I have seen such an "avalanche" of ignorance of document truth of the reality that exists on social media I thought to post this "Know your enemy" information to clarify."Operation Lion's Roar" (or "Roaring Lion"), a joint US-Israel military campaign against Iran, began on Saturday (Shabbes) 14 days ago on February 28, 2026.
Two weeks of this newest phase of constant war since the morning of October 7th 2023.
We regretfully in Israel are aware and know full well the level of hatred of the Arabs - specifically today's version of those who follow the Fundemantalist Islamic extremist line.
What was once taunted as a war against Zionists who wished to establish the Jewish homeland in the former mandated areas and had "displaced" the local Arab inhabitants in the so called "Great Nachba" has become a war of two religions.
To clarify Hatred of Israel -the Jews and Zionism "Metamorphosized" in the 1970's with the rise of modern Islamic fundamentalism Salafism or Islamism.
Islamic fundamentalism is a complex phenomenon rooted in a reaction against Western colonial influence, the perceived failure of secular nationalist movements, and a desire to return to the "pure" origins of the faith.
Three major events in the 1970s acted as catalysts for the global resurgence of fundamentalist thought:
The 1973 Oil Crisis - which led to the quadrupling of oil prices and gave Gulf nations (particularly Saudi Arabia) unprecedented wealth, which was used to fund mosques, schools, and charities globally, exporting the Wahhabi/Salafi interpretation of Islam.
The Soviet-Afghan War (1979–89) The "Jihad" against the Soviet Union brought together fighters from across the Muslim world. It fostered a trans-national militant network and a sense of "victorious" militarism that would later evolve into groups like al-Qaeda.
Beyond theology, several "secular" factors contributed to the movement's popularity:
Failure of Pan-Arabism: After the 1967 Six-Day War, many felt that secular ideologies like Arab Socialism and Nationalism had failed to provide dignity, military success, or economic prosperity. The slogan "Islam is the Solution" became a powerful alternative.
Socio-Economic Despair: Rapid urbanization and high unemployment in the Middle East and North Africa created a class of educated but disenfranchised youth who found community and purpose in fundamentalist organizations.
Identity Crisis: As globalization and Western culture permeated traditional societies, fundamentalism offered a "shield" for cultural identity, framing the struggle as a defense against moral decay
The 1979 Iranian Revolution -Though a Shia uprising, it proved that a modern, Western-backed secular regime could be overthrown to establish an Islamic state. This energized Sunni movements to seek similar political victories.
In the 1970s, the Muslim Brotherhood in Gaza, led by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, established the Mujama al-Islami (Islamic Center). At this stage, the movement was "quietist"—it focused on social services, education, and mosque-building rather than armed struggle.
Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and his Mujama al-Islami (Islamic Center) built a network of clinics, schools, and charities, filling a vacuum left by the secular PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization).
The primary goal of which was the Islamization of Palestinian society from the bottom up, believing that military liberation from Israel could only happen after Palestinians returned to "pure" Islamic practice.
The outbreak of the First Intifada (uprising) in 1987 forced a strategic shift.
The younger generation of the Brotherhood feared that if they didn't join the fight, the secular Fatah movement would claim all the political legitimacy.
Therefore Hamas, an acronym for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya (Islamic Resistance Movement). -The word also translates to "zeal" or "enthusiasm."- was founded.
Unlike the Moslem Brotherhood’s broader focus, Hamas’s founding document their "1988 Charter" explicitly linked religious duty to the liberation of "every inch" of Palestine. It framed the conflict not just as a territorial dispute, but as a religious waqf (endowment) that no leader had the right to negotiate away.
The 1990s saw Hamas evolve into the primary spoiler of the Oslo Peace Process.
While Fatah moved toward diplomacy, Hamas doubled down on militancy.
Hamas formalized its military wing the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades in 1991, conducting a campaign of suicide bombings inside Israeli cities.
Hamas positioned themselves as the "uncorrupted" alternative to the Palestinian Authority (PA), which many Palestinians viewed as inefficient or compromised by security cooperation with Israel.
The most significant evolution occurred after the Second Intifada and the death of Yasser Arafat.
Hamas participated in the 2006 Palestinian legislative elections and won a surprise majority. This forced the movement to transition from an underground resistance group to a governing body responsible for municipal services, trash collection, and policing.
Following a brief civil war with Fatah, Hamas seized total control of the Gaza Strip. Since then, they have operated as a "quasi-state," balancing the pragmatic needs of governing two million people with their ideological commitment to armed struggle.
In an attempt to gain more international diplomatic traction, Hamas released a "Document of General Principles and Policies" in 2017.
While it didn't formally revoke the 1988 Charter, it used more political language and suggested a willingness to accept a Palestinian state along 1967 borders as a "transitional" step, though it still refused to recognize Israel's right to exist.
The rise of Hezbollah represents a different branch of Islamic fundamentalism—specifically Shia Islamism—and its evolution is tied more to regional state-sponsorship than the grassroots "bottom-up" origins of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Before 1982, the Lebanese Shia community was politically represented by Amal, a largely secular and reformist movement. The shift toward a more fundamentalist identity was triggered by the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982.
Unlike Hamas, which grew independently for decades before receiving significant foreign aid, Hezbollah was a direct project of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Following the 1979 Revolution, Iran sent 1,500 advisors to Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley to organize, train, and fund a new "Party of God" (Hezbollah).
In 1985, Hezbollah published its "Open Letter," which served as its founding manifesto. It was deeply rooted in the ideology of Ayatollah Khomeini and established three primary goals:
- The expulsion of Western "imperialist" forces (specifically the U.S. and France) from Lebanon.
- The destruction of the State of Israel.
- The establishment of an Islamic state in Lebanon modeled on Iran (though they later moderated this goal to reflect Lebanon's multi-religious reality).
After the Lebanese Civil War ended in 1990, the Taif Agreement required all militias to disarm. Hezbollah was the only group permitted to keep its weapons, under the justification that it was a "national resistance" against the ongoing Israeli occupation of Southern Lebanon.
Since 1992, they have been a fixture in the Lebanese Parliament and have held cabinet positions since 2005. They wield enough power to effectively veto any government decision that threatens their military status.
During this period, Hezbollah built an extensive social welfare network (hospitals, schools, and infrastructure) that often outperformed the dysfunctional Lebanese government.
When Israel withdrew from Southern Lebanon in 2000, Hezbollah claimed it as the first Arab military victory against Israel. This boosted their popularity across the Middle East, transcending the Sunni-Shia divide for a time.
Following the death of long-time leader Hassan Nasrallah in late 2024, the group entered a period of significant structural pressure, yet it remains the most heavily armed non-state actor in the world, possessing an arsenal of missiles and drones that exceeds many national armies.
