Analysis

First, stop the fighting and declare a third of Gaza's land as an Israeli combat zone, from which Israel will not withdraw and to which residents will not be allowed to return until an agreement is reached – an agreement under which Sinwar and his 25,000 fighters will remain alive, but not in Gaza. They and terrorists released from Israeli prisons will be exiled from the Gaza Strip in the manner of the removal of PLO forces from Beirut in 1982.

The upheaval experienced by the Jews in the US since October 7 has been felt not only in the shock at the betrayal by the liberal Left and the move away from the Democratic Party – it is also permeating deeply into family and social relationships, their feeling of identity and the greater understanding that America is no longer the place they had gotten used to.

Even if Israel had the heaviest bunker-busting bombs, it would be difficult to deliver them to the target. According to estimates, Israel may be able to modernize F-15s to carry GBU-57 bombs, along with additional fuel and munitions. This is a technically complex task, but sometimes even the impossible gets done.

The order was given only after all the pieces fell into place. But even then, everything could have gone wrong in the bat of an eye and the mission would have been a failure. The intelligence required is not based on general information but must reach maximum resolution.

The leader of the world's biggest democracy will apparently continue to a third term, but he has failed to secure an outright majority. Now he must face off a resurgent Left.

Key figures in American Jewry are also losing patience with the 46th president in the wake of his shift on Israel. Has he let his advisors lead him astray?

It seems the kingdom is preparing to reap the political dividend of the war in Gaza in the wake of the PA's rise at the expense of Hamas. This would include a deal with the US on security guarantees and a civilian nuclear program that leaves normalization with Israel out.

The deadlock in negotiations for the release of the hostages, coupled with American accusations against Hamas, has paved the way for Israel to launch the Rafah offensive. The IDF's starting position is better than those at the beginning of the campaign in northern Gaza or the Khan Younis area. The enemy will now be entering combat with a command echelon that has been depleted.

The assault gives Israel leverage to pressure the US to get concessions that will make things difficult for Iran. In any case, Israel need not rush to respond. It would be wise to keep Iranian nerves in tense anticipation, allowing the Iranian rial to continue plummeting and enabling internal criticism of the regime to intensify.

The problem is not Gaza, the problem is Iran, former IDF Military Intelligence chief Amos Yadlin says.