By Israel to launch Gaza ground operation after receiving missile defense systems from U.S.
The Israeli leadership plans to launch a ground operation in the Gaza Strip after receiving a sufficient number of missile defense systems from the U.S., The Jerusalem Post reported, citing its own sources.
According to the newspaper, Israel’s military and political leadership fears retaliation from the Shiite movement Hezbollah and Iran in planning a ground operation in Gaza. The newspaper pointed out that one of the practical results of this is the expectation of more missile defense systems to be delivered by the US to deter Hezbollah from intervening if the Israel Defense Forces launch an operation in Gaza.
The newspaper’s other sources note that before the operation begins, Israeli leaders want to cut off as much of the weapons smuggling into Gaza as possible to prevent a guerrilla war by Hamas militants against Israeli troops.
According to the newspaper, senior Israeli generals said on condition of anonymity that the army is willing to take risks during the operation to try to rescue as many hostages as possible, but the military leadership is aware of the difficulty of the task. In Israel, over 1,400 people have lost their lives and roughly 5,200 have been wounded in clashes, including on the West Bank of the Jordan River.
Meanwhile, Units of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) entered the Gaza Strip for a raid against the radical Palestinian group Hamas overnight on Friday.
Infantry, armor and engineering troops from the 36th division took part in the raid, “attacking Hamas and terrorist targets,” before returning to Israeli territory. Earlier, IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari said that short-term raids in the Gaza Strip serve as groundwork for the operation’s next stages and will continue in the next few days.
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This is a developing story that HO1 will continue to monitor.
Check back for updates.
[History] Israeli PM Golda Meir in the Early 70s on the Palestinian issue
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