Israel says the operation against Iran will not have a time limit

“This campaign will continue without any time limit and last as long as necessary, until we achieve all goals and decide the outcome of the conflict,” Defense Minister Israel Katz said today, during a meeting with Israel Defense Forces (IDF) commander Eyal Zamir and the army’s General Staff.

Mr. Katz warned that air strikes would continue in the capital Tehran and across Iran “day after day, from target to target”.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on the same day called on the United Nations Security Council to put Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on the list of “terrorist organizations”. He also accused Iran’s recent actions of not only being a direct threat to Israel but also to regional and international peace and security.

Iranian officials have not commented on the information.

In an interview with CBS Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump said that the war was nearing an end, although he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously said the campaign could last for weeks or months.

Michael Singh, executive director of the Institute for Near East Policy in the US, said that the goals of Washington and Tel Aviv are generally similar, but not completely identical. “Israel wants Iran to be permanently weakened, while the US may prioritize ending the conflict sooner due to its many strategic interests in other regions,” he said.

The Middle East has been engulfed in war since the US and Israel launched an air campaign against Iran on February 28. Iran then retaliated by launching missiles and UAVs at Israel and US bases in Arab countries in the region. The fighting has left more than 1,700 people dead, mainly in Iran, and affected many countries in the region.

The IRGC was established after the 1979 revolution, with the mission “to defend the Islamic Revolution and its achievements”. The IRGC then not only became Iran’s leading military force, but also wielded significant political and economic influence.

In 2019, during Donald Trump’s first term, the US listed the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization. Canada takes similar action in 2024. Britain and the European Union (EU) also stated this intention but have not yet implemented it.