On 16 October, his arm severely injured and bleeding, Hamas military commander Yahya Sinwar was sitting in a chair on the second floor of a partially destroyed building when a small Israeli drone, likely an Extender drone, slowly approached him.

Sinwar threw a wooden stick at the drone, triggering it to withdraw. He did not move from his position, and no one can know what was on his mind. Was he thinking about what had happened during the year since the Al-Aqsa Flood attack on Israel last 7 October? Did he believe that the attack had been wrong?

Whatever the answers to these questions might be, Sinwar fought on until his last breath, killed swiftly and dramatically by Israeli forces on 16 October in the Tel Al-Sultan area of the Gaza Strip in a battle with the Israeli army’s 162nd Division and the 828th Bislach Brigade, including a Merkava-3 tank from the 195th Battalion and infantry from the 450th Battalion.

Military action, such as that which took place last 7 October, should always have a strategic and political dimension that secures civilian rights and protections. Otherwise, it can result in catastrophe, as we are currently witnessing in the Middle East.

Reacting to the news of Sinwar’s killing, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “we have demonstrated today that all those who try to harm us, this is what happens to them. And how the forces of good can always beat the forces of evil and darkness.”

“The war is still ongoing, and it’s costly,” he said, concluding by quoting from the Torahto the effect that“I will pursue my enemies and destroy them. And I will not turn back until they are wiped out.”

Just two days later, another drone, this time coming from the direction of the sea, was able to avoid the Israeli Air Defences and move towards Netanyahu’s villa in one of the most secure areas in Israel, shocking Israeli army leaders.

“Three unmanned aircraft crossed into the country from Lebanon. Two of the aircraft were intercepted. Another aircraft hit a building in Caesarea, no injuries,” an Israeli military statement said.

Israeli news agencies reported that the drone was a Sayyad-107, a copy of the Iranian Shahid-101 drone, but of a smaller size and a range of less than 100 km. The Sayyad-107 drone has an electric motor that does not make any noise, and it can fly at a very low altitude and change direction and altitude, making it difficult to detect with radar or electro-optical systems.

One possible explanation for the drone’s success in penetrating the Israeli defences is that the Israeli Air Force usually relies on a two-helicopter formation for interceptions, which are carried out by machine guns rather than missiles. These interceptions can take longer to carry out, and on this occasion they seem to have allowed a third aircraft to pass at low altitude.

Netanyahu’s residence lacks additional protection from Chinese-made Shen Nung laser defence systems similar to those that appear to be protecting the residence of Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, though Israel also has an iron beam laser system, which will be operational soon.

The incident of the drone that attempted to target Netanyahu can be considered as an indirect message from Iran – “as you hunt your enemies, so will you also be hunted.” This is the second such message after the Iranian missile attack earlier this month that caused Israel to ask the US to deploy a THAAD air-defence battery in the country.

There are only seven such batteries currently in deployment distributed between the US and the Pacific Ocean in response to the Chinese threat around the island of Taiwan.

According to the US network CNN,a spokeswoman confirmed the attack on Netanyahu’s villa, saying that Netanyahu and his wife were not home at the time of the strike.

Netanyahu is insisting on fighting until the last breath in the same way as Sinwar, but continuing the military operations without a political framework will result in an even worse crisis, and they raise a crucial question.

How does Netanyahu intend to end the present round of wars? Despite its commitment to Israel’s security, it appears that the US does not want things to deteriorate further in the region,also bearing in mind its displeasure at Israel’s inhumane acts in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.

According to a report on the US network Fox News, Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party’s candidate in the forthcoming US presidential elections, appeared to agree with an anti-Israel protester who accused it of acts of genocide during a campaign stop.

“I know what you’re speaking of. I want a ceasefire. I want the hostage deal done. I want the war to end,” Harris was reported as saying.

The US would like to see Israel scale back some of its strikes in and around the Lebanese capital Beirut, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Saturday, adding that the number of civilian casualties was “far too high,”according to Reuters.

However, Israel is going in the opposite direction and wants to stage a powerful response to Iran that would restore Israeli deterrence in the region, according to leaked US intelligence documents.

Last week, the Israeli newspaper The Times of Israel said “two files were published by a pro-Iran Telegram account, ‘Middle East Spectator,’ which claimed they were sent by a source in the Pentagon and detailed US observations of measures taken by the Israeli Air Force [IAF] on October 15-16 in the lead-up to an attack” on Iran.

CNN reported that the US authorities are investigating the apparent leak of highly classified information, and it quoted a US official calling the development “deeply concerning.”

The Times of Israel said that “according to the documents, the IAF has handled at least 16 Golden Horizon ALBMs [air-launched ballistic missiles] and 40 IS02 (Rocks) ALBMs since 8 October.” In addition, the IAF has carried out what seems to be a simulation for a long-range strike supported by signal intelligence and refuelling aircraft like what happened when Israel attacked Houthi sites in Yemen earlier.

If the documents are correct, this is a strike force capable of inflicting chaos. Fifty six ALBM missiles can be carried by 27 aircraft, implying that the attack could be carried out by large formations of attack aircraft, primarily F-16I and F-15I aircraft protected by F-35 fighter aircraft.

In parallel to the Israeli military campaign in Southern Lebanon, Hizbullah strikes have also escalated, with 257 different weapons fired against the Israeli army, according to the Israeli Alma Institute, a research centre. The Israeli losses were reported to be 30 soldiers and more than 100 injuries, and these numbers are expected to increase over time due to the nature of the battles between the two sides.

Israel also launched a new raid on the Jabalia Refugee Camp in the Gaza Strip last week in what it said was an attempt to prevent Hamas fighters from regrouping and regaining their strength.

However, this will undoubtedly happen in the future, so Israel is trapped in a vicious circle from which it is trying to escape through the use of excessive force rather than following diplomatic methods to restore balance in the Middle East.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 24 October, 2024 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly