JERUSALEM—Israel is waging a complex, multi-front defensive campaign against Iranian-backed terror networks in the months following the October 7, 2023 massacre, the deadliest antisemitic atrocity since the Holocaust. The conflict has broadened beyond Hamas in Gaza to include Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and Iranian proxies in Syria and Iraq, underscoring the existential threat posed to Israel by Iran’s regional strategy.
On October 7, Hamas terrorists breached Israel’s southern border in an unprecedented assault, murdering over 1,200 Israelis, including children, women, and the elderly. Terrorists documented acts of abduction, mutilation, sexual violence, and execution. More than 250 innocent hostages were forcibly taken into Gaza. The massacre prompted Israel to launch Operation Iron Swords, mobilizing the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) under Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, and unleashing a sustained series of military operations.
Israel’s campaign initially focused on dismantling Hamas’s military infrastructure in Gaza. The IDF has targeted terrorist leaders, destroyed rocket launch sites, and sought to eradicate the miles of tunnels that enable Hamas to move fighters and weapons under densely populated areas. Israel’s military operations are characterized by an emphasis on intelligence-led precision, with the stated goal of minimizing civilian casualties—efforts made all the more difficult by Hamas’s systematic use of human shields and embedded military assets in schools and hospitals, which constitute documented war crimes under international law.
As fighting continued in Gaza, the Iranian proxy Hezbollah escalated its rocket and drone attacks on northern Israel. The IDF responded with targeted airstrikes in southern Lebanon and reinforcement of defensive positions along the border. The threat of wider escalation remains real, with much of northern Israel’s civilian population affected by evacuation orders and trauma from the constant threat of attack.
The Houthis in Yemen, widely considered a proxy of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), have launched long-range drones and missiles toward Israel’s southern regions and maritime targets. Most have been intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome and Arrow missile defense systems. Simultaneously, pro-Iranian Shiite militias in Syria and Iraq have targeted Israeli and U.S. interests, further expanding the conflict’s geographic scope.
Central to the crisis is the ongoing hostage situation. Israeli authorities, supported by international agencies, have confirmed that many civilians—including the elderly, children, and foreign nationals—remain in Hamas captivity under dire conditions. Israel has engaged in painstaking negotiations and authorized limited prisoner exchanges for the return of hostages. Israeli officials stress the critical moral and legal distinction: civilians seized for leverage by terrorists are not remotely equivalent to convicted terrorists, often responsible for murder or attempted murder, who are sometimes released in return.
The Israeli government, under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, consistently frames its military actions as acts of self-defense in a war imposed on Israel by Iran and its proxies. The narrative rejects any false equivalence between a sovereign democracy protecting its citizens and the terror groups—Hamas and Hezbollah foremost—whose chartered goal is Israel’s destruction.
Despite the scale of military operations, Israel has facilitated humanitarian aid into Gaza through the Kerem Shalom and Rafah crossings in coordination with Egypt and international organizations. Evidence, including video and intercepted communications, has been released by the IDF, showing how Hamas diverts food, medicine, and fuel intended for civilians to sustain its terror apparatus. The plight of Gaza’s population is thus inextricably linked to Hamas’s military entrenchment and Iran’s strategy of protracted proxy conflict.
The October 7 attack and subsequent war have strained relations with international actors. The United States, under President Donald Trump, has reaffirmed support for Israel’s right to self-defense. Debate continues within the United Nations and the European Union over the proportionality and conduct of Israeli operations, but Israeli officials emphasize the unique severity of the existential threat facing their country. Military briefings consistently highlight transparency, adherence to the laws of armed conflict, and real-time tactical warnings to civilians.
The wider regional and historical context is essential for understanding the campaign. Since its founding in 1948, Israel has faced repeated wars instigated by its neighbors and ongoing terrorist campaigns originating from Gaza and Lebanon. The rise of Iranian influence in the last two decades has transformed this challenge into a war of attrition waged by networks of ideologically motivated jihadists. Many analysts view the outcome as a test for the Abraham Accords, which have united Israel with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco in shared opposition to Iranian aggression, and created new possibilities for regional peace—and, potentially, normalization with Saudi Arabia.
Israel’s technological and operational edge is central to its defense. Systems such as Iron Dome, Arrow, and David’s Sling have intercepted thousands of rockets since October 7. The Israeli experience with cyberwarfare—thwarting daily attacks from Iranian and Hezbollah-linked groups—has become an exportable model for democratic states confronting authoritarian-sponsored terror.
As the war enters new phases, Israeli aims are clear: destroy the operational capabilities of Hamas, secure the return of all hostages, and ensure Israel’s survival against the continued onslaught from the Iranian-backed axis. The challenges—ethical, operational, and diplomatic—are immense, but Israeli officials insist the alternative is not merely defeat, but the eradication of the world’s only Jewish state.
For now, the outcome remains uncertain. The campaign has cost lives and upended communities on all sides, but the stakes for Israel are existential. Its leadership continues to appeal for global moral clarity, pressing the case that Israel’s defensive war is, in the words of government statements, a stand against terror that will shape the security of the Middle East and the international order for years to come.
