Today, in a daring daytime strike in southern Beirut, Israel killed one of the top military leaders of Hezbollah, Ibrahim Aqil. The attack hit a high-level meeting chaired by Aqil with senior leaders of Hezbollah’s "elite" Radwan forces. In addition to Aqil, at least ten other Hezbollah commanders were killed.
Ibrahim Aqil has been wanted by the United States for his role in the bombings of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut and the Marine Barracks bombing. The two terror attacks killed 304 people.
The IDF noted that Aqil was orchestrating a Hezbollah invasion of the Galilee that would emulate the October 7 massacre. With his death, Israel has eliminated two of the top three Hezbollah leaders in just two months.
Israel reportedly used two F-35s to fire missiles at the meeting. Israel acquired the F-35, in part, with the annual security assistance we lobby for each year. This operation to remove senior, deadly terrorists from the battlefield demonstrates yet again that supplying arms to Israel is essential to ensure that it can protect its families from attack.
Below are the top news stories from the week related to the U.S.-Israel relationship.
Shabbat Shalom,
Adam Harris
Director of Communications
Oppose Bernie Sanders’ new anti-Israel resolution to stop weapons to Israel
This week, Senator Bernie Sanders announced a new resolution to block vital weapons shipments to Israel.
Speaking on the Senate floor this week, Sanders blasted Israel’s conduct during the war, accused President Biden of breaking the law by selling our ally weapons, and claimed Israel alone is responsible for there not being a hostage deal.
This dangerous resolution is meant to erode Israel's security, undermine the U.S.-Israel alliance, and weaken America and our ally.
As Iran and its proxies attack Israel, Sanders wants to leave it vulnerable and alone.
ACTION NEEDED: Urge Congress to reject this dangerous resolution.
Hezbollah Devices Explode Across Lebanon
This week, Hezbollah suffered a major blow in an operation being labeled Hezbollah's "biggest security breach" yet.
On Tuesday, in a precision operation, pagers used by Hezbollah terrorists exploded, killing more than a dozen terrorists and injuring thousands more, including Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon.
On Wednesday, handheld radios used by the terror group simultaneously detonated, killing at least 14 and injuring more than 450 terrorists.
Admiral James Stavridis, U.S. Navy (Ret.) praised the pager attack as "tactical (individual attack on many Hezbollah operatives) & operational (knock out comms) & strategic (signal to Iran). And above all deeply psychological. Remarkable."
Democratic members of Congress — progressives and moderates alike — have declared their support for the targeted operations.
"For those of us who have been critical of the conduct of the war in terms of [there being] too high of a tolerance for civilian casualties, we should be a little cautious to criticize an operation this precise," Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) said.
Watch the video below for more on this unprecedented operation 👇
This comes as Hezbollah continued its attacks against the Jewish state this week.
Since October 8, Hezbollah has launched more than 8,500 rockets at Israel, including hundreds just this week — killing more than 40 Israelis.
Israel Continues to Surge Aid to Gaza as Hamas Rejects Ceasefire Deals
Polio vaccination coverage in Gaza reached 90% this week, with over 550,000 children across the enclave receiving their first dose of the vaccine, facilitated by Israel's ongoing efforts to surge humanitarian assistance into Gaza.
"We will continue working with our partners to facilitate humanitarian medical responses for the civilian population in Gaza," Israel's COGAT stated.
Meanwhile, over the last week, nearly 1,000 tons of aid were delivered to Gaza via land crossings and maritime routes, consisting of food, water, shelter equipment, and more.
This comes as the terror group continues to reject hostage/ceasefire deals.
"According to Biden administration officials, Hamas makes demands and then refuses to say 'yes' after the U.S. and Israel accept them," the Wall Street Journal reported this week.
America, Egypt, Qatar, and the international community must increase the pressure on Hamas.
Houthi Threat to America and Israel
Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen continue to pose a serious threat to Israel and America, and have continued to target U.S. Navy and commercial ships traveling through the Red Sea.
The Houthis recently shot down two American MQ-9 Reaper drones, the U.S. military acknowledged Wednesday. The first drone was shot down on Sept. 10, and the second on Sept. 16.
Iran and its terrorist proxies are a threat to America and Israel. The United States must increase the pressure on Iran, including by fully enforcing sanctions, and take military action when necessary to defend American interests.
U.N. General Assembly Passes Anti-Israel Resolution
On Wednesday, the U.N. General Assembly passed a Palestinian resolution calling for sanctions and an arms embargo against Israel. The resolution doesn’t mention Hamas, the October 7 massacre, or the 101 remaining hostages in Gaza, and it demands Israel leave east Jerusalem — including the Western Wall — within 12 months.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said that the resolution strengthened the "Hamas terrorist organization and the Iranian terrorist state that stands behind it. The resolution sends a message that terrorism pays off and yields international resolutions."
This is the latest example of the United Nations' longstanding bias and discrimination against the Jewish state.
Members of Congress Call on Biden Administration to Enforce Iran Sanctions
On Thursday, members of Congress sent two letters to the Biden administration urging stricter enforcement of sanctions on Iran.
Rep. Adam Schiff led a bipartisan letter calling on the State Department to "exercise all available tools at its disposal to enforce sanctions against Iran, particularly as it pertains to Iranian exports of oil to China." The letter was cosigned by Reps. Mike Lawler, Josh Gottheimer, Jared Moskowitz, Claudia Tenney and Young Kim.
Sen. Marco Rubio led a letter calling on the administration to enforce the MAHSA and SHIP Acts. The letter urges the administration to fully enforce the law and promptly make sanctions determinations, impose appropriate sanctions, and report to Congress what determinations have been made and which sanctions have been imposed. The letter was cosigned by Sen. Jim Risch and Reps. Mike Lawler and Jim Banks.
Iran continues to dangerously advance its pursuit of nuclear weapons as it supports terrorism throughout the Middle East. The Biden administration must increase the economic pressure on the Iranian regime to end these illicit efforts.
Northern Israel earlier after 11 months of nonstop rocket fire from Hezbollah, including over 100 rockets today.
Senior Rabbi Jeremy Barras of Temple Beth Am in Miami, Florida penned an op-ed exposing J Street's political actions.
Hamas is stealing and profiting off international aid donations to Palestinians.
Red alert sirens were triggered across central Israel this week as the nation’s missile defenses tracked an incoming ballistic missile from Yemen.
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