Israeli soldiers walk past damaged buildings during a military operation in the northern Gaza Strip.
After the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced last weekend that they would withdraw five brigades from fighting in Gaza, including thousands of soldiers, Politico commented that it was a sign that Israel was listening to the United States. .
The IDF’s decision to reduce its military presence in the Palestinian lands is seen as “a signal that Israel is finally beginning to shift from large-scale bombing to targeted attacks on senior leaders.” of Hamas”, as Washington has repeatedly urged, Politico quoted unnamed US officials as saying.
“What we’re seeing is the beginning of a transition,” said one official, while another added that Washington was “happy to see the change” but wished it had happened. out much earlier.
Politico’s source said that the killing of Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri by a drone strike on the outskirts of Beirut on Tuesday could be “another sign that Israel is ready to move to more targeted attack activities.”
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati called Arouri’s killing “a new Israeli crime aimed firmly at drawing Lebanon into a new phase of confrontation”.
In mid-December, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan recalled that Washington had repeatedly urged Israel to shift its high-tempo military operation in Gaza to a “targeted, focused, lower-intensity campaign”. “. He added that once this phase is activated, there will be no refuge for Hamas leaders, as Israel has the right to go after those who planned and carried out the October 7 attacks.
According to Israeli estimates, the Palestinian army attacked Israel from Gaza on that day in 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 240 hostages. In response, West Jerusalem declared war and launched an air and ground attack in Gaza to destroy Hamas, causing more than 22,000 casualties in the area, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
