Trump says Iran war could last weeks as Netanyahu defends decision to attack

Washington (AP): As the war in the Middle East intensifies, US President Donald Trump said that the US has “the capability to go far longer" than its projected four-to-five-week time frame for its military operations against Iran.

Across Tehran, the sound of explosions rang out through the night and into the early morning hours of Tuesday, as the US and Israel have continued to pound Iran since killing its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday.

Tehran and its allies have hit back against Israel, neighbouring Gulf states, and targets critical to the world's production of oil and natural gas.

The intensity of the attacks and the lack of any apparent exit plan set the stage for a prolonged conflict with far-reaching consequences. Israel and the US have given conflicting answers about what exactly the war's objectives are or what the endgame might be.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu late Monday defended the decision to go to war, contending in an interview on Fox News Channel's "Hannity" that Iran was rebuilding “new sites, new places” that would make “their ballistic missile program and their atomic bomb program immune within months,” without providing evidence.

Satellite photos analysed by The Associated Press showed limited activity at two nuclear sites in Iran before the war, with analysts saying it was likely Tehran was trying to assess damage from American strikes in June and possibly salvage what remained there.

Here is the latest:

Iran's state media reports deaths in Hamadan

At least five people were killed or wounded in airstrikes in Iran's western city of Hamadan, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.

Strikes were also reported across other cities, including Isfahan and Shiraz.

The Lebanese army is evacuating advanced positions along the Israeli border

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said the Lebanese army is evacuating some of its positions along the border with Israel.

The agency said the troops are redeploying to other posts.

The report comes after Israel's military said it is conducting operations inside Lebanon along the border with Israel.

Israel says Iran's firepower is significantly limited

Israel's army said Tuesday that Iran's firepower has been weakened.

Army spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said Israeli and US attacks on Iran have “limited significantly” Iran's ability to fire.

Shoshani said Israel has been going after Iran's missile launchers and has taken out dozens of them.

Iran has fired hundreds of missiles, but it's hard to tally the total amount, as Iran is also striking other countries, he said.

The pace of missiles being launched at Israel has slowed since the first two days of the war.

Shoshani said the slowdown also could be partly attributed to Iran's understanding that the war could go on for longer than they had thought, and they are trying to pace themselves.

Iran begins returning pilgrims from Mecca and Medina

Iran has started the process of returning Iranian pilgrims from the shrine cities of Mecca and Medina, state media said Tuesday.

Alireza Enayati, Iran's ambassador to Saudi Arabia, said the process of returning 9,000 Iranians currently in the cities of Mecca and Medina began Monday.

In a report carried by the Iranian judiciary's Mizan news agency, Enayati said the departure is taking place in the same manner as during the 12-day war between Israel and Iran in 2025. Iranian pilgrims will leave Saudi Arabia through Saudi–Iraqi border crossings and return to Iran from Iraq.

The announcement came during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and a widening that has seen Iran target sites in Saudi Arabia.

The US ambassador advises Americans to leave through the Sinai Peninsula

The US ambassador in Israel told Americans there that the best way to leave is through Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.

Mike Huckabee said in a social media post early Tuesday that the embassy was receiving lots of evacuation requests as embassy staff “are sheltering in place.”

“There are VERY LIMITED options,” he wrote. “Not sure when Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv will reopen.”

He advised Americans to take buses to Egypt's resorts of Sharm el-Sheikh and Taba in southern Sinai, describing that route as “best.”

Attack hits Iranian Kurdish opposition camp

A camp for Iranian Kurdish opposition in the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan in northern Iraq was attacked Tuesday morning, an official said.

A missile and drone hit the Azadi camp in Irbil and slightly injured one person, according to Kareem Parwizi, a senior official with the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran.

Oman says drone hit fuel tank at port

Oman said a drone hit a fuel tank at its port in Duqm on Tuesday.

The state-run Oman News Agency said no one was hurt in the attack.

Duqm has been a key resupply route for the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, which is operating in the Arabian Sea.