The so-called annual “threat assessment” prepared by US intelligence agencies was released Monday in Washington, and the report said that Israel will likely face resistance from Hamas for years to come, another sign that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s stated goal of “eliminating” the Palestinian group is not true.

“Israel will likely face long-term armed resistance from Hamas for years to come, and the IDF will struggle to neutralize Hamas’ underground infrastructure, which allows fighters to hide, regain strength, and surprise Israeli forces,” the assessment read.

This assessment is consistent with an Israeli military intelligence document distributed last month, which said that even if Israel succeeds in dismantling Hamas as an organized military force, the group will continue to exist as a “terrorist and guerrilla group.”

Other reports said that Israel is actively seeking to destroy the vast network of tunnels under Gaza that are essential to Hamas' survival, and are far more extensive than Israel initially thought.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles Brown, the highest-ranking American military officer, had previously said that the mass killing of civilians by Israel in Gaza “would be a recruiting boon for Hamas.”

“The faster you can get to a point where hostilities have ceased, the less conflict there will be for a civilian population that turns into someone who now wants to be the next member of Hamas,” Brown said in November.

Despite the belief that Netanyahu's goal is unrealistic, the United States continues to provide unconditional military support for Israel's genocidal war, which has claimed the lives of at least 31,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

The Biden administration is trying to distance itself from Netanyahu by criticizing his government, but the rhetoric has fallen short of a policy change. The US threat assessment said that while Hamas will not disappear, Netanyahu may lose his grip on power.

“Netanyahu’s ability to remain a leader as well as his ruling coalition of far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties that have pursued hard-line policies on Palestinian and security issues may be at risk. The public’s distrust of Netanyahu’s ability to govern has deepened and widened compared to its already high levels before the war, we expect large protests demanding his resignation and new elections, and the report says that the formation of a different, more moderate government is possible.

The assessment also stated that Iran had no role in the Hamas attack on October 7, and acknowledged that Tehran is not seeking a nuclear weapon. “Iran is not currently undertaking the major nuclear weapons development activities necessary to produce a testable nuclear device,” the report stated.

The report acknowledges that Iran's increases in uranium enrichment since the United States tore up the nuclear agreement in 2018 were aimed at gaining leverage in negotiations, not seeking a bomb. “Iran is using its nuclear program to build its negotiating leverage and respond to perceived international pressure,” the assessment says.