Hezbollah today announced it had chosen a new Secretary-General to lead the Iranian-backed terrorist organization. Naim Qassem will be the third leader of the group in the past two months after Israel conducted precision strikes that eliminated Hassan Nasrallah and his initial successor.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant called Qassem’s ascension a "temporary appointment," while Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) remarked that it's "the next funeral waiting to happen."
Speaking from an undisclosed location in Beirut, Qassem pledged, "We will continue to support Gaza and to defend Lebanon."
Also today, at least one Israeli civilian was killed and 13 others were wounded, including three children, by a massive Hezbollah rocket attack on the Galilee region.
The victim was identified as 24-year-old Israeli Arab Mohammad Naim, who was killed by a direct hit to his house.
"It was a difficult scene. There was a lot of destruction when we arrived and started searching the scene," MDA paramedic Gilad Ben Hamo said. "We gave him medical treatment, but his injury was too critical, and we had to pronounce him deceased."
Throughout the day, Hezbollah launched more than 50 rockets, missiles and drones into Israel, after launching more than 115 yesterday. The Iranian-backed Houthis also launched drones into Israel today, with at least one exploding and sparking a fire in Ashkelon.
Meanwhile, the IDF is continuing its operations to destroy Hezbollah’s terrorist infrastructure in Lebanon, including continued strikes today against weapons depots, launch sites and intelligence sites.
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New AIPAC Memo: Israel is fighting America’s enemies
Israel is on the frontlines against a global threat to America’s interests and values. Our democratic ally is fighting a seven-front war against Iran and its terrorist proxies, which seek to destroy both the Jewish state and the United States.
Over the past year, Iran and its proxies have attacked and killed Americans, launched the largest ballistic missile attack in history, strengthened Russia and China, and continuously attacked one of the world’s busiest shipping routes.
This isn’t a war Israel started, but it’s a war Israel must win. The United States and the international community must stand with our ally as it confronts this common threat.
Freed hostage says she was kept in cage with 5 other women still held captive
Speaking at an event marking the one-year anniversary of October 7, freed hostage Mia Schem opens up about her time in Hamas captivity in Gaza, after being kidnapped from the Nova music festival on October 7 and freed as part of a weeklong truce deal in November 2023.
"I was placed in a cage, without air, without light," Schem said. "I met five other young women, each one had her won brutal kidnapping story."
"A year has passed…my heart remains captive in Gaza with those five young women still held there, abused and exploited, without air, in the depths of hell," she added.
New satellite photo shows damage to IRGC base
Newly released satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press indicate that Israel’s retaliatory airstrike against Iran also targeted military sites in areas not previously identified by Iran as having been targeted.
Iran only reported Israeli attacks in Ilam, Khuzestan and Tehran provinces — not in rural Semnan province, where the base is located.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) buildings are reportedly linked to Iran’s "space program," which has long been used by the regime as a cover to advance its ballistic missile program.
The mission of AIPAC is to encourage and persuade the U.S. government to enact specific policies that create a strong, enduring and mutually beneficial relationship with our ally Israel.
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