The Israeli ground invasion, initially scheduled for the weekend, was postponed for a few days, primarily due to adverse weather conditions that would have complicated the task of Israeli pilots and drone operators providing air support to ground forces, The New York Times reported citing three senior Israeli military officials who provided non-classified information about the operation.The Israeli military is making preparations for a forthcoming invasion of the Gaza Strip. Tens of thousands of troops have been directed “to take control of Gaza City”, as per the report.The military’s stated objective is to assassinate the highest-ranking officials within Hamas, the officials added.They stressed that the upcoming ground invasion is anticipated to be the largest ground operation by “Israel” since its 2006 war on Lebanon. In the case that the invasion is carried out, it would be the first invasion since the 2008 invasion of Gaza where “Israel” intends to expand occupied territories.This operation is anticip
ated to pose the danger of entangling “Israel” in extensive urban warfare, encompassing battles on the surface and within a complex network of tunnels. Such an offensive has historically been avoided by “Israel” due to the challenges it presents, involving combat within a narrow and densely populated strip of land inhabited by over 2 million people.On Saturday, Hamas’ al-Qassam Brigades released a video warning Israeli occupation forces (IOF) against invading the Gaza Strip. The video titled, “This is what awaits you when you enter Gaza,” is a stern warning to the IOF as the Brigades put on display some of their defensive tactics and capabilities in case “Israel” decides to proceed with a ground invasion against Gaza.In the same context, Al-Qassam Brigades spokesperson Abu Obeida underlined, on Thursday, that the Palestinian resistance would utterly crush the Israeli occupation if it dared enter Gaza.”The notion that the enemy could expand the battle to a land invasion will push us to utilize our options that
would be very costly for the enemy in terms of manpower and vehicles,” he underlined.Furthermore, there is uncertainty about whether Hezbollah, with its substantial arsenal of precision-guided missiles and ground troops, might respond to a Gaza invasion by opening a second front against “Israel” along the Lebanese border.
Source: National News Agency-Lebanon