FLASH
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"It won't last a year or two. It usually takes a decade or more, as happened in Iraq or Afghanistan."
David Petraeus, the former head of the CIA who also served as the top US general in Iraq and Afghanistan, expressed concern about an Israeli ground military attack on the Gaza Strip.
Petraeus, speaking on Politico's Power Play podcast, estimated that a ground attack would take years and involve horrific fighting.
In fact, he warned that the Israeli Armed Forces' ongoing bombing campaign would be bloody.
Petraeus mentioned the 1993 incident when three US Black Hawk helicopters were shot down in the Somali capital.
Then there was bloody fighting inside the city as US forces scrambled to rescue the survivors.
According to the American general, the Israelis would face such a reality inside enemy territory, in the event of a ground attack.
" If Hamas is as creative in defense as it was in this horrific, barbaric and indescribable attack, then you will see kamikazes, you will see improvised explosive devices, there will be ambushes, traps, the situation would be very difficult ", he said.
Petraeus said his personal experience of commanding armies engaged in violent counterinsurgency campaigns should serve as a warning to Israeli forces if they proceed with ground attacks.
"It's hard for me to imagine a more difficult environment than this, and I was the one who commanded forces in a number of major operations," Petraeus said.
"It won't last a year or two. It usually takes a decade or more, as happened in Iraq or Afghanistan."
The former army chief said Israel needs a plan to restore basic services, rebuild Gaza and strengthen governance in the region if it is to win the war against Hamas.
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