Israel Seizes 1,000 sq km Under Benjamin Netanyahu’s War Strategy

Israel has seized about 1,000 sq km of territory since Hamas’s October 7 attack as Benjamin Netanyahu forged a new, more aggressive military doctrine in the wake of the nation’s worst security failure.

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Yaakov Amidror, a former national security adviser to Netanyahu who is now a fellow at the JINSA think-tank in Washington, said he expected Israel would permanently keep a buffer zone “of between one mile and two kilometres” in Gaza.

He said Israeli forces would remain in Lebanon “at least until the stage in which Hizbollah will be disarmed” — a scenario that Lebanese officials and analysts are sceptical can happen any time soon.

Israel can be “more flexible” in Syria, Amidror added, noting Israel had established a buffer zone to prevent hostile actors setting up close to the border, rather than to counter an already present threat. “It very much depends on what agreements we will have with the [new regime],” he said.

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Read the original article in the Financial Times.