US government sources: The US has not given Israel the go-ahead for a ground offensive against Rafah

The news website reports Axios.

The news comes on the same day that the US and Israel are to have a telephone meeting about a possible offensive against Rafah with several high-ranking representatives.

According to information published in the Israeli media, the Biden administration is said to have given the go-ahead for an Israeli ground offensive against the city on the Gaza Strip. The go-ahead came with a condition that Israel drop a counterattack against Iran.

After Iran’s drone and rocket attacks against Israel on the night of Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised that they would respond to the attack. On Thursday, there are many indications that the US is working to prevent an Israeli counterattack, for fear that it could lead to a more unstable situation in the region.

Should Israel get something out of a possible agreement with the USA, political scientist at Linnaeus University, Anders Persson, believes that they could agree to it.

– Historically, this type of behavior is not unusual for Israel. You can call it horse trading, or the slightly nicer word transactional diplomacy, says Persson.

He compares it to the Gulf War in 1991, when Iraq attacked Israel with Scud missiles. Then too, Israel promised revenge, but refrained in exchange for arms deliveries and diplomatic favors.

– The scenario here is quite similar, Persson believes.

Later, US spokesmen have denied that they gave the green light to the ground invasion.

The telephone meeting on Thursday is chaired by US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Israel’s Minister for Strategic Affairs, Ron Dermer.

#government #sources #Israel #goahead #ground #offensive #Rafah
2024-04-19 13:38:44

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