Israel’s Strike on Hezbollah HQ | FDD SITREP with Jonathan Conricus, Jon Schanzer & David Daoud

For questions about FDD events, contact [email protected].
For media inquiries, please contact [email protected].

FDD is tracking a potential major development in Israel’s multi-front war against Iran-backed terrorists with reports of a potential strike against Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah and other senior Hezbollah leaders. Since October 8, 2023, Iran’s most pampered and lethal proxy, Hezbollah, has launched, without prior provocation, thousands of rockets at Israel from Lebanon. For months, hundreds of thousands of Israeli and Lebanese civilians alike have been displaced from their homes. The U.S. has been holding Israel back from striking hard blows to Hezbollah, and Israel is now paying a steep price. With another war front opened in Israel’s north, all eyes are turning to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Iran for what might come next. So, what lies ahead? How long might it realistically take for Israel to neutralize — or dismantle — this longstanding terror threat? Will the United States pivot its approach and support Israel’s efforts to enforce its sovereignty?

Jonathan Conricus

Lt. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Conricus served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for 24 years as a combat commander in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, a military diplomat, foreign relations expert. He most recently served as international spokesperson for the IDF in the wake of the Hamas October 7 attacks. From various vantage points along and beyond Israel’s borders, Jonathan has delivered hundreds of security and strategic briefings to foreign groups and dignitaries, including heads of state, military professionals, senior government officials, students, and civil society. Jonathan is a member of the Israel Defense and Security Forum and a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

Jonathan Schanzer

Jonathan Schanzer is senior vice president for research at FDD, where he oversees the work of the organization’s experts and scholars. Jonathan previously worked as a terrorism finance analyst at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, where he played an integral role in the designation of numerous terrorist financiers. He has held previous think tank research positions at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and the Middle East Forum. Jonathan has written hundreds of articles on the Middle East, along with more than a dozen monographs and chapters for edited volumes. Jonathan testifies often before Congress and publishes widely in the American and international media.

David Daoud

David Daoud is a senior fellow at FDD focused on Lebanon and Hezbollah. He previously worked as a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council, director of Israel, Lebanon, and Syria research at United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), and a research analyst at FDD. David also has experience working as a staff member on Capitol Hill providing analysis on matters related to the Middle East, Israel, and Iran.

David holds a JD with a concentration in International Law and the Laws of Armed Conflict from Suffolk University in Boston. He is fluent in Arabic and Hebrew and has spent extensive time living in the Middle East, primarily in Israel and Lebanon. His work has been cited or published in outlets including Haaretz, Foreign Policy, Newsweek, New York Times, Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal.