At that point, Israel is free to deploy tanks, infantry, and parking wardens.
Posted on 12/29/2008 9:13:51 AM PST by lewisglad
Israel's crucial Gaza invasion is ready to go after three-day air assault
December 29, 2008, 6:24 PM (GMT+02:00)
Israeli tanks stand by for order to go Military sources report that, after being knocked sideways by three days of massive Israeli air strikes, and more than 315 dead, Hamas appeared to have recovered its bearings sufficiently to pound Israel with more than 70 Qassam missiles and two Grad Katyusha rockets Monday, Dec. 29, on Day 3 of the operation.
Its tacticians pin their hopes on the overcast, rainy conditions forecast for the rest of the week to slow Israeli air attacks, delay an incursion, and further intensify their cross-border missile onslaught.
Monday, their missile crews focused on the Israeli towns of Ashkelon, Sderot, Netivot and the Eshkol farming region just across the border. One Israeli construction worker was killed at an Ashkelon building site and 18 injured when a Grad slammed into a half-finished building.
The Palestinian terrorists are now about to again broaden the radius of their attacks by launching their new Iranian rockets against the important towns of Beersheba, Ashdod and Kiryat Gat.
The planners of the Israeli air offensive turned Monday to "second-tier" targets, such as Hamas' political offices and wings of the Islamic University in Gaza City, after its high-profile leaders went into hiding in the underground bunker network designed by an Iranian general deep under the surface of the Gaza Strip.
They can only be dug out by special forces and armored units on the ground.
The crucial battle of Gaza is therefore still to come, as indicated by Israel's deputy chief of staff Maj. Gen. Israel Harel, when he warned Monday that the hardest part of the campaign is still ahead.
Hizballah's Hassan Nasrallah told a mass rally in Beirut Monday that Hamas' most effective weapon is time; by holding out, it can wear Israel down and prevail.
He was using the 2006 Lebanon war as an analogy for the Gaza campaign. Then, a massive Israeli offensive in the first days of the war failed to break Hizballah, By sustaining the blasting of its cities, the Lebanese terrorists ultimately cancelled out Israel's gains.
He may not have realized that Israel's defense minister and chief of staff were both appointed after that debacle. Their most important guideline was to learn from its lessons.
Hamas' trouble is the lack of a conspicuous war leader. Its politburo chief Khaled Meshaal is visible but because he is based in Damascus away from the action, he does not carry much clout. The flamboyant Hizballah leader, Nasrallah, appears to have appointed himself senior strategist.
So far, this Tehran-sponsored Lebanese Shiite leader is making his mark verbally, but his repeated fiery rhetoric day after day aims at goading Iran and Syria, Hamas' avowed patrons, into intervening in the Gaza crisis to rescue Hamas, so dragging in the other Arab governments.
It is totally irresponsible to commit Israeli troops to dig vermin out of bunkers or engage in house-to-house combat. Continue the air assault using bunker buster bombs or destroy everything on the surface above the bunkers to prevent any escape. The Philistines in Gaza need to be pushed back from the borders with Israel using air power until the mortars and rockets cease. If the launches do not cease, the Palis will then end up dead, in the sea or in Egypt. Those chose Hamas, they can choose to die with hamas. I believe this can be accomplished solely with air strikes and, perversely, the wider Arab world will thank Israel for eliminating the philistines, which are despised by other Arabs.
War should be the last means (In this case I am sure it is all that is left) and when you do make that call it should be all out everything you can do to eliminate the enemy or at the least get an unconditional surrender. With this logic I agree the trigger has been pulled (once again) now decimate the enemy and prepare for the next hezbollah/iran the real enemy.
FM spokesman in Tehran: Iran begins preparing operations against Israel
Special Report
December 29, 2008, 6:18 PM (GMT+02:00)
On Monday, Dec. 29, Day 3 of Israel’s Gaza operation, the spokesman said Iran had embarked on preparations for operations against Israel in line with the directives laid down by supreme ruler Ayatollah Ali Khameini in his speech Sunday.
in his speech, Khameini issued a fatwa calling on Muslims to stand up and defend Palestinians against Israel. He said “true believers” were “duty-bound to defend” the Palestinians. Khamenei did not spell out what he intended. The foreign ministry statement said believers killed in their cause would be counted martyrs.
A group of hardline clerics is signing up volunteers to fight “against the Zionist regime” in the Gaza Strip “in either military, financial or propaganda fields.” This is reported by the semi-official Fars news agency.
Iranian lawmaker Ali Motahari told the Iranian news agency IRNA that it was time for Iran and Arab nations to go to war with Israel.
Egypt has led widespread Arab voices blaming Hamas for the Gaza crisis and accusing Iran of manipulating the Palestinian cause as a power play for its own ends.
Yep, Seen that one but I don’t think they have the nads (iran) to do anything except under the table, like the red crescent ship they are sending. It should be boarded (US, British, India, or Australa) and search, then sunk or absorbed by Israel if any thing was found on it other than food or medical.
Israel is unwilling to do what it takes to win. This is all posturing. Once I start seeing the the Abrahms tanks they have leveling house after house with hajib clad rats scurrying around in the rubble I will believe it. The first picture of a moustached muslim mother clutching her future terrorist dead child showing in the Western press Israel will back down. They always do. They start hitting the mosques and schools and markets, not giving a moments respite and they will actually have a chance to win. Come out saying, we have tried to live in peace now we annex this territory as part of Israel, you have 48 hours to vacate. Israel for the past 30 years is the definition of insanity. Doing the same thing over and over, tactical operations which yeild little.
I’m with you on that. I fear they have once again done this for internal politics and not for their survival and there lives the root of the problem. Wart should not be used as a game but as the last tool in the international politics. I hope we do see an all out effort but I’ll only believe it when I see it.
From the window of the Military Intelligence Office of DEBKA, as interpreted by the DEBKA Dept of Augmentation.
This is Livni and Barak at their most mealy-mouthed. Liberals of the “can’t we all just get along” mold, they have no concept of how to deal with the Palis. But they do know how to read opinion polls.
Mr. Kommando, sir .... your keyboard is waiting.
Nahh, he’s just advocating the subcontinental Indian (or more recently, a Kosovan) recourse.
If it were a Nazi idea... there would be *NO* Palestinians afterwards.
At that point, Israel is free to deploy tanks, infantry, and parking wardens.
Air power alone CANNOT in wars. The Israeli Army would be prepared to send in infantry and cavalry with air support from IAF AH-64D Apache Longbows. They better get ready for house-to-house, room-to-room CQB fighting.
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