One of the great uncertainties hanging over the Gaza war has been the question of whether Hamas’ regional allies — Hezbollah, Syria, and Iran — would intervene in the conflict. Would Hezbollah commence its own rocket war to complement Hamas’, and test whether Israel was prepared to wage a two-front war?

Several days into the war, the only intervention from these players has been theatrical, not military. Nasrallah rants from Lebanon and Ahmadinejad from Tehran, but there has been no action to back up the rodomontade. In a war whose resolution is still ambiguous, this is one development that is concrete. The lesson for Hamas is clear: Tehran and Hezbollah can give you cash, send you weapons, and celebrate your resistance, but they will not protect you from the IDF.