Photo by
Yoav Dudkevitch/TPS on 1 May, 2023
Half of Americans Support Israel’s Offensive Against Hezbollah, Hamas But Divided on Military Aid
Jerusalem, 1 October, 2024 (TPS) -- Half of Americans support Israel’s military campaigns against Hezbollah and Hamas according to a survey released on Wednesday, but are divided on boosting US military support.
The survey, commissioned by the New York-based Council for a Secure America, found that 50 percent felt that American military support should be kept the same, 25% want it increased and 25% want it decreased.
Asked if Iranian proxies such as Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis posed a threat to the US and its Western allies, 54% agreed, 10% disagreed and 36% neither agreed or disagreed.
The survey also found that 56% Americans prefer to keep the current level of US military action against Iran and its proxies, while 27% said the US should increase its military activities and 17% said it should be decreased.
Overall, 62% said they viewed US-Israel relations as important, 9% said they were not important.
The poll, conducted by Morning Consult, questioned 2,201 American adults. The survey had a margin of error of 2%.
After the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, the Iran-backed Hezbollah began firing rockets and launching drones at northern Israel communities, killing 49 people. According to figures released by the government on Sept. 29, more than 68,000 residents of northern Israel are displaced from their homes. Hezbollah leaders have repeatedly said they would continue the attacks to prevent Israelis from returning to their homes.
Israel’s war goals include securely returning northern residents to their homes.
At least 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 97 remaining hostages, more than 30 have been declared dead. Hamas has also been holding captive two Israeli civilians since 2014 and 2015, and the bodies of two soldiers killed in 2014.
