Thanks to your support for pro-Israel candidates, 348 AIPAC-endorsed Democrats and Republicans — including the leadership teams of both parties — were sworn into Congress today. We congratulate AIPAC-endorsed Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) on his re-election today as Speaker of the House, and we look forward to working with the 119th Congress to strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship.
This Congress will be the most pro-Israel in our nation's history thanks in part to our political efforts over the past election cycle helping to elect pro-Israel candidates and defeat anti-Israel candidates. Notably, the Squad is smaller this Congress because of our work to help defeat former Reps. Jamaal Bowman and Cori Bush.
Now, we must continue our work to ensure that Congress passes essential pro-Israel policies, including vital security assistance and missile defense funding for our ally. The U.S. and Israel must work together to ensure this moment of uncertainty in the Middle East can become a moment of opportunity to weaken our adversaries, strengthen our shared security, and expand peace and normalization across the region.
Thank you for your continued support of our work together to ensure America stands shoulder-to-shoulder with our democratic ally Israel.
Iranian-backed Houthis continue attacking Israel and American troops
At 4:30 this morning in Jerusalem, sirens sent Israelis into bomb shelters as a missile launched by the Houthis in Yemen was intercepted by Israel's air defense systems. A fragment of the missile impacted near the city of Modiin, but no injuries were reported.
Later in the morning, the Israeli Air Force intercepted a Houthi drone outside of Israel's borders.
The Houthis have launched more than 200 missiles and 170 drones at Israel in the past year, according to the IDF, and this morning's attack was the eighth in the past two weeks.
The Houthis have also launched repeated attacks against U.S. Navy and commercial vessels in recent months, including a claimed attack on the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman this week.
Earlier this week, the U.S. troops in the region struck multiple Houthi targets in Yemen, including a command-and-control facility, weapons production and storage sites, and a radar station.
Together, we must ensure Israel has the resources needed to defend its people from this Iranian-backed threat.
IDF continues its operations in Gaza to eliminate Hamas terrorists, stop attacks
Israel targeted 40 Hamas terror sites throughout the Gaza Strip in the past day, including command-and-control centers from which terrorists carried out attacks against IDF troops.
Hamas terrorists continue to use civilian infrastructure like schools as launchpads for terrorism, violating international law and using Gazans as human shields.
The IDF also rejected reports from Hamas-affiliated media outlets claiming that it struck the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza and ordered its evacuation. An IDF spokesman said, "Contrary to reports, the IDF did not strike the Indonesian Hospital in Jabalia over the past day... messages were sent to reiterate to officials in the health authorities that there is no need to evacuate the hospital."
Meanwhile, terrorists in Gaza are still launching rockets at the Jewish state; two rockets were launched this morning from the northern Gaza Strip at the Israeli city of Sderot, and a shoulder-mounted missile was fired at an IDF helicopter. The attacks today marked the eighth day in a row of rocket fire from Gaza.
The United States must continue to support Israel's operations in Gaza to drive Hamas from power, destroy its terror infrastructure, and free all the hostages.
U.S. envoy to travel to Lebanon as fragile ceasefire continues to hold
White House envoy Amos Hochstein is expected to travel to Beirut next week as the tenuous ceasefire to end hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah continues to hold.
While the ceasefire remains in place, Israel has noted Hezbollah's ongoing violations, and the IDF continues to carry out strikes to eliminate Hezbollah weapons as the Lebanese Armed Forces fails to act.
The IDF conducted a strike last night to destroy several Hezbollah rocket launchers in southern Lebanon. Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, the Iranian-backed terror group is supposed to withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon, moving north of the Litani River.
Israel is preparing for the possibility that it will have to remain in southern Lebanon beyond the 60-day window dictated by the agreement to ensure that Hezbollah is not once again able to threaten Israel and displace nearly 100,000 Israelis from their homes.
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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