Former Director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), General David Petraeus, said that the possible Israeli ground attack on the Gaza Strip would last for years and would include "horrific fighting."

Petraeus confirmed - in an interview with the American newspaper Politico - that if Israel were to make a ground incursion into the Strip, it would face a more difficult situation than the one faced by the American forces in Somalia, and would be met with “suicide” attacks, explosive devices, bombs, and ambushes.

The general, who was also the former commander of the American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, cited the incident of the downing of three American Black Hawk helicopters in Mogadishu in 1993, which caused bloody fighting while the American forces were struggling to rescue the survivors of the crash, to confirm that the Israeli army will face “a similar reality.” If there is a clash on the ground in Gaza.

Petraeus said his personal experience running armies engaged in "brutal counterinsurgency campaigns" should serve as a warning to the IDF if it goes ahead with a ground incursion.

He added, "It is difficult for me to imagine a situation more difficult than this particular one, and I was one of those who led forces in a number of major operations in urban areas."

He added, "You cannot win counterinsurgency operations in a year or two. Such operations usually take a decade or more, as we saw in Iraq, and as we saw in Afghanistan."

The former military commander also stressed that Israel needs a plan to restore basic services, rebuild Gaza, and establish governance there, as soon as its battle against the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) is considered resolved.