Palestinian militant group Hamas deputy chief Saleh al-Arouri said that should Israel launch a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, it would suffer an “unprecedented defeat”.
“If the enemy enters by land, there will be a new and glorious page for our people, and it will be an unprecedented defeat for the occupiers in the history of the conflict,” Arouri said in an interview with Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that that the delayed ground invasion of Gaza against Hamas was close at hand. “We are preparing for a ground incursion. I won’t specify when, how, how many. I also won’t detail the range of considerations, most of which the public is not aware of. And that’s the way it is supposed to be. This is the way, so that we protect our soldiers’ lives,” the Times of Israel cited him as saying.
“The timing of the operation was determined unanimously by the war cabinet and the chief of staff,” he added.
Netanyahu stressed that: “Israel is in the midst of a fight for [its] existence,” adding that the war had two aims: “To eliminate Hamas by destroying its military and governance capabilities, and to do everything possible to get [the] hostages back.”
Additionally, Arouri stressed that Hamas and Lebanon’s militia Hezbollah were in continuous contact and coordination. “Hezbollah works across all levels both military and political, and this battle is their battle, and we have one goal and one destiny,” Arouri said. He added: “Our battle is one and our destiny is one on the road to Jerusalem, and we are in constant communication and coordination in this battle.”
Arouri’s statements followed his meeting with Hezbollah’s head Hassan Nasrallah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad chief Ziad al-Nakhala. Hezbollah said of the meeting: “An assessment was made of the international and regional positions taken and what the parties of the Axis of Resistance must do in this sensitive stage to realize a real victory for the resistance in Gaza and Palestine and to halt the barbaric aggression.”
Iran refers to a group of various proxy militias it backs across the region, like Hamas in Palestine, Hezbollah in Lebanon and other militias in Iraq and Syria, as being part of the “axis of resistance.”
Source: Al Arabiya
