The ongoing conflict in the Middle East continued without any sign of a breakthrough as new attacks were reported in Iran, Israel and Lebanon. Israel carried out strikes on key infrastructure at several sites in Iran, while Tehran launched missiles towards Israel as well as the UAE. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has extended his deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz to April 6. He said he will hold off on bombing Iran’s energy plants. The development comes even as earlier in the day, the two countries appeared at an impasse, hardening their positions over ceasefire talks.
Trump also asserted that the United States has “already won the war” against Iran “militarily”, claiming that US and Israeli strikes have significantly degraded Tehran’s naval and missile capabilities. During an interview with Fox News, Trump reiterated his view that Iranian military strength has been “knocked out” amid the West Asia conflict, stating that the naval forces and missile launch capacity of the Islamic Republic have been dramatically reduced during the ongoing conflict.
Meanwhile, the Chief of Staff of the Israel Defence Forces, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir warned that the Israeli military could “collapse in on itself” due to increasing operational pressures and a worsening manpower shortage amid conflict in West Asia, Times of Israel reported. Zamir made the remarks during a security cabinet meeting, where he flagged serious concerns over the army’s preparedness.
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