American pressure that could reach a weapons embargo: the scenario worrying Israel | Avi Ashkenazi

Israel is in a complex waiting period: on one hand, the IDF is committed to protecting its soldiers and military achievements, and on the other, to avoiding escalation that would trigger American pressure, even to the point of a weapons embargo. In recent days, four targeted killings were approved, and yesterday the IDF struck two human targets in Gaza. Hamas and Hezbollah are trying to drag the IDF into high-intensity fighting, amid reports of numerous daily incidents.

Israel is in a period of waiting and shaping the arena, a particularly complex time for the military establishment. On one hand, the IDF is committed to protecting its soldiers and preserving the military achievements gained in nearly three years of fighting. On the other hand, it must keep the flames low enough not to deteriorate the region into war and prompt the Americans to act against Israel diplomatically, or even beyond that, such as a weapons embargo or similar measures. In recent days, the political echelon approved four targeted killings of terrorists. Yesterday, within one hour, the IDF operated and struck two more human targets in two arenas in Gaza. The first strike targeted a terrorist from the Islamic Jihad terror organization in the Khan Younis area. The second struck a Hamas terrorist in the Nuseirat area. According to the IDF, each of the terrorists was advancing terror plots and was struck from the air to remove the threat. The IDF and Shin Bet say that the current dosage is key to preventing deterioration in Gaza. Israel does not truly believe Hamas and Islamic Jihad will disarm, but Israel does not want to appear as the one who broke the tools in negotiations. Hezbollah and Hamas understand their military situation vis-à-vis the IDF well and try to challenge it. On Friday night, an explosive drone hit a force of the Yahalom unit of the Combat Engineering Corps, causing serious injuries to an officer and two soldiers. On Saturday, a powerful explosive device, likely a belly charge, was activated on an IDF tank in the southern Strip. In both arenas, soldiers report a large number of incidents on a daily basis. Hamas and Hezbollah's goal is to drag the IDF into high-intensity fighting, that is, to bring the IDF to 'break the tools.' The complex reality requires the IDF to manage fighting at an intensity that will preserve the safety of soldiers and achievements, but not increase the flames, which could take the diplomatic move out of the game.