Ground incursion delayed to allow US to send additional forces to Middle East

 

The US has informed Israel that it intends to send additional American forces to the Middle East, ahead of the expected ground incursion, due to concerns that Iranian attacks against US forces in the area will increase, Galei Zahal reported.

According to assessments, Israel has agreed to delay the ground incursion until additional US forces are sent.

It was also reported that Israeli sources have clarified that this is not the only reason for the delay. Among the other reasons are increasing the forces' operational preparedness, and an attempt to do as much as possible - including, potentially, prisoner swaps - to free the hostages prior to a ground incursion.

The sources also said that Israel has a clear interest in the US sending additional forces to the region, since it will help the shared effort to fight off attacks on the various fronts which may escalate tensions during the next stages of the war.

Deputy Ambassador of Israel to the US, Eliav Benjamin, told Galei Zahal, "There has been dialogue between us and the US government since the first day. They understand that we are running the war according to our interests. At the end of the day we will do what we need to do, when we need to do it."

When asked about the US insistence on allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza, Benjamin said, "They understand the pain here and they call October 7, 'Israel's 9/11,' but the humanitarian issue is also an issue which is close to their hearts."