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Welcome to Rewind & Reconnoiter. Each week, we’ll ask one of our authors to look back at an article they’ve written for War on the Rocks in light of a current news event. Did their argument hold up? Read more below to find out.***Last year, Hamidreza Azizi and Nancy Ezzeddine wrote “Iran’s Increasingly Decentralized Axis of Resistance” for War on the Rocks, in which they explored how Iran’s proxy network in the Middle East is “now shifting from a hierarchical, Iran-centric network to a decentralized horizontal structure that facilitates greater autonomy for its members.” In it, they looked at how Iran-backed groups like Hizballah and Hamas are increasingly functioning as autonomous organizations while still helping Iran pursue its strategic aims.In light of the attack by Hamas on Israel on Oct. 7, allegations of Iranian involvement in the attack, and threats by Iran to intervene if Israel carries out a planned ground offensive in Gaza, we asked Hamidreza and Nancy to look back on their piece. Read more below.The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, via Flickr user safwat sayed, CC BY-ND 2.0What role do you think that Iran played in Hamas’ attack on Israel? As we detailed in our War on the Rocks piece, the decentralization of Iran’s “axis of resistance” empowers members with greater agency and autonomy in pursuing their own interests. The recent episode between Gaza and Israel puts the axis’ new model to the test. Iran (and its partners) have supported Hamas for a long time by exporting soft and hard tools that have raised its preparedness to execute a military incursion of the caliber of what happened on Oct. 7. Yet, statements and sentiments from within Hamas and Iran suggest that the planning, timing, and execution of the operation was ordered by Palestinian leadership in Gaza.  In addition, the motive behind the