JERUSALEM, Israel – The fighting between Israel and Iran is entering a critical new stage, with both sides expanding their targets and the conflict rippling across the region. U.S. officials say Washington is prepared for a prolonged confrontation, while Israel warns that the coming days could determine whether the war spreads even further across the Middle East.
In Washington, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced that the United States is prepared for a prolonged confrontation with Iran and has the military resources to sustain it.
“We’ve got no shortage of munitions. Our stockpiles of defensive and offensive weapons allow us to sustain this campaign as long as we need to,” Hegseth stated.
According to a report from Reuters, the joint Israeli-American campaign against Iran is now entering a second phase. Two sources familiar with Israel’s strategy indicate that the next stage will focus on ballistic missile facilities buried deep underground.
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The war is nearing the end of its first week after the opening strikes reportedly killed several top Iranian leaders and triggered a broader regional confrontation. Iran has responded with attacks on Israel and strikes in the Gulf and Iraq, while Israel has also targeted Hezbollah positions in Lebanon.
Israel’s military says it has already destroyed hundreds of above-ground missile launchers capable of targeting Israeli cities.
Israel continues bombarding key Iranian sites as the campaign intensifies.
The Israel Defense Forces issued an evacuation warning to Iranian civilians near Tehran ahead of new strikes.
Israel Defense Forces Persian Language Spokesman Lt. Col. (res.) Kamal Penhasi declared, “Urgent warning to all individuals located in the Abbas Abad industrial area and also the Shenzar industrial area near Sharif Abad in eastern Pakdash: In the coming hours, the IDF will operate in the area, as it has in recent days across Iran, to strike military infrastructure of the Iranian regime.”
As the conflict widens, Iran is also accused of striking other countries in the region, including Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on Thursday, “Today, a terrorist act was committed by Iran against the territory of Azerbaijan and the state of Azerbaijan. The territory of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic came under fire from unmanned aerial vehicles launched by the Iranian state.”
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