BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – DISPELLING MYTHS – ACTIONS – VOICES – STORIES
While the Olympic Games captivate the attention of a worldwide audience, 12 innocent children were killed by Hezbollah missile fire while playing soccer in Israel. An Iranian-made missile launched by terrorists in Lebanon exploded in a soccer field in the Golan. The devastation was immediate – the most civilian deaths since 10/7 – shocking the entire nation. Anti-Israel activists immediately went into action spreading false conspiracy theories. Iran’s ruthless and relentless war against the Jewish state continues to escalate and threatens the whole region.
Hezbollah Directly Strikes Druze Soccer Field: ‘These are our children’
Seeing images of dead children with their limbs blown off triggers traumatizing flashbacks of what happened to nearly 1,200 Israelis on 10/7. Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorists have fired thousands of deadly missiles, rockets and drones into Israel on a near-daily basis since 10/8, killing dozens of civilians and soldiers, destroying property and forcing more than 80,000 Israelis to flee their homes. Days after the Hezbollah attack on the Druze town of Majdal Shams, a Hezbollah rocket killed an Israeli civilian in a kibbutz. Just as Hamas intentionally targeted Israel during a Jewish holiday on Shabbat, Hezbollah also attacked Israel on the Jewish day of rest. The Iranian regime funds, arms and trains the terrorists who use Lebanon as its base of operations.
The murdered children were all Druze – an ancient ethnic and religious minority representing about 1.5% of Israel’s population. Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu: “These children are our children. Israel will not and cannot let this simply pass on by. Israel will stand with the Druze today, tomorrow and forever.”
Iran-backed Hezbollah proudly boasted that it fired an Iranian Falaq-1 missile into Israel, but quickly denied this when it became clear that its deadly weapon killed 12 Druze children. The terror group claimed that it was an Israeli Iron Dome interceptor that caused the fatalities, but this has been debunked by Israel and America. The terrorists do not want to be unmasked as child-murderers. However, Hezbollah repeatedly and intentionally targets civilians on Israel’s northern border, including Druze, Muslim and Christian villages. This is not the first time Hezbollah attacked a soccer field. Nearly eight weeks earlier, Hezbollah drones exploded on a field in a Druze village, wounding 11 Israelis.
Israeli Druze: ‘A covenant of blood and a covenant of life’
The Druze are an Arabic-speaking ethnic and religious group of roughly one million worldwide. Their religion is an offshoot of Islam that also was influenced by Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism and other religions. Many of their religious practices are secretive. The vast majority live in Syria and Lebanon, and more than 100,000 live in Israel.
Many Druze are fiercely loyal to the country they live in. The relationship of Israeli Druze with the Jewish state is often referred to as a “blood pact.” Israel’s prime minister recently paid a condolence call to bereaved Druze families who have lost soldiers in Israel’s current war against Hamas.
Mona, the widow of Lt.-Col. Alim Abdallah, told Netanyahu: “We have no other country. We sacrificed what is most dear to us and it must be made certain that the blood of our soldiers is not in vain.” Netanyahu referred to the “longstanding partnership between us: A covenant of blood and a covenant of life.”
The head of the IDF, Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, meets with Israel’s Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif at the site of the Hezbollah attack. (IDF)
Israel’s Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif: “The bond between the Druze community and the Jewish people in the State of Israel is a deep bond that has endured for eight decades and is built on a common vision and values. It exists thanks to the fighters’ heroism and a steadfast and true covenant.” His family has led the Druze community since 1753. Druze have risen to prominent positions in the IDF – Druze men asked to be drafted in 1956.
A Druze flag waves next to Israeli flag in a picture posted by Israeli Druze diplomat Fares Saeb. Fares is the Director of Public Diplomacy at the Israeli Embassy in Paris. His dad was born in the Golan when it was ruled by Syria and has many relatives in the town hit by Hezbollah. (Fares Saeb, X)
Golan Jewish and Political History
Jewish communities in the Golan date back more than 2,000 years. The village of Gamla served as a stronghold against the Romans in the Great Jewish Revolt from 66 to 74 CE. The Romans captured the town and massacred its residents. Archaeological excavations uncovered a 2,000-year-old synagogue in Gamla in 1976 – one of 30 ancient synagogues discovered in the Golan.
Syria, along with Jordan and Egypt, attacked Israel in 1967 leading to another war of annihilation attempted by Israel’s neighbors following Israel’s Independence in 1948. Israel won a decisive victory in the 1967 Six Day War, capturing land, including the Golan Heights from Syria.
The Syrians frequently attacked Israeli civilians in the valley below the Golan plateau from 1948 to 1967 – artillery shelling, sniper fire and infiltration attempts – that instilled constant fear and threatened the safety of Israelis. Now, there is wide consensus among Israelis that the Golan is part of Israel and is strategically critical for national security.
Iran’s War Against America: ‘Revenge is very near!’
The Iranian regime’s anti-American hostility continues. Iranian leaders continue to threaten the assassination of former President Trump and more than two dozen other current and former American officials. An Iranian regime social media post showed fake mugshots of 26 government officials and stated: “There is no night that we sleep without thinking about you. Revenge is near. Very near!” Iran also funds and supports anti-America and anti-Israel protests in the U.S., including on university campuses. American intelligence officials warned in January that Iran-backed Hezbollah is capable of attacking the American homeland.
Hezbollah – Iran’s proxy in Lebanon – previously attacked American citizens in the bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut in 1983, killing 63, including 17 Americans; the U.S. Marine barracks bombing in October 1983 that killed 241 American and 58 French servicemen; the bombing of the U.S. Embassy annex in Beirut in 1984 that killed 24; the hijacking of TWA 847 in 1985 in which a Navy diver was shot in the head and his body dumped on the tarmac; and the Khobar Towers housing attack in Saudi Arabia in 1996 that killed 19 U.S. airmen.
President Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan honor the victims of U.S. Embassy bombing in Beirut, Lebanon, shown on the bottom right. The bottom image is the aftermath of the Khobar Towers housing complex bombing.
1. Israelis want peace not war
Israel’s goal is to preserve life, while Israel’s enemies are willing to sacrifice life. Hezbollah effectively controls most of Lebanon – a country not at war with Israel – with about 150,000 rockets aimed at Israel. Many of them are precision-guided weapons with more destructive warheads than Hamas launches from Gaza. The Iran-backed terrorists in Lebanon have launched thousands of attacks against Israel since 10/8. Israel has responded by conducting limited precision strikes on terrorists and weapons depots. A full-scale war would likely be very destructive for both Israel and Lebanon. Israelis and Lebanese – many who do not support Hezbollah – would suffer. But this does not matter to Hezbollah and Iran, who are hellbent on destroying Israel.
2. Iran-backed terrorists also intentionally kill non-Jews
One of Iran’s goals is general chaos and destruction. Attacks on civilians – regardless of ethnicity and religion – create fear and terror among all Israelis. It makes no difference to Israel’s enemies where their deadly missiles, rockets and drones land. Iranian-made rockets, missiles and drones fired directly from Iran or its proxy terrorist groups Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza and the Houthis in Yemen do not discriminate between Jews, Druze or other ethnic groups. In fact, Hezbollah has purposefully attacked northern Israeli towns that have majority Druze, Muslim and Christian populations.
3. Anti-Israel activists peddle conspiracy theories to delegitimize Israel
Hamas and Hezbollah supporters in American and European nations went into overdrive following Hezbollah’s heinous attack. They are spreading propaganda that Israel was behind the attack, lies that are repeated and shared across American and international media. Anti-Israel activists routinely spread false narratives, such as Israel being a colonial state or orchestrating global events. These baseless claims often rely on historic anti-Jewish tropes – especially blood libels – repackaging and rebranding them for contemporary audiences. By spreading misinformation, they deepen division and hostility, diverting attention from the actual perpetrators and increasing the chances of more violence – especially against Jews living in America and Europe.
4. Not land and borders – Iran’s proxy wars have one goal: annihilate Israel
Iran routinely vows to wipe Israel off the map and kill millions of Jews. The Islamic Republic’s proxy terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah are not trying to ‘liberate’ the West Bank to create a Palestinian state. Israel has repeatedly offered the Palestinians statehood. All offers were rejected. Hamas and Hezbollah are dedicated to the ‘liberation’ of Palestine from the river to the sea – in other words, the destruction of Israel. Iran’s goals are clearly stated and supported by its actions: supporting terrorist groups that share its vision and building nuclear weapons.
5. Iran is a threat to America and the world, not just Israel
The Iranian regime seizes, kidnaps and kills Americans. Iran held 52 American citizens hostage for 444 days after attacking the American embassy in 1979. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps repeatedly builds mock U.S. aircraft carriers to blow up and harass American vessels protecting the Persian Gulf. The Islamic Republic is developing rockets and missiles that can reach the U.S. Hezbollah and Iran leverage their network of deadly resources to carry out attacks against American targets both at home and abroad. Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and aggressive rhetoric toward the U.S. – the “Big Satan” – increases the potential for conflict.
You might hear: An Israeli rocket killed the 12 Druze children in the Golan.
REALITY: An Iranian-missile launched by an Iranian-terrorist organization killed the 12 Druze children. This is another example of a propaganda campaign spreading false narratives to smear Israel and deflect blame from Hezbollah. The apologists for Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas immediately repeated the terror group’s false claims and spread misinformation on social media. They label everything that Israel voices as lies and state that the terrorist group can be trusted. The U.S. government declared that it was a Hezbollah attack.
The IDF released evidence showing shrapnel found at the scene of the rocket attack matching an Iranian-made Falaq-1 rocket, which is used by Hezbollah. It is common for countries like Iran to use English on exported weapons. (@manniefabian)
You might hear: Israel occupies the Golan Heights.
REALITY: Israel captured the Golan from Syria in a defensive war in 1967 and annexed it in 1981. While many nations consider the Golan disputed territory, the U.S. recognized it as part of Israel in 2019 and the current administration reaffirmed that the “Golan Heights is part of northern Israel” after the Hezbollah attack. The earliest Jewish inhabitants lived there more than 2,000 years ago, as proven by archaeological remains of synagogues and other Jewish artifacts. The area is sparsely populated – about 50,000 residents, split about half Jews and half Druze. The reality there is very different from the West Bank. The plateau is a strategic location. The Syrian military harassed Israelis in the valley below – artillery shelling, sniper fire and infiltration attempts – between 1948 and 1967.
The Ein Keshatot archaeological site in the Golan features an ancient synagogue with a completely-preserved Ark Complex that once housed the Torah scrolls. A menorah appears at the top of this column. (Ein Keshatot archaeological site)
You might hear: Rocket from Lebanon hits soccer field – NY Times
REALITY: An Iranian missile fired by Hezbollah killed 12 children playing soccer. A double standard emerged in many print and online newspapers that used misleading headlines to describe the attack: it was unclear that Hezbollah was the aggressor and that Israel was the victim. However, when Israel struck a Hamas terror command center located inside a Gaza school – classes are not in session and it is legally considered a military target – reporters were quick to state that Israel targeted a school. U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres highlighted NY Times and Washington Post headlines on his X account.
An example of a biased news headlines from the British Broadcasting Corporation (Aviva Klompas, X)
A. Use the background and talking points to help educate others
Take active steps to educate your family, friends and colleagues about the Iranian war against Israel and America. Use information from this edition and share relevant news articles and videos to help provide a deeper understanding of the war’s complexities. Conversations are an opportunity to educate and inform. The more individuals understand, the less inclined they will be to believe false narratives and conspiracy theories promoted by Iran and its supporters. Engage in open and respectful discussions, emphasize the nuances of the situation and encourage critical thinking.
B. Consider writing a letter to the editor to correct misinformation
When you see or hear misinformation, consider correcting it via a letter to the editor of a newspaper or by tagging news organizations on social media. Many prominent American and international newspapers used misleading headlines in print and online to describe the Hezbollah attack against Israel. Headlines are the first and often only information many readers see. Use civil, respectful language. Check out media reporting watchdogs for critiques on news coverage of Israel:
CAMERA (Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis)
WARNING: Contains graphic descriptions of rape and violence
Male Victim of Oct. 7 Rape: ‘They called me Jew, I was their Jewish doll’
An Israeli man who was gang raped on 10/7 recently shared his story. He was interviewed anonymously, only identified by an initial, ‘D.’ Excerpts from his testimony.
Out of nowhere, they pounced on me. I mean, not out of nowhere – you do know it’s happening, but until that moment it seemed very distant to me. When it happened and you get hit, you go into a very, very big shock, and because I was in such shock, it was hard for me to resist. Not that it would have helped because it’s possible that if I had resisted more, they would have shot me.
They put me on the ground. In that moment, you feel a sort of disconnection from your body. At first, you try to resist, but after a while, at some point, you surrender to the situation. You enter this incredibly difficult mental state within yourself.
They took my clothes off. They start to make spit noises on my head. They spoke Arabic. I could hear them say Yahood – the Arabic word for Jew.
They choked me very hard when they pressed my head to the ground and then they forcibly removed my clothes. And they were laughing about the situation. It sounds crazy. But if you looked around them, you see they enjoyed the situation.
At the start I said stop, but they do not listen to you. And they did it more.
At that moment, I am like a doll to them. At that moment, I am their Jewish doll. That is what I am supposed to do, to them, to do whatever they want to me.
I was raped there. There were several people, five in total, but two were directly involved in holding me down during the assault. There was spitting, screaming, laughter – impossible things.
People came to rescue us. We saw a lot of people die. They cut their legs, they cut them, amputated people. A lot of dead bodies on the ground with a lot of blood.
Even today I am ashamed of it, but at that moment I felt such shame, like something in me was damaged at that moment.
It’s hard for me to see these pro-Palestinian demonstrations, these denials. They denied the Holocaust at first too, and now seeing how people are capable of doing something and then denying it with such confidence.
It’s as if we weren’t here, we didn’t do anything, nothing happened, like being told you’re imagining things.
Click here to read D’s full interview.
Israeli Prime Minister Addresses Congress, Protesters Burn American Flag
Israeli Athletes Targeted at Olympics
Hamas-Israel Gaza War Update
A Hamas supporter holds a sign invoking Hitler’s Final Solution – hoping all Jews will gather in Israel so that an Iranian nuclear attack will kill all Jews – at Union Station Capitol, July 24. (@eliah.goldberg, Instagram)
Defending Olympic gold medalist and current world champion in the floor exercise, Artem Dolgopyat, qualifies for the Olympic final, July 27. (Israeli Gymnastics Federation)
Post by Palestinian human rights activist Baseem Eid. (X)
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This content is developed by The Focus Project in partnership with Mercaz USA. The Focus Project distributes weekly news and talking points on timely issues concerning Israel and the Jewish people, including antisemitism, anti-Zionism and the delegitimization of Israel. It represents a consensus view across a spectrum of major American Jewish organizations. Mercaz USA recognizes and respects the diversity of views on these issues among its readers and the community at large.