[중동전쟁]
Prime Minister Netanyahu inspects base near Gaza
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard moves towards Israel
As Israel is counting down the days to deploy ground troops into the Gaza Strip, the base of the Palestinian armed group Hamas, the Israeli military sent a message to Gaza residents through social media ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) on the 15th (local time): “Evacuate from 1:00 to 1:00 p.m. (4 to 7:00 p.m. Korean time),” was the final notice. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also visited a military base near the Gaza Strip a day ago wearing a bulletproof vest and encouraged soldiers about to begin the ground battle.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 15th that Iran’s top military organization, the Revolutionary Guard, which has supported Hamas, is also showing moves to intervene in the war by moving troops stationed in Syria closer to the Israeli border. Hamas Supreme Leader Ismail Haniya met with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian in Qatar on the 14th and pledged cooperation.
After shaking hands with each soldier at the military base on the 14th, Prime Minister Netanyahu said, “The next step is coming.” On the same day, the Israeli military also declared the destruction of Hamas by issuing a statement saying, “We have begun preparations for an attack on the northern part of the Gaza Strip jointly with the Army, Navy, and Air Force.”
The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 14th that tens of thousands of Israeli soldiers armed with tanks and armored vehicles will soon enter the Gaza Strip and eliminate the Hamas leadership. It was originally planned to deploy ground troops on the 14th and 15th, but cloudy weather made it difficult to support ground troops with the air force and unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), so it was postponed by a few days. Already on the 13th, a small number of Israeli military reconnaissance units entered the Gaza Strip and inspected the local situation.
Minister Amir Abdollahian warned on the 14th, “If Israel conducts a ground war, we will respond.” As the possibility of Iranian intervention grew, U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken also met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto leader, in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, on the 15th to discuss a solution to the situation.
NYT “The goal is to kill Hamas leaders”
Iran’s willingness to respond “there is a red line”
Hezbollah continues to fight Israel
“Israeli forces will not conduct any operations in the northern part of the Gaza Strip from 10 am to 1 pm on the 15th (local time) (4 to 7 pm Korean time). For the safety of you and your family during this time, please travel from North to South.”
A ground war between Israel and Hamas, the armed group that rules the Palestinian Gaza Strip, is imminent. On the 15th, the Israeli military recommended the evacuation of residents of the northern Gaza Strip through ‘X’ (old Twitter). The Israeli military recommended evacuation for three consecutive days from the 13th to this day, signaling the imminent deployment of ground troops. The New York Times (NYT) also reported on the 14th that tens of thousands of Israeli soldiers consisting of infantry, tanks, engineers, and special forces will soon enter the Gaza Strip and kill Hamas leaders.
The movement of Iran, the ‘Shiite leader’ that supports Hamas, has also accelerated. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 15th that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard moved troops deployed in Syria toward the Israeli border. Iran’s leadership also repeatedly expressed its intention to “not sit idly by and watch the deployment of ground troops.” Concerns are also growing that this move will provoke the ‘Sunni leader’ Saudi Arabia.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited a military base near the Gaza Strip on the 14th and encouraged soldiers. He visited the military base for the first time since the outbreak of the Seven-Day War. It is interpreted that he is trying to raise military morale as the ground war is imminent.
An Israeli military spokesman also announced on the same day that “a ‘major military operation’ is scheduled to begin.” Earlier on the 13th, a small number of Israeli military reconnaissance units also entered the Gaza Strip and inspected the local situation.
Seymour Hershey, an American investigative journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner, wrote on his website, “Israel will launch an airstrike on the Gaza Strip by dropping Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) around the 15th and 16th, and the deployment of ground troops will immediately follow.” posted. JDAM is a powerful weapon that can kill everyone within an 800m radius.
According to the NYT, the primary goal of deploying ground troops is to kill Hamas leaders. In particular, Yehya Sinwar, who led this Israeli attack, and Muhammad Deif, leader of the Hamas military organization Al-Katsam Brigades, are known to be top targets. For this purpose, it was announced that the largest number of troops will be deployed since the 2006 ’34-day war’ against the Lebanese Shia armed group Hezbollah.
Hamas is also preparing for ground warfare by preparing various tunnels and traps. At this time, there is a high possibility that the approximately 150 Israeli civilians previously taken hostage will also be used as ‘human shields’.
Iran also repeatedly expressed its intention to intervene. According to WSJ, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard redeployed troops deployed in eastern Syria to southern Damascus. The distance between Damascus and Israel’s largest city, Tel Aviv, is only 320km. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian also announced on the 14th that he would respond to the start of the Israeli military’s ground war, saying, “There is a ‘red line’ in Iran.”
Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shia armed group also supported by Iran, continues. On the 15th, Israel established a 4km restricted area along the Lebanese border and restricted civilian access.
Civilian casualties due to the deployment of ground troops are also expected to be significant. It is virtually impossible to distinguish between the at least 30,000 Hamas members and civilians among the approximately 1.1 million residents of the northern Gaza Strip.
It is highly likely that resident opposition will continue. Israel ruled the Gaza Strip from 1967 to 2005. Afterwards, control was transferred to the Palestinian Authority (PA), which currently controls the West Bank. The PA, which is more moderate than Hamas, lost control to Hamas in 2007. Considering this, both Israel’s direct rule and the PA’s transfer of control are expected to cause significant backlash.
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.