Fires of instability continue to consume the Middle East as Jake Sullivan, the Security adviser, warned that the Israeli war with Hamas is nowhere near its end. As the flames are kicked into higher gear, Sullivan is preparing for 'serious' conversations with Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
Hints of elevated intensity and irritability have been perceived from Biden's remarks made behind closed doors last week. The lines of diplomacy have perhaps been blurring as he addresses the escalating violence in the region.
New insights arrive from Yoav Galant, spokesperson for the Israeli defense minister who recently met with Security Advisor Sullivan. Amid the spiraling smoke of uncertainty, Galant painted a grim picture of the conflict's timeline, stating: 'It will last more than several months, but we will win and we will destroy them.' This suggests a protracted and bloody war is unfolding in the region, and Israeli groundwork in Gaza will continue into the new year.
Cannonades are pounding both the northern and southern parts of Gaza, resulting in another Israeli casualty. The count now stands at 116 fatalities since the ground operations commenced. Specific timelines regarding the successful securing of the territory in northern Gaza have not been provided by Israeli officials. However, they did provide a glimpse into the war front around southern Gaza's city of Han Yunis, where operations are being carried out in pockets rather than broad land grabs.
Amid the thundering echoes of the ongoing conflict, U.S. officials continue to deliberate. Jake Sullivan flew to Israel to engage in discussions with top officials, including Prime Minister Netanyahu. Despite the war's 69th day, Washington refrains from calling for a ceasefire. The urgent call to end the war and alleviate human suffering is resonating, but considerations of immediate ceasefire, especially with the terrorist group Hamas, are discarded.
The ravages of war continue to impact southern Gaza, controlled largely by Hamas. Destruction is evident in Gaza's second-largest city of Hanounis, where about 20% of the structures stand ruined. This grim figure threatens to rise as the war wages on. The southern city isn't the only region bearing the brutal blows of the conflict - the northern fringes witness retaliation as Hezbollah fires into northern Israel and faces counterattacks. This daunting trajectory indicates that the war's conclusion appears a distant horizon.
