US expects operation against Iran to last until September - Politico
US military leaders believe that the operation against Iran will continue for several more months. Donald Trump's administration was not fully prepared for such a large-scale conflict.
This is reported by Politico, as relayed by Censor.NET.
What is known?
"The US Central Command has asked the Pentagon to send more military intelligence officers to its headquarters in Tampa, Florida, to support operations against Iran for at least 100 days, but probably until September," journalists write.
Politico notes that this is the first known call by the administration for additional intelligence personnel for the war in Iran, as well as a sign that the Pentagon is already allocating funding for operations that could last much longer than the four-week timeframe initially set by President Donald Trump.
According to the publication, the rush to mobilize people and resources, which is usually organized well in advance of US military action, underscores that Trump's team did not fully anticipate the far-reaching consequences of the war it started alongside Israel.
An American official said that the Pentagon is also trying to send more air defense systems to the region, especially more compact and inexpensive anti-drone systems that the agency has been developing over the past few years.
Politico notes that the strike that killed American soldiers is of particular concern to planners because it was carried out by a relatively inexpensive Shahed drone, which can often fly below existing radar.
The United States currently uses missiles, which typically cost several million dollars, to neutralize drones.
At the same time, many of the drones that the US could use in response have not yet been used in combat, as American troops have not yet faced such a large-scale threat, one official said.
Strikes on Iran
- As a reminder, on the morning of February 28, Israel launched an operation to bomb the Iranian capital Tehran. This is a joint operation with the US armed forces.
- Israel called the operation against Iran "Roaring Lion," while the US called it "Epic Fury."
- US President Donald Trump said that the goal of the operation against Iran is to "destroy Iran's missile industry and navy" and "ensure that Iran cannot destabilize the world."
- Trump accused Iran of "financing and training" militants in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Hamas in Palestine.
- The Israeli Defense Forces reported that it had deployed more than 200 fighter jets to strike 500 targets in Iran.
- On the evening of February 28, a senior Israeli official told Reuters that Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei was killed this morning in an Israeli airstrike on Iran. His body has already been found.
- Subsequently, US President Donald Trump confirmed the death of Ayatollah Khamenei.
