Israel's campaigns are existential self-defense after October 7

The position holds that Israel's military campaigns are a necessary act of existential self-defence after the attacks of 7 October. Its advocates speak of the right of self-defence, of dismantling Hamas and freeing the hostages, of restoring security to northern Israel against Hezbollah, and of deterrence and preemption against Iran and its allies.

The position appears in coverage of Israel's regional confrontation, the border with Lebanon, the Gaza war, direct strikes between Israel and Iran and between the United States and Iran, West Bank settlements and Israeli strikes in Syria. It is carried by a small group of publishers, nine on the main topic, which together account for thousands of matched events.

Two positions answer it. One presents the Axis of Resistance as a legitimate movement of liberation against Israeli and US domination. The other describes Israel's campaign in Gaza and the West Bank as a humanitarian catastrophe amounting to apartheid and collective punishment. The events of recent months include Israeli strikes in Gaza and southern Lebanon, the capture of Beaufort Castle, a ceasefire with Hezbollah that was followed by further clashes, Israel's rejection of a 15-point Gaza plan, and Lebanon's prime minister accusing Israel of a scorched-earth policy.