Israel Agrees to Delay Gaza Invasion So US Can Rush Missile Defenses to Region: Report

Israel has agreed to put off its anticipated ground incursion into Gaza to afford the U.S. military time to position air defenses to protect American troops in the region, a report said Wednesday.

U.S. officials have, for now, persuaded Israel to stay their hand until the shift is complete, as early as the end of this week, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing U.S. and Israeli officials.

The Pentagon is hustling to move nearly a dozen air-defense systems into position to safeguard U.S. troops in Iraq, Syria, Kuwait, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates from missiles and rockets, the report said.

It's believed that if and when the war with Hamas escalates, U.S. troops in the region will be at risk of attack by militant groups, the report said. Two dozen U.S. military personnel have already been injured in such regional attacks in recent days, the Pentagon said Tuesday.

Other considerations for Israel include efforts to send sorely-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza, and talks to free more hostages held by Hamas.

Within hours of the October 7 terror attacks on Israel that killed at least 1,400 people, Israel had instituted a tight blockade around Gaza and massed troops along the perimeter.

The Israeli military has since launched persistent airstrikes into Gaza, where officials say at least 6,546 Palestinians have been killed.

However, its ground operations in Gaza have been limited to small raids, with a large-scale invasion yet to commence.