Will the War in Gaza Ignite the Middle East?..Israel and Iran On a Collision Course

I thought that is what the US is doing. I haven't heard the US invade Grenada or such like Reagan did in the 1980s, instead focused on hitting back at the Houthis in the Red Sea and various militia in Iraq and Syria. If you are that interested risking even more US blood and treasure for Israel, you should know the USAF is actually quite involved bombing supply convoys and routes in Iraq, posing no risk to the US but trying to beef up and replenish supplies to Hezbollah. The Israelis, otoh, have no such concerns for now; just yesterday another package of supplies sent to Israel courtesy of uncle Sam.

 

No solution involves Palestine allowing Hamas to operate in a fashion mass murdering and raping innocent civilians regardless how snowflakes try to deflect the atrocities. Hamas deserves to be whiped out.

 

LIVE: ISRAEL-GAZA WAR
U.S. sinks Houthi boats trying to board shipping vessel, military says
By Kelly Kasulis Cho, Leo Sands and Brittany Shammas

 

It took us more time to even slow down the Japanese. Wars are not won overnight. Israel seems to be doing well so far.

 

The good guys are getting their supplies and the bad guys aren't. Sounds very good!

 

Everything considered, Israel's performance has been abysmal.

 

Your "good guys" sure look pretty bad to me!

 

On the contrary, Israel seems to be gaining ground, eliminating tunnels, controls the skies and more.

 

• they had control of the skies by default, before even the war started, unless you are alluding to their embarrassing failure to stop Hamas' rockets being fired, with Hamas still firing rockets despite their entire estimated stockpile of these rockets being depleted long ago!
• Israel has merely destroyed ground; it hasn't gained any ground not already conceded to it from the get-go. Some 60 days ago they claimed to have taken control of north Gaza. Of destroying 10 Hamas battalions defending the northern part of the strip. Yet, it has taken them this additional 60 days, to merely degrade something less than half of what they had claimed as already destroyed 60 days ago.
• as for the tunnels, the proof of the pudding is in the pie! ...

 

Iron Dome aborts incoming rocket threats with a high degree of success. Hamas will always have plenty of rockets... as long as Iran remains their supplier. "Gained" ground means "occupied ground". As in a Soldier standing on it saying "this is mine". That's the difference between air strikes (which do not "occupy" ground) and ground operations where soldiers park themselves on it. Israel has been gaining ground quite well. The proof of the tunnels is in the tunnels. Israelis are using barometric explosives now... just the thing to clobber the tunnels.

 

I don't know whose line it really was, but I'll give the credit to Ronald Reagan: "facts are stubborn things".

Institute for the Study of War, an influential and well-informed US think tank estimates that out of 26 to 30 battalions of fighters, which were believed to exist on October 7 – each having 400 to 1,000 men, only three have been rendered inoperable – or, in civilian parlance, destroyed.

Of the remainder, four or five have been “degraded”, meaning that their strength is reduced but they continue to fight, either alone or by joining other units.

Also:

Israel has been destroying or blocking tunnel entrances wherever it can find them but there are clear signs that Hamas still maintains enough underground facilities to move forces between front lines and often successfully flank and surprise the enemy.

 

Hamas has no air forces. In a battle area so tiny as Gaza it means that they can never win a ground battle. It takes air superiority to win ground battles in such a tiny area. With that in mind it means that Hamas cannot win a battle. The fact that they have significant ground forces left means little when they have no air support. 1.They can't win a ground battle on their own territory.

Between rocket attacks stifled by Iron Dome and now their resupply of rockets being interrupted (they are running short) Hamas can no longer conduct a winning rocket war against Israel. 2.They can't win the war by attacking Israel with rockets.

Hamas' logistics support is falling apart. Hamas is now isolated by land, sea and air. The Palestinians are starving, so HAMAS must be very hungry... for all 10 components of military supply...
- Subsistence (food, water...)
- Clothing
- POL (Petroleum, OIL, Lubricants)
- Fortification and Barrier Materials
- Ammunition
- Personal/Hygiene Items
- Major End Items (Vehicles, Weapons, Aircraft)
- Medical Supplies
- Spare Parts
- Miscellaneous

3. Logistically, Hamas is already fallen past any tolerable level of "attrition".

4. Hamas has few maneuver "alternatives". In short, Hamas has "nowhere to go".

Hamas has little time left. They cannot beat IDF in the field. They cannot survive logistically. They cannot defeat Israel on its home ground without the use of horrendous terrorist tactics... which would seem the only thing Hamas has left to win. And Israel is prepared for that.

 

If you left out some of the labels, and put aside some of the propaganda, the enormous challenges (which also include, besides logistics, communications and technological barriers) is evident. Yet, that just shows how ineffective the IDF has been!

Please compare and contrast with the Battle of Bint Jbeil in 2006:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bint_Jbeil

True, except the rockets inflicted a huge material and psychological cost on Israel, leaving their southern border deserted with more than half a million people displaced inside Israel at one point.

I accept logistics is the biggest challenge facing Hamas. But they seem well-stocked. Otherwise, they would have accepted the truce offer they rejected.

To win this war, Hamas doesn't need to go anywhere. They just need to stay and hold their ground until the Israelis tire of casualties and costs of the war.

 

• IRON DOME has essentially stopped the Hamas rockets cold. The rockets rarely get through to hit Israeli territory. Sometimes? Sure... but rarely. US forces have adopted IRON DOME for their own use because it is so effective as a defense. The US calls it "C-RAM" (Counter-Rocket, Artillery, Mortar).
• "Gaining ground" means occupying enemy territory. It has nothing to do with destroying anything. It means OCCUPYING territory.. DENYING IT to the enemy. And Israel has been doing a lot of that in Gaza.
• You keep talking about tunnel "pie". How about we talk about the effects of barometric explosives that are clearing the tunnels of Hamas personnel? (Barometric weapons were designed to fight enemy cave dwellers in Afghanistan and are ideal for use against the Hamas murderers hiding in tunnels.)

 

You aren't responding to what I wrote, which wasn't about the "effectiveness" of the Iron Dome (whose effectiveness is somewhat exaggerated for obvious reasons, but regardless...) See below and try again:

At stroke of midnight, Hamas attacks Israel with heavy New Year rocket barrage
Over 20 projectiles target south and center of country as Israelis mark the start of the new year amid sorrow: ‘The minute I start to dance, I feel guilty’

Unless you have taken out the enemy in the area you have moved to, you aren't in control and haven't gained anything except the opportunity to fall victim to enemy operations.

If Israel was "clearing the tunnels of Hamas personnel", it would show in the number of Hamas battalions taken out or depleted. fyi the main tunnels are deep underground below ground water level and immune from being destroyed even by bunker buster bombs.

 

You wrote " embarrassing failure to stop Hamas' rockets". That is BS. IRON DOME has intercepted almost all of those rockets. My response specifically addresses your post... what you wrote.... as I just explained. Nice try to spin and divert though.

Hamas launched 27 rockets at Israel in the "Heavy New Year rocket barrage" you mention. 18 were shot down by IRON DOME, 9 landed in open areas causing no damage (18 + 9 = 27.... i.e., the "barrage" had no effect). You failed to mention the two drones fired by Syria... which were also shot down. HINT: "Firing" weapons is not enough. You have to HIT something. Feel free to dance... there were no casualties.

When one "occupies" territory, that MEANS they have "control" of it. If an area is still "contested"... no one has taken control. (Gees I love civilians trying to describe military actions without a clue... LOL...)

Thermobaric bombs are specifically designed to damage caves, tunnels, etc. They also suck out the air to cause casualties DEEP in the caves or tunnels. That is specifically what THERMOBARIC explosives are designed to do. These are NOT the "bunker buster" bombs that are designed to destroy fortifications. Totally different. Apples and space shuttles. Do yourself a favor and look up "Thermobaric weapons". Until you do, you have just added ANOTHER military subject to the list of military subjects you don't have a clue about.

 

I wasn't referring to the claimed interception rate, but the failure to stop them from being fired in the first place. In the early weeks in the fighting, anticipating Hamas had nearly depleted its stockpiles given the large number of rockets it had fired already, Israel had claimed to have destroyed most of Hamas' arsenal of rockets and launchers...Clearly that was false, but I don't think anyone expected daily barrages 90 days into this war.

 

Who cares about firing weapons that don't hit their targets? Just firing them so they get shot down or land in an open field hurts no one. I'm sure Israel is not very concerned with weapons that go "boom" without effect in the air or in an open field. Firing weapons with no effect doesn't concern anyone in a war. Without casualties and/or damage... who cares? You've obviously never been to war. Iran will keep feeding rockets to Hamas (and Hezbollah). Israel knows that. So does the world.

 

Even the Israelis, who claimed to have taken control of north Gaza 60 days ago, later admitted that wasn't true and even now (announcing a reduction in operations) don't claim to have real control of north Gaza, neve-rmind the south or central parts.

 

There are still 200,000 displaced Israelis who seem to care...

I'm surprised as someone who should know better, you give that much credence to IDF claims regarding impact and interceptions...

 

There's a whole lot of Gaza where Israeli Soldiers are walking around without getting shot at anymore. That is the definition of "control".

 

Not really, not a whole lot at all...outside empty desert, just bits and pieces.

 

200,000 displaced. But still alive. And as long as Hamas rockets are shot down (18 of 27 on New Year's Eve) or land harmlessly in "open areas" the other 9)... those 200,000 are well served.

Wars are won by KILLING THE ENEMY... not by NOT KILLING THE ENEMY. And those Hamas rockets... AREN'T.

 

You may imagine wars are won by body-count, but that just shows some never learn.

 

Is that why: "Over 80 percent of Gaza's 2.3 million people have been displaced"? (Israel-Hamas fighting convulses Gaza as U.S. seeks protection of civilians (msn.com)