Israel agrees to delay Gaza invasion for US military to prepare defenses

Israel has agreed, for now, to a request from the US to get its air defenses in place to protect US troops in the region ahead of an expected ground invasion of Gaza, US and Israeli officials said, Report informs via The Wall Street Journal.

The Pentagon is scrambling to deploy nearly a dozen air defense systems to the region, including for US troops serving in Iraq, Syria, Kuwait, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, to protect them from missiles and rockets. US officials have so far persuaded the Israelis to hold off until those pieces can be placed, as early as later this week.

Israel is also taking into account in its planning the effort to supply humanitarian aid to civilians inside Gaza, as well as diplomatic efforts to free more of the hostages held by Hamas, officials said.