Israel may have agreed to postpone Gaza attack at US request

A building collapsed after an Israeli airstrike on Khan Younis, Gaza on October 25 (Photo: Getty).

According to sources, Israel agreed to postpone the ground offensive on Gaza so that the Pentagon can deploy air defense forces in the area to protect the US military, the WSJ reported.

The Pentagon is currently rushing to deploy nearly a dozen air defense systems to the region, including for US troops serving in Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to protect US forces from the risk of being hit by missiles.

So far, US officials have persuaded Israel to hold off on sending tanks and infantry into Gaza to strike back at Hamas until those units can be deployed to the area, as early as this weekend.

Israel is also considering planning an effort to deliver humanitarian aid inside Gaza, as well as diplomatic efforts to free hostages held by Hamas, the source added.

According to this source, threats to the US military are currently the top concern of both Tel Aviv and Washington.

According to reports, the US military and other officials believe their forces will be targeted by militant groups as Israel launches a ground offensive into Hamas-controlled Palestinian territory.

Reuters also reported on October 23 that Washington had advised Israel to pause its ground offensive in the Gaza Strip and was informing Qatar, the Hamas-Israeli intermediary, about those talks as it tries to free more hostages and prepares for a war that risks spreading across the wider region.

Last week, the Pentagon planned to send two Iron Dome missile defense systems to Israel to help the country defend itself against rockets fired from Hamas, as well as Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) systems and additional Patriot air defense missile system battalions to the Middle East.

Israeli forces fought on four fronts on October 25, striking targets in Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank, Gaza and repelling a naval attack, in a new sign that the war with Hamas is gradually expanding to other forces in the region.

Smoke rises over part of Lebanon's border with Israel on October 25 (Photo: Reuters).

The Israeli Air Force bombed Gaza barriers that it said Hamas had been using to prevent civilians from fleeing south from Gaza. Syrian state media said Israeli warplanes had struck Syrian military sites, killing eight Syrian soldiers.

The Israeli military continued to attack targets in southern Lebanon on October 25, where Hezbollah members have fired rockets into Israel. Thousands of people living near both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border have been displaced by military confrontations in recent weeks.

Israeli airstrikes, which are rare in the West Bank, targeted the territory for the second time this week, in a raid on the morning of October 25 that killed four Palestinians, including a child, according to the Palestinian Authority's official news agency.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/israel-co-the-da-dong-y-hoan-tan-cong-gaza-theo-de-nghi-cua-my-20231026094827881.htm