IDF Says US-Israel War With Iran May Continue At Least 3 More Weeks
Israeli military officials say the joint US-Israel war against Iran could continue for several more weeks as both countries pursue additional strikes aimed at weakening the Iranian regime.
IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said the campaign is expected to last at least three more weeks and is likely extend beyond the Jewish holiday of Passover. Speaking to CNN two weeks after the war began, Defrin said Israeli forces are preparing for a prolonged operation coordinated with the United States.
“We have thousands of targets ahead. We are ready, in coordination with our US allies, with plans through at least the Jewish holiday of Passover, about three weeks from now. And we have deeper plans for even three weeks beyond that,” Defrin said.
According to Defrin, the operation is not tied to a fixed schedule but instead to achieving strategic objectives. The IDF, he said, “is not working according to a stopwatch, or a timetable, but rather to achieve our goals,” noting the central aim is to “weaken the Iranian regime severely.”
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President Donald Trump also signaled that US strikes could intensify. American forces hit military targets on Kharg Island on Saturday, a strategic location in the Persian Gulf from which Iran exports about 90% of its oil.
In remarks to NBC News, Trump suggested additional attacks on the island remain possible. The president said the US might consider bombing the island “once more, just for fun.”
“Iran wants to make a deal, and I don’t want to make it because the terms aren’t good enough yet,” Trump said.
During an appearance on American television, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi denied that Tehran had considered a truce with Washington.
“We don’t see any reason why we should talk with Americans, because we were talking with them when they decided to attack us,” he tells CBS News’ Face the Nation program.
“This is a war of choice by President Trump and the United States, and we are going to continue our self-defense.”
In a written statement, Iran’s newly appointed Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowed to block the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping corridor through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply passes.
