News
Israel war 2023
Published October 15, 2023, 5:19 PM ET
Retired U.S. General David Petraeus, who led America’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, says the Hamas attack on Israel last week was “far worse than 9/11.”
Petraeus, who also previously served as CIA director, said Sunday that the Palestinian terror attack that killed more than 1,300 Israelis was proportionately larger than the U.S. terror attacks that killed thousands of people on Sept. 11, 2001 .
“That equates to more than 40,000 casualties for the United States, rather than the 3,000 horrific casualties we suffered in the 9/11 attacks,” Petraeus told CBS News, comparing the two countries’ populations.
The military expert also warned Israel to think carefully about its impending actions as it plans to invade Gaza, again citing 9/11 and the subsequent U.S. “war on terror” that gripped America for decades.
“Our experience after the September 11th attack should be a cautionary tale,” said Petraeus. “We are now looking at some of the measures we have taken differently. And there will come a time when some of the actions Israel will take will also be viewed from a different perspective.
Retired US General David Petraeus said that Hamas’s attack on Israel outweighed the September 11 terrorist attack in America in terms of fatalities. CBS Hamas’ attack on Israel last week left more than 1,300 people dead. Portal
“I actually think there is an awareness of this in Jerusalem,” he added.
Petraeus said Israel faces a “very, very tough fight” against Hamas, claiming the terrorist organization clearly has a far more sophisticated intelligence network than the Jewish nation and America once believed.
“This is a very large operation and the planning alone would have been very extensive; then the training, equipping and positioning of the force, then the actual implementation,” Petraeus noted. “The fact that all of this could take place and not result in a significantly increased military readiness is truly astonishing.”
The terrorist attacks of September 11, including on the Twin Towers in Manhattan, killed almost 3,00 people and injured more than 6,000. AFP/Getty Images Destruction from rocket fire has overwhelmed the Israeli town of Sderot. ZUMAPRESS.com
The former intelligence commander attributed the success of the Hamas attack to a “dramatic improvement” in the group’s operations, coupled with its ability to circumvent and disrupt Israel’s own intelligence operation.
Petraeus also questioned Israeli officials about what comes next if the invasion of Gaza is successful, as the densely populated area is home to more than two million Palestinians.
“If the mission of the Israeli military is to destroy Hamas, if you have to destroy every headquarters, if you have to capture or kill the majority of the leaders, if you have to do the same with the majority of these terrorist fighters, then…” The question then is, what do you do with Gaza if you take it back,” Petraeus said. “You can’t leave Gaza.”
Petraeus said he was shocked that Israel and the United States were unaware of Hamas’ devastating attack last week, when the terror group coordinated a series of rocket attacks and shootings on communities across the Gaza border.
Petraeus warned Israel to think carefully about its strategy in Gaza, citing controversial US actions in the Middle East after 9/11.Getty Images
Petraeus is not the first authority to draw comparisons between September 11 and the unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7.
A day after the devastation, Israeli UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan described the terrorist attack as “our September 11th” while also describing it as an even worse attack.
“We have already suffered 250 deaths, [which is] “We have about 7,500 deaths here,” Erdan said of the initial estimates. “We already have 1,500 victims. There are approximately 50,000 victims here in the United States.”
https://nypost.com/2023/10/15/retired-us-general-says-hamas-attack-on-israel-was-far-worse-than-9-11/?utm_source=url_sitebuttons&utm_medium=site%20buttons&utm_campaign =site%20buttons
Copy the URL to share