Zealots

A brutal civil war raged within Jerusalem and the Temple. The Second Temple fell due to baseless hatred. It seemed everyone believed they were fulfilling a great mitzvah by fighting each other. In hindsight, it is clear it was sheer madness.

King Agrippa arrived on Tisha B'Av, leading 3,000 troops to suppress the rebellion but was defeated. Roman soldiers in the fortresses around Jerusalem were slaughtered. The king's palace and archives were burned. By Tu B'Av, the zealots had triumphed.