Also in this constellation of terrorist enemies of Israel, Hamas was punching way above its weight. Small and often maligned by the much stronger and better trained Hezbollah fighting force, Hamas led the most punishing attack on Israel by an enemy in 50 years. Yahya Sinwar, the man who led Hamas fighters in battle, believed he would open the sluice for what he termed the “Al Aqsa Flood,” which was the name he assigned to the October 7 attack. Hamas’ aggressive offensive, he believed, would be followed by Hezbollah and Iran, leading to the destruction of Israel, a goal that was fundamental and shared by the Islamist terror axis led by Iran.