Ground Operations

• The Pentagon is preparing plans for weeks of ground operations in Iran involving conventional infantry and special operations elements, with decisions now resting with President Trump, according to the Washington Post. • Trump raised the idea of U.S. forces seizing Iran's Kharg Island, the country's main oil terminal in the Persian Gulf, telling The Financial Times "Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don't. We have a lot of options." • Trump also claimed Iran agreed to allow 20 ships carrying oil through the Strait of Hormuz starting Monday morning as a "sign of respect," while the White House emphasized no final decision has been made on military operations.

Conflict shows signs of entering new, more dangerous phase as additional 3,500 US troops arrive in the Middle EastUS lawmakers responded to reports that the Pentagon is preparing for weeks of ground operations in Iran, as thousands of US troops assemble in the Middle East and the conflict showed signs of entering a new, more dangerous phase.Officials told the Washington Post that a ground operation in Iran could be limited to raids by Special Operations forces and infantry troops, but it was unclear whether Donald Trump would approve any of the Pentagon’s plans. Continue reading...

• Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated the US conflict with Iran would extend another two to four weeks, while signaling no immediate plans for a ground operation into Iranian territory. • Rubio identified preventing Iran from imposing tolls on ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz as the biggest post-conflict challenge, characterizing such action as illegal and dangerous to global commerce. • The statement comes as the US deploys additional troops to the region following an Iranian missile and drone attack that injured 12 American service members at a Saudi base.

• Israel announces ground operations targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, escalating the multi-front conflict. • Iran launches a new wave of drone and missile strikes across the Gulf, including damage to Iraq's Al-Rasheed Hotel and attacks on Kuwait and Qatar. • U.S. President Trump receives regular options to end the Iran war, per sources, amid concerns of wider regional involvement.

• Israel has expanded its ground operations in Lebanon targeting Hezbollah as the air campaign has already displaced more than one million people in the country. • The escalating military operations mark a significant expansion of the conflict beyond direct Iran-Israel exchanges and represent humanitarian consequences of unprecedented scale in the region. • The displacement crisis threatens to create a major humanitarian emergency while expanding the geographic scope of the conflict beyond the Iran-U.S. military confrontation.