White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby stated on Wednesday that the United States intends to maintain a substantial military presence in the Middle East amid the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza.

The White House stated on Wednesday that Hamas maintains a "significant force posture" inside Gaza despite nearly three months of Israeli forces "attempting" to eliminate Hamas - but instead killed thousands of Palestinian civilians. 

Kirby mentioned that it is an "attainable goal" for "Israel" to "eliminate the military threat posed by Hamas", however, he also indicated that completely eliminating the group might not be achievable.

'Israel' has 'sticks and stones' to fight Hezbollah without US

A few days ago, Israeli media outlets said that without the support of the United States, the war with Hezbollah would be fought with "sticks and stones."

Amnon Abramovich, a political analyst for Israeli Channel 12, stated, "I don't want to violate censorship laws, but if Hezbollah initiates a war against us, which was prevented by US President Joe Biden, we would be forced to fight Hezbollah with sticks and stones."

In a related context, Dana Weiss, a political commentator on Channel 12, commented on the northern front, saying, "If we enter a battle in the north, we will witness a scenario that we have not seen before, and the one who will pay the price is the internal front in the heart of Gush Dan (comprising the Tel Aviv and central regions)."

Weiss added that engaging in a battle in the north "would lead to strategic repercussions, and although Israel would emerge from such a battle stronger, it would be extremely difficult." She also recalled citing earlier reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was very concerned about the scenario of opening a war on the northern front.