American military advisers are invoking the lessons of the Iraq war and trying to stop Israel from engaging in an all-out ground assault in Gaza, CNN is reporting.
While helping Israel prepare strategies for defeating militant group Hamas, the advisers are hoping the IDF can avoid getting bogged down in bloody, house-by-house fighting as the US did in Iraq, multiple sources told the broadcaster.
Specifically, they are looking at lessons learned from Fallujah, one of the bloodiest battles of the Iraq war.
They are advising that rather than launching a full-scale ground assault, Israel should use a combination of precision airstrikes and targeted special operations raids.
The Biden administration has sent a three-star Marine Corps general to counsel the IDF on the planning of its assault, CNN reports.
Officials also warned the US is growing more concerned Israel’s strategy to conduct a ground offensive is “half-baked” and could lead to Israeli forces indefinitely occupying Gaza.