New Delhi: Just after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, Israeli Prime Minister had vowed that Israel would ‘change the Middle East’. Almost 21 months after the assault, Hamas has been crushed, with most of its top leaders eliminated. Hezbollah in Lebanon has taken a retreat, Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria has been unseated and Iran’s nuclear programme has been apparently dismantled after Israel launched attacks on June 13. A regime change in the Islamic Republic is also on the cards following the unrest. That’s exactly what Netanyahu would have wanted.
In a speech after US strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites, Netanyahu said: “First comes strength, then comes peace.” Whether
“obliterating” the nuke facilities will usher in peace in the region remains unanswered, as there are US intel reports that the US strikes have been able to push back Iran’s nuclear programme by only a few months, and didn’t destroy the facilities completely.
Dealing with ‘tentacles of terror’
Since he took over reins, Netanyahu has been vocal about Iran’s “tentacles of terror”, and with the recent strikes, in coordination with the US, he has signalled a more aggressive stance aimed at challenging Iran’s regional influence. Over the years, Iran has succeeded in building a network of regional allies, but this has been severely weakened by Israel. The regional landscape has seen drastic change in the aftermath of October 7, 2023 attack. However, the killing of tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians and the devastation that has turned Gaza into a graveyard cannot be justified. Flattening Gaza has undoubtedly led to profound but contentious changes in the region and worsened the humanitarian crisis, and cast serious doubt on the long-term prospects for peace and stability.
Hamas had always been on Netanyahu’s radar, which is apparently funded by Iran. In his campaign against Iran and its nuclear programme, Netanyahu has often dubbed Iran’s allies as a serious threat. He has always accused Iran of making relentless efforts to grow its influence in the Middle East by sponsoring weapons and giving money to armed groups in key areas. And it is this that has been on Netanyahu’s target. In a speech in 2005, he had famously said: “Iran’s goons in Gaza, its lackeys in Lebanon, its Revolutionary Guards on the Golan Heights are clutching Israel with three tentacles of terror.”
Iran’s ‘axis’ falling apart
Iran’s ‘axis of resistance’ — consisting of Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) in Iraq, Houthi militants in Yemen, and Hamas in Gaza — was formed to counter US and Israel. That ‘axis’ seems to be falling apart today. For decades, Hamas and Hezbollah has been one of Iran’s closest allies. Former Syrian President Assad, who was a central figure in Iran’s regional strategy, gave passage to arms and weapons bound for Hezbollah to be transported through the Syrian soil. Houthis and Hezbollah have been launched missiles and drones at Israel since the Gaza war started. However, today all these outfits have lost their teeth and seem to be a mere shadow of their past selves. Because Hezbollah’s strength was diminished, Sunni Syrian rebels toppled Asad regime and gained control.
Netanyahu’s vow to ‘change the Middle East’ may have come true in military and strategic terms — as Iran’s network of allies is broken, its key allied groups weakened, and the Assad government removed. But this has come at a huge human cost and posed critical questions about the region’s near future, the real price of security, and whether Israel’s actions will lead to lasting peace or simply be an omen of deeper anger and future confrontations.
