Israel postponed its planned ground operation in Gaza after the United States asked for time to deploy missile defense systems to help protect its military forces in the region.
Shortly after Hamas carried out a massacre against Israel, the Jewish nation made it clear that a ground offensive was imminent. However, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal, the Israeli government decided to delay the invasion a bit while Washington finalizes the deployment of a dozen defense systems for troops serving in Iraq, Syria, Kuwait, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
According to sources from WSJ, there is fear that US troops will become targets of militant groups in the region once Israel begins its incursion into Gaza. For this reason, it is expected to install the defense systems this week.
Israel agrees to delay Gaza offensive to allow US missile defense placement https://t.co/E8KfD5WKEB pic.twitter.com/7OnZbJlEBj
— New York Post (@nypost) October 25, 2023
Biden and Netanyahu on the request
Although President Joe Biden denied on Wednesday that he had requested a delay in the Israeli offensive, several administration officials have expressed concern about the possibility that the operation could occur before anti-missile coverage is implemented.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also did not confirm but did not deny the plans to postpone the offensive, explaining that he should not give details about the operation.
“I will not elaborate on when, how or how many. I will also not elaborate on the various calculations we are making, which the public is mostly unaware of and that is how things should be,” he said.
Israel will “demand the highest price” for Hamas killings
Netanyahu promised that the ground operation would happen soon and assured that when it happens, Israel will “demand the highest price” for the terrorist attack that killed at least 1,400 Israelis.
“We will never forget the 1,400 brothers and sisters who were slaughtered in cold blood and fought heroically to the death against these human animals,” he said.
