Ray Furlong and Abubakar Siddique
The 15-month conflict in the Middle East has caused a dramatic shift in the regional balance of power.
Iran and Russia have been severely weakened as Israel has pounded Tehran’s proxies in the region, leading also to the collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria. Israel has emerged strengthened, but countries such as Turkey, Egypt, and Qatar have also gained influence.
Iran’s decline is perhaps the most striking. Its much-vaunted “axis of resistance” was based primarily on Hamas and Hezbollah, both listed as terrorist organizations by Israel, the United States, and other countries.
Dramatic Changes
The war began after Hamas launched its attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. In a dramatic escalation of decades of conflict, Hamas raids into Israel killed over 1,200 people, and the militant group seized over 200 hostages.
The Israeli bombing and ground campaign that followed has killed the top figures in the Hamas leadership and an estimated 18,000 Hamas fighters.
But it also reduced Gaza to rubble, killing some 46,000 people in total, according to Gaza health authorities.
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