SUBSCRIBER+EXCLUSIVE REPORTING — When Ukraine’s top commander said late last year that Russia’s war in Ukraine had reached a stalemate, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected the notion and publicly rebuked his then-top General Valery Zaluzhny. The mere suggestion of a battlefield stalemate, Zelensky said, “eases the work of the aggressor,” and as for the merits of the assessment, he was blunt: “This is not a stalemate.”
That was nearly three months ago. Now, the word “stalemate” is coming up again. This time, in Israel’s war against Hamas, and the pushback has been just as forceful. With analysts questioning Israel’s ability to achieve its goal of completely destroying Hamas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing back.
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