US assumed substantial role in shaping Israel's ground campaign against Hamas in Gaza
Date
10/22/2023 5:33:05 AM
(MENAFN) In an unexpected turn of events, the United States has assumed a substantial role in shaping Israel's ground campaign against Hamas in Gaza, according to reports from Bloomberg. The concern driving this influence is the fear that a large-scale Israeli offensive could potentially draw other regional actors into the conflict. Initially, Israel had pledged coordinated strikes from air, sea, and land against Hamas, but later hinted at a different approach.
This shift in strategy coincided with an extraordinary series of visits to Israel by high-ranking United States officials, including President Joe Biden himself. According to senior Israeli officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the level of involvement and influence exerted by the United States in this Israel-Hamas conflict surpasses any previous instances of Washington's intervention.
While the United States is eager to witness the dismantling of Hamas' military infrastructure in Gaza, it also places a premium on minimizing civilian casualties in the densely populated enclave, which is home to over two million Palestinians. Additionally, Washington is wary of the potential for Israel's ground campaign to entice Hezbollah, a Lebanon-based Islamist militant group with strong ties to Iran, into the conflict.
This scenario could potentially open a second front in the conflict, potentially destabilizing the entire region and jeopardizing the White House's efforts to foster peace between Israel and Arab nations. The delicate balance between achieving security objectives and preventing further escalation in an already fraught region underscores the complexity of the situation at hand.
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