US President Donald Trump says Iran operations are likely to last 4 to 5 weeks but that he’s prepared “to go far longer than that.” Trump spoke Monday at a White House ceremony.
He said US forces were determined to destroy Iran’s missile capabilities, wipe out its naval capacity, stop the country from obtaining a nuclear weapon and ensure that Iran cannot continue to arm and fund allied groups like Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which fired missiles at Israel, drawing retaliatory airstrikes. “This was our last, best chance to strike — what we’re doing right now — and eliminate the intolerable threats posed by this sick and sinister regime,” Trump said.
Earlier, Trump told CNN on Monday the “big wave” is yet to come in the war with Iran. “We haven’t even started hitting them hard. The big wave hasn’t even happened. The big one is coming soon,” Trump said.
Qatar shoots down 2 Iranian warplanes: The Gulf state of Qatar says its air forces shot down two Iranian warplanes. The Qatari Defence Ministry said in a statement Monday that its forces downed two Sukhoi Su-24s, Soviet-era bombers.
US fighter jets crash: Meanwhile, three US F-15 fighter jets crashed over Kuwait on Monday after they were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses in a so-called friendly fire incident, the American military confirmed. “All six aircrew ejected safely, have been safely recovered, and are in stable condition,” CENTCOM said.
555 people killed so far in Iran: The Iranian Red Crescent Society said on Monday that US-Israeli airstrike campaign targeting Iran has killed at least 555 people so far in the Islamic Republic. The society added that 131 cities have come under attack so far in the war.
War spirals further: The war in the Middle East spiralled further Monday as Israel and US pounded Iran. Tehran and its allies hit back against Israel, neighbouring Gulf states and targets critical to the world’s energy production.
Meanwhile, four American troops have been killed, and three people were reported killed in the UAE and one each in Kuwait and Bahrain.
In Iraq, the Iran-allied militia Saraya Awliya al-Dam claimed a drone attack Monday targeting US troops at the airport in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.
Early Monday, Cyprus said a drone “caused limited damage” when it hit a British air base there.