On October 7, 2023, the Palestinian terror organization Hamas launched an attack on Israel that was unprecedented in scale, sophistication, and depravity. Before the terrorists were subdued, they murdered 1200 men, women, and children, wounded thousands more, and took over 200 hostages back to Gaza.

Israel launched a military counter-attack that eventually neutralized the invaders, and began an air campaign against Hamas’ terrorist infrastructure in Gaza of an intensity and operational tempo unmatched in modern military history. While that air campaign continues, Israel has mobilized its entire military reserve, and prepares for a ground incursion into Gaza with the expressed goal of destroying Hamas.

President Biden ordered a large U.S. military force into the Middle East for the explicit purpose of deterring Hezbollah and other Iran-supported groups from opening new fronts against Israel. In an effort to deter Israel, Iran’s proxies and partners in the region have steadily increased their attacks on Israeli forces, and American forces deployed in Iraq and Syria.

The CNAS Middle East Security Program will continuously monitor and assess security developments in and around Israel, and the conflict’s impacts on the broader region and U.S. policy interests.