US Most Famous General Warns Israel

David Petraeus called on the IDF to learn from the bitter experiences of the US army.

As it becomes mired in a 'fiendishly difficult' battlefield in Gaza, Israel's military must learn from America's bitter experiences against Al-Qaida and ISIS, says Gen. David Petraeus, considered by many to be the greatest American military leader of the 21st century. Detaly reports.

Gen. David Petraeus found it difficult to grasp the scale of the military blunder that led to Israel being totally surprised by Hamas’ October 7 attack. He expressed disappointment that Israel’s leaders have not drawn up a clear plan for the morning after the war against the terrorist organization – much as the Americans had no comprehensive exit strategy after toppling Saddam Hussein two decades ago. The general watched the latest developments with alarm last Friday, hours before Israeli infantry and armors entered the Gaza Strip in what was described as the beginning of the second phase of the war.

To achieve victory in war, senior civilian and military leadership must get four things right,” he said in an interview with Haaretz, referring to his recently published book, co-authored with British historian Andrew Roberts, “Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine”:

correctly formulate big ideas (strategy);

convey these big ideas to the military and everyone interested in the outcome of the conflict;

monitor the implementation of big ideas;

and, finally, as events unfold, determine how big ideas need to be refined to achieve the goals repeatedly.

The first task - defining a strategy - has been completed: "The Prime Minister and his cabinet have stated the largest of the tasks: the military and political elements of Hamas must be destroyed." But what about other goals? Gen. David Petraeus cautions that while the IDF has a clear strategy for carrying out the “vital mission” it will have to be implemented “in the most challenging urban conditions.”

Gen. David Petraeus served as commander-in-chief of multinational forces in Iraq from January 2007 to September 2008. In June 2010, he became commander of US/NATO forces in Afghanistan. When Gen. David Petraeus says the IDF's mission "could not be more challenging," he is speaking from decades of experience fighting al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and the Islamic State in Iraq.

“We have fought many tough battles in major cities against al-Qaeda, extremists, insurgents and Iranian-backed militias. But none of these battles was even slightly similar to what is coming in Gaza City,” the general said. To accomplish this task, the IDF will have to “clear literally every room, basement, building and tunnel.” However, even this is not enough: after a systematic cleansing “and subsequent holding of every house, block and area,” it is necessary to “leave soldiers in every building so that the enemy cannot re-enter.”

The IDF will have to “destroy the enemy, hiding behind civilians as human shields.” Hamas has suicide bombers, improvised explosive devices, and an extensive network of tunnels. Hamas will “place hostages in such a way as to complicate tactical operations and use trap mines. A thorough knowledge of the urban terrain" will help Hamas build the defenses it has been planning "for months, if not years."

“Does this mean that the “big idea” needs to be reconsidered?”

“It will be very difficult and will have a high cost in terms of casualties among Israelis, as well as damage and destruction of infrastructure. But, again, I see no alternative, given that Hamas committed the barbaric murder of 1,400 people. If scaled for the US, that would be over 50,000 Americans - also the 9/11 attacks killed about 3,000 innocent civilians.

Hamas has proven itself to be an extremist, terrorist organization equivalent to the Islamic State (although this analogy is not perfect) that was destroyed in Iraq in the operation that I had the honor of commanding. Hamas members are irreconcilable, you cannot negotiate honestly with them, they must be destroyed.”

However, the general emphasizes that achieving the main goal - to destroy Hamas - is not enough.

“It is obvious that the Palestinians of Gaza need to clearly define when they are to leave for the south, and also what life could be like in Gaza after the destruction of Hamas. It is also necessary to have an idea of who will run the sector after the liquidation of Hamas's political wing. Who will control the return to peaceful life, the distribution of humanitarian aid and the restoration of infrastructure? I don’t see an alternative - Israel will have to deal with this for some time. However, there should be an idea for the subsequent period.

Israel rightly wants a capable, internationally backed Palestinian entity to take responsibility for both running Gaza and ensuring that the remnants of Hamas are unable to recover and try to regain control there. I hope leading Arab countries, as well as the United States, the European Union and others will support such a body.”

“Moreover,” the retired general continues, “There must be a description of how Israel can work with the Palestinian authority (even imperfect) to create the conditions that allow the eventual implementation of a two-state solution. Whereas the decision on one state will have, to put it mildly, catastrophic consequences.”