Israeli officials expect Iran conflict to continue for several days to a week

Israeli authorities said that, as of Saturday, there were no confirmed Israeli civilian fatalities resulting from the Iranian strikes.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Joint US-Israeli military operations against Iran are expected to continue for several days and possibly up to a week, according to assessments conveyed by Israeli and American officials on Saturday, as both sides prepared for a protracted exchange following the opening salvos of the campaign.

Israeli officials told the Walla news site that planners do not anticipate a brief operation, saying the strikes are likely to unfold in stages over an extended period.

A similar expectation was reported by Fox News, which cited US officials as saying the operation was designed to last days rather than hours.

The comments came after the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iranian targets in the early hours of Saturday.

Israeli officials also addressed Iran’s retaliatory actions, saying an Iranian missile that struck a US Navy facility in Bahrain caused no casualties.

Iranian state media said explosions were reported in several cities across the country, including Tehran, Qom, Isfahan, Kermanshah, and Karaj.

In response to the Iranian counterattack, air-raid sirens sounded across Israel as missiles and other projectiles were launched toward Israeli territory and toward several other countries in the region.

Israeli authorities said that, as of Saturday, there were no confirmed Israeli civilian fatalities resulting from the Iranian strikes.

Uncertainty also continued to surround the status of Iran’s top leadership. Israeli officials told Walla that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had been cut off from contact and was believed by some officials to have been injured. He was later confirmed dead.