Israeli army says it carried out ’biggest incursion of current war’ overnight

이스라엘군, “가자 지구에 간밤 대규모 급습 다음 단계 전투 위한 준비“ Good evening. Thank you for joining us. I’m Yoon Jung-min. We begin with the war in the Middle East. Overnight, the Israeli army conducted a “relatively large“ ground raid inside Gaza targeting Hamas positions and withdrew. Israel calls this as “the biggest incursion of the current war“ and it’s fueling concerns about whether it’s the start of a full-scale ground invasion despite calls for a delay. Lee Shi-hoo has our top story. In an indication of an escalation in the Gaza Strip, Israeli military forces said they carried out a “relatively large“ operation in the enclave overnight on Thursday. Israel’s Army Radio described it as “the biggest incursion of the current war.“ The military said the targeted raid was carried out “in preparation for the next stages of combat.“ The strike follows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s comment on Wednesday that Israel was readying for a ground invasion. “Simultaneously, we are preparing for a ground invasion. I will not elaborate on when, how, or how many. I will also not elaborate on the various calculations we are making “ According to reports by the Wall Street Journal, Israel has agreed to a U.S. request to delay its expected ground invasion so that Washington could place air defenses in the region to protect U.S. troops, as early as later this week. It also reported the U.S. is trying to get out as many of the 200-plus hostages taken by Hamas during its October 7 attack as possible, before the invasion. U.S. President Joe Biden denied making such requests. “No. What I have indicated to him is that if that’s possible to get these folks out safely, that’s what he should do. It’s their decision. But I did not demand it, I pointed out to him, if it’s real, it should be done.“ Meanwhile, on Thursday morning, fires and smoke plumes were seen rising in the border area between Israel and Lebanon. The source of the fires has not yet been verified. Israel has carried out intense strikes on Gaza after the Hamas attack on Israeli communities earlier this month that killed some 1,400 people. According to Gaza’s health ministry, more than 6,500 Palestinians have been killed in the attacks as of Wednesday. Lee Shi-hoo, Arirang News. #Israel #Hamas #Incursion #Gaza_Strip #이스라엘 #하마스 #가자_지구 #급습 #Arirang_News #아리랑뉴스 📣 Facebook : 📣 Twitter : 📣 Homepage : 2023-10-26, 18:00 (KST)