There were two reasons that Antipus chose to attempt this strategy against Antiparah. The first was that there was a believable objective that could explain Helaman’s movement around Antiparah. The second is that Antiparah was the location of the strongest Lamanite division. Recapturing Antiparah would not only strengthen the Nephite defenses, but it would mean the destruction of a significant portion of their enemies in that part of the land.