Why did Phoenician city-states fail to form a large, unified federation?

The Phoenician city-states never formed a large, unified federation primarily because there was no sense of political unity to bind the individual states together.12

Each major city, such as Byblos, Sidon, and Tyre, operated as an independent entity with its own king and government. The inhabitants typically identified themselves by their specific city-state rather than as a common people, and it remains uncertain whether they ever viewed themselves as a unified nation. While a limited federal bond was established between Sidon, Tyre, and Aradus during the period of Persian rule, a broader, lasting political federation was never achieved.132