US military leaders head to Israel and will offer advice on shifting to the war’s next phase in Gaza

By TARA COPP
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The top two U.S. military leaders are traveling to Tel Aviv to advise the Israeli government on how to transition from major combat operations against Hamas in Gaza to a more limited and precise campaign. Both Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. CQ Brown served in leadership roles as U.S. airpower and ground forces shifted from major combat to lower-intensity counterterrorism operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. But it’s not clear how deeply their advice from lessons learned will resonate with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. The sustained intensity of Israel’s campaign has led President Joe Biden to warn that the U.S. ally is losing international support because of its “indiscriminate bombing.”