Any rivalry between Menahem and Pekah could only appear more and more foolish in light of the growing menace of Assyria. In 733, Tiglath-Pileser campaigned against Damascus, the capital of the Arameans, Pekah's erstwhile ally, and he returned to destroy the city in 732. Pekah must have seen the handwriting on the wall in 733 or earlier, and any feeling for "Realpolitik" would dictate that it was time for the two rivals to put aside their differences under some sort of accommodation. But "Realpolitik" would also suggest that this accommodation should not include giving your potential rival a position of leadership in the army, which Pekahiah learned too late.