The Middle East has experienced significant volatility since the mid-20th century, with Israel engaged in wars and facing threats from militias like Hamas and Hezbollah. Conflicts have involved regional and global powers, leading to widespread instability and violence. The text details how Israel fought major wars with Arab neighbors and increasingly faced challenges from militias, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in the Palestinian territories, and the Houthis in Yemen. In the 21st century, these militias have posed the most consistent threat to Israel. By 2024, 10 conflicts had flared across the region, with tensions escalating between the United States and Iran, and other Iranian-backed militias attacking US forces in Iraq and Syria. This backdrop of conflict includes Israel facing two frontlines in the south against Hamas and in the north against Hezbollah, both of which are members of the so-called "Axis of Resistance," a network of Shiite movements armed, trained, and financially supported by Iran.

Following Israel's invasion of Lebanon in 1982, tensions between Palestinians and Israel increased in the occupied territories of Gaza and the West Bank. The first Intifada began in 1987 and continued until 1993, resulting in the rise of Hamas. Following the collapse of U.S.-led talks between Israel and the PLO in 2000, a second Intifada broke out, leading to violent protests until 2005. In the 2006 Palestinian elections, Hamas achieved a major political upset by winning the majority of seats in parliament. Hostilities between Israel and Hamas resulted in conflicts in 2008, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2021, 2022, and 2023. On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas carried out cross-border raids in the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust, leading to Israel's military action resulting in significant Palestinian casualties and the destruction of buildings in Gaza.

Israel's invasion of Lebanon in 1982 led to the creation of Hezbollah, a militia supported by Iran. Hezbollah attacked Israeli forces during their occupation of Lebanon and forced Israel to withdraw in 2000 without a peace agreement. In 2006, a raid by Hezbollah sparked a 34-day war with Israel, and by 2024, Hezbollah had an estimated 150,000 rockets and missiles aimed at Israel.

The Arab League had a pact not to deal with Israel until the creation of a Palestinian state, which was broken when Egypt and Israel signed the Camp David Accords in 1978. The PLO and Israel signed the Oslo Accord in 1993, leading to the establishment of the Palestinian Authority. Jordan and Israel recognized each other in 1994. In recent years, the Abraham Accords resulted in normalized relations between Israel and Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, and Sudan. However, progress between Israel and Saudi Arabia stalled after the war between Hamas and Israel in 2023.

The Houthi rebel movement emerged in the 1990s as a tribal Shiite sect in Yemen. After President Ali Abdullah Saleh's rule ended, Yemen fell into political turmoil and civil war erupted in 2014 when the Houthi insurgents seized the capital, Sanaa. The conflict escalated when a Saudi-led coalition intervened, leading to a regional proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. In 2023, the conflict spread to the Red Sea, with the Houthis launching attacks on commercial shipping. The United States responded by mobilizing international coalitions to protect shipping and intercept Houthi attacks.

The United States deployed military forces to contain the remnants of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Iranian-backed proxies launched attacks to force the US to withdraw. Attacks escalated after the war in Gaza in 2023, with militias targeting US forces more than 160 times. In January 2024, a drone attack by Iran's Axis of Resistance killed three Americans, leading the Biden administration to vow retribution.