Netanyahu says Iran war can prolong but not for years; Hezbollah fires drones at Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that the joint US-Israeli war against Iran could last “some time,” but dismissed suggestions it would drag on for years.

Speaking in a televised interview, Netanyahu described the campaign as potentially “quick and decisive,” though he acknowledged it may not conclude immediately. “It’s not going to take years. It’s not an endless war,” he said.

The conflict began over the weekend when the United States and Israel launched airstrikes on Tehran that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. Iran responded with retaliatory strikes against Israel and missile attacks targeting Arab states hosting US military bases, widening fears of a broader regional war.

US President Donald Trump initially suggested the war could last four to five weeks but later indicated the timeline remained open-ended. Since announcing the strikes, Trump’s stated objectives have evolved. He first called on Iranians to “take back” their country, implying support for regime change, but later framed the campaign as necessary to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons and advancing its long-range missile program – ambitions Tehran denies.

Netanyahu said the military pressure could create conditions for political change inside Iran, though he stressed that any shift in government would ultimately be up to the Iranian people. He also argued that the conflict could open a pathway to broader regional peace, including potential normalisation between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Public opinion in the United States appears divided. A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted over the weekend found that only about one in four Americans supported the strikes on Iran, reflecting lingering skepticism after the protracted US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, the fighting showed signs of spilling across additional fronts. The Israeli military said it intercepted two drones that entered its airspace from Lebanon, while the Iran-backed group Hezbollah claimed responsibility for launching drones toward northern Israel, signaling rising tensions along Israel’s northern border.