There are reports of air strikes and ground operations by the Israeli Defense Forces in the southern Gaza city of Rafah ... this coming hours after Hamas unilaterally announced it was accepting terms for a ceasefire.

But there's a bigger issue at play:  the Biden administration has told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that it will not support a Rafah offensive "as its currently envisioned."  Are relations between old allies the U.S. and Israel at an all time low?

Robert Ford served as U.S. Ambassador to Syria ... he's now at the Middle East Institute.