In an era defined by hybrid warfare and shifting alliances, the concept of strategic deception, encapsulated by the Hebrew proverb “בתחבולות תעשה לך מלחמה” (“by cunning you shall wage war”), continues to shape the operational doctrines of Israel and its adversaries. This doctrine, drawn from ancient wisdom, has been adapted over decades of conflict, becoming a cornerstone of modern defense planning and intelligence across the volatile Middle East. Yet as the war imposed on Israel by Iran and its proxies enters new and more complex phases, both sides wield tactics rooted in cunning—a dynamic that raises essential questions about military ethics, strategic innovation, and the distinction between defense and aggression.
Foundational Principles: Israel’s Doctrine of Cunning Defense
Located in a region historically characterized by hostility and geopolitical upheaval, Israel has long grounded its defense strategies in the ability to outmaneuver its often numerically superior foes. Israeli military leaders have championed intelligence gathering, psychological operations, and technological innovation as necessary tools for survival. This approach has yielded several celebrated operations: the destruction of enemy air forces at the outset of the 1967 Six-Day War, daring commando raids such as the 1976 Entebbe rescue, and the ongoing deployment of advanced missile defense systems, such as Iron Dome and Arrow, to protect civilian populations.
The rationale for this reliance on strategic wit is rooted not in aggression, but in existential necessity. Surrounded by hostile actors, Israel’s acts of self-defense are guided by a principle that values saving civilian lives, minimizing harm, and maintaining a moral high ground, in line with both international law and the country’s foundational ethos. Israeli leaders, including Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, routinely reiterate the need for intelligence-driven operations and the ethical prosecution of war—as seen in efforts to warn residents before strikes on military targets embedded in urban areas of Gaza.
Imitation and Adaptation: Iranian Proxies Learn from Israeli Success
In recent years, Iran, the principal sponsor of the so-called “axis of resistance,” has meticulously studied and emulated aspects of Israel’s military doctrine. Its proxies—Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and militias within Syria and Iraq—have evolved from irregular forces into sophisticated terror organizations employing a variety of deceptive tactics, often in direct imitation of Israeli methods.
Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by much of the international community, has constructed a vast network of tunnels beneath Gaza, using them for the covert movement of fighters, arms trafficking, and the concealment of hostages taken in cross-border raids. Hezbollah, heavily armed and funded by Iran, has developed advanced capabilities in misinformation, cyber warfare, and the deployment of high-precision missile arsenals on Israel’s northern frontier. The common thread is an operational model based on ambiguity, misdirection, and psychological warfare—aimed at both battlefield advantage and worldwide public opinion.
October 7th: The Limits of Cunning—A Massacre Unprecedented
The deadliest instance of such strategy occurred on October 7, 2023, when Hamas forces launched a coordinated attack on Israel, killing more than 1,200 civilians in the largest antisemitic massacre since the Holocaust. The planning of this assault relied on camouflage, surprise, the use of fake Israeli radio signals, and the manipulation of social media to sow confusion. However, the methods used went beyond tactical cunning; they represented a deliberate choice to inflict maximum harm on noncombatants, including well-documented atrocities such as executions, rape, torture, mutilation, and the abduction of children and elderly into Gaza.
Israel’s military response, mounting into the Iron Swords War, has fused advanced intelligence, signal surveillance, and cutting-edge aerial and cyber capabilities. Drones, remote sensors, and artificial intelligence-driven targeting have enabled focused strikes against both terrorist leadership and infrastructure, aiming to degrade the enemy’s operational capability while minimizing civilian exposure. Throughout, Israel has maintained open channels to instruct Gaza residents on evacuation zones and humanitarian corridors—a contrast to the deliberate targeting of civilians by Iranian-backed groups.
The War for Perception: Propaganda, Cyber, and Information Battles
Concurrently, Iranian proxies invest heavily in information warfare. Disinformation and propaganda—ranging from doctored images and staged casualty reports to orchestrated campaigns on social media—aim to undermine Israel’s legitimacy and shift global narratives against the Jewish state. These efforts are closely coordinated, often leveraging civilian suffering to pressure Israel diplomatically or to inspire anti-Israeli sentiment abroad.
Israel, too, recognizes the necessity of shaping public perception, but its information campaigns focus on transparency, fact-based communication, and the documentation of atrocities to global monitors and allies. The battle for narrative supremacy has become pivotal, as both state and non-state actors compete for larger strategic gains that transcend the immediate theater of war.
The Moral Divide: Hostages, Human Shields, and the Rules of War
The stark distinction between Israel and its adversaries is revealed most forcefully in the ongoing hostage crisis. More than 130 innocent Israelis—including women and children—remain in captivity in Gaza, held since the October 7th massacre. These abductions violate every tenet of international humanitarian law, highlighting the gulf between Israel’s legal handling of convicted terrorists and the enemies’ use of civilians as bargaining chips and human shields. Each negotiation, rescue operation, or political concession made by Israel to secure their release underscores both the government’s commitment to life and the ethical abyss characterizing its adversaries’ methods.
Ongoing Evolution: Technological Countermeasures and International Alliances
Israel continues to invest in advanced detection, counter-tunnel initiatives, and international collaboration, particularly with the United States, to neutralize hybrid threats across multiple domains. The Israel Defense Forces and security services are continually adapting, learning from the evolving tactics of Iranian-backed militants, and countering them through both superior technology and the ethical application of force.
At the same time, Israel’s unwavering adherence to defensive cunning does not obscure the requirement for moral restraint. Whereas Iranian-backed groups celebrate duplicity and civilian targeting, Israel’s military innovations are ultimately designed to shield its population and uphold its sovereign rights under constant assault.
Conclusion
As war rages on multiple fronts, the legacy and evolution of “בתחבולות תעשה לך מלחמה” reveal a critical truth: strategic deception, though common to combatants across history, has vastly different implications depending on intent and execution. In Israel’s case, cunning remains a tool of survival, shaped by the imperative to protect against existential threats. Among Iranian proxies, by contrast, the same principles are twisted to perpetuate terror and destabilize legitimate state structures. The enduring challenge is not only to outwit the adversary, but to ensure that the means of warfare reflect the goals of justice, self-defense, and the hope for peace.
