conscious approach to threats and “fully monitors meddlesome activities of the Zionist regime, the US, and their affiliated currents and will react swiftly and decisively to any action meant to harm the security of Iran and the region.”

Halbousi announced that the Iraqi parliament is preparing a plan to criminalize cooperation and relations with Israel to prevent any possible steps from normalizing ties with the regime.

He described the ongoing dialogue and cooperation between the main religious and ethnic groups in Iraq as a condition for forming an effective and strong government in this country.

“Iran can play an important role in creating political cohesion in this country because of its moral influence among some religious and political groups in Iraq,” said Halbousi.

Halbousi said, during a press conference that he held with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, that the parliaments represent the peoples and strive to strengthen everything that can be reflected on their people.

He referred to the relations between the two countries, saying they are intertwined and that the “stability of Iran reflects positively on Iraq” and vice versa.

He stressed the respect for the other countries’ sovereignty and the development of the ties between the regional countries.

Halbousi stressed the importance of having common positions for regional countries in the international parliament because they face common challenges.

Iran faces economic problems and sanctions, said Halbousi, adding that Iraq has been under terrorist attacks and faced global crises and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

He continued that it is not acceptable to impose sanctions on people, nor should it be intimidated by empowering armed gangs aspiring better future and relations.

Halbousi hoped parliaments in both countries would take their role by pushing the government forward and removing the obstacles that faced previous governments.

The head of the State of Law coalition, led by Nouri al-Maliki, announced he objected to the delegation that accompanied the Speaker in his visit to Tehran.

In a statement, the head of the parliamentary bloc, Atwan al-Atwani, opposed the “discrimination” in choosing the delegation accompanying the Speaker on his visit, saying it was not based on professionalism and parliamentary benefits.

Atwani added that members of the parliament presidency were not aware of the visit, hoping it would not establish personal interests.

Observers expect the visit to focus on the stalled government for more than six months, given Tehran’s influence with most political forces and close relations, namely the “Shiite Coordination Framework.”

Meanwhile, the Iraqi Minister of Electricity, Adel Karim, met the Iranian Oil Minister, Javad Oji, in Tehran.

The meeting addressed the development and consolidation of relations in energy and equipping the Ministry of Electricity with the necessary gas to operate the power plants ahead of summer 2022, according to a statement issued by the Ministry.

The statement stated that the meeting was characterized by a positive atmosphere and the talks were productive to a large extent.

The statement indicated that “the two parties agreed to reach mutually satisfactory solutions regarding legal obligations and prices, and to pay the values of the supplied fuel, according to a mechanism that ensures the flow of processing during 2022.”

The Saudi Horn Prepares to Nuke Up: Daniel 7

• nextImage 1 of 3A banner shows Saudi King Salman, right, and his Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, outside a mall in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Feb. 5. (AP Photo)

Saudis would develop bomb ‘the next day’ if Iran nuclear deal led to weapons capability: experts

Saudi Arabia may exploit its ties with Pakistan to quickly acquire a bomb

By Peter Aitken | Fox News

Saudi Arabia will likely look to develop its own nuclear capabilities should an Iran nuclear deal go through, experts told Fox News Digital.

“If Iran went nuclear tomorrow, the next day the Saudis would probably buy a nuclear weapon from Pakistan or ratchet up their own nuclear program,” said Jim Phillips, a senior research fellow for Middle Eastern affairs at The Heritage Foundation. “They have a long way to go, but they reportedly financed the Pakistani program, and there might be some quid pro quo involved in that.” 

Saudi Arabia strongly opposed the original nuclear deal but recently has shown more willingness to engage Tehran on an agreement. Experts point to a number of factors that have drawn Riyadh to the negotiating table – chiefly economic and security concerns for the region. 

“I think Saudi Arabia is being more diplomatic, but not really positive because it saw the deal went through in 2015 despite its objection and the objections of Israel,” Phillips argued. “So, I think it’s minimizing its negative reception.”

“It’s publicizing its negative views of a possible deal, but I believe it remains strongly opposed because of the impact of a possible deal on its national interests.”

A nuclear deal would likely see Iran resume its previous level of trade, which would provide a significant impact on the economic balance of the region. Todd Young recently wrote in a Fox News opinion piece that the windfall could total as much as $130.5 billion. 

“Saudis and others would be worried about reductions in oil prices – that’s the first concern – and overall, more the worry is whether Iran will be able to use the income from a new nuclear deal to help further fuel the expansion of its missile and proxy terrorist activities,” Matthew McInnis from the Institute for the Study of War explained.

“The Houthis are certainly the number one concern for the Saudis right now,” McInnis said. “That’s the number one thing on the Saudi agenda: how to deal with the Houthis. They want resolution of the conflict.” 

The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this year that Saudi crown prince Mohammad bin Salman refused a call from President Biden – which the White House denies – and Phillips argued this was likely in reaction to how Biden has handled the Houthis security concern. Biden removed the Houthis from a list of designated terrorist groups shortly after taking office but has considered adding them back to the list as a means of easing tensions with Riyadh. 

But the greatest concern remains Iran’s ability to obtain nuclear weapons should it start to develop its capabilities. The JCPOA limited Iran’s nuclear capabilities for a period of 10 years on centrifuges and 15 years on the amount of enriched uranium it can possess. 

Critics argue the 15-year window only delays Iran’s nuclear pathway rather than stops it, and it provides Iran with upfront, permanent benefits of cash that cause immediate concerns for the region. Supporters believe that gap will allow a new generation to take power and make new agreements, but it’s a gamble that some other countries – such as Israel and, until more recently, Saudi Arabia – do not support.

Saudi Arabia’s program remains far less developed compared to Iran’s, but it has some potential shortcuts: A “variety of sources” told BBC Newsnight in 2013 that Saudi Arabia had invested in Pakistan’s nuclear weapons project, largely to prepare for the possibility of Iran obtaining a bomb. 

Amos Yadlin, a former head of Israeli military intelligence, told a conference in Sweden at the time that if Iran got the bomb, “the Saudis will not wait one month. They already paid for the bomb, they will go to Pakistan and bring what they need to bring.”

McInnis argues that is may still be the case: Pakistan would likely provide the “easiest” option for Saudi Arabia to arm itself, but he questions how effectively that method would work. 

“I think the Iranians probably underestimate the risk of other regional states pursuing nuclear weapons if they do decide to go for a bomb,” McInnis said. “This is one of the reasons why we have to be extremely concerned about the Iranians pursuing a nuclear weapon, considering the possibility of a nuclear arms race in the region.” 

“Obviously, with the long-standing connections with Pakistan on a variety of fronts, there is the concern that that would be the avenue by which Saudi Arabia could achieve a nuclear weapon quickly,” he added. “I think the Pakistan pathway is probably the easiest, but I think there are still a number of questions as to whether that would work.” 

12 Injured In Clashes Outside the Temple Walls: Revelation 11

12 Injured In Clashes At Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque: Report

Jerusalem: Israel’s police said forces entered the compound after “rioters” hurled stones and fireworks, including down towards the Western Wall, the sacred Jewish site below Al-Aqsa.

WorldAgence France-PresseUpdated: April 29, 2022 11:48 am IST

Jerusalem: The Red Crescent said that most of those injured suffered “upper body injuries.” (File)

Fresh clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque compound injured 42 people on Friday, the Palestinian Red Crescent said, following weeks of violence at the flashpoint site.

The unrest came on the final Friday in the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. None of the injuries were serious, the Red Crescent said, adding that 22 people had been taken to hospital.

Israel’s police said forces entered the compound after “rioters” threw stones and fireworks, including down towards the Western Wall, the sacred Jewish site below Al-Aqsa.

The statement said officers used “riot dispersal means” to contain the unrest. Witnesses and AFP reporters said police fired tear gas and rubber bullets.

Police said three people had been arrested, two for throwing stones and one for “inciting the mob”.

“For the past hour, the site has been quiet and (Muslim) worshippers are safely entering (the compound)” police said.

But tensions remain high at the site in the heart of Jerusalem’s old, walled city, part of Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem.

Over the past two weeks, nearly 300 Palestinians have been injured in clashes at the Al-Aqsa compound, Islam’s third-holiest site which is the most holy site for Jews, who call it the Temple Mount.

Israel’s incursions into the site during Ramadan have raised global concern, but the Jewish state has insisted it was compelled to act against operatives from the Islamist groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad who were seeking to spark widespread unrest across Jerusalem.

In an apparent attempt to ease tensions, Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid has stressed that the government was committed to the status quo at the compound, meaning an adherence to long-standing convention that only Muslims are allowed to pray there.

Jews are allowed to visit the Temple Mount.

Muslim leaders have, however, been angered by a recent uptick in such visits. Some voiced fears that Israel was seeking to divide the compound and create a space where Jews may worship. Lapid told journalists that no such plan exists.

The fresh unrest comes as the end of Ramadan early next week.

Violence in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem has raised fears of another armed conflict similar to an 11-day war last year between Israel and the militant group Hamas, triggered by similar unrest at Al-Aqsa.

Recent weeks have seen isolated rocket fire from Gaza towards Israel and Israeli reprisals, but no casualties reported on either side.

The Al-Aqsa tensions have come against a backdrop of violence since March 22 in Israel and the occupied West Bank. Twelve Israelis, including an Arab-Israeli police officer, and two Ukrainians were killed in four separate attacks inside Israel. Two of the deadly attacks were carried out in the Tel Aviv area by Palestinians.

A total of 26 Palestinians and three Israeli Arabs have died during the same period, among them perpetrators of attacks and those killed by Israeli security forces in West Bank operations.

Iran Continues to Nuke Up: Daniel 8

Iran Set Up Workshop For Machines That Enrich Uranium: UN Nuclear Body

The International Atomic Energy Agency informed its member states two weeks ago that the machines are from a now-closed workshop at Karaj.

WorldReutersUpdated: April 28, 2022 10:01 pm IST

Iran Nuclear Talks: Negotiations to restore the nuclear deal resumed in late November. (File)

Vienna, Austria: 

Iran’s new workshop at Natanz for making parts for centrifuges, machines that enrich uranium, has been set up in one of the halls of the underground Fuel Enrichment Plant there, U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said on Thursday.

The International Atomic Energy Agency informed its member states two weeks ago that the machines from a now-closed workshop at Karaj, which was hit by an apparent sabotage attack that Iran blames on Israel, had been moved to Natanz without specifying where exactly at the sprawling site.