IntelBrief: Complex Attack by Hamas into Israel has Altered the Dynamics of the Conflict

Bottom Line Up Front

• Israel’s Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu declared Israel to be “at war” following a complex and multi-pronged cross-border attack by Hamas into southern Israel on October 7.
• The sophistication of the attack caught Israeli leaders by surprise and will lead to a reevaluation in terms of the threat to regional security, necessitating policy adjustments.
• Hamas’ attack is a possible attempt by Iran and its so-called “axis of resistance” block to change the dynamics of the Arab-Israeli conflict by shifting the current rules of engagement and establishing a wider deterrence strategy toward Israel, however, regardless of whether Iran will be successful in achieving its objectives, the previous status quo with Gaza is forever altered.
• The unprecedented operation might also represent Hamas and its allies’ opposition to the recent normalization of relations between Israel and several Gulf and other Arab states, and potentially derailing the Israel-Saudi normalization talks.