The expansion of Israel's ground operation in the Gaza Strip raises the risk of regional escalation from Iran and its proxy forces , while amplifying the threat of violence in the West Bank and sporadic attacks in Israel. On the evening of Oct. 28, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that his government's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip had entered a ''second phase,'' simultaneously calling it Israel's ''second war of independence'' and telling Israelis that the ground war would be ''long and difficult.'' Since then, ground troops from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) — backed by tanks, artillery and airstrikes — have entered the northern part of the strip.