assail vs counterstrike

assail and counterstrike both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
assail	No	No	Yes	No
counterstrike	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, counterstrike is a hyponym of assail; that is, counterstrike is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than assail:

assail: launch an attack or assault on; begin hostilities or start warfare with
counterstrike: make a counterattack

assail (verb)	counterstrike (verb)
attack in speech or writing	make a counterattack
attack someone physically or emotionally
launch an attack or assault on; begin hostilities or start warfare with