Israel’s Incursion into Gaza Continues as US Seeks Wider War with Iran

Update on Israeli military operations in Gaza and growing regional conflict…

– Israeli military operations have exceeded in duration, scale, scope, death, and destruction, previous incursions into Gaza in 2008-2009 and 2014;

– Israel is pacing its military operations, making this longer-term campaign possible in terms of arms and ammunition;

– Israeli losses continue to mount, however the true nature of the fighting is difficult to discern;

– Militants in Gaza have published inconclusive footage of attacks on Israeli armored vehicles failing to show the full aftermath and whether or not the vehicles were even hit at all, damaged, or destroyed;

– Without more information about the nature of the fighting, it is difficult to draw conclusions about how sustainable Israeli military operations are and thus what outcome may emerge;

– Israeli leadership indicates that following the operation there will be some sort of open-ended “security presence” in Gaza (de facto occupation);

– The conflict continues undermining stability in the region, threatening trade through the Red Sea, with Israeli strikes continuing to target Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and Syria, thus creating potential pretexts for a wider conflict against either or even against Iran;

– Just like the US proxy war in Ukraine, despite ambitions toward triggering a wider conflict in the Middle East or creating a pretext for war with Iran, the US may fail there as well;

– Ultimately, Israel’s current actions may only accelerate rather than prevent the collapse of the US-led “order” in the region and precipitate the emergence of an Israel led by interests committed to a two-state solution and co-existence with its neighbors;

References:

The Times of Israel – IDF says it’s fighting in new areas as it nears end of ground offensive in north Gaza (December 21, 2023):
https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-say…

The Guardian – ‘We’re focused on maximum damage’: ground offensive into Gaza seems imminent (October 10, 2023):
https://www.theguardian.com/world/202…

The Times of Israel – Far-right minister calls for Israel to ‘fully occupy’ Gaza, reestablish settlements (December 15, 2023):
https://www.timesofisrael.com/far-rig…

The Times of Israel – Under the heart of Gaza City, IDF digs up a vast hive of lairs where Hamas’s elite hid (December 20, 2023):
https://www.timesofisrael.com/under-t…

The Times of Israel – IDF announces death of Sgt. First Class (res.) Maoz Fenigstein, bringing ground op death toll to 132 (December 19, 2023):
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblo…

Telegraph – The West may now have no option but to attack Iran (December 28, 2023):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023…

TIME Magazine – Biden Administration Bypasses Congress Again on Emergency Weapons Sale to Israel (December 30, 2023):
https://time.com/6551227/biden-admini…

The Duran – Bolton calls for US strike against Iran and regime change (January 1, 2024):
   • Bolton calls for US strike against Ir…  

Brookings Institution – Which Path to Persia? Options for a New American Strategy toward Iran (2009):
https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/…

RAND Corporation – Extending Russia, Competing from Advantageous Ground (2019): https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_re…