On Feb. 12, 1941, German Gen. Erwin Rommel arrived in Libya. It was during the heat of World War ii, and Rommel was leading an Axis advance from the Mediterranean coast across North Africa. Germany’s ally Italy had been trying for a year to conquer the territory up to the Suez Canal but had been defeated handily by Allied forces.

In blitzkrieg fashion, Rommel’s German Africa Corps sped eastward across the desert. They reached the Egyptian border in two months. Adolf Hitler’s German high command actually worried that Rommel was moving too fast. A delegation was sent to check his advance and take stock of his supplies. The report back to Berlin indicated that Rommel was vulnerable to shortages of ammunition and fuel.

The British intercepted this cable. Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered an immediate attack on Rommel’s forces. Rommel, the “desert fox,” was ready for the attack and responded aggressively. The battle for North Africa raged for a year and a half. Only superior numbers and new materiel from the Americans enabled the Allies to force Rommel’s Nazi forces into full retreat.

Many historians realize that had Churchill failed to halt Rommel’s advance to the Suez Canal, the entire Mediterranean theater would have been lost to the Nazis, which could have changed the outcome of the war! The Allies retaining control of the Mediterranean and eventually driving Rommel out of Africa in late 1942 changed the entire tide of the conflict.

Now, 80 years later, the situation is reversed. Instead of Allied powers controlling the region, North Africa and the Red Sea coasts are governed by unstable dictatorships and radical Islamic terrorist groups seeking to take the fight to Europe!

But this time around, Germany has learned its lesson.

It will not allow Europe’s soft underbelly to be controlled by its enemy. For this reason, Germany is moving again to conquer the Mediterranean.

Radical Islam’s Push

Germany isn’t the only rising power that understands the strategic value of the Mediterranean Sea. The forces of radical Islam, headed by the regime in Iran, also have designs to dominate its sea lanes.

I first wrote about this subject in 2011. Since then, we have seen a wave of radical Islamism spread across North Africa, toppling governments in Libya, Egypt and Yemen. These jihadists want to destroy the West.

Russia has also taken advantage of the disintegration of many countries around the Mediterranean. They have close links to a faction in Libya. Their infamous Wagner Group opened the door to lucrative deals with African dictators. As Syria fell apart, Russia stepped in as a key supporter of dictator Bashar Assad, saving their only Mediterranean naval base and deepening their involvement in the region.

Astute observers in Europe, especially in Germany, see what is happening in North Africa. This is motivating European leaders to accelerate their own strategy to counter the Islamist tide.

This exact scenario was prophesied 2,500 years ago in the book of Daniel!

In 2011, I explained how Daniel 11:40-43 unlock the strategy of the “king of the south,” radical Muslims led by Iran. (For proof of the prophetic identity of this power, request my free booklet The King of the South.)

These scriptures describe the time just ahead of us: “And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over” (verse 40). This verse shows a pushy foreign policy from the south triggering a counterattack by a far superior power from the north. Pay close attention to the next verses: They indicate specific nations that will be part of this Iran-led Islamic bloc, which will be conquered by the king of the north.

“He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape” (verse 42). As we have said for 20 years, this indicates that Egypt will join an alliance with Iran. Notice who else will be in that alliance.

“But he [the king of the north] shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps” (verse 43). “At his steps” means they will join his army or be under his authority. Libya and Ethiopia are subjugated by the king of the north because they too were allied with the king of the south.

Why would Iran ally with Libya and Ethiopia?

All you need to do is look at a good map of the Middle East (map, page 18). Look at the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea and you can see why: These two countries border the two seas that form the most important trade route in the world.

Iran already dominates the Persian Gulf. It has been working to take over the Red Sea. You can see this by its involvement in Yemen. Iran also has a heavy influence in Somalia. It has had a long-standing relationship with Sudan. And prophecy tells us it will gain control of Ethiopia and Egypt, which controls the Suez Canal, the gateway to the Mediterranean Sea.

Putting this together, you can see that Iran seeks to control the most important trade route in the world!

This is leading to a major clash between the king of the south and the king of the north.

Accelerated Timetable

Discussing Iran’s moves to take over Yemen, Lt. Col. Michael Segall (Ret.) wrote for the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs: “If the Shia rebels gain control of the Bab el-Mandeb strait, Iran can attain a foothold in this sensitive region, giving access to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, a cause of concern not only for its sworn rivals Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the Gulf states, but also for Israel and European countries along the Mediterranean. Arab commentators in the Gulf have warned in recent years about this Iranian push” (Nov. 3, 2014; emphasis mine throughout). Segall actually used the same term the Prophet Daniel used.

Iran has been allowed to “push” from this region for more than a decade. After Hamas launched its Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, Iran’s Houthi proxy in Yemen began attacking Red Sea shipping. The number of vessels and cargo transiting the Red Sea was cut in half! Insurance companies began requiring ships to prove they had no ties to Israel, the United States and the United Kingdom before insuring them to pass through the Red Sea. The Houthis promised safe passage to Russian and Chinese shipping, provided they didn’t dock in Israel.

This was just a taste of what Iran could do. A complete shutdown of the Red Sea would be particularly harmful to Europe, forcing vital oil shipments to take the long way around Africa.

I believe there are visionaries in Europe who see the beginning of this prophecy about Ethiopia, Libya and Egypt allying with or falling to radical Islam. Using a little imagination, they realize that Iran could gain control of these unstable nations.

At the same time, some Iranians realize that shutting down the Red Sea is not enough. To accomplish the desired level of damage, they need to be able to attack Europe in the Mediterranean.

While the world is mostly blind to it, some in Europe are waking up to Iran’s plan to capture the Mediterranean. The Europeans see the king of the south pushing through this policy! It is creating a sense of urgency in them to counter Iran’s push.

Remember, many Germans feel the reason they lost World War ii was their failure to control that sea. Since the early 1990s, a German-led Europe has been slowly working to ensure that won’t happen again.

Several years ago, the push by the radical Islamist camp across North Africa accelerated Germany’s timetable for its own plans to dominate the Mediterranean.

Already, Germany has positioned itself to take over the region far more effectively than it did in World War ii. And this time, it won’t even be seen as the aggressor.

Adriatic Access

Germany’s renewed drive to control the Mediterranean was first visible when Berlin recognized the breakaway Yugoslav republics of Croatia and Slovenia in the early 1990s.

These two nations were Germany’s old World War ii allies. Germany fought to promote their independence in order to gain access to the Adriatic Sea, which connects to the Mediterranean. Virtually the whole world opposed the breakup of Yugoslavia and the problems it would cause, but most eventually gave in when Germany and the Vatican refused to budge.

The New York Times reported at the time, “The Security Council backed away from a confrontation with Germany over Yugoslavia today after Germany’s European allies on the council decided that they did not want a major clash with Bonn [capital of West Germany at the time]” (Dec. 16, 1991). The most powerful nations in the world backed down, allowed Yugoslavia to explode into war, and even helped bomb it out of existence, all because these powerful nations didn’t want to oppose Germany!

The Times continued, “The incident underscored Germany’s growing political power within the 12-nation European Community, diplomats said. Some added that it marked the single-most visible demonstration of that power since reunification of the two Germanys” in 1990.

Germany’s “single-most visible demonstration of that power” had everything to do with its strategy to control the Mediterranean.

“Moreover, in its unusual assertiveness in moving ahead with a plan to extend diplomatic recognition to the breakaway Yugoslav republics of Croatia and Slovenia, Germany has stirred troubling historical associations,” the article continued. “Nazi Germany dominated the two Yugoslav regions during World War ii, absorbing Slovenia into the Third Reich and creating a puppet regime in Croatia.”

Look at the map and you can see the strategic value of these two nations. The Adriatic Sea is an arm of the Mediterranean extending north to Croatia. It seems only Germany fully realizes the significance of these waters. The Germans are willing to fight the whole world to gain control of them. Nobody has asked why they are so important to Germany!

Malta and Cyprus

In World War ii, one obstacle to Rommel’s advance across North Africa was the Allied base on the island of Malta, located between Italy and Tunisia. German forces tried extremely hard to take the island; historian Andrew Roberts wrote that during Germany’s Africa campaign, it was “the most heavily bombed place on Earth.” Yet Germany never succeeded. So Malta remained a valuable depot for supplying the Allied forces who fought and beat Rommel.

Europe has ensured this scenario won’t repeat itself the next time.

In March 2000, at a conference in Malta to discuss its future entry into the European Union, former European Commission President Romano Prodi said, “Malta is the southern pillar of Europe …. I want to see Malta in the EU.” At the same conference, Gunter Verheugen, then European commissioner for enlargement, said that if Malta joined the EU it would “become a gateway.” “For Europe, Malta has been described as a springboard to the whole Mediterranean region, and especially to the African and Middle Eastern shores,” he said.

In 2004, Malta became an EU member.

Looking at the map, you can easily see why the EU wanted tiny Malta as a member. It was a strategic move that gives the EU a permanent presence in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea.

On the same day that Malta joined the EU, Cyprus, another strategic island state, also joined. This too reveals Europe’s strategy.

When Germany led the United Nations Interim Task Force in Lebanon, its ships were based in Cyprus, located in the Mediterranean a short 60 miles from Syria and 160 miles from Lebanon. Today, German ships patrol Lebanon’s coast using Cyprus as a base. As Stratfor wrote in 2012, “Cyprus’s location makes it an essential part of any security dynamic in the region.” Indeed it does!

With Lebanon so volatile, Cyprus remains a crucial base for European forces operating as part of UN missions. With Europe’s encouragement, Cyprus is beefing up its military.

Last December, Cypriot Defense Minister Vasilis Palmas told the Associate Press, “The situation in the eastern Mediterranean, with its continuous shifting geostrategic balances and competing interests, makes it even more pressing for the island to bolster its defensive capabilities.”

The EU is carrying out a new project to expand Cyprus’s naval base so it can facilitate warships of all sizes, from all EU bases.

It’s all about controlling the Mediterranean Sea! Cyprus has historically been a launching pad for armies into the Middle East. And it will be again!

Syria and Lebanon

Syria has been a major obstacle to European control of the Mediterranean for over a decade. In my September 2012 Trumpet cover story, I wrote, “The eyes of the world are fixed on this explosive hot spot. Bashar Assad will be ousted shortly—but then what? You can actually know the outcome!” (theTrumpet​.com/9737). “Keep your eye on Germany,” I wrote. “Right now, Syria is Iran’s most important regional ally. But that is about to change. … Biblical prophecy reveals that, very soon, Syria will no longer align with Iran. It also shows that Germany will help cause this split.”

That prophecy was fulfilled last year! (see my article “Syria’s Fall: Another Key Prophecy Fulfilled,” theTrumpet​.com/30673). Iran-aligned forces fled their bases in such a rush that they left behind food half-eaten! One senior member of an Iran-backed militia group said, “The order was to just take your backpack and leave.”

Iran also suffered a massive setback in Lebanon, where its proxy Hezbollah had been growing increasingly powerful militarily and politically for years. Yet I have said, based on Bible prophecy, that Iran and Lebanon would part ways. In the October 2020 Trumpet issue, I wrote, “Hezbollah will forfeit much of its power and … Iran will lose its grip over Lebanon ….” This is also happening before our eyes.

To understand what is about to happen in Lebanon and Syria, you need to know the prophecy of Psalm 83. This chapter speaks of an alliance, unprecedented in history, that consists of Turkey (Edom and Amalek), Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states (Ishmaelites), Jordan (Moab, Ammon), Syria (Hagarenes), the Palestinians of Gaza and the West Bank (Philistines), Lebanon (Gebal, Tyre) and Germany (Assur). (Read Chapter 4 of my free booklet The King of the South for more explanation.)

Psalm 83 tells us that when end-time events are fulfilled, Lebanon and Syria will be aligned not with Iran but with a number of Arab nations and Germany!

Over the last year or so, Iran and its allies have threatened Europe’s place in the Mediterranean. On Dec. 23, 2023, an Iranian general suggested that Iran would attack in more places beyond the Red Sea. Brig. Gen. Mohammed Reza Naqdi told Tasnim news agency the West “shall soon await the closure of the Mediterranean Sea, Gibraltar and other waterways.” He didn’t say how this would be done, but Iran was clearly pushing.

On June 19, 2024, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah openly threatened Cyprus: “The Cypriot government must be warned that opening Cypriot airports and bases for the Israeli enemy to target Lebanon means that the Cypriot government has become part of the war, and the resistance will deal with it as part of the war.” Cyprus is not part of nato, but it is part of the EU. Hezbollah warring with Cyprus would not mean war with the U.S. but with the EU, and thus Germany.

Why did Nasrallah threaten Cyprus? It wasn’t known to have contributed to Israel’s fight against Hamas or Hezbollah. It was a mystery to many, but from Hezbollah’s perspective, there was good reason for this threat.

Nasrallah’s Iranian backers saw that Germany is dominating that island. Iran’s leaders know its history as a base for Catholic crusaders. They know what Germany has in mind, and they strongly oppose it! These terrorists also want control of the Middle East, especially Jerusalem. Germany moving military personnel and equipment into Cyprus poses a real threat to their ambition!

Yet within months, the Iranians were kicked out of the Mediterranean entirely. So too were the Russians: The fall of Assad meant losing their only Mediterranean base. “[W]hat will happen whenever Bashar Assad is no longer ruling Syria?” I asked in a May 2024 Key of David television program. “At this time they have Russia there, propping him up. They’re making slaves of the people, and [they] don’t want to be living under Assad. Millions of them have already immigrated, and many of them [are] in Germany itself. This alliance gives Russia a naval and air force base, just like it does the Iranians, where they can be right on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea, and in one of the most strategic places in the world …. But when Germany is allied with Syria, of course that’s going to be taken away—and Germany and Iran will no longer have the Russians there … to allow Bashar Assad to continue to rule. But Iran is losing Syria to Germany. It’s happening even right now!”

I have long speculated that Germany and Russia have agreed to a secret deal. This is needed to enable Germany to go after Iran. But to have deprived Russia of any base anywhere in the region is a major victory for Europe and Germany. The Mediterranean is now a European lake.

Confrontation Over Libya and Egypt

Iran will not easily give up its ambition to supplant Europe in the Mediterranean. Pushed out of Syria and Lebanon, it will pivot to Egypt and Libya.

The Egyptian government lost $7 billion in revenue from the Suez Canal in 2024. As it struggled to get the funds it needed, its currency sank to a record low. Last October, Iran’s foreign minister led a delegation to Egypt and met with the president—a notable development for two countries that were alienated from each other for more than four decades.

Egypt’s financial problem could drive it into a relationship with Iran. But it’s more likely that the Egyptian government will fall. Iran has strong links to the Muslim Brotherhood, which helped force out Hosni Mubarak and took power briefly before it was ousted by the current military-backed government.

“Losing Syria will be devastating to Iran,” I wrote last August, months before Egypt was in the news. “It could very well be part of the reason for Iran to violently push at Europe. … Consider what happens if Germany wrangles Syria out of Iran’s hands. The Iranian terrorist regime would rightly fear that its dominance in the region was under threat. It would be concerned about preserving its alliance with Lebanon and Gaza and the Arab nations. This may cause Iran to heighten its aggression around Jerusalem and the crucial trade routes while it still can.

“In short, Syria’s shift away from Iran could trigger the events of Daniel 11:40!”

Germany looks victorious in the battle for the Mediterranean right now, but Bible prophecy says it won’t remain that way. Iran has not given up, and it will use Egypt, Libya and Ethiopia to push back.

Libya gives Iran another opportunity to do this. Since Muammar Qadhafi was ousted by a nato bombing campaign in 2011, the northern African nation of Libya has been divided between dueling militants and jihadists. When Qadhafi was removed, I warned that what would take his place would be thousands of times worse.

Germany was not involved in nato’s 2011 assault. Many Germans both then and now believe nato should not have intervened. They did not want the chaos that followed and knew they would be forced to get involved.

Look at what has happened since! The resulting unrest has provoked hundreds of thousands of refugees to get on boats and head to Malta and southern Italy.

In 2020, the major factions in Libya signed a ceasefire, slowing the flow of migrants and giving European powers the opportunity to form alliances with a more stable Libya. Italy in particular funded Libya’s coast guard—to help turn back or arrest migrant boats—and launched major energy deals.

However, the peace is fragile. Libya is still split between factions and could explode again at any moment.

For years, German ships have patrolled just outside Libyan waters. It began with Operation Sophia in 2015, a three-phase European plan to stop the smuggling of people out of Libya. They rescued 13,000 migrants from the sea, impounding or destroying smuggler boats when found outside Libyan territorial waters on the way to Italy or Malta. In 2017, the mission expanded to train Libya’s coast guard.

After the ceasefire, Operation Irini (Greek for “peace”) was launched. Europeans continued to train the Libyan Navy and to intercept migrants, but they also worked to enforce the UN arms embargo on Libya.

The EU drew up plans to deploy 5,000 to 10,000 troops to enforce the embargo, but ultimately abandoned them. Europe has been reluctant to commit troops if it doesn’t have to. But Iran will soon leave it no choice.

Germany’s relations with Turkey could be another reason it never sent in the military. Turkey routinely breaks the UN arms embargo, shipping weapons to its proxies in Libya. Germany needed Turkey’s help to overthrow Assad in Syria. It didn’t want to anger Turkey by stopping its flow of weapons into Libya. Perhaps Germany hopes it can once again use Turkey if it needs to get more involved in Libya.

Germany’s years of operating in this region have laid groundwork for its larger ambition to again set foot in Libya.

The titanic clash of Daniel 11:40 is coming. The ceasefire in Libya is only a lull. And the clash with the king of the south will not end with Libya. As the prophecies in Daniel reveal, more nations will fall when the king of the north brings the whirlwind.

The Mediterranean Dream

May 12, 1943, marked the end of Axis resistance in North Africa. British and U.S. forces secured the entire North African coast, eliminating the threat to Egypt and the Suez Canal.

Italy and Germany had a dream of a great African empire—and world empire. Their advance toward the Suez was part of the campaign. Though few realize it, Germany and many Europeans still hold to that dream today!

This time, there won’t be an Allied victory in El Alamein to drive back the German advance. Instead, Germany will be able to conquer all of North Africa and the Middle East, eventually making its way to Jerusalem (e.g. Daniel 8:9).

Watch the Mediterranean! Bible prophecy shows that it will be a major staging ground for battles that will escalate into world war!

However, prophecy also shows that this is ultimately very good news. As other passages in Daniel tell us, Germany’s dominance of the Middle East will end just as quickly as it began. This king of the north is destined to fall—because he will dare to fight Jesus Christ Himself! “[A]nd he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand” (verse 25).

With the armies of man defeated, Jesus Christ will reign supreme, ensuring that man-made dreams of dominance will no longer destroy the peace of the Earth!