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Dear A.,
Over the weekend,
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reports emerged of "mass killings" of civilians in Syria by forces associated with the new Syrian regime.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio
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said yesterday, "The United States condemns the radical Islamist terrorists, including foreign jihadis, that murdered people in western Syria in recent days. The United States stands with Syria’s religious and ethnic minorities, including its Christian, Druze, Alawite, and Kurdish communities, and offers its condolences to the victims and their families."
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported today that 973 civilians have been killed since March 6.
Yesterday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz
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said that Israel will expand its efforts to protect the Druze community in Syria.
Also yesterday, newly-appointed IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir
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visited IDF troops positioned in southern Syria.
Israel has carried out numerous strikes in Syria since the fall of the Assad regime to prevent weapons from falling into the hands of terrorists.
Israel today
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reportedly conducted a series of airstrikes in the Daraa Governorate in southern Syria, targeting military sites belonging to the former regime.
The United States must continue to closely monitor the situation in Syria and work with Israel to ensure Syria is not allowed to reemerge as a front from which attacks are launched against the Jewish state.
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IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir meets with officers in southern Syria yesterday.
Negotiations to secure the release of additional hostages continue
The United States and Israel are continuing their efforts to secure the release of the 59 hostages, including five American citizens, still held hostage by Hamas in Gaza.
Israel
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sent a delegation to Qatar today "in an effort to advance the negotiations" on an extension of the hostage-ceasefire deal.
Hamas could end the war today by releasing all the hostages, laying down its arms, and surrendering. Hamas began this war with the horrific October 7 attack, and the war will not end until all the hostages are freed, Hamas' terror infrastructure is destroyed, and the terror group removed from power in Gaza.
The United States must continue to stand unwaveringly with Israel and work with our ally to increase the pressure on Hamas and its sponsors in Iran, Qatar and Turkey to release the hostages.
Op-ed: "Blame Hamas for Israel Halting Aid to Gaza"
Following Hamas' rejection of a U.S.-backed Israeli ceasefire offer and refusal to release more hostages, Israel announced that it would suspend the transfer of additional humanitarian aid and electricity into Gaza — aid that Hamas has been stealing to maintain its rule.
In a
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new op-ed , legal experts Arsen Ostrovsky and Mark Goldfeder explain that "international law is very clear on this point: Israel is not obligated to provide aid that will be used by an enemy in a time of war, and anyone who argues differently is either illiterate or willfully ignorant."
"British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Franklin D. Roosevelt certainly were not expected to provide aid to Nazi Germany during WWII, yet there is a systematic double standard and misapplication of the law against the Jewish state..."
"There has been indisputable and overwhelming evidence that Hamas systematically steals the aid, and uses it to advance their military goals, including the ongoing captivity of hostages. Everyone from The New York Times to the Palestinian Authority and the United Nations has reported on this fact for years. And if that's not enough, even Hamas themselves has admitted it..."
"In summary, Israel's actions in halting aid are entirely just and legitimate under international law. Those who seek a resumption of further aid into Gaza, would be well advised to direct their outrage and pressure toward Hamas (and their sponsor Qatar) to accept the Witkoff framework for the continuation of a temporary ceasefire during the Ramadan and Passover period, and to demand the immediate and unequivocal release of all the remaining hostages being held captive in Gaza."
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Read the full op-ed here.
China and Russia join Iran for naval military exercises
China, Russia and Iran will hold
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naval exercises off the coast of Iran this week beginning tomorrow, Iranian media reported.
"Warships and combat and support vessels of the Chinese and Russian naval forces, as well as the warships of Iran’s naval forces of the army and the Revolutionary Guards" will participate in the exercise, the report said.
Tell Congress: Increase the Pressure on Iran
Iran is dangerously advancing its nuclear program while funding terrorism across the Middle East. Illicit oil exports, primarily to China, are the primary revenue source for the Iranian regime.
TAKE 45 SECONDS: Urge your elected officials to cosponsor the Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025 to provide new tools to crack down on Iran's illegal oil exports.
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White House declines to renew Iran-Iraq sanctions waiver
The White House
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declined to renew a $10 billion sanctions waiver that allowed Iraq to buy electricity from Iran, as part of the administration's effort to implement maximum pressure on the Iranian regime.
The decision "ensures we do not allow Iran any degree of economic or financial relief," a State Department spokesperson
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said , adding that the U.S. seeks "to end [Iran's] nuclear threat, curtail its ballistic missile program and stop it from supporting terrorist groups."
AIPAC thanks the administration for taking this important step. The United States must continue to increase the pressure on the Iranian regime.
Continue to
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follow AIPAC on social media for the latest updates.
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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