Dr. Punsara Amarasinghe
The Middle East closely resembles a time bomb that awaits its destruction depending on the actions of the key actors there. This time bomb came to the closest point of explosion in the aftermath of the macabre perpetrated by Hamas on the 7th of October 2023, which paved the way to unleash Israeli military strength upon Gaza with two main objectives: the complete extermination of Hamas and bringing the hostages held under Hamas captivity back to Israel. In achieving this task, Tel Aviv engaged on multiple fronts over the last two years, amidst both local and international pressure. The ceasefire agreement brokered by President Trump finally cooled the burning theatre of the Middle East.
A central debate among strategic planning experts is whether Israel has abandoned its overarching goal of defeating Hamas entirely as a result of the current ceasefire. To address this, one must consider how Israel pursued its security strategy through multiple operations prior to Trump’s engagement with Hamas. From Operation Iron Swords to Operation Gideon’s Chariots, the IDF’s objective was clear: intensify strikes on Hamas leadership and systematically target Qassam brigade fighters, particularly those implicated in the events of October 7. As Edward Luttwak notes, Israel’s campaign of removing key Hamas military leaders—from Mohomad Deif to Yahiya Sinwar—served as a deterrent, reinforcing that any attack on Jewish targets triggers severe consequences.
Apart from confronting Hamas, Israel tamed the Tehran-backed Hezbollah network, primarily targeting its leadership and destroying its key infrastructure facilities in Lebanon . For the first time , Israeli attacks in Iran exposed Tehran’s vulnerability to the world as Israeli fighter jets dominated the Iranian sky. These factors serve as corner stones depicting Israel’s triumph supported by its tenacity before the peace deal.
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