US officials are heavily involved in shaping Israeli plans to launch a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, reportedly under fears that a massive assault would unleash war on a global scale.
“Three senior Israeli officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, say the role and influence of the US in this war against Hamas are deeper and more intense than any exerted by Washington in the past,” Bloomberg reported on 19 October.
The report claims Washington is looking to “limit casualties among the 2 million civilians who live in Gaza” and whom Israel has terrorized for 14 days straight by dropping thousands of bombs on residential buildings, schools, hospitals, churches, mosques, and civilian convoys.
US planners have thrown their full support behind Israel’s campaign of genocide in Gaza as they reportedly share the same goal “of destroying Hamas’s military infrastructure.” Furthermore, plans are being devised by the US for the aftermath of the ground campaign.
These discussions happened during an unprecedented string of visits to Israel by high-ranking US officials, including President Joe Biden, State Secretary Anthony Blinken, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
“In a first, Biden and Blinken sat in on Israel’s war cabinet meetings, helping Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and opposition leader Benny Gantz assess and plan,” the US outlet details.
In the days following the start of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, Tel Aviv promised “coordinated strikes from the air, sea, and land” to eradicate Hamas. However, following the visit by US officials, the Israeli army indicated that the ground operation “might be something different from what you think.”
On Thursday, the Israeli defense minister met with service members stationed near Gaza, telling them to “get organized, be ready” for the offensive. “Whoever sees Gaza from afar now will see it from the inside,” he stressed.
His words came just hours before several factions within the Resistance Axis launched a coordinated attack against Israel and the US army, with missiles launched from Yemen in the direction of Israel, rocket and drone attacks on US bases in Syria and Iraq, anti-tank missiles from the Lebanese border, and a rocket barrage from Gaza towards Israel’s southern settlements.
As the threat of a broader conflict grows, the Pentagon has deployed nine warships and thousands of troops to the Israeli coast. Several NATO countries have also deployed troops to Israel and Cyprus in preparation for war.