Aretas III A Nabataean ruler from 87 bc to 62 bc. During this time, tension between the Nabataeans and the Hasmonaean dynasty escalated. Aretas III conquered Damascus in 84 bc and later invaded the Hasmonaean kingdom, defeating King Alexander Jannaeus at Hadid (near today’s Ben-Gurion Airport). In retaliation, Alexander attacked and captured Nabataean strongholds in Bashan, Gilead, and Moab. Alexander’s wife, Alexandra Salome, succeeded him and remains the only regnant queen in Israel’s history. Upon Alexandra Salome’s death, her sons, Aristobulus and Hyrcanus, fought over the throne. Aristobulus won. Hyrcanus sought refuge by forging an alliance with Aretas III. Under Aretas III, Nabataean soldiers attacked Jerusalem in 65 bc, but the attack was thwarted one year later when the Romans, under the leadership of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (or Pompey), appeared on the scene. Pompey commissioned his half-brother, Scaurus, to go to Jerusalem and force the Nabataeans to retreat.