Retired US General David Petraeus, who commanded America's wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan, condemned Hamas' attack on Israel, calling it ''far worse than 9/11.'' ''This is the equivalent of the US having experienced over 40,000 losses, rather than the 3,000 terrible losses that we sustained in the attacks of 9/11,'' Mr Petraeus told CBS News.
Mr Petraeus, who also once served as director of the CIA, warned Israel to think carefully about its upcoming actions as it plans to invade Gaza.
''This is going to be a very, very tough fight. I almost can't imagine a more challenging contextual set of circumstances here than what they face. There are tunnels; there will be rooms that will have improvised explosive devices. You have to clear every building, every floor, every room, every basement, every tunnel. Civilian losses are inevitable, and tough Israeli losses lie ahead as well,'' he added.
He further expressed shock at how both Israeli and American intelligence were not aware of what was being planned.
''This is a very substantial operation, and the planning of it alone would have been very considerable; then, the training and equipping and positioning of forces, then the actual conduct of it. That all of that could take place and not spark much increased military readiness is really quite stunning,'' he said.
When asked what the outcome of the war would be, Mr. Petraeus said, ''If the mission to the Israeli military is to destroy Hamas, if you have to destroy every headquarters, if you have to capture or kill the bulk of the leaders, if you have to do the same with the bulk of these terrorist fighters, the question is then, what do you do with Gaza once you retake it. You can't walk away from Gaza.''
Previously, the Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations also called it an "unprecedented" escalation and compared it with the 9/11 terror attack. The diplomat explained that because Israel's population is smaller than the United States, the amount of casualties is proportional to the lives lost on 9/11.
''This is our 9/11. We are committed to changing the equation, to shatter the old paradigm. These animals will pay a heavy price and they will learn that these atrocities cannot be committed again against our civilians,'' he added.
Notably, the 9/11 attacks in 2001 on one of the then-iconic sites in New York, the World Trade Center, were the deadliest attacks on US soil since the Pearl Harbour bombing. On September 11, 2001, planes crashed into New York City's World Trade Center, the Pentagon in Washington, DC, and a field in Pennsylvania. The terror attacks claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 people and injured countless others.
