US concerned about "Israel's" plan for invading Gaza: NYT

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: The New York Times
24 Oct 2023 09:31

The Biden administration is concerned about Netanyahu's lack of a clear military strategy for eradicating Hamas.

Israeli soldiers cry during the funeral of an Israeli sergeant, "Kibbutz", "Israel", October 23, 2023 (AP)

A senior Biden administration official once again reiterated the White House's concern about the ground invasion: assessing that the IOF is not ready to initiate a military invasion of Gaza and that the plan lacks achievable objectives to strategize the invasion.

Israeli Security Minister, Yoav Gallant, and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin addressed concerns about a clear strategy for invading Gaza, where the Palestinian resistance has an intricate network of tunnels.

Yesterday, it was reported that the Pentagon had dispatched a military envoy headed by Marine three-star Lieutenant General James Glynn to "Israel" to assist in addressing the challenges of urban warfare.

Biden administration officials insisted that the United States had not told "Israel" what to do and still supported the ground invasion. Likewise, the Pentagon affirmed that despite dispatching military advisors, it wasn't making decisions on behalf of "Israel".

On Sunday, an Israeli Embassy diplomat refuted claims that the US government was urging "Israel" to delay the ground invasion, stating, "The US is not exerting pressure on Israel regarding the ground operation."

Concerns remain adamant within the Biden administration about the lack of a clear military strategy for achieving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's goal of eradicating Hamas. Biden has publicly called for clarity on objectives and an honest assessment of the chosen path.

“Hamas has had 15 years to prepare a dense ‘defense in depth’ that integrates subterranean, ground-level and aboveground fortifications, communication tunnels, emplacements, and fighting positions, as well as potential minefields, improvised explosive devices, explosively formed penetrator anti-armor mines and buildings rigged as explosive booby traps.” Michael Knights said, a fellow at The Washington Institute.

Furthermore, Democratic Senator Jack Reed called on "Israel" on Tuesday to postpone the ground invasion for the sake of negotiating the release of the captives.

“From an operational standpoint, this is very complicated, and the more intelligence you gather and your troops can take into urban combat, the better. A little extra time might be helpful. There are so many factors. Rushing into this probably is not the best approach," Reed said during a trip to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and "Israel".

Two weeks ago, a report by Bloomberg showed that the Biden administration is worried that "Israel" is shortsightedly fixated on invading Gaza and has no robust plan to grant it a sustainable solution.

While the US has pledged unconditional support for "Israel" in its aggression against Gaza, it is concerned about the possible repercussions of the ground invasion, the report explains, listing a set of concerns:

The conflict could snowball into a regional war involving other parties, such as the Lebanese Resistance: Hezbollah.
The humanitarian toll on Palestinian civilians could subject "Israel" and the US to increased international pressure.
Exacerbation of the struggle and increased Palestinian casualties could place normalization deals with Arab governments at risk.
The fate of the captives, which "Israel" seems to have decided to sacrifice as "collateral damage" in its war against Gaza.
"Israel" has no prospective plan for Gaza beyond their determination to destroy Hamas.