[Quarrelsome]

because when you give someone the keys to the US military to some people, they lack the imagination to think beyond piracy and raiding.

The war in its current inception is Hamas levels of planning.

1. Do a big attack

2. ????

3. Profit!

Depends of if the Iranian state is weak enough to collapse on its own, because I imagine a land assault in Venezuela or Iran would be a horrific mistake due to the terrain.

[hedora]

This strike isn't even close to Hamas-levels of planning.

If anything Hamas got the US to make an unforced mistake in a game of checkers three moves out.

According to the IDF's analysis of captured Hamas documents, step 2 was:

"Get Israel to commit so many war crimes that we actually have the moral high ground. Then, regional partners will be forced to support us again, and our recruitment numbers go back up. Do everything we can to ensure the conflict expands across borders to secure future funding and alliances."

The crazy thing is the IDF knew this and published the report. Only after acknowledging that it was their only losing move did they start committing a bunch of war crimes!

Hamas' public support, funding and recruitment levels were rapidly approaching zero until the Palestinian genocide started. Now they're part of a regional conflict and arguably still hold the moral high ground, depending on how you tally things up. That was fantasy-land for them before the strikes.

It's almost like the IDF's funding is contingent on Hamas' continued existence, and, barring that, perpetual regional conflict.

It's too bad that civilians always lose in these conflicts, and right-wing criminals almost always win.

[Quarrelsome]

> This strike isn't even close to Hamas-levels of planning.

Yes it is, its an attack without any surefire plans for later stages of the war. While they might fluke it, I don't see how just missiling a bunch of targets and murdering a nation's leader really achieves tangible change. Its like a bully taking a swing at someone in class, they can, so they do, but there's no thought about end outcomes. They might get lunch money, or get away with doing it, but they could also get detention, or be suspended or expelled.

The Hamas plan was something like:

1. we murder them

2. they retaliate horrifically

3. ???

4. the intifada goes global and lebanon and syria and maybe other arab nations all rise up and attack israel.

and that remains my issue with the US plan, there isn't one. Either have ground troops ready or militias in place and armed. Don't just start a war for a laugh and if you do; then take it seriously. We're talking about worst case outcomes for hundreds of thousands if not millions and the US is currently just treating with the seriousness of a casual hand of poker.

[hedora]

As of Saturday, Hamas achieved 100% of their objectives from those strikes. The primary objective was starting a regional conflict. That was way beyond their capabilities.

Trump doesn't even seem to know what the US's objectives are in Iran. It changes every time anyone in the administration opens their mouth.

[Quarrelsome]

> As of Saturday, Hamas achieved 100% of their objectives from those strikes.

True, although I would imagine they had hoped the Arab nations would be against Israel as opposed to potentially fighting on the same side, especially since I imagine they gain a level of funding from within the UAE who are now apparently seeking to retaliate against Iran putting them on the Israeli side.