Israel war: Offensive into Gaza reportedly delayed over fears of Hezbollah intervention
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
The Israeli ground offensive into Gaza was partially delayed over a fear of an intervention by Hezbollah from the border with Lebanon, according to a report.
Sources familiar with the matter told the Jerusalem Post that the Israeli military decided against launching the invasion last weekend at the last minute, worrying that it would leave them too vulnerable to an intervention from Hezbollah. The Israeli government reportedly fears that Hezbollah may be waiting for the Israeli Defense Forces to become bogged down in Gaza, after which they will launch a full invasion from the north.
The report added that the IDF is still looking to invade Gaza, but the invasion has been delayed in order to prepare better. The delay reflects a growing awareness of the scale of the task before them.
"There is also a deepening recognition in the IDF and at the political level, that the IDF has not done anything like this in decades, and that rushing in unprepared, simply to more quickly satisfy the wider population's thirst for retribution, could be a large mistake," the report stated.
Observers have watched the Israel-Lebanon border with anxiety since the beginning of the war last week, as the intervention of Hezbollah would drastically expand the scope of the conflict.
Hezbollah is far larger and better armed than Hamas. The Palestinian terror group is estimated to have a few thousand troops, and Hezbollah has at least 60,000, according to Nicholas Blanford, an expert on Hezbollah with the Atlantic Council. Its firepower rivals that of most nations, including an arsenal of over 150,000 rockets, with the ability to strike anywhere within Israel.
Hezbollah serves as the primary proxy army of Iran, which further raises concerns that a war with Hezbollah could draw its patron in as well. While a war against a relatively small amount of Palestinian militants is perfectly manageable by Israel, a war against Hezbollah and Iran would be likely to draw in the involvement of the United States.
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And two American carrier groups turn this into a nuclear standoff?
Fuck all religious extremists who thrive for war!