Israeli Military Says Iran Operation Likely To Last Over A Week As Conflict In West Asia Widens

Last Updated:March 02, 2026, 20:03 IST

The IDF said the campaign aims to inflict a major blow on Tehran as strikes expand across Iran and the region, with Trump saying the conflict could last "four weeks".

The Israeli military expects its ongoing operation against Iran to last more than a week, saying it aims to deal a heavy blow to the Iranian regime but warning the objective will take longer than a few days to achieve, according to The Times of Israel.

Recent strikes have targeted sites linked to the Iranian leadership as well as ballistic missile launchers and air defence systems, the military said, adding that nuclear facilities have not yet been hit but remain among the objectives shared by Israel and the United States.

The timeline for the campaign has also been echoed by US President Donald Trump, who told the Daily Mail he envisaged a roughly four-week operation, saying it had “always been a four-week process". Iranian officials signalled readiness for a prolonged confrontation, with security chief Ali Larijani saying Tehran had prepared itself “for a long war".

As the conflict intensified, US Central Command said four American service members have been killed in action since hostilities began. One of the soldiers, who has not yet been identified, was wounded during Iran’s initial attacks and later died, the command added.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday that Washington’s objective was purely military and not aimed at reshaping Iran’s political system. “No stupid rules of engagement, no nation building quagmire, no democracy-building exercise. No politically correct wars. We fight to win and we don’t waste time or lives," he told a news conference.

The widening war has unfolded amid dramatic developments inside Iran. Iranians experienced a mix of shock, grief and celebration following the death of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei a day earlier, after Israeli and US strikes triggered retaliatory attacks by Tehran. The strikes killed Khamenei and several senior military figures, prompting Iran to launch missiles and drones towards Israel and across the Gulf.

The fallout quickly spread beyond Iran. Israel bombarded targets across Lebanon on Monday, including in Beirut, after Hezbollah fired rockets in retaliation for Khamenei’s killing. Israeli forces said “large-scale strikes" were also continuing in central Tehran, while the US military broadened its target set a day earlier.

Washington said the attacks destroyed the headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, after which Iranian forces launched missiles and drones across the region, targeting energy manufacturing facilities in Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

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