What exactly does it mean for Hizballah that Israel can strike it with this degree of both precision and scale? Michael Doran analyzes this “astonishing intelligence operation.”

It is the first mass targeted killing in history. Every one of the thousands of persons killed or maimed was selected individually, yet they were hit at the same moment.

Israel’s mass targeted killing foiled Hizballah’s human-shield tactic, . . . conducted within the very narrow rules of war that are imposed on Israel but on no one else, but it is also morally laudable. Hizballah is a terrorist organization. It is an arm of Iran whose rise across the Arab world has brought death and destruction everywhere it is gained a foothold. Hizballah worked hand in glove with Russia, Iran, and the Assad regime to flatten large parts of many of the major cities of Syria.

Unfortunately, the Biden administration believes that diplomacy and military deterrence are separate activities and that diplomacy is the morally superior one. The administration reflexively admonished Israel for Operation Grim Beeper and repeated its pious mantra, “de-escalation.” Pressure on Israel to deescalate, however, advances Iran’s and Hizballah’s agenda.

Between December 27 and January 6, terrorists in Gaza fired rockets at Israel almost every night. On Monday, one rocket struck a home in the much-bombarded town of Sderot, although no one was injured. The rocket fire had largely halted last spring, and for some time barrages were often the result of Israeli forces closing in a Hamas unit or munitions depot. But the truth—which gives credence to Ran Baratz’s argument in his January essay that the IDF is struggling to accomplish its mission—is that Hamas has been able to rebuild. Yoni Ben Menachem writes that the jihadist group has been “producing hundreds of new rockets using lathes smuggled into tunnels that remain operational in Gaza.” Moreover, it has been replenishing its ranks:

According to Israeli security officials, Hamas has recruited approximately 4,000 new fighters over the past month. This rapid expansion bolsters its fighting capabilities and complicates Israel’s efforts to apply military pressure on Hamas to expedite a hostage deal. Hamas’s military recovery has allowed it to prolong its war of attrition against the IDF and adopt tougher stances in hostage negotiations. The funds for this recruitment effort are reportedly from the sale of humanitarian-aid packages, which Hamas forcibly seizes and resells in Gaza’s markets.

In fact, Ben Menachem writes, Hamas’s rocket fire is part of the same strategy:

By firing rockets, Hamas seeks to demonstrate its resilience and operational capability despite the IDF’s prolonged offensive. This message is aimed at both Gaza’s residents and the Israeli public, underscoring that Hamas remains a significant force even after enduring heavy losses [and] that Israel cannot easily occupy this region, currently a focal point of IDF operations.