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Lebanon

Operation Guardian of the Walls as a watershed moment in Hamas’ strategy for the “destruction of Israel,” as reflected in documents found by the IDF in the Gaza Strip

Israel considered Operation Guardian of the Walls (May 2021) a major success which severely damaged Hamas and strengthened Israeli deterrence. Statements by senior Israeli officials, including the prime minister, the defense minister and senior IDF officers, emphasized the blow to Hamas’ military capabilities, primarily the tunnel system (the so-called “tunnel system”) and claimed Hamas was unlikely to act against Israel for years; Hamas, however, held an opposing view and considered the operation, which it referred to as Operation Sword of Jerusalem, a significant achievement for the movement and a defeat for Israel. That was reflected in public statements by Hamas leaders in the days following the ceasefire, in which they declared a strategic victory and downplayed the extent of damage to their military capabilities. Leaders of the “resistance axis” also praised Hamas and its military wing; The sense of achievement also appeared in captured Hamas documents found during the Gaza Strip War. They included transcripts of conversations and written correspondence between Hamas leaders and senior figures in Iran and Hezbollah; Hamas’ perception of success in the operation bolstered the confidence of Yahya al-Sinwar, head of the Hamas political bureau in the Gaza Strip, who moved forward with military plans to implement the vision of “destroying Israel,” in coordination with other members of the “resistance axis,” even if Iran and Hezbollah were not actively involved; The documents reinforce the assessment, also evident from public statements, that Hamas regarded Operation Guardian of the Walls as a watershed moment in its future strategic plan for the conflict with Israel. Despite the proposal to promote a political move toward a temporary cessation of hostilities, the Hamas leadership under al-Sinwar focused on practical preparations for a major military operation, culminating in the October 7, 2023 attack and massacre, a step in realizing the movement’s long-term vision of “destroying Israel.”
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Spotlight on Iran and the Shiite Axis (April 9—23, 2025)

Iran condemned Israel’s continued activity in the Gaza Strip. Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called on the Muslim world to take “economic, political and operational” measures against Israel. The commander of the Qods Force and the commander of the Basij forces expressed confidence in the ability of the Palestinian “resistance” to successfully stand up to Israel; Amid the growing discussion on the issue of Hezbollah’s disarmament, Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon expressed firm opposition to the disarmament of Hezbollah and warned of the consequences of such a move, but later clarified that it is a Lebanese internal matter; The Iranian foreign minister declared that Iran has no relations with the transitional government in Syria and is in no hurry to establish such relations; The Houthis claimed responsibility for ten attacks against Israel using ballistic missiles and drones. The IDF Spokesperson reported three incidents of ballistic missile interception and another interception of a drone. There were no casualties; The United States continued its attacks against Houthi military targets and reported the destruction of the energy terminal at the port of Ras Issa. The Houthis accused the Americans of killing dozens of civilians and made it clear that the attacks would not prevent them from continuing their “support” of the Gaza Strip.
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Spotlight on Syria (April 9 –23, 2025)

IDF forces continued targeted raids in the Golan Heights buffer zone. UN officials claimed that Israeli “violations” threatened stability in Syria, while the United States expressed support for Israeli actions against terrorist elements in Syria; President Erdoğan accused Israel of trying to ignite ethnic and sectarian conflict, although the Turkish foreign minister said they did not seek to confront Israel in Syria; Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas held his first meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and agreed to enhance cooperation; The Palestinian Islamic Jihad reported that two of its senior operatives were arrested by the authorities in Syria “without cause.”; Syrian security forces confiscated various weapons, including anti-tank and shoulder-fired missiles, during operations against gangs in Daraa Governorate in southern Syria; Syrian President al-Sharaa met with United States Congressmen for the first time. One Congressman claimed al-Sharaa expressed a willingness to improve relations with Israel.
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Spotlight on Terrorism: Hezbollah and Lebanon (April 8 – 21, 2025)

IDF forces continued taking action to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its military capabilities and against the organization’s presence in south Lebanon in violation of the ceasefire, and eliminated senior terrorist figures and operatives, including the deputy head of the unit for transferring weapons and funds from Iran; Hezbollah continued placing responsibility on Lebanese state institutions to act against the Israeli “violations.” Secretary general Na'im Qassem said diplomatic solutions had a time limit and if the government made the decision, Hezbollah was prepared to fight at the border; Lebanese government officials called on the international community to increase pressure on Israel to withdraw from the five points it holds in south Lebanon; The Lebanese army uncovered hundreds of weapons and dismantled Hezbollah installations in south Lebanon without resistance from the organization; Discussion over Hezbollah's disarmament intensified. Na'im Qassem, the organization’s secretary general, warned they would confront anyone who tried to disarm them, although senior Hezbollah figures expressed willingness to discuss a “national defense strategy” after Israel’s withdrawal from south Lebanon. President Aoun said a decision had been made to restrict weapons’ carrying to state security forces, but added that the issue would be resolved through dialogue; The Lebanese army announced the arrest of suspects involved in firing rockets at northern Israel. The detainees were reportedly Hamas operatives, although the movement denied it. President Aoun reportedly decided to disarm the Hamas branch in Lebanon.
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Spotlight on Terrorism, march 2025

During March 2025 fighting continued in Judea and Samaria. In the Gaza Strip, the ceasefire which went into effect on January 19, 2025 ended, and the IDF resumed attacking terrorist targets. The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah continued, despite rocket fire at northern Israel and IDF attacks in Lebanon. The Houthis resumed launching missiles at Israel, while the pro-Iranian militias in Iraq halted their fire for the time being; The Gaza Strip: The ceasefire ended and the IDF launched Operation Strength and Sword, which included attacks on terrorist operatives and facilities. Senior figures in the Hamas political bureau and senior Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) military operatives were eliminated. After the fighting resumed 11 rockets were fired at Israel, including the Greater Tel Aviv area; Israel, Judea and Samaria: There were four terrorist attacks in which three Israelis were killed. Israeli security forces continued counterterrorism activity in Judea and Samaria; Lebanon: Eight rockets were fired at northern Israel; there were no casualties. The IDF thwarted Hezbollah attempts to violate the ceasefire which went into effect on November 27, 2024, and its efforts to rebuild its military capabilities. Senior terrorist and field operatives were eliminated and military facilities were attacked; Syria: IDF forces continued activity in the buffer zone in the Golan Heights and beyond, and attacked military facilities in various locations of Syria, including a PIJ headquarters in Damascus. IDF soldiers killed six armed terrorists in exchanges of fire in a village in southern Syria; The Shi’ite militias: The Houthis resumed their attacks against Israel following the end of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and claimed responsibility for ten ballistic missiles and UAV attacks. The IDF spokesperson reported that all launches were intercepted before entering Israeli territory. 
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Spotlight on Iran and the Shiite Axis (April 2—9, 2025)

Iran condemned the continued IDF activity in the Gaza Strip; The IRGC’s Qods Force reportedly began using a sea route to Lebanon to smuggle weapons for Hezbollah following air restrictions and the ban on Iranian planes landing in Beirut; The advisor to the Supreme Leader of Iran strongly attacked the regime in Syria, accusing it of indifference in the face of the continued Israeli attacks in the country; It was reported that for the first time, the IRGC transferred long-range surface-to-surface missiles to the pro-Iranian Shiite militias in Iraq. The militias and the Iraqi government denied a report that claimed that the militias had agreed to disarm; The Houthis claimed responsibility for two drone attacks against Israel. The IDF Spokesperson stated that all the drones were intercepted before they penetrated Israeli territory; The United States continued its attacks against Houthi military targets, but it was reported that the strikes had not yet significantly damaged the capabilities of the Houthis, who continued to claim attacks against the American aircraft carrier in the Red Sea. Iran denied that members of the Revolutionary Guards were killed in attacks in Yemen.
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