Israel and the Coming Long War

In the weeks since late July, when Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran and Fuad Shukr was killed in Beirut, there has been much speculation about the eruption of a wider conflict in the Middle East. In some ways, this wider regional war is already at hand. From the outset, “the Gaza war” was a misnomer. Ever since Hamas’s heinous October 7 attack nearly one year ago, Israel has faced not one but numerous antagonists in what has already become one of the longest wars since Israel’s founding. Nonetheless, this multifront war has been of limited intensity so far. If Israel or its enemies decide to escalate on any of the other fronts, it would have profound implications for Israeli security and strategy...

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