On July 9, 2026, I argued on these pages that Israel must compound the impact of its aerial campaigns by systematically decapitating terrorist command chains on the ground. The “Maduro Method” — a counterterrorism strategy based on snatching commanders, extracting intelligence on friendly soil, and prosecuting them — now has its definitive Gaza proof of concept.

On Sept. 1, 2026, Shin Bet operators successfully extracted Muein al Arabid, Hamas’s internal security chief, from Gaza City. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu exposed al Arabid’s exact record: concealing hostages, shielding senior cadres, and reconstituting the reign of terrorism led by Tehran’s “Gaza puppies.”