U.S. Marine Corps reserve Lt. Col. Eric Navarro, the director of military and strategy programs for the Middle East Forum, gave a cautious assessment Sunday on Newsmax regarding Israel’s planned large-scale operation to seize Gaza City, warning that the effort could lead to further conflict if it is not fully carried out.

“If it is just a temporary operation to go in and supposedly destroy elements of Hamas and then leave, then that is a half measure that will lead only to further conflict,” Navarro said on Newsmax’s “Wake Up America Weekend.” “If they want to maintain and hold command of the land, that is a different story.”

He added that he always asks whether the plans for Gaza will be full-scale, removing the threat to Israel from the region, “or are we just going to keep doing this endless cycle of confrontation?”

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