Opinion | Are Iran's 'Proxies' Rising Again? Inside Hamas, Hezbollah's Strange Resurgence

Updated: Oct 07, 2026 17:46 pm IST Published On Oct 07, 2026 17:26 pm IST Last Updated On Oct 07, 2026 17:46 pm IST

Published On Oct 07, 2026 17:26 pm IST

Last Updated On Oct 07, 2026 17:46 pm IST

When Hamas struck across multiple locations in Israel on October 7, 2023, there was a sense of disbelief, shock, and fear. Israeli intelligence had been tricked, and the military had been caught off guard. But Israel recovered in an instant and launched a massive counterattack into Gaza. Driven by a collective sense of rage and revenge over the brutal killing of 1,140 people and 251 hostages in the terror attack, Israel vowed to eliminate Hamas from the face of the Earth and raze Gaza to the ground. It was also felt that a crucial red line had been crossed this time and that the episodic nature of conflicts in Gaza or the West Bank, like in the past decade, could not be allowed to happen anymore. The threat had not only to be dealt with but eliminated forever.

What followed thereafter was the most brutal and punishing military campaign by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), eliminating Hamas, entering and occupying Gaza, cutting off food, water, and medical supplies to Gaza, and destroying weapon caches and hideouts of Hamas deeply buried in an extensive underground tunnel network. The IDF operations, however, did not remain limited to Gaza. It took on all threats on its borders – Hezbollah in Lebanon, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and its affiliates in the West Bank, and the Shiite militias in Syria and Iraq. Over the course of the next two years, Israel and Iran exchanged missile and drone strikes more than once, culminating in the ‘12-Day War' in June 2025, when the US joined Israel and bombed Iran's nuclear sites. Even Houthis operating from Yemen were in the crosshairs of the IDF. And, as the Israeli Prime Minister said on 6th October 2024, on the eve of the first anniversary of 7th October, Israel was fighting a ‘Seven Front War'.

When the ceasefire finally took effect on 10th October 2025, Israel had succeeded to a large extent in its goals tactically, although a decisive strategic victory still eluded it. Hamas had been defeated and its key leadership eliminated, Hezbollah had been brought to its knees, President Assad in Syria had been ousted, and a former Islamic State (IS) terrorist, Al Sharaa, had been placed in command, PIJ was being hunted and destroyed in the West Bank, and even Iran had been targeted and its nuclear programme ‘obliterated' in the 12-Day War. So, when Israel and the US launched pre-emptive strikes into Iran on February 28, 2026, the........

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