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Hamas' Regional Allies Remain as Bystanders in Gaza War
(Al-Monitor) Khaled Al Hroub - The quick and astonishing success of Hamas' Oct. 7 strike fueled initial speculation that it was a first phase that would be followed by subsequent phases of a larger regional plan involving Iran, Hizbullah and the resistance factions. However, the lack of such anticipated phases, so far at least, attests to the analysis that the strike was a purely Palestinian initiative. Hamas' regional allies, Iran and Hizbullah, did not respond "seriously" to the subsequent Israeli onslaught and remained almost bystanders. Hizbullah border skirmishes in the north of Israel remained limited to face-saving, small-scale engagements. The writer is a professor of Middle Eastern Studies at Northwestern University in Qatar.