Hezbollah fears the possibility of launching an all-out war with Israel under the pretext of occupation
Opposition from the international community, including the United States, is also burdensome… Biden warns that occupation of Gaza is a big mistake
As the Israeli ground forces’ occupation of the Gaza Strip is delayed, attention is focused on the background. Israel launched numerous airstrikes on the Gaza Strip on the 7th in retaliation for a surprise attack by the Palestinian armed political faction Hamas, but ground forces have not yet entered the Gaza Strip.
Initially, the Israeli military’s occupation of the Gaza Strip was expected to begin on the 13th and 14th.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has given Palestinians living in the northern Gaza Strip a certain amount of time to evacuate to the southern region. The IDF again urged Gaza residents to leave the northern Gaza Strip by 1 p.m. on the 15th (7 p.m. Korean time).
The Israeli Air Force paved the way for ground forces to enter the Gaza Strip through large-scale airstrikes for several days, but there was no signal that ground forces had entered the Gaza Strip even on the 16th (local time).
◆What has changed?
Citing a source, the Israeli daily Jerusalem Post reported that although there are many factors behind the delay in the occupation of the ground forces, there are concerns about the possibility that Hezbollah, a Lebanese armed political faction, will launch an all-out war against the IDF in northern Israel under the pretext of occupying the Israeli Gaza Strip.
Israel has continued intermittent clashes with Hezbollah in the north. However, it did not spread into an all-out war between the IDF and Hezbollah. Hezbollah is an organization supported by Iran.
Although the threat of all-out war with Hezbollah will not prevent the IDF from occupying the Gaza Strip, it is necessary to accurately understand Hezbollah’s intentions prior to occupying the Gaza Strip and strengthen Israel’s northern defenses in preparation for the worst-case scenario.
Rushing to occupy the Gaza Strip to appease the Israeli people’s anger over the Hamas attack could actually cause great harm.
Israel previously invaded Lebanon in 2006 in response to Hezbollah kidnapping its soldiers. If Israel takes over the Gaza Strip, it is expected to be the largest since 2006.
◆Strategy against Hamas
Opposition from the international community, including the United States, is also a burden for Israel.
Previously, U.S. President Joe Biden expressed concern about the humanitarian situation, warning on the 15th that “Israel’s occupation of the Gaza Strip would be a big mistake.”
In an interview with CBS’s current affairs program ’60 Minutes’ aired on the 15th, President Biden was asked whether he would support Israel’s occupation of the Gaza Strip and said, “I think that would be a big mistake.”
If civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip increase significantly or hostages are killed due to the occupation by Israeli ground forces, Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is unlikely to avoid international criticism.
Even when Israel waged a large-scale all-out war against Hamas in 2014, the IDF tried to minimize civilian casualties, but more than half of the 2,000 Palestinian deaths were civilians, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Additionally, in order to deploy ground forces into the Gaza Strip, various tactics must be developed to combat Hamas’ guerrilla warfare.
Hamas is expected to wage a guerrilla war using underground tunnels and tunnels once the IDF takes over the Gaza Strip. Hamas is known to have planted mines and dug extensive tunnels throughout the Gaza Strip to counter Israel’s powerful military power.
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.