US-Israeli war on Iran ‘not going to take years’ — Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has said the ongoing war against Iran will not drag on for years, even as fighting expands across the region.

The conflict intensified after Israel launched fresh attacks on the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon, while Iran carried out strikes on Gulf states hosting United States bases.

United States President Donald Trump, who ordered strikes on Iran alongside Israel on Saturday, initially projected the war could last between four and five weeks. However, he has since defended what appears to be a broader and open-ended military campaign.

Iran has responded with missile and drone strikes targeting Israel, US forces and several US-allied countries across the region. The attacks have disrupted vital global energy shipments from the Gulf and forced the suspension of hundreds of short- and long-haul flights.

Netanyahu dismissed suggestions that the conflict could become another prolonged regional war.

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“I said it could be quick and decisive. It may take some time, but it’s not going to take years. It’s not an endless war,” Netanyahu said on Fox News’ “Hannity” program on Monday.

Israeli Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani told an online briefing that the timeline of the military campaign could shift depending on developments.

“We have prepared a general scope of weeks.”

When asked whether Israel could deploy ground troops to Iran, Shoshani said such a move was unlikely.

Explosions were reported across Tel Aviv as Israeli air defence systems intercepted incoming Iranian missiles. Israel also struck the Tehran complex of Iran’s state broadcaster, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, and carried out attacks against Hezbollah positions in several Lebanese towns.

The Israeli military said it had deployed additional troops to southern Lebanon, positioning them near the border as part of what it described as “forward defence”. Following its November 2024 ceasefire with Hezbollah, Israel maintained ground forces at five vantage points inside Lebanon.

In Saudi Arabia, the Defence Ministry said two drones, believed to have been launched from Iran, struck the US embassy in Riyadh early Tuesday, causing minor damage and triggering a fire. At least eight other drones were intercepted before reaching the city.

The war erupted after the United States and Israel carried out air strikes that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, on Saturday. Since then, hundreds of civilians have been reported killed in Iran, Israel, Lebanon and other affected countries.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which answers directly to the Supreme Leader, said its navy destroyed the main command building of a US air base in Bahrain during what it described as “Operation Promise of the Truth 4”. The force said 20 drones and three missiles hit their intended targets at the base in the Sheikh Isa area.

(Reuters)