President Joe Biden administration reveals that Israel has sufficient troops on standby to launch a full-scale ground operation in Rafah in the coming days. However, senior US officials express uncertainty regarding Israel’s potential defiance of President Joe Biden.
In a recent interview President Biden publicly cautioned Israel, stating that the US would halt the supply of certain weapons if Israeli forces conducted a major invasion of Rafah, a refugee-dense city in southern Gaza.
“I made it clear that if they go into Rafah…, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities – that deal with that problem,” President Biden emphasized.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan echoed President Joe Biden’s stance, stating, “The president was clear that he would not supply certain offensive weapons for such an operation were to occur.” However, Jake Sullivan noted, “It has not yet occurred.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that rushing into Rafah could have dire consequences.
Israel’s international allies and aid groups have repeatedly cautioned against a ground incursion into Rafah, citing the presence of many Palestinian refugees and purported Hamas battalions.
Israeli spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari disclosed that Israeli forces had reportedly neutralized approximately 100 militant fighters, identified 10 tunnel routes, and uncovered numerous weapons in Rafah since the commencement of the operation a week ago.
Meanwhile, fighting has escalated across the Gaza Strip, with clashes intensifying in the north, where the Israeli military has revisited areas previously claimed to have been cleared of Hamas presence. The clashes were described as the most intense in months by residents and militant sources.
According to the US State Department, Israel has made significant progress in degrading Hamas, targeting objectives through warfare.
State Department spokesperson Matt Miller stated, “You have seen their ability to launch the kind of attacks that they did on October 7 significantly degraded, if not completely eliminated.” He added, “Their weapons production factories underground have been eliminated. Most of their battalion leadership in the north and in central Gaza has been eliminated.”
Despite ongoing efforts, it remains unclear whether any senior Hamas official currently resides in Rafah. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) reportedly offered intelligence on Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar to Israel in exchange for halting its offensive in Rafah.
