Israeli military says it is ready for weeks more combat following Netanyahu’s halfway point comments, as US officials adjust war timeline expectations.

JERUSALEM: The Israeli military stated on Tuesday it was prepared for weeks more fighting. This followed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s comments that the war with Iran was beyond the halfway point.

Netanyahu told the conservative US broadcaster Newsmax on Monday that the war was “definitely beyond the halfway point.” He declined to give a specific timeframe for the conflict’s conclusion.

He clarified that the halfway point referred to completed missions, “not necessarily in terms of time.” When asked for the military’s stance, spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said timing decisions belonged to the political leadership.

“We are prepared to keep operating for weeks to come,” he told journalists during an online media briefing. “We have the targets for that, the munition for that, the manpower for that.”

The Middle East war began on February 28 after joint US and Israeli strikes on Iran sparked retaliatory attacks across the region. US President Donald Trump initially predicted the operation would last four to six weeks.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday the war would last further “weeks” instead of months. This adjustment comes amid growing US public opposition to a conflict that has sent oil prices soaring.

 The Sun Malaysia