The Israeli war cabinet remains conflicted regarding an attack against Iran, following the latter’s retaliatory operation that targeted Israeli locations in occupied territories on Saturday night.
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A man walks past tents and shacks erected by destroyed buildings in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, April 9, 2024 (AFP)
According to CNN, two Israeli sources have divulged that the Israeli plan to invade Rafah has been postponed while the occupation evaluates how to respond to Iran’s retaliatory strikes.
“Israel” was planning to launch its invasion this week before Iran responded to its aggression on its consulate in Damascus which claimed the lives of seven members of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), including two generals, in the consular section. The strike occurred amidst escalating regional tensions in light of the Israeli occupation’s war on the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli war cabinet remains conflicted regarding an attack against Iran, following the latter’s retaliatory operation that targeted Israeli locations in occupied territories on Saturday night.
Although “Israel” was allegedly ready for an immediate counterattack, US President Joe Biden urged the occupation to halt any operation.
Israeli Channel 12 reported that although Iran did not incur much damage throughout its attack, the war cabinet has been divided, with some Israeli ministers calling for an immediate attack against Iran, while others would rather wait, prepare, and then attack.
However, as international pressure mounts over “Israel” to not escalate the situation further, the meeting was left on an undecided note.
The strike caused “Israel” to postpone plans for an offensive in Rafah, where over a million civilians are presently displaced. According to sources, the Israeli occupation force’s airforce intended to disperse leaflets around the city on Monday.
US still against Rafah invasion despite being scheduled: State Dept.
Last week, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters that the US still opposes “Israel’s” plans to launch a ground invasion of Rafah after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu scheduled a date for the assault.
This comes after Netanyahu stated in a post on X today that a date has been scheduled for the Rafah invasion, but he did not disclose the specific date.
“We have made clear to Israel that we think a full-scale military invasion of Rafah would have an enormously harmful effect on those civilians and that it would ultimately hurt Israel’s security,” Miller said when asked to comment about Netanyahu’s remarks.
President Joe Biden’s administration has previously issued multiple calls for the regime to present a plan to allegedly protect civilians in Rafah, where approximately 1.5 million Palestinians have sought shelter.
The invasion of Rafah has been criticized by the White House, claiming that it remains against a ground offensive on Rafah without a clear plan to protect civilians. France, the UK, and other world countries have shared the US’ point of view.
An Israeli official stated that “Israel” remains committed to executing a ground operation in the southern city, while the timeframe of the civilian evacuation and the imminent combat offensive is unknown.
