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Dear A.,
Today, the IDF
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announced that it has struck 320 Syrian military targets since Assad’s fall, destroying over 70% of the Syrian army’s capabilities. The targets include Syrian chemical weapons facilities, air defense systems, missile depots and manufacturing facilities, drones, helicopters, fighter jets, tanks, and navy vessels.
Thanks in part to the overwhelming majority of Democrats and Republicans in Congress who support vital security assistance to Israel, our ally has the offensive weapons it needs to act decisively in Syria to protect its families and shield the world from terrorists getting access to advanced weapons.
The photos below
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show Syrian naval ships, fighter jets and a chemical weapons depot destroyed by Israeli strikes in the past 48 hours.
The U.S. and Israel must work together to ensure this moment of uncertainty can become a moment of opportunity to weaken our adversaries, strengthen our shared security, and expand peace and normalization across the region.
Meanwhile, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the Assad regime a “central element of Iran’s axis of evil” and said its removal opens a new chapter in the Middle East.
“We are transforming the face of the Middle East,” Netanyahu
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added . “The State of Israel is establishing its status as a focus of power in our region, as it has not been for decades. Whoever cooperates with us, reaps great benefit. Whoever attacks us, loses greatly,” he said, adding that he wants to promote good relations between Israel and Syria for the benefit of both peoples.
“We were here before our enemies, and we will be here after our enemies,” Netanyahu concluded, stating he is confident the Jewish state will prevail despite the “great challenges” it faces.
Increased warnings about Iran’s nuclear escalation
Discussing the broader regional response to Assad’s downfall, The New York Times’ Nicholas Kristoff
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writes , “One question is whether all this adds to the arguments within Iran’s leadership to develop nuclear weapons as a deterrent."
Germany, Britain and France — informally known as the E3 —
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said yesterday that they were "extremely concerned" about Iran's nuclear escalation, urging Iran to “immediately halt” these steps.
This comes just days after a U.S. Director of National Intelligence report
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said that “Iran’s 20-percent and 60-percent enriched uranium stockpiles are far greater than needed for what it claims it will use the uranium for and Iran could produce more than a dozen nuclear weapons if its total uranium stockpile were further enriched.”
America must increase the economic and diplomatic pressure on Iran to end its quest for nuclear weapons and combat its regional aggression and support for terrorism.
Hostage-ceasefire talks with Hamas gain momentum
Today, White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby maintained optimism about a potential hostage-ceasefire deal while
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highlighting that Hamas remains the obstacle to an agreement.
“We are not on the verge of completion of a deal, but we think there is a chance to get a deal done. There is still work to do. Hamas remains the obstacle, and we are pressing hard,” Kirby said.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said yesterday that indirect negotiations were underway and that prospects had improved: “We can be more optimistic than before, but we are not there yet. I hope we will get there.”
"Until recently, the thinking in Israel was that Hamas doesn’t want a deal — now it seems that there is a shift and that Hamas may have changed its mind. There is a chance of reaching a deal in the coming month,” an Israeli official
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added .
According to reports, the deal under discussion is a “limited deal,” in which the elderly, women, children and those with medical conditions would be released.
100 hostages, including seven Americans, remain captive in Gaza after more than 430 days. America must increase the pressure on Turkey, Egypt, and Qatar to use their leverage over Hamas and pressure the terror group to release the hostages.
Hezbollah continues to violate ceasefire agreement
As the world’s focus has shifted from Lebanon to Syria, Hezbollah has continued to violate the ceasefire agreement with Israel.
Over the past week, 42 violations by Hezbollah
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were recorded. More than 79 were recorded since the agreement began on November 27.
America must stand with our ally as it defends its people against these Iranian-backed threats, ensure it has the resources needed to do so, and increase the pressure on Lebanon and Hezbollah to honor the agreement.
Video of the Day: Yoseph Haddad's speech at Oxford
Israeli-Arab Yoseph Haddad was heckled by anti-Israel activists as he spoke at an Oxford University debate on whether ‘Israel is an Apartheid State Responsible for Genocide.’
"What's so crazy is that the majority of you have never been in the Land of Israel, have never lived in the Land of Israel. And then you have the audacity to come to speak to an Arab who was born in Haifa — the largest mixed city in Israel — raised in Nazareth — one of the largest Arab cities in Israel — and then you get the audacity to tell me if I live under apartheid regime? Shame on you."
You can watch his 19-minute speech
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here .
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Other notable headlines
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Iran is trying to spin Syria crisis for its benefit - analysis
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Who is Abu Mohammed al-Golani, leader of Syrian rebels who toppled Assad
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Yemen's Houthis say they targeted 3 supply ships and 2 American destroyers
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Rebuilding Israel's North post-Lebanon ceasefire will take five years
Continue to
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follow AIPAC on social media for the latest updates.
Sincerely,
Jake Braunstein
Director of Policy Communications
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Support our work to keep Israel safe.
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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