Rep. Adam Smith, US House Committee on Armed Services
US House Armed Services Committee member Adam Smith on the βproblemsβ of a ground assault on Gaza
A senior member of the US House Committee on Armed Services has expressed caution about Israel launching a ground assault on Gaza. βIsrael needs to be more careful about how they go after Hamas, thereβs no question about that,β said Rep. Adam Smith.
Speaking to ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ HARDtalk, Congressman Smith said, βIsrael went into Gaza in a limited way back in 2014. Most observers after the fact don't think that it was a particularly successful operation in terms of being able to significantly degrade Hamas.β
The senior Democrat politician questioned whether Israeli troops were sufficiently prepared for such an assault. βIs Israel trained for that type of urban warfare?β, he asked. βThe impact on the civilian population is profound of having to engage in that type of fighting.β
Adam Smith also warned about the dangers of a wider war. βIran is already engaged. Iran has supplied Hamas for quite some time. But they could be more engaged without question,β he said. A ground assault on Gaza, he warned, βdefinitely increases the risk of the conflict spreadingβ. Asked about the presence of US aircraft carriers in the eastern Mediterranean, Congressman Smith said, βthose forces are there to protect US interests primarily. And then also secondarily - yes - to hopefully be a deterrent to Hezbollah.β
US President Joe Biden has just visited Israel where he met his counterpart Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and expressed his support. The president said Israel had the right to strike back for the attack in which Hamas killed 1400 people and captured nearly 200 hostages. But he cautioned the country not to be βconsumedβ by rage in its reaction, which could lead to mistakes.
