(30 Dec 2024) The takeover of Syria by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), and the removal of Assad, has made the future playing out of both the Second and Third Signposts a little clearer.
Second Signpost Clearer
The Sunni HTS removed the Shia Assad, in effect ending the 54-year Shia Muslim minority rule over Syria. Shia Muslims, particularly the Assad family, ruled Syria in which the population is three-quarters Sunni Muslim.
Looking at the map, the areas in green are controlled by HTS. HTS controls most of Syria, including the coastal area north of Lebanon. That coastal area is where the minority Shia population of Syria is concentrated. Shia Muslims account for roughly 14 percent of the population. The coastal area is also the home of the Assad family, and the area in which the Russians have their airbase and naval base.
The Map of Syria in December 2024.
Again, as shown by the map, this shows where and why the Persian Ram charging west per Daniel 8:4.
The “where” is the “seaward” west, with the Hebrew word suggesting waves crashing on shore, showing exactly where the Persian Ram will reach the Mediterranean shore, at a minimum. The IRGC might reach the shore in other places such as in the Suez peninsula, or Lebanon, or south-central Turkey, but the area of Latakia on the coast of Syria would be a definite destination.
The “why” is also obvious, I believe. It would be to fight the Sunni majority, attempt to turn them to their Twelver Shia revolution, and to rescue their Shia brethren there on the coast.
Therefore, HTS has made the mission of the Persian Ram a little clearer.
Third Signpost Clearer
As I wrote about in this recent post, the second head of the Leopard has been secured as an ally of Turkey and some might say a puppet state of Turkey. That’s appropriate as the other three heads of the Leopard will undoubtedly be subservient to the Turkish head, just as these three nations were subservient to the Ottoman Empire over a century ago.
Back in 2019, HTS leadership actually confirmed the identity of the Leopard’s third head.
Erdogan embraced former Egyptian and Islamist president Morsi as an ally twelve years ago. But so did HTS, but at the time in 2019 HTS was still in relative obscurity. This comes to light only because HTS is now ruling Syria. The statement in Wikipedia reads:
“On 18 June 2019, HTS released a statement offering condolences to Egypt’s former President Muhammad Morsi upon his death in Egyptian custody.”
(Note: I would not follow the links beyond this statement (ref. 185) to read the details in the online pdf, for it takes you to a website at jihadology.net. Unless you are prepared, or sure there would be no placing you on a certain list, I wouldn’t click on that.)
The point is, HTS leadership feels a kinship to former Egyptian president Mohammad Morsi, just as Erdogan did. This confirms that if an Islamist government was to ever take control in Egypt, both Turkey and Syria would instantly confirm Egypt as the Leopard’s third head.
Conclusion
One reason there haven’t been many posts over the last year or so is because not much has been happening of significance from a Signpost perspective. For example, the Iranian president’s plane going down or the Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping, really were in the category of noise.
However, when a significant event occurs it is worth noting. And some significant events cause the veil to be pulled back more than others. Assad’s fall and HTS ruling Syria is such an event.
Categories: Signpost #2: Iran, Signpost #3: Four Nations, The Signpost Perspective
THE FOUR SIGNPOSTS 
Lebanon has a significant proportion of Shia also. Will we see it get swallowed up by these same forces? It seems like a consolidation move to be made similar to Syria, with Israel getting the land up to the Latani river as they have wanted.
Stu,
Could likely happen, yes. Along that line of thought, one little obscure historical fact is the modern country of Lebanon was originally carved out of Syria by France, to separate majority Christian populations from majority Muslim populations. But since the Christian population in Lebanon has been melting away, and Hezbollah now controls Lebanon, its almost pointless that Lebanon now exist as a country.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sovereign_State_of_the_Bektashi_Order
What is your take re the proposed Sovereign State of the Bektashi Order in Albania?
Also, I cannot find the credit for the original map used for your diagram of the possible future invasion of the Fertile Crescent by Iran.
Beautiful work as always. Better infrequent than fluffy.
Jeff,
Thanks. Regarding the Bektashi state, I don’t believe it would matter either way if it existed or not. Albania is 45% Sunni and 5% Bektashi (a sect of Sufi). Whether it existed or not, Turkey would ally with Albania. Turkey may not tolerate a Bektashi state when the time comes for the Third Signpost, but the Sunni confederacy will cross that bridge when it comes to it.
Regarding the credit, what do you mean? Figure 10-2 of Daniel Revisited, I drew originally in Canvas, and incorporated military force data available.