From Air Strikes to Boots on the Ground? US-Israel Campaign Against Iran Escalates • FRANCE 24

Why It Matters

The fighting threatens global energy supplies and maritime commerce, risks drawing the U.S. into a broader Middle East conflict, and raises the prospect of a contentious shift from air strikes to ground operations with major geopolitical and economic fallout.

Summary

U.S. and Israeli forces have escalated military action against Iran following the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, conducting strikes the U.S. says target nuclear and missile sites while President Trump has left open the possibility of deploying ground forces. The campaign has already surpassed last June’s raids, prompting Iranian and proxy missile strikes that have hit as far as Cyprus, disrupted Gulf energy infrastructure, and closed the Strait of Hormuz. A France 24 panel of military and policy experts debated whether diplomacy was exhausted, whether the Pentagon was prepared for wider Iranian retaliation, and the long-term goal—containment versus regime change. Panelists warned the operation’s timing and scope raise serious risks of an expanded regional war and unforeseen consequences.

Original Description

What’s the plan and does it go beyond dropping bombs from the sky? On Day 3 of the US and Israeli campaign that’s killed Iran’s supreme leader, the United States insisting there will be no boots on the ground. But while the US defense secretary talks of nuclear installations and missile launchers, the U-S president's spoken of laying the groundwork for regime change. Already, the escalation’s gone well beyond last June’s 12 days of bombing raids.

Did the Pentagon properly prepare for Tehran firing not just on Israel alongside its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah but also targeting Gulf states with missiles landing as far away as Cyprus? The missiles have shut down Qatar's gas production, damaged at least one oil field in Saudi Arabia and shut the Strait of Hormuz, passageway that ships more than one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas?

We’ll hear the Trump administration’s rationale for starting this war, weigh the unintended consequences that might result… and whether a US president who’s so often used his military to push red lines - from the 2020 assassination of charismatic Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Qasem Soleimani to the seizing of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro - can use of force as he pleases against an Islamic Republic that back in January proved it was unafraid to slaughter its own people by the thousands if that’s what it takes to ensure its survival.

#iran #trump #khamenei

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