U.S. wants Israel to adopt a more precise strategy for ground campaign vs. Hamas
WASHINGTON >> President Joe Biden's national security adviser advised Israel on Thursday to end its large-scale ground campaign in the Gaza Strip and transition to a more targeted phase in its war against Hamas, American officials said.
Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, did not specify a timetable during his meetings with top Israeli officials Thursday. But four American officials said Biden wants Israel to switch to more precise tactics within three weeks or soon thereafter. The officials asked for anonymity to discuss the president's thinking.
The new phase that the Americans envision would involve smaller groups of elite forces that would move in and out of population centers in Gaza, carrying out more precise missions to find and kill Hamas leaders, rescue hostages and destroy tunnels, the officials said.
The call for a change in tactics comes as differences between the United States and Israel have widened as the conditions in Gaza turn catastrophic. Biden said this week that Israel was beginning to lose international support because of the “indiscriminate bombing” of Gaza, a much harsher assessment than his earlier public statements urging greater care to protect civilians.
Sullivan, who was in Israel on Thursday, spoke about a possible transition “in the near future, but I don't want to put a time stamp on it,” said John Kirby, a White House spokesperson.
Shortly after The New York Times reported on the discussions, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office issued a statement saying that he “had made it clear that Israel will continue the war until we complete all of its goals.”
And before meeting with Sullivan, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that the war against Hamas “will last more than several months,” signaling determination to continue carrying out strikes in Gaza.
Gallant repeated Israel's arguments that destroying Hamas, the armed group that carried out the devastating Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, was essential to Israel's security and was difficult because Hamas has built an extensive underground infrastructure in Gaza.
U.S. officials said the Biden administration understands and accepts that Israel's efforts to hunt down Hamas leaders will continue for months, even after the transition from higher- to lower-intensity operations takes place.
Still, differences between the United States and Israel have widened in recent weeks over Israel's conduct of its war against Hamas and a postwar settlement for Gaza.