Israel plans at least 3 more weeks of war with Iran, says military spokesperson

ISTANBUL

The Israeli military said that it is planning for “at least three more weeks” of its war with Iran, with “thousands of targets ahead,” according to CNN on Sunday.

“We have thousands of targets ahead,” Israeli army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin told CNN.

“We are ready, in coordination with our US allies, with plans through at least the Jewish holiday of Passover, about three weeks from now. And we have deeper plans for even three weeks beyond that,” Defrin added.

He said the military is “not working according to a stopwatch or a timetable, but rather to achieve our goals," which are to “weaken the Iranian regime severely.”

The US-Israeli offensive on Iran prompted Lebanon’s Hezbollah to enter the conflict, unlike last summer’s 12-day war, when the group chose to stay out, he added.

“In June, they understood that it’s a limited campaign in Iran, so they didn’t attack. Now that it’s all out, they join in,” Defrin said.

Tensions have flared since Israel and the US launched joint attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, killing more than 1,200 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, along with Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries, which it says are targeting “US military assets.”

The conflict also spilled over to Lebanon, with the Israeli army expanding attacks that have killed more than 800 people and injured over 2,000 others since March 2 amid cross-border attacks with Hezbollah.