Avi Ashkenazi, the military correspondent for the Israeli newspaper Maariv, reveals that the Israeli army is suffering from severe exhaustion in the Gaza Strip and is no longer able to impose a decisive military victory on the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), which has shifted to guerrilla warfare. This is despite the army's success in inflicting severe blows on Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Ashkenazi noted that the Israeli army launched a precision airstrike on Sunday evening targeting a building in Beirut's southern suburbs, destroying a Hezbollah missile depot hidden inside. He noted that the operation took place in broad daylight, which, in his opinion, reflects Israel's sense of strength and ability to operate deep within Lebanese territory against one of Hezbollah's strategic assets.

Failure in Gaza

The military correspondent claims that the Israeli operations in Lebanon demonstrated that the army was able to win the battle there, managing its movements with precision and force at any point where it perceives a threat or an attempt by Hezbollah to rebuild its military strength, whether in Lebanon, Syria, or elsewhere.

According to Ashkenazi, Israel deliberately focused its strikes in Lebanon on Hezbollah targets, without directly targeting Lebanese civilians. This helped establish a stable governing structure there and significantly weakened the party's political and social influence, which negatively impacted its military strength.

However, he asserts that the situation in the Gaza Strip is completely different. Although the Israeli army destroyed numerous Hamas assets and razed entire neighborhoods, such as Rafah and other parts of the Strip, Israel "has not been able to impose a clear conviction that it has won the war or defeated Hamas and the Palestinian factions."

Ashkenazi adds that Hamas has shifted to guerrilla warfare against the Israeli army, making the situation of Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip "unfavourable." He explains that "the army is carrying out attacks in various areas, but these are not large-scale violent battles, but rather limited defensive battles in small areas. Most of the forces are stationed in specific locations, trying to create defensive zones around them without advancing or retreating, which leads to the exhaustion of the forces."

fatigue and wear and tear

Ashkenazi points out that this situation is exhausting the army, whether reserve or regular soldiers, as many have been in Gaza for nearly a month without any vacation or real rest, and without a clear vision of the next target or overall strategy for the attack.

The military correspondent believes that "this leads to the erosion of the army and tens of thousands of reserve soldiers and tens of thousands of regular soldiers."

He adds that this is "the worst thing that could happen to the army," noting that senior officers, despite their attempts to maintain high morale, acknowledge during field visits that this situation cannot continue for long.

The reporter revealed that tens of thousands of reserve soldiers recently received new call-up orders for service for an additional 50 to 80 days, particularly in the Philadelphi and Morag corridors. This will force many of them to inform their families that they will miss their summer vacation and family vacations both inside and outside Israel.

Ashkenazi stated that the Ministry of Defense and the army distributed entertainment vouchers to families of reserve soldiers yesterday for hotel stays, but that many of them will not be able to use them until next summer or perhaps the summer after, even though the vouchers are valid until May 2031. He questioned whether this long-term plan was deliberate or merely a coincidence.

Concluding his article, the Israeli correspondent warned of the continuation of the current situation in Gaza, noting that it exhausts the Israeli army and threatens its ability to continue operations efficiently if this prolonged attrition continues without achieving clear results.

Source: Maariv