Iran conflict widens to Lebanon, Kuwait mistakenly downs U.S. jets
The U.S. and Israeli air war against Iran widened on Monday, with no end in sight as Israel atta...
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that the U.S. and Israel's war against Iran may take "some time" but it will not take years.
The U.S. and Israeli air war against Iran began with attacks against Tehran on Saturday, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and prompting Iranian retaliation against Israel and missile attacks at Arab nations with U.S. bases across the Middle East.
President Donald Trump initially projected the war to last four to five weeks, but added it could go on longer, and has since sought to justify a broad, open-ended war on Iran.
Netanyahu rejected the idea of the conflict lasting years, like previous wars in 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 on Fox News' "Hannity" programme.
The assault on Iran formed part of a list of Trump's foreign policy actions that have marked a striking shift from his "America First" rhetoric against U.S. interventions when he campaigned in the 2024 elections.
Netanyahu said he saw the war as an opportunity for lasting peace in the Middle East, including between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
"Yes I do," he said, when asked if he saw a lasting path to peace in the region.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll showed over the weekend that only one in four Americans approved of U.S. strikes on Iran that have plunged the Middle East into chaos.
U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that lasted several years made many Americans skeptical of Washington's direct involvement in wars on foreign soil.
Netanyahu said the U.S. and Israel's war against Iran was creating a scenario for the Iranian people to topple their government.
"Now, of course, it's up to the people of Iran in the final count to change the government, but we are creating - America and Israel together are creating - the conditions for them to do so," he said.
Trump's stated aims and timeline for the war have shifted since it began over the weekend. On Saturday when he announced the strikes, he urged Iranians to "take back your country" and implied a goal of toppling the government.
In comments on Monday, Trump made no mention of toppling Iran's government and said the war was needed to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, which Tehran denies seeking, and to thwart its long-range ballistic missile programme.
Israel is widely believed to be the only Middle Eastern country with nuclear weapons. Washington also has nuclear weapons.
Follow the latest developments and global reaction after the U.S. and Israel launched “major combat operations” in Iran, prompting retaliation from Tehran.
Saudi Arabia’s state oil giant Saudi Aramco closed its Ras Tanura refinery on Monday following an Iranian drone strike, an industry source told Reuters as Tehran retaliated across the Gulf after a U.S.-Israeli attack on Iranian targets over the weekend.
The Kremlin is utilising the recent United States and Israeli military strikes on Iran to validate its ongoing war in Ukraine. Russian officials are pointing to the escalation in the Middle East as evidence that Western nations do not adhere to international rules.
The Middle East crisis intensifies after the deadly attack on the compound of the Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei on Saturday that killed him, other family members and senior figures. Iran has launched retaliatory strikes on U.S. targets in the region.
Ayatollah Alireza Arafi has moved into a pivotal constitutional role following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, becoming the clerical member of Iran’s temporary leadership council under Article 111 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The U.S. and Israeli air war against Iran widened on Monday, with no end in sight as Israel attacked Lebanon in response to strikes by Hezbollah and Iran kept up its attacks on Gulf states that host U.S. military bases.
The Israeli military has begun a new wave of strikes on Tehran, it said late on Monday. The strikes came after it issued an evacuation warning for residents in Tehran, particularly those residing near state broadcaster IRIB's headquarters.
Iran and its proxies could target the U.S. with attacks in response to the Saturday killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei by Israeli and U.S. strikes, according to a U.S. intelligence assessment reviewed by Reuters.
The U.S. embassy in Riyadh was hit by two drones resulting in a limited fire and some material damage, the kingdom's defence ministry said in a post on X on Tuesday, citing an initial assessment.
The U.S. will take action to mitigate rising energy prices due to a spike in the price of oil caused by the Iran conflict, Secretary of State Rubio said on Monday.
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