WASHINGTON: US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin urged Israel on Saturday to protect civilians as it battles Hamas in Gaza, saying that shielding non-combatants is necessary for victory in the urban fight against the Palestinian group.

Austin told the Reagan National Defence Forum in California that he had “learned a thing or two about urban warfare” while fighting in Iraq and leading the campaign against the militant Islamic State group (ISIS).

“Like Hamas, ISIS was deeply embedded in urban areas. And the international coalition against ISIS worked hard to protect civilians and create humanitarian corridors, even during the toughest battles,” Austin said.

“The lesson is not that you can win in urban warfare by protecting civilians. The lesson is that you can only win in urban warfare by protecting civilians,” he said.

“In this kind of a fight, the centre of gravity is the civilian population. “And if you drive them into the arms of the enemy, you replace a tactical victory with a strategic defeat.”

The deaths of non-combatants have provoked wide­spread anger in the Middle East and provided an impetus for armed groups to carry out attacks against American troops in the region as well as on Israel.

Israel has faced drone and missiles launched from Lebanon and Yemen, while American forces in Iraq and Syria have been targeted in a series of attacks.

Washington has blamed the attacks on its personnel on “Iran-backed forces” and responded with air strikes on multiple occasions in recent weeks.

“We will not tolerate attacks on American personnel. And so these attacks must stop,” Austin said. “Until they do, we will do what we need to do to protect our troops — and to impose costs on those who attack them.”

Published in Dawn, December 3rd, 2023