Unfortunately, some in the Biden administration have pressured Israel not to go into Rafah. Indeed, Israel has delayed initiating the Rafah operation for months. This has stoked controversy in Israel, with some Israeli politicians expressing concern that Washington is preventing the IDF from finishing the job.

Israel is stepping up preparations for a potential all-out war with Hezbollah, as the risk of a devastating new phase in the country’s conflict with Iran and its proxy militias grows more acute.

Thousands of civilians have fled Rafah as Israeli bombardments continue ahead of an anticipated ground offensive into the city. Elsewhere, US-led coalition forces shot down a Houthi missile in the Red Sea.

Some experts expressed skepticism about whether Israel’s targeted killings could achieve its goal of pushing Hezbollah north of the Litani River in Lebanon, thereby preventing cross-border attacks and allowing the tens of thousands Israeli civilians displaced by the fighting to return.

The Israeli military said it struck about 40 sites linked to Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, an apparent escalation of the near daily skirmishes between the two sides since the start of the war in Gaza.