Israel Pulls Multiple Brigades from Gaza

Thousands of Israeli soldiers are being shifted out of the Gaza Strip, the military said Monday, in the first significant drawdown of troops since the war began as forces continued to bear down on the main city in the southern half of the enclave.

Advertisement

The troop movement could signal that fighting is being scaled back in some areas of Gaza, particularly in the northern half where the military has said it is close to assuming operational control. …

But fierce fighting continued in other areas of Gaza, especially the southern city Khan Younis and central areas of the territory.

[There are a couple of possible interpretations of this, and several ramifications. The AP report suggests that this was the doing of Antony Blinken, who has been publicly pressuring Israel to shift to “lower intensity” operations. However, Israel is escalating the intensity around Khan Younis, so this could either be a tradeoff in the north or just a recognition that northern Gaza has been conquered. The IDF will likely want to cycle some reservists back to civilian life to boost their economy, but the other implication of the withdrawal of these brigades is that they’re now available for the northern fronts of Lebanon and Syria. More later on this as it develops. — Ed]

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Trending on HotAir Videos

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement