Israel vs. Hamas: a new war with global repercussions
Much is being written about the geostrategic backdrop to the new war triggered by Hamas’ attack on Israeli civilians and military facilities. The role of Iran and even Saudi Arabia are also in the spotlight. In this section we gather voices analysing the situation.
Iran’s more direct involvement on the cards
Iran could become more directly involved in the conflict through Hezbollah, writes political scientist Maria do Céu Pinto Arena in Público:
“Tehran sees Hezbollah as a strategic instrument for defence against a potential Israeli attack. A number of developments suggest that Hezbollah could get more deeply involved because the Hamas operation has changed the dynamic in the Middle East and could prompt Iran to move from a supporting and coordinating role to more direct participation. Especially if the Israeli response presents an existential threat to Hamas.”
Saudi Arabia suffering collateral damage
Saudi Arabia is also on the losing side in this conflict, Avvenire notes:
“The war undermines the Saudis’ regional strategy and could, even before the normalisation of relations with Israel, destroy the détente with Iran. After all, Hamas is funded, armed and trained by Iran, and there are other pro-Iranian armed groups such as the Lebanese Hezbollah and even Syrian Shia militias that could join the fray. Moreover, Mohammed bin Salman has used the possibility of his recognising Israel to renegotiate special relations with the US. ... Freezing the process of normalising relations with Israel would slow everything else down, leaving the Saudis more vulnerable.”
Social media as weapon of war
People should be mindful about what they read on social media in this war, the Irish Examiner warns:
“The performance of social media platforms such as X, formerly Twitter, is shockingly cynical. Such platforms are facilitating the spread of terror and intimidation through the lack of content moderation on their sites. One Israeli organisation which monitors hate speech and disinformation described X this week as a war zone with no ethics, a place ‘where you just go and do whatever you want’. ... The online battle for hearts and minds is an acknowledged front in 21st-century conflict — digital version of the old propaganda campaigns of past wars. Propaganda, whether ancient or modern, is inherently unreliable — a point all of us should remember.”
