Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis, Iran - What you need to know

These are the eight American hostages who were in Hamas captivity. Whether raised in Israel or spending a gap year before college, their lives were violently interrupted when thousands of Hamas terrorists crossed the Gaza border on October 7. Each story is a reminder of lives torn apart, families waiting, and a nation’s enduring hope.

After 738 days, we are overjoyed watching the reunions of the twenty surviving hostages with their loved ones, and our hearts are with the families of the deceased hostages who await their return.

As France, Spain, the U.K., Canada, and Australia move toward recognizing Palestinian statehood, Israel remains at war with Hamas after the October 7 massacre. Premature recognition may seem like a bold diplomatic step toward a two-state solution, but it risks rewarding terrorism, destabilizing the region, and delaying genuine peace. This explainer outlines four key reasons recognition now fails—and four actions that can actually move negotiations forward. First, dismantle Hamas’s military and political power so violence is not legitimized. Second, confront the divided Palestinian governance structure by demanding institutional reform, an end to corruption, and enforceable security guarantees. Third, uphold the Oslo framework and return to direct Israeli-Palestinian talks that alone can resolve borders and security. Finally, replace symbolic gestures with regional cooperation, building on the Abraham Accords to create real economic and security incentives. Sustainable peace requires accountability, unified governance, and security for both peoples—not headlines without substance.

AJC Statement on the Israeli Security Cabinet’s Approval of a Military Takeover of Gaza City

Ilay David shares the gut-wrenching moments leading up to his brother's capture by Hamas terrorists on October 7.

Here are five reasons why the use of the term genocide -- which has come up Macklemore’s "Hinds Hall" song -- in Israel's self-defense campaign is inaccurate, misleading, and dangerous.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) CEO Ted Deutch said European nations have the “legal authority” and “moral responsibility” to trigger snapback sanctions against the Iranian regime for its pursuit of nuclear capabilities in defiance of its obligations under international agreements.

On July 18, 1994, an explosives-laden van driven by a Hezbollah terrorist linked to the Iranian regime plowed into the Argentine Israeli Mutual Association (AMIA) building, killing 85 people and wounding more than 300.

Thirty-one years after the AMIA bombing, the lesson remains brutally clear: when terrorists are not prosecuted, they are emboldened. When hateful rhetoric is tolerated, violence follows. When antisemitism is qualified or grouped together with other forms of hate, the call to protect Jewish lives is cheapened. Words may not pull the trigger, but they load the gun.

John Spencer, Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at West Point, joins guest host Casey Kustin, AJC’s Chief Impact and Operations Officer, to break down Israel’s high-stakes strike on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and the U.S. decision to enter the fight.

In June 2025, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion—a preemptive strike on Iran’s nuclear and military sites—triggering a massive Iranian missile and drone attack that killed 30 Israeli civilians. The U.S. responded with precision airstrikes on Iran’s key nuclear facilities, leading to a ceasefire on June 23. AJC experts say the conflict reshaped regional dynamics, reaffirmed U.S.-Israel ties, exposed Iran’s isolation, and opened new possibilities for diplomacy, deterrence, and expanding the Abraham Accords.

Over the weekend, President Trump authorized precision strikes against three Iranian nuclear facilities, Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.... Dr. Eyal Hulata, Former Israeli National Security Advisor, and AJC Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer Jason Isaacson explore what might come next, what a possible ceasefire could look like, and what all of this means for the future of the region.

Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran has waged a decades-long campaign of violence against the United States, using terror proxies like Hezbollah and the Popular Mobilization Forces to target U.S. troops, diplomats, and civilians across the Middle East and beyond. This ongoing threat includes deadly attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq, Syria, and Jordan, as well as missile strikes like the June 23, 2025, assault on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, in retaliation for U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites. Iran’s continued use of asymmetric warfare and support for regional proxies underscores its persistent goal to expel the U.S. from the region and advance its nuclear and missile programs.

American Jewish Committee (AJC), the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people, thanks President Donald Trump for taking historic and decisive military action against the threat of a nuclear Iran and praises the United States Military servicemembers who carried out these strategic, limited, and targeted strikes against the Iranian regime’s nuclear sites.

Since Israel launched Operation Rising Lion—a precise and defensive military campaign aimed at preventing the Iranian regime from acquiring nuclear weapons—Iran has responded with a barrage of ballistic missiles and drones, indiscriminately targeting Israeli civilians. Dr. Matthew Levitt, director of the Reinhard Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, explains what’s at stake—and what could come next.

Israel’s war of self-defense against the Iranian regime - the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism - erupted into open conflict last week after a stunning IAEA report that confirmed that Iran was much closer to obtaining nuclear weapons than previously known.

Over the weekend, the Iranian regime launched a wave of missile and drone attacks on Israel resulting in at least 24 deaths, hundreds of injuries, and extensive damage.

Israel’s preemptive strike on Iran targeted nuclear and military sites to stop Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear weapons program and growing missile threat. After years of failed diplomacy, Iran defied IAEA warnings, expanded uranium enrichment, and launched direct missile attacks on Israel. The strike aimed to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran and protect Israel from further aggression by Iran and its terror proxies.

Late last night, Israel launched preemptive strikes against Iran in Operation Rising Lion. The attack comes after the IAEA censured Iran for its systematic deception of the strength of its nuclear program.