The shadow war between Israel and Iran has been going on for years but developments over the last few years may be pushing both nations into a countdown that will inevitably lead to full scale war.

More specifically, a two year window appears to be opening that will force Israel to act or risk facing an Iranian nuclear program that is both fully operational and protected.

Experts say Iran could enrich uranium to a weapons-grade standard within weeks, a conclusion shared by CIA chief William Burns.

However, once they reach that point they will need another 18-24 months to build their first warhead and the means to deliver it.

Every Israeli leader in recent history has vowed never to let that happen with current Prime Minister Netanyahu himself suggesting a possible military confrontation with Iran was approaching soon, saying that Israel “won’t wait until the sword is on our neck”.

Netanyahu pointed to Israel’s precision strikes on Syria in 2007 and Iraq in 1981 before they could turn on their nuclear program beyond the point of no return as a warning that action was needed now by other nations to pressure Iran into concessions before it was left with no choice.

Israeli military culture is already becoming primed for this reality with budgets going towards preparing for such a conflict and former minister Benny Gantz warned a cohort of graduating air force cadets that they could soon be jetting off to attack Iranian nuclear sites by 2024 or 2025.

Israel continues to hope the U.S. will take the lead on any possible strike and held highly publicized military exercises in the Mediterranean with the US, the largest ever drills between the two allies in a demonstration of aerial force.

New U.S.-built air refueling aircraft which the Israelis are due to receive by 2025 would significantly increase their long-range capability and makes the 2025 window more attractive if they can wait that long.

Another major factor narrowing Israel’s window for an air campaign is that Iran is seeking sophisticated new air-defense systems from Russia.

The prospect of Iran getting the systems, the S-400s, would accelerate a decision on a possible attack, people in Israel and the U.S. with knowledge of the discussions said.

Russia hasn’t said publicly if it will supply the weapons, but Moscow and Tehran have drawn closer since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. It would take less than two years for the S-400s to be operational.

The S-400s, which can hit aerial targets at a range of up to 150 miles, would create a ‘red zone for high-altitude aircraft,’ said Jeremy Binnie, Middle East defense expert at Janes, the UK-based defense intelligence firm.

“The more air defenses they have, the more difficult it is to hit them,” said Yossi Kuperwasser, a former top Israeli military intelligence official and now a senior researcher at the Israel Defense and Security Forum, an association of former and reserve members of the security forces. “We are analyzing when is the most convenient time to take action.”

“The longer you wait, the harder that becomes,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said of a strike on Iran at a security conference in Tel Aviv last week. “We’ve waited very long. I can tell you that I will do everything in my power to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.”

Russia has also offered Iran “unprecedented defense cooperation, including on missiles, electronics and air defense” and may provide Tehran with fighter jets, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Feb. 24.

In December, the U.S. said Russia was deepening military backing for Iran in return for Iranian supplies of drones for Moscow’s war on Ukraine. The next month, an Iranian lawmaker said Tehran expects a delivery of Su-35 fighter jets from Russia by mid-March.

Russia has very good ties with Iran and Tehran is looking for more support, said Elena Suponina, a Moscow-based Middle East expert.

The fear by many Israeli planners is that any actions by Russia to support Iran could lead to a broader conflict.

For Bible Prophecy experts, this scenario could lead to what is often called the War of Gog/Magog found in the Book Of Ezekiel.  In Chapter 38, the prophet Ezekiel warns of a time in which Russia, Iran, Libya, Turkey and other Muslim countries invade Israel… perhaps in retaliation for Israel’s attack upon Iran’s nuclear sites?  The invasion is triggered by something Ezekiel describes as a ‘hook in the jaw’ – giving the idea of Russia being forced into the conflict.  An Israeli attack upon Iran’s nuclear program would certainly do that.

The end result is that Russia, Iran and all it’s allies are wiped out in a way that sound a lot like a nuclear conflict.  Very few passages in the Bible describe in such detail the after effects of a battle and it certainly sounds like there is contamination with professional people to bury the dead after a significant amount of time has passed.

Only time will tell if we are currently seeing the pieces being moved into place for the Magog scenario but we know that one day soon, this prophetic battle will come to pass and when it does it will be a wake up call to the world that God’s end time clock is also ticking down.

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