Israel announced the “second stage” of its war against Hamas, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warning that the ground invasion of the Gaza Strip will be “long and difficult” as the risks of a broader Middle East conflict rise.
He was speaking after Israel escalated operations in the Palestinian coastal enclave with troops, tanks and artillery and intense aerial bombardment. Internet and communications have been cut off in Gaza during a major incursion announced by stealth Saturday.
“We have one main goal to beat the enemy and guarantee our existence,” Netanyahu, dressed in black, said in nationally televised remarks. Israel has vowed to destroy the militant group after it killed more than 1,400 Israelis in an unprecedented attack in early October.
Speaking at a news conference, Netanyahu dismissed the idea that the Gaza invasion would endanger hostages held by Hamas, saying there was “no contradiction” between the goal of freeing them and destroying the militant group.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Israeli troops were operating both above ground and underground. Hamas has a vast network of tunnels in Gaza that it uses to move around weapons and men and where it’s believed be keeping some captives.
The Gaza operation is likely to be hazardous, involve fierce urban fighting, and likely cause extensive casualties on both sides.
Hamas’ Secret Tunnel Network Complicates Israel’s Gaza Offensive
Since Israel was attacked, the US has been rushing forces back to the Middle East. US President Joe Biden dispatched two aircraft carrier groups and air-defense systems to the region, and put thousands of troops on heightened alert, in what officials called a signal to Iran and other rivals in the region not to join the fight.
Just this week, the US sent warplanes to strike targets in Syria – its first military action in the region since Oct. 7 – after a string of attacks by Iran-backed militias had injured more than a dozen troops at US bases there and in Iraq.
“Our partners in the Arab world understand that if Israel doesn’t win, they’ll be next,” Netanyahu said, a thinly-veiled reference to Iran-backed militia groups in the region and the threat Middle Eastern countries might be facing from them.
Leaders from Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman warned Israel against a ground invasion and urged a cease-fire.
There are fears Hezbollah will respond to the ground incursion by launching a mass of missiles across Israel’s northern border.
The Lebanese group is, like Hamas, funded and backed by Iran and designated a terrorist group by the US. It’s one of the most powerful militias in the Middle East and thought to have more than 100,000 rockets and missiles at its disposal. It’s exchanged fire frequently with the Israeli military in the past two weeks.
(Updates from 5th paragraph)