"Israel begins ground operation in Gaza City… large-scale airstrikes and tanks deployed"
Summary
- The Israeli military said it has launched a Gaza City ground offensive.
- The operation involved large-scale airstrikes and tanks deployed, and the Trump administration said it supports this.
- The Israeli government said the offensive aims to eliminate Hamas.
U.S. online outlet Axios reported on the 15th (local time) that the Israeli military has begun a ground offensive to seize Gaza City, the largest city in the Gaza Strip.
Axios, citing Israeli government officials, said Israeli tanks entered the city immediately after the Israeli Air Force carried out large-scale airstrikes on Gaza City that evening.
The ground offensive began just a few hours after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Israel and held talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and cabinet officials.
Two Israeli officials told Axios that Secretary Rubio told Prime Minister Netanyahu, "The U.S. Donald Trump administration supports the ground operation but wants it to end as soon as possible."
An Israeli official said, "Secretary Rubio did not put the brakes on the ground operation."
A U.S. official also said, "The Trump administration will not stop Israel, and decisions related to the war are for Israel to make on its own."
Israeli government officials described the operation as aimed at rooting out the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Recently, the Israeli military warned it was preparing a ground offensive to seize densely populated Gaza City in the northern Gaza Strip and ordered residents to evacuate.
Choi Su-jin Hankyung.com reporter naive@hankyung.com
Korea Economic Daily
hankyung@bloomingbit.ioThe Korea Economic Daily Global is a digital media where latest news on Korean companies, industries, and financial markets.
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