A former top US general has sharply warned that Israel’s ground war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip could take years to end and could ultimately resemble a ‘Mogadishu on steroids’.
David Petraeus, the former director of the CIA and the top US general in both Iraq and Afghanistan, warned that the IDF’s current plan, which involves a bombing campaign followed by a major land invasion of more than 140 square miles of land, ‘Mogadishu’ could be. steroids very quickly.”
The warning to Politico referred to the two-day battle between US forces and the Somalia National Alliance (SNA) and armed civilians in the Somali capital in 1993.
Three American Black Hawk helicopters were downed by resistance forces, leading to hours of bloody urban fighting that ultimately marked the deadliest battle fought by American soldiers since the Vietnam War.
Although the US ultimately won the battle, 18 American soldiers died and another 73 were injured, while Somali casualties were estimated at 700.
David Petraeus, former CIA director and top US general in both Iraq and Afghanistan, warned that an offensive campaign could take several years
Israel is currently preparing to storm Gaza following a series of attacks by Hamas
Patraeus, 70, warned that Hamas could deploy complex and devastating tactics and strategies to defend Gaza
Patraeus, 70, warned that Hamas could deploy complex and devastating tactics and strategies that could result in a similar Pyrrhic victory for Israel.
“If (Hamas) is as creative in defense as they were in that horrific, barbaric, unspeakable attack, then you will see suicide bombers, you will see improvised explosive devices, there will be ambushes, booby traps and the urban environment. Again, it cannot be be more challenging.’
He warned that the IDF’s proposed offensive could take years: “I find it difficult to imagine a more difficult situation than this particular one, and I was someone who commanded troops in a number of major urban operations.
‘You don’t win counterinsurgencies in a year or two. Typically they last ten years or more, as we saw in Iraq, and as we saw in Afghanistan.”
The former top general’s comments come after Israeli forces were reportedly given more freedom to fire on potential enemies in Gaza, potentially going door-to-door for as long as 18 months to root out Hamas terrorists.
Palestinians are seen on Thursday near rubble of destroyed buildings after Israeli airstrikes on the al-Zahra neighborhood of the Gaza Strip
Palestinians gather Thursday around residential buildings destroyed in Israeli attacks in Zahra City
Residential buildings destroyed during Israeli attacks are seen in Zahra City on Thursday
Members of the Palestinian Civil Defense search for survivors Thursday in the rubble of a building hit during the Israeli bombardment of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip
People gather Thursday near the rubble of a destroyed building after the Israeli bombardment of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip
The ground forces will consist of tanks, sappers and commandos, with cover from warplanes, helicopter gunships, aerial drones and artillery fired from land and sea, The New York Times reported.
They have received additional training on how to operate in the heavily bombed areas of Gaza, and have planned for the expected Hamas ambush and booby traps.
Three Israeli sources told the newspaper that the rules of engagement have been relaxed so that IDF forces can make quick decisions about potential enemies.
Nimrod Novik, a former senior Israeli diplomat and security adviser to the Israeli government, told the newspaper that some within the Israeli military establishment want troops to go door to door for 18 months, flushing out and killing top Hamas leaders.
Relatives of Palestinians killed in an Israeli airstrike mourn their bodies Thursday at a hospital in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip
People carry the bodies of Palestinians killed in an Israeli airstrike outside a hospital in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday
A man carries away the body of a person killed in an Israeli bombing after being rescued from the rubble of a building in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on Thursday.
A woman cries as she stands in a badly damaged house after the Israeli bombing of Rafah on Thursday
The father of Alma Al Majayda, three, holds her body after she was killed in Israeli attacks.
People cry as Palestinian Civil Defense members and others search for survivors in Khan Yunis
“Others, I think, are much more level-headed and don’t talk about destroying Hamas, but about depriving Hamas of their ability to threaten us,” Novik said.
The Israeli military says it is preparing for the “next phase of the war” against Hamas, which could include “air, sea and land attacks” with “significant ground operations.”
The effort involves hundreds of thousands of drafted reservists and will include “a wide range of operational offensive plans,” the Israeli military said in a statement.
In addition to the “combined and coordinated attacks,” Israeli ground forces and the army’s logistics leadership are preparing IDF forces for an “expanded battlefield,” the statement said.