Domino Effect

“In the end, the October 7 massacre Sinwar ordered did not cause the destruction of Israel but instead led to the dismantling of its enemies. Hamas is largely destroyed, and most of its leaders, including Sinwar, are dead, assassinated by Israel. Hezbollah, in Lebanon, is comprehensively weakened. Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, Iran’s main Arab ally, is in exile in Moscow, his country now led by Sunni Muslims hostile to Iran’s leaders. Iran’s skies are under the control of the Israeli Air Force, and its $500 billion nuclear program appears to be, at least partially, rubble and dust.” The Atlantic (Gift Article): Sinwar’s March of Folly. “What is certain is that the conventional components of the Axis of Resistance are in dismal shape. The demolition of this axis happened because Israel, after the humiliation on October 7, reconstituted its fighting and intelligence capabilities in remarkably effective (and severely uncompromising) ways, and because Sinwar and his allies fundamentally misunderstood their enemy.”

+ “Even though leading members of Netanyahu’s military and defense establishment have resigned or apologized for their roles in the tragedy of October 7th, he has so far dodged any real accounting, rebuffed any inquiry. As a result, for the first year after the attacks, his poll numbers were dreadful. Political observers in Israel across the ideological spectrum talked about when, not if, Netanyahu would finally fall from power.” Things may have changed. The New Yorker: With His Eyes on History, Benjamin Netanyahu Aims for Political Resurrection.