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Dear A.,


Once again, Hamas' leadership in Gaza is the only obstacle standing in the way of a hostage deal.


According to the
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latest reports , Israel, America, Egypt and Qatar have agreed on the details of a deal and are waiting on Hamas to respond. Israeli officials expect a response in the next 24 hours.


"It seems that we are headed for a deal. Israel has been very flexible in recent days on a number of issues, but we are awaiting Hamas' response and only then will we know for sure," an Israeli official said.


National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters, "I think there's a couple of reasons for why this is happening. The biggest one of which is that Israel has achieved its substantial military objectives in Gaza and Hamas has suffered catastrophic losses, military losses over the course of the conflict. And when you put those two factors together, we believe that the time is right to get a deal and to have it close."


Responding to a question of how the Trump administration would respond if Hamas rejects this agreement, Vice President-Elect J.D. Vance said yesterday, "Now what does that look like? I think, number one, it means enabling the Israelis to knock out the final couple of battalions of Hamas and their leadership. It means very aggressive sanctions and financial penalties on those who are supporting terrorist organizations in the Middle East."

The United States must increase the pressure on Hamas and its sponsors in Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey to release the hostages.


Lebanon selects new prime minister


Recently-elected Lebanese President Joseph Aoun will
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designate Nawaf Salam, the head of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), to serve as the country's next prime minister, in what is seen as another blow to Iranian-backed Hezbollah's influence.


Meanwhile, Israel remains concerned about the implementation of the ceasefire with Lebanon, as the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) has been slow to deploy into southern Lebanon.


The IDF yesterday
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struck Hezbollah targets throughout Lebanon, including a rocket launcher site, military site, and smuggling routes on the Syrian-Lebanese border used to transfer weapons to the terror group.


"The threat posed by the targets to the Israeli home front and IDF troops was presented to the monitoring mechanism of the ceasefire understandings between Israel and Lebanon," the IDF said, but "the threats were not addressed."

The United States must continue to support Israel's operations to defend itself and enforce the terms of the ceasefire, and increase the pressure on Lebanon and Hezbollah comply with the agreement.

Iranian military receives 1,000 new weaponized drones, conducts exercises


A thousand new drones were
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delivered to Iran's army today, as Tehran prepares for a change in U.S. administration.


"The drones' unique features, including a range of over 2,000 kilometres, high destructive power, the ability to pass through defence layers with low Radar Cross Section, and autonomous flight, not only increase the depth of reconnaissance and border monitoring but also boost the combat capability of the army's drone fleet in confronting distant targets," Iran's semi-official news agency said.


Meanwhile, Iran this month
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launched its most extensive military exercises in decades, flying thousands of drones, parading rocket launchers and ballistic missiles, and thwarting a simulated assault on a nuclear facility.

The United States must increase the pressure on Iran, including by fully enforcing economic sanctions on the regime.

Israeli Air Force intercepts another Houthi drone


The Israeli Air Force this morning
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intercepted an armed drone over southern Israel that had been launched by the Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen.


Since October 7, 2023, the Houthis have launched around 40 surface-to-surface missiles and 320 UAVs toward Israel, according to the IDF.

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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