The Diplomatic And Military Successes In The Defensive War After October 7.
THE WORLD FORMALLY JOINED THE FIGHT AGAINST AL-QAEDA AND ISIS, but Israel is largely alone in defending itself on seven fronts against proxy terror groups that share the ideology of Al-Qaeda and ISIS and operate under Iran’s terror network. Just to be clear: Israel has strong allies, within the region and internationally, led by the United States. But the international community can and should openly and robustly join the Israeli effort to counter the threats facing everyone if these groups are not neutralized.
The One-Year Anniversary Of October 7 Served A Moment For Reflection, for drawing lessons but also for taking stock of Israel’s achievements in securing its citizens and in ensuring that its enemies cannot repeat what happened on that devastating day.
Israel’s Global Posture One Year After October 7. Despite adverse circumstances, Israel managed to pull off impressive diplomatic, political, military, and intelligence successes in the year since Oct. 7. As we take stock, we recognize that major challenges persist for Israel’s security and for peace in the Middle East.
Near-Destruction Of Hamas Terror Organization’s Capabilities. The Israeli military announced the defeat of Hamas’s Rafah brigade in September 2024, and announced this month the defeat of the military wing of the Gaza-based terror group. Check out some of our reports on the progress Israel made in neutralizing Hamas over the past year, like the Rescue Operation in August 2024 and other reports on the AJCongress Blog.
Near-Decimation Of Hezbollah Terror Organization’s Military Wing. Israel spent 11 months working with U.S. and European diplomacy to find a peaceful and diplomatic solution to attacks from Lebanon on civilians in northern Israel. Almost 12 months later, Israel began measured military action against Hezbollah after exhausting all peaceful options. This action is now helping Lebanese politicians and citizens break the ring of fear that the terrorist group had imposed on the country, allow the Lebanese army to restore Lebanese sovereignty, and free Lebanon from Iranian control. Check out our detailed update: Israel’s Actions In Lebanon: A Move For Self-Defense And, Indirectly, A Boost For Lebanon Against Hezbollah. Also, check out Israel Has Destroyed Half of Hezbollah’s Arsenal, U.S. and Israeli Officials Say.
Crippling The Heart Of Iran’s Terror Network. The Iranian regime has terrorized the entire Middle East for 40 years, killed Americans, Israelis, French, Argentinians, Kuwaitis, Saudis, Iraqis, Bahrainis, Afghans, Pakistanis and others. And this year, a U.S. presidential candidate faces an Iran-origin threat. Germany and the United Kingdom had to shut down religious centers that acted as fronts of Iranian malignant operations in Europe. Israel is now hitting this network that has destabilized the region and the world for so long. Check out NBC’s analysis Is Iran’s ‘axis of resistance’ collapsing under Israeli attacks? and Washington Post’s Israel takes the hammer to Iran’s ‘axis of resistance’.
Framing The Global Battle Against Hate And Terror. In a world where fringe extremist groups have used the invasion and massacre of Oct. 7 to normalize hate and whitewash terror groups, the leaders of Israel have provided clarity about the nature of the challenge facing the world today after the terror attacks by Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran. This is not Israel’s battle alone. If Israel does not move to protect its citizens and end this hate, we could see these violent hate ideologies target a major Western city or the capital of a moderate Arab state. We captured this in the Israeli Prime Minister’s speech in the U.S. Congress in July in this report Israeli Prime Minister In Congress: Together We Will Defend Our Common Civilization and this report: Israeli Prime Minister’s Congress Speech Proves Prescient As America And Israel Prepare For Iran’s Attack.
Showing That Investment In People And Education Is The Way Forward In The Middle East. In the year since the October 7 massacre and invasion, Israel has worked on restoring national morale, defeating terrorists, and demonstrating that investment in people, education, and technology is better than investing in terrorism, hate, and proxies, which is the model that Israel’s enemies are offering the world. The Middle East media has recently focused on how Israeli investment in education and technology helped defeat enemies who invested in extremism and violence.
Israel Strengthens The Narrative For Economic Integration And Shared Prosperity For All In The Middle East. Israel’s enemies tried to derail the Jewish state’s quest for peace with its neighbors. Since the October 7 massacre, Israeli leaders have reiterated their commitment to peace and in the Middle East, rising above the deep trauma to offer Arab partners and the world a vision for shared prosperity and permanent peace. These assurances have been a permanent feature in official Israeli pronouncements over the past year.
(Photo Credit: Reuters)
