To view this email as a web page, go to the link below, or copy and paste it into your browser's address window.
[link removed]
[link removed]
Dear A.,
The Iranian government has
[link removed]
cut off internet and phone service across the country as it attempts to suppress the mass protests against the regime.
Tens of thousands of people have been in the
[link removed]
streets of Tehran and more than 100 other locations across the country, rising up against the Islamic regime. In Khorramabad, protesters
[link removed]
raised the Lion and Sun flag, Iran's national flag before the 1979 Islamic revolution, in the city center.
President Trump
[link removed]
said in an interview today that he has warned the regime that if "they start killing people, which they tend to do during their riots... we're going hit them very hard."
Senator Jacky Rosen today
[link removed]
called on the U.S. to help "lift access [in Iran] to the internet and communication to the outside world. We need to be sure that this government is not allowed to retaliate [against] the protesters, who are trying to change their country for the better."
Continue to
[link removed]
follow AIPAC on social media for the latest updates.
Jake Braunstein
Senior Director, Policy Communications
MUST WATCH
Iranian protesters burn statue of Qasem Soleimani
[link removed]
The statue of former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force chief Qasem Soleimani is burned by protesters in the city of Kashan, Iran.
Hamas rocket attack against Israel lands near Gazan hospital
Earlier today, Hamas
[link removed]
fired a rocket at Israel from Gaza City, but the launch failed, and the projectile nearly hit a nearby hospital.
The launch demonstrates the terror group's ongoing violations of the peace plan and its continued goal of killing Israeli civilians while putting Gazans in harm's way.
Shortly after the failed launch, the IDF struck the launch point.
"The IDF strongly condemns any attempts by terrorist organizations to execute terrorist attacks against IDF troops and the State of Israel," the military
[link removed]
said following the incident.
[link removed]
Meanwhile, Hamas continues trying to reassert its control over the Gazans living on its side of the Yellow Line. Since the ceasefire deal went into effect, Hamas has continued to carry out public executions and has now seized control of the distribution of cooking gas, an essential source of heating in the winter. Hamas is selling the gas to raise revenues.
Additionally, Hamas is demanding rent payments from other business owners and civilians. A Gaza resident posted on Facebook about how the terrorist group is demanding two years' worth of accrued fees on his home.
While Hamas continues to refuse to disarm, the Trump administration has reportedly told Israel that it is committed to bringing the last murdered hostage body home and disarming Hamas, but will not wait for those conditions to be met before moving forward with
[link removed]
phase two of the ceasefire deal.
This comes as Hamas and the Red Cross, in coordination with Israel, have
[link removed]
restarted the search for the body of Ran Gvili, the final murdered hostage remaining in Gaza.
The United States must increase the pressure on Hamas and its sponsors in Qatar, Turkey and Iran to fully comply with the agreement and release the last hostage.
Israel pushes back on claim that Hezbollah has been disarmed in south
Israel has pushed back on the Lebanese government's claims that the Hezbollah terrorist group has been disarmed.
The Lebanese army claimed that it had achieved the first phase of its overall goal of disarming all militias operating in the country by disarming Hezbollah between the Litani River and the Israeli border, in the country's south.
Prime Minister Netanyahu
[link removed]
said that the "Efforts made toward this end by the Lebanese Government and the Lebanese Armed Forces are an encouraging beginning, but they are far from sufficient, as evidenced by Hezbollah's efforts to rearm and rebuild its terror infrastructure with Iranian support."
The Israeli Foreign Ministry
[link removed]
added that "extensive Hezbollah military infrastructure still exists south of the Litani River. The goal of disarming Hezbollah in southern Lebanon remains far from being achieved."
[link removed]
Today, the Israeli Air Force
[link removed]
struck a Hezbollah terrorist in the Zaita area, in response to the terrorist group's "continued violations of the ceasefire understandings."
Meanwhile, following the arrest of dictator Nicolas Maduro, the U.S. seized two sanctioned Venezuelan oil tankers, one of which was sanctioned in 2024 for allegedly
[link removed]
smuggling cargo for a company linked to Hezbollah.
The United States must continue to increase the pressure on Lebanon to fulfill its stated commitment to fully disarm Hezbollah.
[link removed]
Other notable headlines
-
[link removed]
Trump expected to announce Gaza Board of Peace next week: U.S. officials
-
[link removed]
Qatar ranks as top foreign donor to American universities
-
[link removed]
Startup Nation meets the Scale-Up State: Israeli innovation heads to Texas
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.
[link removed]
<!--
-->
<table width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" align="center">
<br>
<!-- FOOTER CONTENT -->
<tr>
<td style="color:#8a8a8a;"align="center" valign="top" width="100%">
<table class="container" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="600">
<tr>
<td align="center" style="font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; color: #959595; padding:0px 0px 25px 0px;">
<span>AIPAC<br>
</span>251 H St. NW • Washington D.C. 20001 • TEL 202-639-5200
<br>
<br>
<span style="color:#8a8a8a;"> To Manage Your Email Preferences... <a style="color:#8a8a8a;" href=[link removed] alias="Link">Click Here</a></span>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
