Israel's Tactical Assassinations Come With Huge Strategic Risk

With the death of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, Israel appears to have eliminated top officials in two organizations committed to its destruction within the space of a day. On Tuesday, in what appears to have been a drone strike, Israel said it killed Hezbollah’s deputy military commander, Fuad Shukr.

In one sense, this is nothing new. Israel has killed dozens of Hamas and Hezbollah officials and militants over the years. The executions, invariably conducted in the name of deterrence, changed little, even if they demonstrated brutally...