It is reported that the Central Command has asked for more intelligence officers to maintain the operation, with air defenses set to be sent to the region
Politico has stated that the US anticipates engaging in war with Iran for at least another 100 days, possibly extending into September.
In a Wednesday article, the media organization, citing a reportedly obtained ‘notification’, stated that the US Central Command (CENTCOM) has requested the Pentagon to send extra ‘military intelligence officers to its headquarters in Tampa, Florida, to back operations against Iran for at least 100 days, but probably up to September’.
The publication also quoted an unnamed US official as saying that the Department of Defense is hurrying to transport more air defense systems to its military facilities throughout the Middle East. It’s reported that the focus is on relatively inexpensive anti-drone weapons, which are seen as an alternative to the expensive air defense missiles currently used to intercept incoming Iranian UAVs.
According to Politico, this might indicate that the Pentagon ‘is already allocating funds for operations that could extend far beyond’ the four-week timeframe previously set by US President Donald Trump.
Meanwhile, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte stated in an interview with Newsmax on Wednesday that although the military alliance ‘is not involved’ in the US-Israeli campaign against Iran, ‘allies are largely, on a large scale, supportive of what the [US] president is doing and are also facilitating what the US is currently doing in the region’.
The UK and Spain initially refused to allow their military bases to be used by US forces involved in the operation against Iran. However, London reversed its position after receiving criticism from Trump.
Madrid, conversely, recently announced that it would deploy a navy frigate to Cyprus to safeguard a British Royal Air Force base from Iranian attacks, as part of a joint effort that also includes Italy, France, and the Netherlands.
Last Saturday, the US and Israeli militaries carried out large-scale airstrikes on Iran, resulting in the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, several senior Iranian commanders, and hundreds of civilians, with the attacks ongoing. Tehran has responded by firing volleys of drones and missiles at Israel, as well as US and UK military facilities in the Middle East.
Russia has condemned the killing of Khamenei, with President Vladimir Putin characterizing it as a ‘scornful breach of all norms of human ethics and international law’.