Date: Wednesday, November 20, 2019
To: Friends & Supporters
From: Gary L. Bauer, Director

Iran Attacks Israel

Early this morning, Israeli forces struck multiple targets in Syria in response to a barrage of rockets that were fired yesterday toward the Golan Heights. According to the IDF, today's strikes were "carried out in response to the launching of the rockets by the Iranian Quds Force from Syrian territory."

Approximately 20 targets were hit, including missile launchers, weapons depots, training camps and the headquarters of the Iranian Quds Force in Syria. Reports suggest that more than a dozen Iranians were killed.

The Iranian regime is an existential threat to Israel. Its supreme leader has repeatedly threatened to annihilate the Jewish state. Now his forces based in Syria are launching attacks against Israel. Jerusalem has no choice but to respond to these unprovoked attacks.

As one senior Israeli official explained to reporters:

"Iran is an octopus with its head in Tehran that sends its tentacles to wrap around us. We have not yet threatened Tehran, but we are beginning to get close to the head of the octopus. We struck a building staffed by Iranians at the Damascus airport. We assess that there are Iranians killed and injured."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged the strikes, saying:

"I have made it clear that whoever hurts us – we will hurt him. This is what we did overnight vis-à-vis military targets of the Iranian Al Quds Force and Syrian military targets in Syria after a barrage of rockets was launched at Israel. We will continue to vigorously maintain the security of Israel."

Benny Gantz, leader of the opposition Blue and White Party, expressed his support, saying:

"The Israel Defense Forces exacted a toll tonight from the Iranian cancerous cells in Syria. We must preserve and strengthen our deterrence on all fronts. Even during an unstable political period [in Israel] we will back any responsible act by the government that strengthens the security of Israel's citizens."

The Protests Continue

Numerous reports indicate that popular protests against the ayatollah's repressive regime are growing. New York Times reporter Farnaz Fassihi tweeted Monday:

"I've covered Iran for 25+ years. Never seen protests this brazen, this angry, this widespread. This is serious. That's why there is a total Internet blackout. Regime is scared."

Indeed it is, and the crackdown has been brutal. Amnesty International reports that at least 106 people have been killed, while a U.N. agency suggests the real death toll could be closer to 200.