Since the terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7, 2023, the two sides have been at odds for almost a year. Thousands of people have been displaced and hundreds of people have died as a result of the border battles.
The bloodshed is a reflection of the harm that militant organizations supported by Iran, such as Hezbollah and Hamas, have caused to the Middle East over the past forty years. Their ability to cause harm originated with the October 1983 suicide bombing of the United States.
Along with America’s pullout from Lebanon, his choice to forgo a military response conveyed the message that terrorism was effective. Major military and superpowers could be decisively defeated by little, relatively inexpensive acts of extreme violence. This gave these organizations and their Iranian backers more confidence. For the area and the sake of peace, the outcomes have been disastrous.
