How Israel used a tweet to lure Hamas militants to their doom in terror tunnels

A misleading statement tweeted by the Israel Defense Forces on Thursday night appears to have been a decoy intended to lure Hamas troops into strategic tunnels that were later bombarded by the Israeli army.

The IDF tweet gave the impression that troops had entered Gaza, leading global media outlets to report about a ground incursion, and Hamas and Islamic Jihad, seeing those reports, sent their first line of defense into the tunnels to start taking up positions, the Jerusalem Post reported.

“IDF air and ground troops are currently attacking in the Gaza Strip,” the tweet in English read, leading many outlets to believe ground troops were operating in the enclave.

In Hebrew, the tweet also was unclear but more specific — announcing heavy strikes on Gaza in which ground forces launched artillery barrages but not a troop entrance, according to the Jerusalem Post.

The military began massing ground forces along the border at about 9 p.m. Thursday, including armored and infantry units, and earlier in the day, the IDF said a ground offensive was a viable option for the next phase of Operation Guardians of the Wall.

Source: New York Post