(Telegraph-UK) Col. Richard Kemp - The Israel Defense Forces have been attacking Hamas in Gaza from land, sea and air for two weeks now, following a three-week air campaign. Before ground operations began, U.S. military advisers urged the Israelis not to launch a large-scale campaign, which they believed would result in an IDF bloodbath, and recommended a combination of air strikes and special forces raids. The IDF rejected that advice and moved into Gaza with a large combined arms force. And it has confounded its critics. The IDF has exceeded even its own commanders' expectations with the speed and extent of Hamas' destruction. It is assaulting terrorist strongholds and killing large numbers of fighters including key commanders, while its forces have sustained fewer casualties than anticipated. This is highly impressive. The writer, a former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, was chairman of the UK's national crisis management committee, COBRA.
2023-11-12 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive