Let’s go, we can switch our war to low-intensity and deal with Hezbollah instead.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on the 1st that thousands of troops would leave the Gaza Strip.
The IDF is reducing its forces for the first time since the ground war against Gaza began two months ago. The northern part, including Gaza City, has come under IDF control, but the southern part is still engaged in a tense standoff with Hamas, so the reduction of Gaza troops is attracting attention.
The IDF said in a press release today that thousands of troops in five brigades will leave Gaza for training and rest in the coming weeks.
The Associated Press reported that this withdrawal of troops was announced at a briefing the previous day. At the time, military authorities did not specify the size of the troops that would be withdrawn.
Chief spokesman Maj. Gen. Daniel Hagari did not respond to questions about whether the drawdown decision meant a transition to a lower-intensity phase linked to a change in warfare methods.
The spokesperson only said, “The goals of this war require long-term combat, and we must prepare accordingly.”
U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken is expected to visit Israel for the fourth time this week, emphasizing the negative public opinion in the international community regarding the casualties of civilians in Gaza and strongly demanding a change to the precise targeting method that focuses on eliminating the Hamas leadership.
However, the Guardian and Reuters reported on this day that a senior officer was the source and said that troops leaving Gaza would go to the frontline of the confrontation with Hezbollah in northern Israel.
A high-ranking official said that the troops withdrawing from Gaza this time will mainly be reservists, who will return to their normal jobs and seek to revitalize the Israeli economy. 300,000 reserve troops were mobilized for the ground battle to infiltrate Gaza.
However, the senior officer said that rather than revitalizing the economy, a significant portion of the troops from southern Gaza could be rotated to the northern border where they are fighting Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
Since the war with Hamas, Hezbollah and the Israeli military on the northern border have been exchanging rocket and missile fire and fighter jet airstrikes almost every day. Hezbollah says more than 150 people have been killed by Israeli forces, while Israel, which has evacuated more than 100,000 of its residents, has lost just nine fighters.
Nevertheless, senior Israeli figures have recently said that if Hezbollah does not retreat behind the border as per the UN agreement, the Israeli military will force them to do so, and the time has come.
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.