The events in Palestine have overshadowed all other conflicts in the region, especially in Syria, where Idlib is enduring brutal bombardment from the Syrian regime and Iranian militias. Eyewitnesses have documented the extent of the atrocities committed against civilians, including children and women, through videos that reveal the extent of the crimes, including the targeting of hospitals. The Syrian regime has held the factions in this region responsible for the attack on the military academy in Homs during the graduation of a class of officers.
What Idlib and its residents are going through is not much different from what is happening in Palestine, and the shock that the “Zionist entity” is experiencing is a result of the serious breach achieved by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. They managed to kill and capture more than 50 prisoners, including a number of important figures in the Israeli army, as well as women, children, and the elderly. They also managed to establish a presence deep within the Gaza Strip.
One observer of the events in Gaza believes that the current situation differs from previous ones due to the tactics employed by the Hamas movement in its operation to penetrate the settlements within the Gaza Strip envelope and the number of prisoners, which will be a significant factor divided into two parts. The first part is related to the locations where the prisoners are distributed, which will compel the Israeli army to exercise maximum caution in its airstrikes on Gaza. The second part of this matter, which is considered a fundamental pillar, pertains to the exchange operation that Hamas will conduct. This exchange may not be limited to Palestinian prisoners and could potentially involve concessions from the Netanyahu government concerning the Gaza Strip.
Undoubtedly, the operation carried out by Hamas and the publicity surrounding the capture operations have garnered Western support, especially from the United States. The U.S. Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin, emphasized ensuring that Israel receives the support it needs.
It is too early at this point to predict the direction that events in Gaza will take after the Israeli Cabinet officially approved a “state of war.” This declaration brings to mind the first time it was declared in October 1973, when surprise attacks were launched against Israeli forces by the Egyptian army in Sinai and by the Syrian army on the Golan Heights, with support from some Arab countries.
Awaiting developments in Palestine, it is essential to shed light on the participation of Hezbollah and its announcement, for the first time in years, of its endorsement of the rocket attack towards an Israeli military site. Notably, these rockets were not fired from undisclosed locations but rather from areas that are part of a dispute that was expected to commence negotiations with the American mediator Amos Hochstein.
Based on the principles adopted by Hezbollah in these operations, the source suggests that the organization has set the stage for its support of Hamas through intermittent shelling, with the potential aim of disrupting the Israeli army, not only in the southern front but also in the north. At this point, it is likely that these skirmishes will not escalate into a full-scale conflict but rather serve as a demonstration of Hezbollah’s solidarity with Hamas, in response to a call from the military wing’s leader, Mohammed Deif, to “our brothers in the resistance in Lebanon, Iran, Yemen, Iraq, and Syria to join the resistance in Palestine.”
The source believes that the ongoing events in the Gaza Strip will have ramifications that extend beyond the territory, particularly concerning the axis connecting Hamas with the Islamic Jihad, which Hezbollah considers a crucial pillar closely linked to the head in Tehran. Consequently, the victor in this battle may impose their conditions on the regional and international negotiation table.