What Hamas misunderstood about the Middle East
A war meant to draw in the militant group’s allies has instead left them battered
PERHAPS IN HIS final days he reflected on the irony. Last year Hassan Nasrallah had not been eager to start a war with Israel. Hizbullah’s leader felt dragged into it by Yahya Sinwar, the head of Hamas in Gaza, who had declined to consult his allies before his men attacked Israel on October 7th. But Nasrallah joined the war anyway: his own rhetoric left him little choice. Almost a year later, that decision would cost him his life.
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This article appeared in the Briefing section of the print edition under the headline “Yahya Sinwar’s big mistake”
From the October 5th 2024 edition
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