By Emmanuel Nduka
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) on Thursday vowed that the country’s military has enough munitions to fight on its own through its planned missions, including the invasion of Rafah.
The defiant position of Israel comes after US President Joe Biden threatened that some arms shipments would be frozen if Israel launched a planned offensive in southern Gaza’s Rafah.
“The IDF has armaments for the missions it is planning, including missions in Rafah. We have what we need,” IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said, responding to a question at a press conference on Thursday.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reechoed the defiance in his first direct response on Thursday to Biden’s warning, saying that if Israel “has to stand alone, we will stand alone.”
“During the War of Independence 76 years ago, we were few against many. We had no weapons, there was an arms embargo on Israel, but with the strength of the soul, the bravery and the unity within us — we won,” he said.
“Today we are much stronger. We are determined and we are united to defeat our enemy and those who seek to destroy us… If need be, we’ll fight tooth and nail. But we will have much more than nails,” Netanyahu added.
The IDF’s operation in Rafah has so far been limited to the eastern outskirts of the city and the border crossing with Egypt.
In the city itself, more than one million Palestinians are thought to be sheltering.
While the US offered lukewarm support for the limited operation to remove Hamas from the Rafah Crossing area, it warned that its stance could shift if the offensive widened or if the delivery of humanitarian aid was hampered for a sustained period.
Some commentators have however, agreed that while the Israeli military likely has munitions needed for a Rafah offensive, it may be hard-pressed to face Hezbollah if the conflict in the north develops into all-out war and Washington continues to withhold munitions.
