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Israel Delaying Gaza Invasion for Fear of Hezbollah Attack From Lebanon
Israel Delaying Gaza Invasion for Fear of Hezbollah Attack From Lebanon
Sputnik International
Israel has vowed to "destroy" the Hamas movement ruling in the Gaza Strip after its attacks on Southern Israel. But veteran war correspondent Elijah Magnier said it was not ready for that battle, let alone another with Hezbollah.
2023-10-18T17:19+0000
2023-10-18T17:19+0000
2023-12-05T09:23+0000
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Israel seems holding back on an invasion of the Gaza Strip for fear that Lebanon's Hezbollah movement will open a second front in the north.Some 199 Israeli soldiers are being held prisoner, along with dozens of civilian hostages, in the Palestinian territory since Hamas and other militant groups launched a surprise attack from the enclave on October 7. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, under political pressure following the humiliation, has vowed to invade Gaza and destroy Hamas.Meanwhile, the likelihood of Hezbollah launching a major operation on Israel's northern border sharply increased on Wednesday and Thursday following a series of developments in the region.The Palestinian Authority blamed the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) for a deadly bombing of the al-Ahli Baptist hospital in Gaza that killed at least 500 people — an atrocity which sparked immediate protests across the Middle East, North Africa and beyond.Earlier that day, Israel bombed the family home of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, currently hundreds of miles away in Qatar, killing 14 people. And on Thursday morning the Palestinian WAFA news agency reported that a mob of Zionist settlers "under heavy protection from the Israeli police" had stormed the al-Aqsa mosque in East Jerusalem — Islam's third-holiest site and under the custodianship of neighbouring Jordan.War correspondent Elijah Magnier told Sputnik that the recently announced massive build-up of US forces in the region was intended to guard against the campaign Hezbollah has threatened if Israel launches a ground offensive in Gaza.Those forces include two US Navy carrier strike groups led by the USS Gerald Ford and the USS Dwight D Eisenhower, a US Marine amphibious landing ship with 2,000 marines and F-35 strike aircraft, a squadron of US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle jets and another of A-10 close support aircraft. The war reporter said statements from Israeli government ministers left "absolutely no doubt" that an assault on Gaza would go ahead."The problem lies in another place. So how long is this Israeli invasion of Gaza going to take? Is it going to be limited only to the north — That is a narrow part of Gaza, so the Israelis are not engaged in a large part?" he asked.He said Israel was wary of withdrawing its forces, including the Golani Brigade, one of just five regular non-reservist brigades in the IDF and which has with experience of fighting Hezbollah, to the south"They don't want to move them from the front on the northern borders and to take them to Gaza because they are much more afraid of Hezbollah," Magnier explained. Israel has called up a reported 350,000 army reservists — totalling around a tenth of the country's workforce — since October 7.Israel's warning to people in the northern half of Gaza to flee to the south — following air raids that have demolished whole apartment blocks — has so far seen 600, leave their homes for an uncertain fate in the south of the tiny enclave."Even the south is not secure, and Israel was until last night still bombing the south — and bombed the convoy, when the Israelis ask them to move," Magnier noted, referring to a massacre over the weekend. "So there is no trust."The journalist noted that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's tour of Arab nations had failed to persuade them to go along with Israel's attempt to force up to 2.3 million Gaza residents from their homes ahead of its planned invasion. Egypt and Jordan — already home to 2.1 million Palestinian refugees — refused to let Palestinians be displaced onto their territory. "How can they eradicate Hamas? Only by destroying completely Gaza and create another exodus," Magnier stressed. "Otherwise, you can't eradicate 30,000 members of an organization living among 2.3 million and who are part of the society."For more in-depth analysis of current affairs, tune in to our Sputnik radio show The Final Countdown.*Terrorist groups banned in Russia and many other countries
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Israel Delaying Gaza Invasion for Fear of Hezbollah Attack From Lebanon
17:19 GMT 18.10.2023 (Updated: 09:23 GMT 05.12.2023) Israel has vowed to "destroy" the Hamas movement ruling in the Gaza Strip after its attacks on Southern Israel. But veteran war correspondent Elijah Magnier said it was not ready for that battle, let alone another with Hezbollah.
Israel seems
holding back on an invasion of the Gaza Strip for fear that Lebanon's Hezbollah movement will open a second front in the north.
Some 199 Israeli soldiers are being held prisoner, along with dozens of civilian hostages, in the Palestinian territory since Hamas and other militant groups launched a surprise attack from the enclave on October 7. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, under political pressure following the humiliation, has vowed to invade Gaza and destroy Hamas.
Meanwhile, the likelihood of Hezbollah launching a major operation on Israel's northern border sharply increased on Wednesday and Thursday following a series of developments in the region.
The Palestinian Authority blamed the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) for a deadly bombing of the al-Ahli Baptist hospital in Gaza that killed at least 500 people — an atrocity which sparked immediate protests across the Middle East, North Africa and beyond.
Earlier that day, Israel bombed the family home of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, currently hundreds of miles away in Qatar, killing 14 people. And on Thursday morning the Palestinian WAFA news agency reported that a mob of Zionist settlers "under heavy protection from the Israeli police" had stormed the al-Aqsa mosque in East Jerusalem — Islam's third-holiest site and under the custodianship of neighbouring Jordan.
War correspondent
Elijah Magnier told Sputnik that the recently announced massive
build-up of US forces in the region was intended to guard against the campaign Hezbollah has threatened if Israel launches a ground offensive in Gaza.
17 October 2023, 20:07 GMT
Those forces include two US Navy carrier strike groups led by the USS Gerald Ford and the USS Dwight D Eisenhower, a US Marine amphibious landing ship with 2,000 marines and F-35 strike aircraft, a squadron of US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle jets and another of A-10 close support aircraft.
"It is because the Americans with the Israelis believe there is a second front that is going to open up with Lebanon on the northern Israeli-Lebanese borders," Magnier pointed out. "And this possibility is very much alive, because we've seen since the 7th of October the exchange of fire between Hezbollah and Israel."
The war reporter said statements from Israeli government ministers left "absolutely no doubt" that an assault on Gaza would go ahead.
"The problem lies in another place. So how long is this Israeli invasion of Gaza going to take? Is it going to be limited only to the north — That is a narrow part of Gaza, so the Israelis are not engaged in a large part?" he asked.
He said Israel was wary of withdrawing its forces, including the Golani Brigade, one of just five regular non-reservist brigades in the IDF and which has with experience of fighting Hezbollah, to the south
"They don't want to move them from the front on the northern borders and to take them to Gaza because they are much more afraid of Hezbollah," Magnier explained.
The Islamic resistance movement is "better trained, they have more experience the way engage with Israel in multiple wars in the past, and they fought against ISIS (aka Daesh)* in Iraq," he added. "They fought against ISIS and al-Qaeda* in Syria. And they are better equipped with modern technology and long range missiles, drones, anti-ship missiles, everything."
12 October 2023, 14:55 GMT
Israel has called up a reported 350,000 army reservists — totalling around a tenth of the country's workforce — since October 7.
"To have reservists going into a deadly trap in Gaza, these reservists need some time to go in and to be trained," Magnier said — time which Israel does not have. Therefore the Israel strategy is "to level Gaza in the area they want to go in: so they destroy all the buildings and they don't have civilians because they would be either under debris or killed or have left the area."
Israel's warning to people in the northern half of Gaza to flee to the south — following air raids that have demolished whole apartment blocks — has so far seen 600, leave their homes for an uncertain fate in the south of the tiny enclave.
"Even the south is not secure, and Israel was until last night still bombing the south — and bombed the convoy, when the Israelis ask them to move," Magnier noted, referring to a massacre over the weekend. "So there is no trust."
The journalist noted that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's tour of Arab nations had failed to persuade them to go along with Israel's attempt to force up to 2.3 million Gaza residents from their homes ahead of its planned invasion. Egypt and Jordan — already home to 2.1 million Palestinian refugees — refused to let Palestinians be displaced onto their territory.
"How can they eradicate Hamas? Only by destroying completely Gaza and create another exodus," Magnier stressed. "Otherwise, you can't eradicate 30,000 members of an organization living among 2.3 million and who are part of the society."
18 October 2023, 13:41 GMT
For more in-depth analysis of current affairs, tune in to our Sputnik radio show The Final Countdown. *Terrorist groups banned in Russia and many other countries
