In 2023, artificial intelligence tools went mainstream. Which major conflict escalated in the Middle East that year?

Because in October 2023, after Hamas carried out deadly attacks and took hostages, Israel launched extensive airstrikes and a ground offensive in Gaza, rapidly turning a long-simmering conflict into a major regional crisis. The fighting triggered cross‑border clashes with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping, drawing intense global diplomatic activity and humanitarian concern. By contrast, the Syrian Civil War began in 2011 and remained largely stalemated in 2023; Yemen saw tentative de‑escalation talks; and the Iraq insurgency did not undergo a comparable surge. The 2023 escalation also unfolded in an information environment shaped by rapid AI and social media adoption, fueling open-source intelligence efforts alongside widespread mis- and disinformation.