On Saturday, Hamas militants attacked Israel, quickly seizing several border settlements and establishing control over a large area of territory.
The terrorists used bulldozers to overcome fences on the frontier with Gaza. The use of boats (in small amphibious landings) and paragliders was notable in the course of the fighting.
Taking advantage of the total surprise of the attack, the terrorists managed to take partial control of the relatively large Israeli towns of Sderot, Netivot, Ashkelon, and Ofakim, as well as some settlements and kibbutzim in border areas.
Hamas militants also stormed Israel Defense Forces (IDF) bases at Kibbutz Re’im and Nahal Oz. The IDF suffered significant losses in terms of killed, wounded, and captured. The total size of the invading force has been estimated at around 1,000 (essentially a reinforced battalion).
As for the possible entry of Hezbollah (a Shia group in Lebanon and essentially an Iranian proxy) into the fighting on the side of Hamas, this could certainly complicate the overall situation for Israel. But at the same time, Hezbollah’s fighting capabilities should not be exaggerated. In the course of the armed conflict in Syria, it has not proven to be a formidable military force, something of which Russian military experts are well aware.
A more important and complex problem for the Israeli army is that in densely populated Gaza, it is virtually impossible to separate Hamas targets from civilians, especially as terrorists use the population as human shields.
Israel’s leaders need to be as categorical as possible about the strategic objectives of this conflict. There is little doubt that their high-tech, modern forces are capable of defeating Hamas formations head-on. The IDF has already retaken control of all the territories and population centers previously captured by the terrorists.
It is unlikely, however, that the conflict will end with the Israeli military left at the borders. In any case, there has to be the temptation to inflict such losses on Hamas formations that the movement forgets about any armed struggle for many years.
Therefore, the IDF’s most advanced weapons, including powerful bunker-busting bombs, will soon be used. In addition, Israel must recover its prisoners of war and hostages. This means that a general military operation in Gaza (politologists usually call it a ground operation) will begin any day now.
Thus, it cannot be ruled out that the entire territory of the Palestinian exclave will soon be under the control of the Israelis.
2 comments:
George W. Bush bears responsibility. His so-called Road Map for Peace ignited this disaster.
Who was George’s father and what 3 letter organization was he director of? Answer…. CIA. War has been a constant money laundering operation for a long time.
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