Israel’s military said Sunday it expects to keep striking Iran for at least three more weeks, signaling that the campaign launched with U.S. support is set to stretch deeper into March and possibly beyond.
IDF Signals Longer Campaign Ahead
IDF spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin speaking to CNN on Sunday, “We have thousands of targets ahead,” and added, “We are ready, in coordination with our U.S. 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.”
Reuters in the first week of March reported that the Israeli military had prepared for a campaign that could last several weeks and was unlikely to involve Israeli ground forces.
Israel Says Strikes Hit Key Sites
Israel said it struck additional Iranian targets on Saturday, including infrastructure tied to missile and air-defense systems. The IDF has separately said it hit an Iranian Space Agency-linked research center and missile-related facilities in Isfahan, part of a broader push against military infrastructure.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in remarks published by the Israeli government on Thursday, said Israel was acting aggressively rather than waiting for events to unfold, saying, “We do not wait. We initiate, we attack, and we do so with a force that is unprecedented.” Reuters reported last week that Netanyahu also said the war against Iran could take “some time,” even if not years.
Iran Rejects Truce As Risks Grow
Iran, for its part, has vowed to keep fighting. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X on Sunday that “Iran has neither sought a truce nor talks. Such claims are delusional,” and said Iran’s armed forces would continue firing until President Donald Trump accepts that the war was illegal and that compensation is owed.
Earlier this month, Trump said the campaign could last “four to five weeks,” and on Saturday, he pushed allies to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of global oil and LNG normally passes. Trump has not ruled out U.S. ground troops, even as Reuters has reported intelligence doubts that airstrikes alone can topple Iran’s leadership.
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