Israel has agreed to a request from the United States to bring its air defenses to the region ahead of an expected ground invasion of Gaza, The Wall Street Journal reported today.
The Pentagon is working on deploying a dozen air defense systems in the region to protect US troops stationed in Iraq, Syria, Kuwait, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates from missiles and rockets, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing US and Israeli military officials sources.
US military advisers are trying, citing lessons learned in the Iraq war, to prevent Israel from launching an all-out ground offensive against Gaza.
As the U.S. helps Israel prepare a strategy for the full military neutralization of Hamas, advisers hope the Israeli army (IDF) will avoid getting bogged down in bloody house-to-house street fighting, something that has caused the Americans big problems in Iraq, CNN reports on based on several sources.
In particular, the US refers to the lessons learned in Fallujah, one of the bloodiest battles the US military has fought in Iraq.
They say that instead of launching an all-out ground attack, Israel should use a combination of precision airstrikes and targeted special operations.
The Biden administration sent a three-star Marine general to advise the IDF on attack planning.
Some in the administration also warned that there is growing concern in Washington that Israel’s ground offensive strategy is “half-hearted and could lead to Israeli forces occupying Gaza indefinitely.”
