As they watch airstrikes and shells hit targets in the Gaza Strip, check and recheck their personal weapons, communications and webs, there may be very few among the thousands of combat-ready Israeli soldiers who do not silently ask themselves: “Could this be a trap? ?”
The radical Islamic group Hamas and its supporters in Tehran would certainly have planned to face a fierce Israeli ground offensive following Israel’s terrifying infiltration.
It is possible — and even likely — that the unique horrors inflicted on so many civilians were designed by Hamas to ensure a massive Israeli response, regardless of the cost to civilians in the Gaza Strip.
Israel’s next steps will determine the course of things to come—perhaps for decades. It all comes down to Gaza.
Hamas has filled the Gaza Strip with networks of tunnels, decorated the above-ground landscape with booby traps and reportedly plans to confront Israeli forces with anything from swarms of suicide bombers to capture teams to take soldiers hostage.
US generals and other officials share their experiences of large-scale urban warfare with Israel.
Iraq’s military — backed by American, British and other special forces, along with relentless airstrikes — took nine months to drive the Islamic State out of Mosul in 2017.
The northern Iraqi city was largely emptied of civilians, but the fighting was house-to-house. The Islamic State used tunnel systems it built to ambush government troops who painfully took Mosul, bloody brick by brick.
The bomb-making capabilities of Hezbollah, the Lebanese group allied with Hamas, have spread throughout the Middle East.
See images of the war between Israel and Hamas
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
