TEL AVIV—Israel remains at the center of a volatile regional conflict, facing ongoing attacks from Iranian-backed terror groups in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. The current war, intensified by the unprecedented October 7, 2023 massacre by Hamas terrorists, has brought national defense, hostage rescue, and international alliances to the foreground of Israeli policy and public life. Israel’s leadership has declared its aim to dismantle terror networks and defend civilian life, in what it describes as a necessary and legal response to existential threats orchestrated by the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies.
On October 7, thousands of Hamas operatives stormed Israeli communities along the Gaza border, executing the deadliest antisemitic massacre since the Holocaust. Over 1,200 Israelis, including children and elderly, were murdered, abused, and abducted. The attack included large-scale kidnappings, with scores of civilians—including foreign nationals—being held since then in frequent violation of basic international norms. Buildings were razed, entire families destroyed, and the broader Israeli public traumatized. This attack did not emerge in isolation; it represents the culmination of decades of Iranian financing, support, and training of terrorist factions throughout the region.
Under the command of IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, Israel launched Operation Iron Swords, combining air strikes, ground incursions, and intelligence operations to degrade Hamas’s military infrastructure. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defense Israel Katz have consistently articulated that Israel’s war aims include the elimination of Hamas’s governing and military capabilities, unconditional release of hostages, restoration of southern security, and the prevention of further Iranian entrenchment along Israeli borders. Israeli officials continue to stress that each operation is calibrated according to international law, seeking to minimize harm to civilians, which contrasts starkly with Hamas and other terror groups’ deliberate targeting of noncombatants.
Iran’s involvement extends beyond the Gaza Strip. Hezbollah, based in Lebanon, has deployed an arsenal of more than 150,000 rockets and missiles, launching repeated cross-border attacks on Israeli civilian and military targets. Regular barrages have forced widespread evacuations in Israel’s north and have threatened to escalate into full-scale war. Iranian proxies outside Lebanon—the Syrian-based militias, the Houthis in Yemen, and armed groups in Iraq—have joined in this campaign, highlighting the coordinated, region-wide strategy of Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Israel’s multilayered defense includes the Iron Dome and David’s Sling missile defense systems, complemented by advanced intelligence and cyber operations. The priority remains civilian protection. IDF announcements have repeatedly called for Gaza residents to evacuate active combat zones, despite evidence that Hamas often blocks such movement and embeds command centers within civilian infrastructure. These practices have made military action and humanitarian access far more complex, a situation further aggravated by repeated misinformation campaigns—and inflated casualty counts—spread by Hamas-controlled authorities in Gaza.
A central priority remains the plight of Israeli hostages, whose detention is a gross violation of international humanitarian law. Israeli society is united in its demand for their immediate, unconditional release. Israeli policymakers have insisted that there is no moral equivalence between those kidnapped from their homes and convicted terrorists at times released under international mediation. Hostage families have become symbols of national and international advocacy, underscoring the fundamental principles at stake in Israel’s campaign.
This war’s broader context includes the Abraham Accords, which marked a historic diplomatic breakthrough between Israel and several Arab nations, proving that peaceful coexistence is possible—and desirable—across the region. However, Iranian-backed terror networks, from Gaza to Lebanon and Yemen, remain committed to eliminating Israel’s existence, using asymmetric warfare and propaganda to undermine normalization and inflict strategic harm.
American support, reaffirmed by President Donald Trump, highlights the international recognition of Israel’s self-defense imperatives and its necessary role as a democratic bulwark against extremist threats in the Middle East. Defense, intelligence, and technology cooperation remain central to preserving Israel’s military edge and to maintaining regional stability, given the unpredictable nature of Iranian-backed aggression.
While some international organizations and media outlets have echoed statistics and narratives provided by Iran’s proxies, Israel has insisted on rigorous accountability and transparency. The IDF conducts oversight of its operations—adhering to standards matched by few militaries worldwide—and welcomes outside oversight, as long as it does not compromise operational security or endanger lives. Israeli officials caution that failing to recognize the true sources and strategies of terror risks repeating the mistakes of history, emboldening those who would use civilian suffering as a weapon.
The moral dimension persists: Israel responds as a sovereign democracy defending its citizens and upholding international law, while terror networks operate with impunity, seeking not only military results but also psychological and political dividends. As the conflict in Gaza and on Israel’s other borders continues, the broader strategic question for the world is whether the Axis of Resistance, under Iranian leadership, will go unchallenged, or whether international solidarity with Israel will prevail in restoring regional security and hope for peace.
For Israel, victory means the restoration of long-term quiet, the safe return of all citizens and hostages, and the degradation of terror infrastructures until they can no longer endanger the population or subvert the region. The state’s commitment to this campaign, forged after the shock of the October 7 massacre, stands as a testament to the resolve of Israel’s people and the clarity of their cause—one that has implications far beyond its borders, shaping the broader struggle against extremism and for a future defined by security, dignity, and peace.
