In recent hours, Israeli forces have again made a small ground incursion into the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by Hamas. According to the military, the targets were members of Hamas, anti-tank missile launch pads and the headquarters of the Islamist group. No soldiers were injured.
The Israel Defense Forces reported in a statement that ground troops were supported by fighter jets and drones in the Shuyaiya area. They claimed to have hit “dozens” of Hamas targets and that no Israeli ranks were injured. This is another operation due to the massive penetration of infantry and tanks into the Strip to try to destroy all the assets of the terrorist group that killed 1,400 Israelis on October 7 in the worst attack against Jews for decades.
The night attack comes a day after the Israeli Army made its first major incursion into Gaza, although it has made other, less impactful ones in recent days.
The spokesman warned that this type of operations is a rehearsal for a large-scale ground attack in the future and there will be more. He avoided using the word incursion to refer to these types of actions and preferred to call them “raids.”
Israel is preparing a major ground invasion into Gaza in retaliation for the October 7 attack and, in the meantime, is bombing the Strip daily, leaving more than 7,000 Palestinians dead since the start of the war
Meanwhile, Hamas rocket fire into Israel, including long-range missiles, continues. Tensions on Israel’s northern border are escalating, with Hezbollah rocket and drone launches. Despite its combat readiness, reports suggest that an IDF ground offensive in Gaza could be delayed as the United States transfers defense supplies to Israel and mobilizes its own forces in the area to prevent Hezbollah and Iran.
US F-16 strikes in Syria
Meanwhile, fears of an expansion of the conflict are growing. The US military has carried out strikes on two facilities in eastern Syria used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and groups it backs, the Pentagon said, in response to a series of attacks on US forces. in Iraq and Syria.
A total of 21 US forces suffered minor injuries, most of them traumatic brain injuries. The attacks targeted weapons and ammunition storage facilities using F-16 aircraft, an official said, and were not coordinated with Israel. The same source explained that there are Iranian-aligned militias and Revolutionary Guard personnel at the base and no civilians, but the United States does not yet have any information on victims or a damage assessment. The official did not say how many bullets fell on the F-16 fighters.
According to the Pentagon, there have been at least 19 attacks on US bases and personnel in Iraq and Syria since October 17, including three new ones on Thursday. In a statement, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that “the precision self-defense strikes are a response to a series of ongoing and mostly unsuccessful attacks on US personnel in Iraq and Syria of backed militia groups.” in Iran which started on October 17.
The Pentagon sent 900 soldiers
In the last few hours, the Pentagon announced that it mobilized 900 troops to the region to prevent the prolongation of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. Spokesman and Brigadier General Pat Ryder stated in a press conference that no member of that contingent was assigned to Israel. “I can confirm that they will not go to Israel. Their purpose is to support regional deterrence efforts and further strengthen the protection capabilities of US forces,” added the brigadier. That number varies depending on the needs of the situation.
