Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the war against Iran will be swift and decisive, dismissing suggestions that it could evolve into another prolonged Middle East conflict, as US and Israeli military operations intensify across the region.
“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 during an interview on Monday.
The conflict entered its fourth day with explosions reported in Tel Aviv, where Israeli air defence systems intercepted incoming Iranian missiles. Israel also struck a complex in Tehran housing Iran’s state broadcaster, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), and targeted Iran-backed Hezbollah positions across towns in Lebanon.
The United States joined Israel in a large-scale air campaign that reportedly began with strikes on Tehran on Saturday. US and Israeli officials said the attacks killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. Iran and Hezbollah responded with retaliatory strikes, widening the conflict across the Gulf and resulting in hundreds of civilian deaths in Iran, Israel and Lebanon.
US President Donald Trump initially indicated the war could last four to five weeks but later described the offensive in more open-ended terms. In his most detailed remarks so far, Trump said he authorised the assault to halt Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and its expanding ballistic missile programme.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that “the hardest hits are yet to come from the US military,” saying Washington acted pre-emptively after learning of Israel’s plans and anticipating Iranian retaliation against American bases.
Rubio said the immediate objective — destroying Iran’s ballistic missile launch and manufacturing capabilities — could be achieved without deploying ground forces, though he stopped short of ruling that out. “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,” he said.
Early Tuesday, two drones believed to have been launched from Iran struck the US embassy in Riyadh, causing minor damage and a fire, while Saudi air defences intercepted at least eight others, according to the kingdom’s defence ministry. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it destroyed the main command building of a US airbase in Bahrain during what it described as the 14th wave of “Operation Promise of the Truth 4,” launching 20 drones and three missiles.
The US military said it had struck more than 1,250 targets inside Iran and destroyed 11 Iranian vessels. Six US service personnel were reported killed in retaliatory Iranian attacks on Kuwait. In a separate incident, Kuwait mistakenly shot down three American F-15E fighter jets during an Iranian assault, though all six crew members ejected safely and were recovered, US Central Command said.
The war has disrupted global air travel and energy markets. Major Gulf aviation hubs, including Dubai International Airport, remained closed for a fourth consecutive day, stranding tens of thousands of passengers in what aviation analysts described as the industry’s biggest test since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz — a vital corridor for roughly one-fifth of global oil trade — slowed significantly after Tehran targeted vessels transiting the route. Oil prices surged, supertanker rates in the Middle East reached record highs, and Asian airline stocks extended losses amid rising fuel costs and flight diversions.
Iran has denied pursuing nuclear weapons and described the US and Israeli strikes as unprovoked, saying they occurred while Tehran and Washington were engaged in negotiations over a potential nuclear agreement. Trump withdrew from a previous international deal limiting Iran’s nuclear programme during his first term in 2018.
The escalating conflict has drawn condemnation from Russia, China and Turkey, while opinion polls in the United States indicate limited public support for the war, raising political stakes ahead of upcoming midterm elections.
