The rule of neo-Assyria over Palestine (jan 1, 722 BC – jan 1, 609 BC)

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King Tiglath Pileser III of Assyria aimed to exert more direct control over vassal states, leading to a campaign to conquer Palestine from 734 BCE to around 645 BCE. This policy resulted in the destruction of the strongest kingdoms in Palestine, including the Kingdom of Israel, which fell in 720 BCE with the capture of its capital, Samaria. Sargon II deported thousands of Israelites to northern Mesopotamia, leading many to migrate to the southern kingdom of Judah.

When Hezekiah became king of Judah in 715 BCE, he formed an alliance with Egypt and Ashkelon, rebelling against the Assyrians by refusing tribute. In response, Sennacherib of Assyria attacked Judah's fortified cities, culminating in the siege of Jerusalem in 701 BCE, though the city was not captured.

Assyrian expansion continued southward, ultimately conquering Egypt and seizing Thebes in 664 BCE. Despite this, Judah and certain city-states along the coastal plain were allowed to remain independent, viewed by the Assyrians as weak and nonthreatening.

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