The above survey of the relevant extra-biblical sources reveals that Aram-Damascus played a leading role in Syria-Palestine during the reign of Hazael's predecessor, Hadadezer. Hadadezer was one of the main leaders of the anti-Assyrian coalition, which faced Shalmaneser III in four battles (853 BCE, 849 BCE, 848 BCE, 845 BCE) and inflicted a series of failures to the Assyrians. However, at the time, the territory of the kingdom of Aram-Damascus itself was limited to the immediate surroundings of Damascus with some southward extensions. It seems that until the middle of the ninth century BCE, the kingdom of Aram-Damascus had no control over Hamath's territory and the Beqa' valley.

During that period, the kingdom of Israel flourished politically, economically and architecturally (Kelle 2007: 29–30). King Ahab was one of the most important participant leaders of the anti-Assyrian coalition. “Assyrian, Moabite and Aramaic royal inscriptions indicate that under the Omrides Israel became one of the leading powers in the Syro-Palestinian arena” (Na'aman 2007b: 407–8). Israelite territory expanded from Dan in the north to Beer-sheba in the south (Finkelstein 2007b: 152). The absence of Judah and Moab from the list of anti-Shalmaneser allies reflects their vassalage to Israel. Thoroughly slandered by the editors of the book of Kings, the dynasty of Omri had approximately represented for Israel the importance these very editors attributed to David and Solomon (Knauf 2009a: 1).