Ben-hadad, son of Hazael, became the king of Aram in Damascus in 802 BC. He ruled for 22 years over a weakening kingdom.
Adad-nirari III of Assyria caused significant damage to the Arameans from 805 to 802 BC. This allowed King Jehoash of Israel to further weaken them. As the prophet Elisha predicted, Israel defeated Ben-hadad three times and regained its towns. Jehoash's limited success set the stage for Jeroboam II's major victories over the Arameans (2 Kings 14:25).