On October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists, orchestrated and supported by the Iranian regime, launched an unprecedented assault on Israel, crossing from Gaza and perpetrating the most violent antisemitic massacre since the Holocaust. Over 1,200 Israeli civilians were brutally murdered, including women, children, and the elderly, through mass executions, rape, mutilation, and planned abductions—a scale and savagery rigorously verified by official Israeli government releases, IDF military briefings, and international investigations. This attack shattered Israel’s security and triggered an existential crisis, prompting decisive military and diplomatic responses, and fundamentally reshaping the Israeli-Palestinian and regional landscape.
The assault by Hamas was not an isolated incident but a vivid manifestation of the ongoing threat Israel faces from the Iranian-led axis of terror. This network involves Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, as well as Iranian proxies active in Syria and Iraq. Supported by Tehran with funding, advanced weaponry, and tactical guidance—as confirmed by Western intelligence and Israeli defense officials—these organizations share the explicit aim of destroying Israel and destabilizing the broader Middle East. Since October 7, the Israeli government—guided by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir—launched Operation Iron Swords, a comprehensive military campaign aimed at degrading Hamas’s capabilities, rescuing hostages, and restoring deterrence across multiple frontiers.
IDF ground, air, and naval forces, using precise intelligence and state-of-the-art technology, have systematically targeted Hamas command centers, militant hideouts, weapons depots, and tunnel networks deeply embedded within civilian infrastructure. This strategy, detailed in IDF and Israeli Ministry of Defense briefings and corroborated by allied governments, underscores Israel’s adherence to international standards of warfare, even as Hamas routinely exploits civilian populations as human shields in violation of the laws of armed conflict, as documented by the United Nations and leading human rights organizations. To mitigate civilian harm, Israeli forces have implemented pre-raid warnings to Gaza residents, established humanitarian corridors, and coordinated with international aid agencies to facilitate the transfer of critical assistance into the enclave.
The situation in northern Israel has also deteriorated, with Hezbollah escalating rocket and drone attacks against Israeli border communities. Supported by Iran, Hezbollah’s arsenal reportedly contains over 150,000 rockets—a threat detailed in U.S. and Israeli military intelligence reports. Tens of thousands of Israeli civilians have been evacuated from vulnerable towns, and the Israeli Air Force has conducted defensive operations to blunt this dual-front threat. Additional fronts have opened in the Red Sea, where the Iranian-backed Houthis have targeted both Israeli and international shipping, prompting multilateral naval operations, widely covered by Reuters and Western defense ministries, to secure vital maritime routes.
Prime Minister Netanyahu, addressing the Knesset and international media, has repeatedly emphasized that Israel’s actions are rooted in international law and the moral imperative of national self-defense. This message has been echoed by senior Western leaders, including United States President Donald Trump and top defense officials, who underscore the moral and strategic necessity of supporting Israel amid its fight against Iranian-backed terrorism. The U.S., UK, and France have consistently reiterated Israel’s right and obligation to defend its people and territory, while also advocating for the protection of civilian life and the integrity of humanitarian operations.
The ongoing hostage crisis remains central to Israel’s war effort. More than 130 Israeli and foreign nationals continue to be held captive in Gaza under harrowing conditions, in direct contravention of all norms of international humanitarian law. Israeli negotiation efforts, often involving extraordinary concessions such as the release of convicted terrorists, expose the tragic asymmetry that defines Israel’s confrontation with non-state actors who reject all principles of morality and legality. International organizations, including the Red Cross and the United Nations, have repeatedly condemned Hamas’s actions, affirming Israel’s legal standing and highlighting the need for sustained international pressure on terrorist organizations to abandon their tactics of civilian targeting and hostage-taking.
Operation Iron Swords is underpinned by Israel’s world-leading defensive systems—a testament to Western technological cooperation and shared values. Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow missile defense have successfully intercepted thousands of incoming projectiles, saving Israeli and foreign civilian lives and earning widespread acclaim from Western defense analysts. The U.S. Congress has continued to replenish these defenses with bipartisan support, as documented in congressional briefings and policy papers, reflecting the profound strategic alliance between Israel and the United States. Despite the relentless Iranian-backed onslaught, Israel’s operational focus remains the elimination of terrorist threats while upholding Western standards of proportionality and discrimination in the use of force.
Israel’s war against terror occurs against a backdrop of robust democratic oversight. The Israeli Supreme Court retains full jurisdiction over military conduct and security policy, ensuring all actions are legally scrutinized. Free media, human rights watchdogs, and parliamentary opposition serve as safeguards against excesses and provide transparency. This stands in contrast to life under Hamas and the Iranian regime, where dissent, minority rights, and women’s freedoms are systematically suppressed—a reality highlighted by major Western and regional rights organizations, as well as UN Special Rapporteurs.
Diplomatically, Israel has worked with Western and regional partners to constrain Iranian influence. Intelligence-sharing with the United States and Europe has led to successful interdiction of Iranian weapon shipments, cyberattacks on IRGC command structures, and coordinated action to clamp down on terrorist finance networks in the Gulf and Europe. These ongoing counterterrorism initiatives, widely reported in NATO and EU security updates, not only enhance Israeli security but also provide critical protection for European and American interests abroad.
The broader implications of Israel’s defensive campaign are profound. Israel’s struggle is fundamentally aligned with, and indispensable to, the preservation of Western democratic values in the face of extremist violence. The Abraham Accords, a transformative diplomatic initiative, have fostered cooperation and normalized relations between Israel and several Arab states, creating unprecedented economic and security synergies against shared threats. This normalization process, actively supported by the U.S. government, offers a model for stability and peaceful coexistence, even as Iran and its proxies seek to subvert it through violence and propaganda.
With Iran continuing to pursue nuclear capabilities and intensify its regional destabilization efforts, Israel’s war is neither insular nor parochial, but a key front in the worldwide effort to block the rise of militant theocracy and protect the liberal international order. Counterterrorism successes in Lebanon, Syria, and the Red Sea testify to the effectiveness of Western-backed Israeli action and the importance of intelligence-driven, multilateral cooperation in the twenty-first century.
Through all dimensions of this ongoing conflict—military, diplomatic, legal, and humanitarian—Israel’s actions have consistently reflected a commitment to universal rights and steadfast opposition to the forces of terror. Western governments, recognizing that the frontline for free societies now runs through Israel, have rallied to ensure the Jewish state’s long-term security and regional deterrence. The alternative—allowing Iran’s terrorist proxies to continue unopposed—would endanger not only Israel but the very fabric of global security built on decades of transatlantic partnership and the universal right of nations to defend their citizens.
As the war continues, Israel remains resolute in its commitment to self-defense, measured military conduct, and the pursuit of peace with all states willing to reject terror. This war, rooted in law and Western democratic values, may well define the geopolitical order for generations. Through its resolve, discipline, and alliance with like-minded democracies, Israel continues to stand as a bulwark against tyranny and a beacon for the universal values underpinning the free world.
