As the Israel Defense Forces prepare for a sweeping ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, there are questions about how the operation will unfold and whether it could inadvertently cause the conflict to spark into a regional war.
The Dallas Express spoke with a retired Army colonel and former advisor to the Secretary of Defense in the Trump White House about his assessment of the leadup to the current state of events between Israel and Hamas, and what may come next.
Asked to evaluate the reports that Israel suffered a lapse with its vaunted intelligence network that made the surprise attack by Hamas so devastating, Col. Douglas Macgregor said, “Having visited the Israeli lines around Gaza just a couple of years ago, it is hard to fathom how this happened. When I was there, I was very impressed with the quality of the barriers and the intelligence collection systems.
“Frequent shots at Israeli soldiers kept everyone on their toes. This is not to say that the Hamas organization is not capable of doing what no one in Israel expected, but the degree of success Hamas had breaching the perimeter and the low level of security in the vicinity of Gaza are strange indeed.”
Macgregor then addressed Israel’s troop mobilization, which he said will need to be capable of operating in Gaza as well as repelling possible attacks from third parties that may enter the conflict.
“For the moment, the IDF is assembling a ground force of 470,000 to deal with Gaza and cope with spoiling attacks by Hezbollah or Syria. They will be needed. The question is how well-trained all the civilians are who are showing up to serve in this emergency. I am told by reliable IDF sources that they are not at the same level of readiness as their predecessors were in 1973. That said, I am certain the IDF will master the situation.”
Macgregor noted that according to reports, the Shiite Hezbollah in Lebanon, which has a sophisticated military force, has been warned by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken that should it launch attacks on Israel, the United States Air Force will strike back inside Lebanon.
According to CNN, the U.S. has warned Hezbollah to stay out of the conflict, though specific consequences should it transgress were not immediately revealed. So far, Hezbollah’s support for Hamas’ actions has been mostly rhetorical and symbolic, per CNN. A U.S. carrier strike group has been ordered into the eastern Mediterranean specifically to dissuade Hezbollah and Iran, according to the Biden administration.
“Let me be clear, we did not move the carrier for Hamas,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters on Tuesday, as reported by CNN. “We moved the carrier to send a clear message of deterrence to other states or non-state actors that might seek to widen this war.”
The colonel added that according to the foreign press, Russia has informed the Israelis that should America enter the battle, Syria, Iran, and unspecified regional resistance movements will enter the war in response and all American bases in the Middle East will be targeted.
Macgregor said that lowering tensions is imperative to avoid a conflict that can spread in unpredictable directions. “The potential for a wider war is real. Containing the conflict is vital,” Macgregor emphasized.
To that end, he says that there is an urgent need to engage in diplomacy as many innocent lives are at stake.
“What bothers me is the utter failure of the Biden Administration to open diplomatic talks with the regional actors about containing the conflict. There are 2 million people living in Gaza. While they are undoubtedly hostile to Israel, I am quite sure they are not all involved with Hamas.
“Egypt is sending humanitarian aid to Gaza that will disrupt Israeli siege plans and the Turkish President is already engaging regional leaders including President Putin regarding the conflict. How the IDF proceeds will profoundly influence regional attitudes and actions.”
Macgregor also disagrees with the notion that the U.S. or Israel should strike Iran for — as some have claimed — masterminding and enabling Hamas.
“Striking Iran as some, like former Secretary of State [Mike] Pompeo and Nikki Haley, have intimated or anyone else in the Middle East is not the way to contain this conflict,” said Macgregor.
On Tuesday, Pompeo posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, “Iran directed the killing of at least 11 Americans. Our response ought not just be aimed at Iranian proxies: it should be aimed directly at the Iranian terrorists who directed this attack.”
On Sunday, Nikki Haley appeared on Fox News where she suggested that Israel should “finish” Iran as well as Hamas.
Directing her message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Haley said: “Finish them. Finish them. Hamas did this. You know Iran’s behind it. Finish them. They should have hell to pay for what they’ve just done.”