The Israeli military says it is prepared for a campaign against Iran that could span several weeks but indicated a ground invasion is unlikely. Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani called the planned timeframe tentative and described progress so far as positive. The announcement follows U.S.-Israel air strikes on Iran since Saturday and Iranian retaliatory actions. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the confrontation could take "some time" but said it would not drag on for years.
Israel Readies For Weeks-Long Campaign Against Iran; Ground Invasion 'Unlikely,' Military Says
A person sits amid debris following an Israeli and U.S. strike on a police station, amid the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 2, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
Tel Aviv, March 3 (Reuters) — The Israeli military says it has prepared for a campaign targeting Iran that could last several weeks, but the deployment of Israeli ground forces remains unlikely, a military spokesperson told reporters on Tuesday.
Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani, speaking in an online briefing, said the initial plan envisages a timeframe measured in weeks but stressed the duration could change depending on how events unfold.
"We have prepared a general scope of weeks," Shoshani said, adding that he described the progress so far as "positive."
When asked about the possibility of sending Israeli ground troops into Iran, Shoshani said such an option was "not very likely at the moment" and that he was not aware of any practical plan to do so.
Israel and the United States have carried out air strikes against targets in Iran since Saturday, actions that Tehran has met with retaliatory strikes, further raising regional tensions. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters on Monday that the conflict with Iran could take "some time" but indicated it would not last for years.
(Reporting by Alexander Cornwell and Steven Scheer; Editing by Aidan Lewis)
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