Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed confidence that the current military conflict with Iran will conclude swiftly and won’t develop into a prolonged engagement spanning multiple years, as fighting expanded across the Middle East on Tuesday.
While President Donald Trump had originally estimated the military operation would span four to five weeks, he has since advocated for a more comprehensive campaign against Iran.
Netanyahu dismissed concerns about the conflict becoming another lengthy regional war during an appearance on Fox News’ “Hannity” show Monday evening.
“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 stated during the television interview.
On Tuesday, the fourth day of hostilities, air defense systems intercepted incoming Iranian missiles over Tel Aviv, causing explosions that rattled buildings throughout the city.
Israeli forces struck Iran’s state television network IRIB facilities in Tehran while simultaneously targeting Hezbollah militants across multiple Lebanese towns.
Two Iranian drones hit the American embassy in Riyadh early Tuesday morning, causing minimal damage and igniting a small fire, according to Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry. Saudi forces intercepted at least eight additional drones before they could reach the capital city.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced Tuesday that its naval units had destroyed the primary command center at a U.S. airbase in Bahrain during what they called the 14th phase of “Operation Promise of the Truth 4.”
The IRGC reported launching an extensive drone and missile assault on the Sheikh Isa area facility during early morning hours, claiming 20 drones and three missiles successfully hit their designated targets.
Neither the U.S. State Department nor the White House provided immediate responses to requests for comment regarding these attacks.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Monday that “the hardest hits are yet to come from the U.S. military” as the offensive against Iran continues.
When questioned about the duration of American involvement in Iran, Rubio acknowledged uncertainty and didn’t dismiss the possibility of Trump authorizing ground troops for Middle Eastern combat operations.
“We believe the objectives we have set for this mission, the destruction of their ballistic missile capabilities, both launch capibilities and manufacturing can be achieved without ground forces,” Rubio explained to reporters.
“Right now we are not postured for ground forces. But obviously the president has those options and he is not going to rule out anything.”
The joint U.S.-Israeli aerial campaign against Iran commenced Saturday with strikes on Tehran that resulted in the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Iranian and Hezbollah retaliation has expanded the conflict throughout the Gulf region, causing civilian casualties across Iran, Israel, and Lebanon.
American military officials reported striking over 1,250 Iranian targets and destroying 11 Iranian naval vessels. Six U.S. service members have died in Iran’s weekend retaliatory strikes against Kuwait.
Kuwaiti forces accidentally shot down three American F-15E fighter aircraft during an Iranian assault, U.S. Central Command confirmed. All six crew members successfully ejected and were rescued safely.
The warfare has severely disrupted global aviation and halted maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, where twenty percent of worldwide oil commerce passes along Iran’s coastline, driving petroleum prices sharply higher.
Key Gulf transportation centers, including Dubai’s international airport – typically the world’s busiest with over 1,000 daily flights – remained shuttered for the fourth consecutive day due to the conflict. Tens of thousands of travelers remain stranded in what represents aviation’s greatest challenge since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Asian airline stocks continued declining Tuesday as carriers monitored fuel cost increases and experienced booking surges from passengers avoiding Middle Eastern carriers.
International oil and gas shipping costs skyrocketed, with Middle Eastern supertanker rates reaching record levels after Tehran began targeting vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, according to Tuesday shipping data and industry sources.
Trump has justified the war by citing an immediate Iranian threat to the United States, though he hasn’t provided specific details and some congressional members say he’s presented no supporting evidence.
Rubio told reporters Monday that America acted preemptively after learning of ally Israel’s planned Iranian strikes and anticipating Tehran’s response would endanger U.S. installations.
“We knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces, and we knew that if we didn’t preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties,” Rubio explained.
In his most comprehensive public statements about the conflict, Trump said Monday he authorized the attack to disrupt Tehran’s nuclear program and rapidly expanding ballistic missile capabilities.
Satellite imagery analysis revealed what appears to be the first documented strikes on an Iranian nuclear facility since hostilities began, according to an independent policy research organization’s Monday report.
Iran has rejected accusations of pursuing nuclear weapons and characterized the U.S.-Israeli assault as unprovoked, occurring during ongoing Tehran-Washington nuclear agreement negotiations.
Trump abandoned a previous international nuclear limitation agreement with Iran in 2018, three years after its initial signing during his first presidency.
Trump’s Iranian military action represents the most significant U.S. foreign policy risk in decades and poses considerable political danger for his Republican Party in upcoming midterm elections, with only twenty-five percent of Americans supporting the Iranian attack according to a recent Reuters/Ipsos survey.
Russia, China, and Turkey have all condemned the military campaign.
