US-Iran war not 'overnight operation', more casualties expected, says American official

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday declined to specify how long the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran would continue, saying the duration of the operation rests with President Donald Trump.

As the air war widened with no clear end in sight, top US military officials warned that achieving Washington’s objectives in Iran would take time and could result in further American casualties.

“This is ⁠not ‌a single overnight operation. The military objectives that CENTCOM and the ‌Joint Force have been tasked with will ⁠take some time to achieve, and in some cases ‌will be difficult and gritty ‌work,” US General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters on Monday.

Caine added that additional US casualties are expected as operations continue. A fourth US service member died on Monday from injuries sustained during the US operation against Iran.

Meanwhile, the US military said Kuwait’s air defences had mistakenly shot down three American F-15E fighter jets during an Iranian attack, underscoring the expanding scope and risks of the conflict.

At the same press conference, Hegseth sought to draw a distinction between the current campaign and past prolonged US wars in the region.

“This is not Iraq. This is not endless,” Hegseth said.

He maintained that the objective of the military campaign was to dismantle Tehran’s missiles, navy and other security infrastructure, while insisting the operation would not lead to an “endless war.”

(With Reuters inputs)