Israel paused on Monday to mark the anniversary of the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack. In the attack, Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists brutally murdered 1,200 Israelis, abducted more than 250 hostages, and often tortured and raped the victims.
A year later, Israel destroyed the terrorist organization Hamas in Gaza. Began to drive Hezbollah terrorists from the northern border. Destroyed facilities in Yemen used by Houthi rebels. and threatened to attack Iran itself.
Israelis will not be able to move after October 7 as around 100 hostages are still held by Hamas. Thirty-four of them are believed to have died, but many are believed to be alive. Public ceremonies and demonstrations in Israel on Monday emphasized the need to bring the hostages home, either through a diplomatic agreement or, if possible, by military rescue.
At the same time, Israel is much stronger than it was a year ago. Hamas successfully fired several rockets into central Israel on Monday, one year after launching thousands of rockets. We lost tens of thousands of combatants. Most of its leaders have passed away. The 24th Battalion is in disarray. And it can no longer threaten communities around Gaza.
Hezbollah was beheaded when it opened fire on a community in northern Israel on October 8. It can still fire rockets sporadically, but it can no longer mount the massive barrage that Israelis once feared. Israeli forces are marching through southern Lebanon, mocking Hezbollah's pretense of being Lebanon's defenders.
Yemen's Houthi rebels have fired hundreds of missiles and projectiles at Israel. It has also crippled international shipping, thanks to the weakness of the Biden administration, which delisted the Houthis as terrorists in 2021 and took a defensive stance. However, Israel has twice attacked Houthi facilities and is being made to pay a price.
In the West Bank, known to Israelis as Judea and Samaria, Israel has quietly dismantled the nascent terrorist forces that Iran had begun building there through Hamas and other groups. Israel has also recently carried out successful drone strikes by Shiite militias in Iraq, but Iraqis are said to be fearful of Israel's response after seeing the impact elsewhere.
As for Iran, the regime recently launched around 200 ballistic missiles toward Israel, the second such attack in six months. There has been little damage, and we are now nervously awaiting Israel's response, not knowing whether it will attack its nuclear facilities, oil industry, missile bases, or government institutions. Iran has fired the first blow, but it has no intention of going all the way.
Politically, Israel is a more unified and unified nation than it was on October 6, 2023. When the terrorists attacked, Israelis ran toward the battle, and reservists also drove across the country to join the fight. Volunteers emerged to do whatever was necessary for those exposed to war or affected by war. The Israelites know that they cannot be broken.
The same is not true in the West, where mobs celebrated the October 7 attacks in the streets of major cities and turned elite universities into cesspools of anti-Semitism.
Political reckoning may soon come for the weak leaders who sent America and Europe into the abyss.
Until that happens, Israel will lead the West in its fight for survival.
Joel B. Pollack is a senior editor at Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday Sunday nights from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM ET (4:00 PM to 7:00 PM PT) on Sirius XM Patriot. he is the author of Agenda: What should President Trump do in his first 100 days in office?available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of Trumpian Virtues: Lessons and Legacy of the Donald Trump Presidencynow available on Audible. He is the recipient of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter @joelpolak.
