BREAKING: US service members injured in Iranian assault on Saudi Arabian airbase
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told G7 foreign ministers that the US anticipates the conflict to continue for another two to four weeks.
Members of the US Armed Forces in Saudi Arabia were injured on Friday during a missile attack on Prince Sultan airbase. US officials confirmed to CBS News that about a dozen service members were injured.
The attack, reported Jennifer Jacobs, “consisted of Iranian missiles and drones.” Two Americans, she confirmed, were seriously injured while eight others suffered injuries. The total of US service members who have been killed during the conflict in Iran prior to this attack was 13.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told G7 foreign ministers that the US anticipates the conflict to continue for another two to four weeks. At the outset of the conflict, when the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 14, President Donald Trump said he expected the conflict to go on for four to five weeks. Rubio’s estimate could double the length of time the US anticipates needing to accomplish their objectives.
These objectives are to prevent Iran from becoming a nation with nuclear weapons, eliminating their arsenal including their navy, and preventing their political influence from extending beyond their borders. Iran is a chief funder of the terrorist Palestinian group Hamas.
As the US and Israel have continued their bombardment of Iran, Iran has used its arsenal of drones to strike out at nearby military bases in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. They’ve also launched volley after volley on Israel.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Dan Caine have spoken about their plans to keep the pressure on Iran as long as it takes, thought Hegseth has said this will not be a “forever war.” He’s criticized press for positing that it may be an extended conflict with an end point outside of American control.
US Central Command has planned for a conflict to go on for at least 100 days, or even into September. Rubio also said that the objectives of the United States could be achieved without putting American troops on the ground in Iran.