Source: Foreign Policy
by Daniel Byman
“Someday, probably later rather than sooner, Israel and Hamas will stop shooting at each other. Relieved U.S. officials could claim there is a cease-fire and the worst is behind us, even if limited violence continues. More good things might follow. The Houthis would be reluctant to fight a war on behalf of Hamas that Hamas itself is not fighting, returning their focus to Yemen. The fighting in Lebanon, which surged after Israel killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, might eventually subside. All this would be a dramatic improvement over the deadly and devastating conflict in Gaza. Yet even a successful cease-fire would not put the Middle East back on the path it was on before Hamas’s attack on Oct. 7, as dismal as that seemed at the time.” (10/03/24)