{"id":24472,"date":"2024-04-12T01:04:39","date_gmt":"2024-04-12T01:04:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/04\/12\/u-s-sends-a-top-general-to-israel-amid-fears-of-iranian-strikes\/"},"modified":"2024-04-12T01:04:39","modified_gmt":"2024-04-12T01:04:39","slug":"u-s-sends-a-top-general-to-israel-amid-fears-of-iranian-strikes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/04\/12\/u-s-sends-a-top-general-to-israel-amid-fears-of-iranian-strikes\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. Sends a Top General to Israel Amid Fears of Iranian Strikes"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1050\" height=\"550\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/04\/11\/multimedia\/11mideast-1-zptw\/11mideast-1-zptw-facebookJumbo.jpg?resize=1050,550&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"U.S. Sends a Top General to Israel Amid Fears of Iranian Strikes\" title=\"U.S. Sends a Top General to Israel Amid Fears of Iranian Strikes\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The United States dispatched its top military commander for the Middle East to Israel on Thursday, after President Biden stated that, despite recent friction, American support for Israel \u201cis ironclad\u201d in the event of an attack by Iran.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Iran\u2019s leaders have repeatedly vowed to punish Israel for <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/05\/world\/middleeast\/iran-airstrike-syria-funeral.html?searchResultPosition=2\" title=\"\">an April 1 strike<\/a> in Syria that killed several senior Iranian commanders. Israel has put its military on alert, and Mr. Biden said on Wednesday that Iran was threatening a \u201csignificant\u201d attack.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Gen. Michael E. Kurilla, the American commander, will coordinate with Israel on what is widely expected to be imminent retaliatory action by Iran and will also discuss the war against Hamas in Gaza and humanitarian aid operations there, according to officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel acknowledged on Thursday that Israel was facing \u201cchallenging times,\u201d noting that \u201cin the midst of the war in Gaza\u201d his country was \u201calso prepared for scenarios involving challenges in other sectors.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cWe have determined a simple rule: Whoever harms us, we will harm them,\u201d he said while <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.il\/en\/departments\/news\/event-visit110424\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">visiting an air base<\/a>, using language that has been used in recent days to refer to threats from <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2024\/04\/06\/world\/middleeast\/iran-hamas-hezbollah-houthis-iraq.html\" title=\"\">Iran and its proxies<\/a>, including Hamas.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Active fighting in Gaza has <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/08\/world\/middleeast\/israel-gaza-war.html\" title=\"\">ebbed to its lowest point<\/a> since November. Israel <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/07\/world\/middleeast\/israel-troops-gaza.html\" title=\"\">withdrew troops<\/a> from southern Gaza over the weekend but said the military would stay in other parts of the territory to preserve its \u201cfreedom of action and its ability to conduct precise intelligence-based operations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Netanyahu has said that a date has been set for a ground invasion of Rafah in southern Gaza, where more than a million displaced Palestinians have sought shelter \u2014 an operation U.S. officials have warned would be catastrophic for civilians. Some analysts have suggested that his threats are <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Natsecjeff\/status\/1768184795572355083\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">bluster<\/a> or attempts at gaining leverage in cease-fire negotiations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The Biden administration has urged Mr. Netanyahu to shelve the invasion plans and focus on \u201c<a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/03\/19\/world\/middleeast\/israel-gaza-rafah-offensive.html\" title=\"\">alternative approaches that would target the key elements of Hamas<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">President Biden has become increasingly critical of Mr. Netanyahu\u2019s conduct of the war in Gaza, even threatening to <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/04\/world\/middleeast\/biden-netanyahu-call-israel.html\" title=\"\">condition U.S. assistance<\/a> on Israel\u2019s doing more to protect civilians. But he emphasized on Wednesday that American support for Israel in the face of danger from Iran and its allied militias, like Hezbollah, was unconditional.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cAs I told Prime Minister Netanyahu, our commitment to Israel\u2019s security against these threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad,\u201d he <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/speeches-remarks\/2024\/04\/10\/remarks-by-president-biden-and-prime-minister-kishida-fumio-of-japan-in-joint-press-conference\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">said at a news conference<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken also \u201cmade clear that the U.S. will stand with Israel against any threats by Iran and its proxies\u201d when he spoke by phone on Wednesday with Israel\u2019s defense minister, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.state.gov\/secretary-blinkens-call-with-israeli-defense-minister-yoav-gallant\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">the State Department said.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In Israel, General Kurilla had carried out a situational assessment and reviewed \u201cregional security challenges\u201d with the Israeli military\u2019s chief of staff, said Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the chief spokesman for the Israeli military.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cWe are highly alert and ready to face various scenarios,\u201d Admiral Hagari said in a televised news briefing, adding that any strike from Iranian territory would be a clear regional escalation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">As Iran and Israel have <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/10\/world\/middleeast\/iran-israel-khamenei-threat-strike.html\" title=\"\">traded fresh threats<\/a> in recent days, diplomats have been trying to reduce tensions and avert a wider regional war.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The foreign minister of Germany, Annalena Baerbock, spoke to her Iranian counterpart \u201cabout the tense situation\u201d in the Middle East on Thursday, according to her office.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cAvoiding further regional escalation must be in everyone\u2019s interest,\u201d her office said in a statement. \u201cWe urge all actors in the region to act responsibly and exercise maximum restraint.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The diplomatic efforts came as the Israeli military on Thursday announced that it had carried out a new operation that killed at least one member of Hamas in Gaza.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The Israeli military said Thursday that its forces had carried out a \u201cprecise, intelligence-based operation\u201d in central Gaza overnight with fighter jets and ground troops to \u201celiminate terrorist operatives and strike terrorist infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThe goal of the operation, of course, is to destroy Hamas\u2019s ability to rehabilitate itself in the area,\u201d Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the spokesman for the Israeli military, said in a briefing Thursday evening. \u201cWe continue fighting in Gaza and are preparing for future operations.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">On Wednesday, an Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza killed three sons of Ismail Haniyeh, who leads the political wing of Hamas from exile. Hamas-affiliated media reported that three of Mr. Haniyeh\u2019s grandchildren also were killed in the attack.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The Israeli military said the three sons \u2014 Amir, Mohammad and Hazem \u2014 were active in Hamas\u2019s military operations, Amir as a cell commander and his brothers as lower-level operatives. One of the brothers was also involved in holding hostages in Gaza, the Israeli military said, without specifying which one. The military did not provide further details, and its claims could not be verified.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The military\u2019s emphasis on the precision of the attack announced on Thursday followed accusations that Israeli bombing has been indiscriminate, causing avoidable civilian casualties, and amid rising criticism over impending famine in Gaza.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">It also came as international negotiators worked to broker a cease-fire in Gaza and to secure the release of the hostages held in the enclave, in return for the release of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. Those talks have stalled over disagreements about the details, with a senior Hamas official saying Wednesday that the group <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/live\/2024\/04\/11\/world\/israel-gaza-war-news-hamas#israel-hostages-hamas-ceasefire\" title=\"\">did not have 40 living hostages<\/a> who met the criteria for an exchange under a proposal being discussed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">While Mr. Haniyeh is one of Hamas\u2019s most senior officials, analysts said that his sons were not likely as integral to the group\u2019s operations as the Israeli military has suggested.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cHis son\u2019s names are not usually floated around when you talk about seniority in Hamas, whether it\u2019s the political or military wing,\u201d said Tahani Mustafa, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, a think tank.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Bilal Saab, an associate fellow in the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House, said the strike on the sons might have been intended to placate a domestic audience in Israel or to give the Israelis leverage in the talks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cIt\u2019s a political win for Israel more than anything else,\u201d Mr. Saab said of the killings.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Haniyeh said Wednesday that Israel was \u201cdelusional if it thinks that by killing my children, we will change our positions\u201d in negotiations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/11\/world\/middleeast\/israel-iran-hamas-strikes.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The United States dispatched its top military commander for the Middle East to Israel on Thursday, after President Biden stated that, despite recent friction, American support for Israel \u201cis ironclad\u201d in the event of an attack by Iran. Iran\u2019s leaders have repeatedly vowed to punish Israel for an April 1 strike in Syria that killed [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":24473,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/04\/11\/multimedia\/11mideast-1-zptw\/11mideast-1-zptw-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2622,1032,16121,38,177,199,1846,221],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24472"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24472"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24472\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24474,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24472\/revisions\/24474"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24473"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}