Since the October 2023 Hamas attack, Israel’s Iron Swords War has expanded across multiple fronts, with the IDF striking in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iran and, most recently, Qatar; The Doha attack, which drew sharp U.S. and Arab criticism, has highlighted growing regional unease and strained Israel’s international standing; Meanwhile, fighting continues in Gaza, with the IDF preparing a major push into Gaza City amid mounting global condemnation.
On October 7, 2023, Israel launched the Iron Swords War following Hamas’ surprise attack from Gaza, declaring the “collapse” of the terrorist organization as its supreme objective, alongside the return of the hostages. However, in less than two years, the IDF has operated far beyond the Gaza Strip: the Israeli Air Force, and at times other branches of the military, have already conducted operations in five countries—Lebanon, Yemen, Iran, Syria and Qatar—alongside ongoing activity in the West Bank.
On December 2023, then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declared that Israel was engaged in a “multi-front war.” Speaking before the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, he said: “We are being attacked from seven different fronts—Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Judea and Samaria, Iraq, Yemen and Iran.” With the exception of Iraq, at least officially, Israel has carried out operations in all of these arenas—and a few days ago Qatar was added as well, in the framework of Operation Summit of Fire, to assassinate Hamas’ leadership. Yet the strike in Qatar was unusual, since it was the first target in the war that had not first launched attacks against Israel. Moreover, Israel does not define Qatar as an “enemy state.” (Read More)
