Local police commanders had banned townspeople from making any international calls — or even calls beyond Tabriz — during the troop movements to maintain “operational secrecy,” despite the fact that Tehran and Moscow knew full well that Washington and Jerusalem were monitoring everything from geosynchronous spy satellites hovering in the stratosphere.
As far as Bennett was concerned, every day in Tabriz was a day closer to a death sentence. The U.N. deadline was only twelve days away. McCoy’s life was in danger, as were his, Hamid’s, and Nadia’s. It was time to move. Yes, he told Hamid, he was ready.
“So am I. I have fasted for two days. I have peace. We must go quickly.”
They could not, of course, use the main roads or railroads. They would have to head through the volcanic Sabalan mountain range, a treacherous journey at any time of year but unthinkable at night during the beginning of the rainy season. But they had no choice. Nadia quickly packed food and bottles of water for their trip.
“May I pray before we leave?” Bennett asked.
He had rarely prayed out loud, certainly not with people he barely knew. But he had no intention of heading into the mountains of Iran without God’s blessing.
“We would like that a great deal,” said Hamid.
Nadia covered her head with a scarf, and the three got down on their knees and bowed their heads to the floor. Bennett’s mouth went dry, but he did the best he could.
“Father, we love you and praise you, and we are on our faces before you tonight asking for your mercy. On each of us, and most of all on Erin, your child, whom you love. Give her strength, Lord. Tell us where she is. And help us find her and set her free, Lord. For your glory, not for our own.”
Bennett began to choke up. A lump formed in his throat.
“Lord Jesus, I thank you for Hamid and Nadia, for their love and hospitality. Please guard Nadia and her baby and protect them while Hamid is away. I pray for the congregation of Muslim converts who meet in their home, and for the dozen other churches they have planted from Tabriz to Tehran. Bless them, Lord Jesus. Protect them from the evil one. Give them the courage to live for you in dark times and the boldness to share their faith with anyone who will listen.
“I pray too for the peace of Jerusalem, and for the salvation of many souls through these dark hours. For Dr. Mordechai, that he might be willing to tell the world what he knows before it is too late. For President MacPherson, that he would be the right man in the right place at the right time. And I pray for my mother, Lord Jesus — that you would open the eyes of her heart, that you would love her and bless her and draw her into your Kingdom and into your family. Please, Lord Jesus. Have mercy on her… and on Erin…. Have mercy on these two women who…”
But Bennett couldn’t go on. He broke down and began weeping uncontrollably. Hamid and Nadia put their arms around him and began praying in Farsi. Bennett couldn’t understand a word they were saying, but he had no doubt they were praying for him, for Erin, for his mother, for a great salvation, and a great reunion. And the tears flowed even harder. He knew it was time to go. He knew it was time to get into Hamid’s beat-up Renault and start climbing into the torrential rains and forbidding Sabalan Mountains that lay ahead. But inside a dam was breaking. He was HALO jumping, and he suddenly knew beyond a doubt that God was really with him all the way.
On Monday, millions took to the streets of Tehran.
As Bennett and Hamid continued driving, they were glued to the radio as a reporter described a scene of marching, chanting, screaming crowds burning American and Israeli flags and effigies of MacPherson and Doron. Bennett could only imagine how terrifying it must be for his friends Dmitri Galishnikov and Dr. Mordechai, and all the other Israelis huddled around their TVs and radios.
“The world must understand — the Zionists must be humbled,” shouted one of Tehran’s leading Imams. “Death to Israel. Death to America, the Great Satan. The hands of the Zionists are covered in blood. Crimes against the Muslims. Crimes against the Russians. This cancerous Jewish tumor is the most dangerous threat on the face of the earth. But the Night of the Jews is almost over. Allah, we beseech thee, annihilate them with your wrath. Make their blood flow like a river through your holy city of Al Quds.”
On Tuesday, Doron met with his Security Cabinet again.
He was not a man given to fear. He had fought and bled for his country in four wars — the Six-Day War in 1967, the Yom Kippur War in 1973, the 1982 invasion of southern Lebanon, and the first Palestinian intifada in 1987 and ’88. He had once been held as a prisoner of war. Now, as Israel’s prime minister, David Doron commanded one of the world’s most powerful militaries. Yet anxiety was gnawing a hole through his stomach.
Gathered around the table were the most senior members of his national security team, the men he’d once dubbed the Sons of Issachar, “men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do.” He welcomed their counsel. But he knew this was a decision only he could make.
“Gentlemen, before you is the Mossad’s latest intelligence estimate of enemy forces in place or on the way,” Doron began. “The first tier represents the bulk of Gogolov’s military muscle — countries committing one hundred thousand or more troops and support personnel into the theater. For brevity, the forces of the former Soviet Union have been grouped together, as they are operating together through a central command structure.
“At present, we see no Egyptian mobilization, and the Sinai is clear, though we continue to monitor that front. Iraq has not mobilized. Nor has Jordan. And the king of Morocco, to his great credit, appears for the moment to be unwilling to lift a hand against us. Good news all, but I am afraid these are the only pieces of good news.
“The U.S., I believe, has abandoned us. Most of NATO is against us, though only the Germans and Turks are actually committing troops to fight against us. And I trust all of you have seen the latest reports out of Tehran, Tripoli, Riyadh, Khartoum, Addis Ababa, and so forth, to say nothing of Mecca and Medina. The Islamic world is aflame, gentlemen. The Arab and Islamic world now believes that Israel is facing her last days.”
He paused as the Security Cabinet members reviewed the threat estimate in stunned silence.
************ NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE ESTIMATE *************
22 Tishri ** 06:00:16 ** Ops Center ** 0761-049TLV-0000917
To: Prime Minister Doron
From: Director Avraham Zadok
Subject: Current Threat Assessment
* Russia — 807,000 troops — 12,989 tanks — 2,691 combat aircraft
* Former USSR Republics — 493,000 troops — 1,266 tanks — 66 combat aircraft
* Iran — 487,000 troops — 1,581 tanks — 335 combat aircraft
* Turkey — 403,000 troops — 4,271 tanks — 523 combat aircraft
* Syria — 210,000 troops — 3,817 tanks — 627 combat aircraft
* Saudi Arabia — 131,000 troops — 1,101 tanks — 447 combat aircraft
* Germany — 103,000 troops — 2,300 tanks — 246 combat aircraft
----------------------------
* Algeria — 97,000 troops — 996 tanks — 176 combat aircraft
* Austria — 21,000 troops — 41 tanks — 23 combat aircraft
* Bahrain — 8,000 troops — 99 tanks — 37 combat aircraft
* Ethiopia — 367,000 troops — 104 tanks — 31 combat aircraft