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Over the weekend, Israel responded to Iran’s early October ballistic missile attack on the Jewish state, delivering several decisive blows to the regime in Tehran. Simultaneously, Hamas continues to hold 101 hostages and war rages in southern Lebanon. Let’s dive in.

**Ever-Weakening Tyrants**

From Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to Iran’s ballistic missile and drone attacks on Israel, it’s clear that the malign actors on the world’s stage have overestimated their military prowess. Iran’s two direct attacks on Israel were complete failures thanks to Israel’s advanced multi-tier missile defense architecture.

Following the first attack (which was almost entirely thwarted) the Israelis responded with a single missile destroying a missile defense array near a sensitive Iranian military site. Israel’s point was that if you do this again, we can hurt you.

The Mullahs didn’t get the message. In early October, following Israel’s decimation of Hezbollah’s middle and upper management, Iran fired more than 180 fast-moving ballistic missiles at Israel. Most were downed by Israeli and allied missile defense systems, but some got through.

Jerusalem, never one to break its word, responded this past weekend with the type of aerial combat mission one tends to teach about years later to fighter pilots in training. Iran’s entire integrated air defense system (of which the first attack was just one small component) has been crippled. This leaves Iran’s most sensitive targets, including nuclear and energy production facilities, largely defenseless against any future Israeli attack.

Likewise, Israel destroyed several missile and drone-related sites, setting back Iran’s missile production for years – the same weapons used to attack Israel. The entire Middle East, and even the Ukrainians (as Russia relies heavily on missiles and drones from Iran), will benefit from Israel’s actions Friday night.

Finally, though it has been largely reported that Israel did not attack sites related to Iran’s nuclear weapons program, satellite imagery indicates it is highly likely Israel did bomb a building at Iran’s highly secretive Parchin military base that was pivotal to developing the components to detonate a nuclear warhead.

**Hezbollah is Losing, Slowly**

Reports from Israel’s operation in Lebanon consistently share two common themes: First, Hezbollah was preparing to invade Israel. It’s just that simple. Divine providence, Israeli foreign intelligence efforts, and the mighty fist of the IDF are the only reasons the invasion did not happen before Israel took the fight to Hezbollah.

Second, Hezbollah is in disarray. The terrorist group has not put up an organized defense of, or even an organized withdrawal from, Lebanon’s border region with Israel. This said, using guerilla tactics, and having entrenched themselves in nearly every town in southern Lebanon, Hezbollah has still, tragically, managed to inflict casualties on Israel.

Despite pockets of disorganized resistance, Israel has been able to methodically work their way through the area, eliminating the massive terrorist infrastructure that has been built up in southern Lebanon over the past 18 years.

Yes, Hezbollah named a new leader Tuesday morning (weirdly his life insurance policy dropped him that very day…?) but that won’t change the reality on the battlefield.

**Kidnapping and Killing Jews**

Efforts to secure the hostages’ release via military and diplomatic means continues. Israel is doing everything it can, even offering safe passage out of Gaza to all remaining terrorist leaders, in return for the hostages’ release.

Analysts believe that the stubbornness we see in what remains of Hamas is indicative that despite their massive losses, they still hold onto the fantasy that the international community will force Israel to stop hunting the terrorists, and thereby enable Hamas to retake control of the Gaza Strip.

Hamas is counting on the West to stop Israel from winning this war, and one shouldn’t actually blame them. American support for Israel since at least the beginning of the year has been tepid at best, so it should come as no surprise that Hamas thinks they may be able to return to their former self despite the atrocities they committed (spoiler alert: they can’t).

And lest anyone take solace in the belief that American weakness in the face of such hatred is limited to events overseas, this past week, a Jewish man wearing traditional garb was shot on the street in Chicago (thank G-d he survived). The alleged assailant then shouted “Allahu Akbar” while shooting at police and emergency medical services.

The shooter, Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi, was engaged by law enforcement and taken into custody. He is being charged with several felonies,

**but the Cook County State’s Attorney's Office has thus far declined to include hate crimes charges.**

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We’re not going to debate semantics. If the State’s Attorney doesn’t think this qualifies as a hate crime, she needs to head back to law school. And if she knows it’s a hate crime and isn’t bringing the charges for political reasons, she must apologize and resign.

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Bowing to every fringe element of the American electorate; pressuring our ally as she’s in the fight of her life; sweeping acts of terror under the rug; appeasing terrorists; and seeking more deals with the same devils. Is this what American policy is to be?

We know that no matter who takes the White House or controls the House and/or Senate,  our message will be the same: Let Israel win.

Sincerely,

The CUFI Action Fund Team

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