A report in the Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post says that Israel no longer decides when to start a war. Hamas has learned in a more systematic way, with the help of Iran and Hezbollah, how to raise its own ring of fire around Jerusalem.
The availability of rockets from every front to be fired at almost anywhere in Israel and almost unplanned creates a difficult challenge that the IDF may not be able to solve. No official in Israel, no matter how extreme, believes the IDF can occupy and control Gaza, Lebanon and Syria, although few officials still support the reoccupation of Gaza.