US military leaders head to Israel and will offer advice on shifting to the war's next phase in Gaza
WASHINGTON — The top two U.S. military leaders are traveling to Tel Aviv to advise the Israeli government on the transition from major combat operations against Hamas in Gaza to a more limited and precise campaign — the kind of strategic shift in which they both have significant expertise.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General CQ Brown took a leadership role as U.S. Air Force and ground forces transitioned from major combat to lower-intensity counterterrorism operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. But it is not clear how deeply their advice, based on lessons learned, will resonate with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government
Israel continues to suffer its deadliest attack ever on its home front and has vowed to continue its bombardment of Gaza until Hamas, which orchestrated the October 7 attacks, is completely destroyed.
Their trip highlights the Biden administration's increased efforts to convince Israel to scale back its offensive, which has paralyzed much of the northern Gaza region, displaced millions and killed more than 18,700 Palestinians, the ministry said of Public Health in the Hamas-administered area. .
Israel's push is complicated by Hamas's dense urban population and tunnel network, and the militants are accused of using civilians as “human shields.” The continued intensity of Israel's campaign has led President Joe Biden to warn that the US ally is losing international support over its “indiscriminate bombing”.
U.S. officials have been telling Israel for several weeks that its window is closing for completing major combat operations in Gaza without risking losing more support.
At a meeting Thursday, Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, urged Netanyahu to shift to more targeted operations by smaller military teams hunting specific high-value targets, rather than the sustained broad bombardment that has taken place so far . In response, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said his country would continue major combat operations against Hamas for several more months.
There are consequences for the tens of thousands of American soldiers deployed in the region.
Austin on Friday once again extended the deployment of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and a second warship to maintain the presence of two aircraft carriers in the Mediterranean Sea. The ships are seen as essential to deter Iran from expanding the war between Israel and Hamas into a regional conflict. The approximately 5,000 sailors aboard the Ford were originally scheduled to go home in early November.
US warships deployed alongside the Ford intercepted incoming missiles fired at Israel from areas of Yemen controlled by Iran-backed Houthi rebels. They also shot down one-way attack drones targeting the ships and responded to calls for help from commercial ships facing persistent Houthi attacks near the narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
As of Friday, there are 19 U.S. warships in the region, including seven in the eastern Mediterranean. Another dozen stretched along the Red Sea, across the Arabian Sea and into the Persian Gulf.
On Saturday, one of the warships assigned to the Ford Carrier Strike Group, the destroyer USS Carney, “successfully engaged 14 one-way strike drones launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen,” U.S. Central Command said in a statement . Britain reported that a Royal Navy destroyer had shot down another drone targeting commercial ships.
The missile and drone attacks have prompted at least two major shipping companies, Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk, to order their commercial ships to temporarily suspend passage through the strait.
“The recent attacks on commercial vessels in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait are alarming and pose a significant threat to security & lives of seafarers,” Maersk said in a statement on Friday on its official account on X, formerly known as Twitter. “This problem cannot be addressed by the global shipping industry alone, and we urge international society to come together to find a quick solution to bring the situation under control.”
Austin is also expected to visit Bahrain and Qatar and continue work on establishing a new maritime mission to provide greater security to commercial ships sailing in the southern Red Sea. Bahrain is home to the headquarters of the U.S. Navy's Central Command and the international maritime task force charged with ensuring safe passage for ships in the region.
Qatar has been crucial in preventing a deadly local war from turning into a regional conflict and in negotiating the release of hostages.
Earlier in his military career, Austin oversaw the withdrawal of forces in Iraq in 2011. He visited Israel days after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and has since spoken with Gallant, his Israeli counterpart, more than 20 times.
During his meetings in Israel, he will likely continue discussions on how the Israelis define various military campaign milestones to assess when they have degraded Hamas enough to ensure their own security and transition from major combat operations, a senior US defense official said. told reporters traveling with Austin.