FT: Israeli intelligence warns US could sustain only short-term air strikes on Iran

Israeli intelligence has concluded that the United States currently has the military capacity to carry out only a four- to five-day intense aerial assault on Iran, or about a week of lower-intensity strikes, highlighting the limits of Washington’s preparedness for a full-scale attack, an Israeli official told the Financial Times.

The warning comes as President Donald Trump weighs one of the most consequential foreign policy decisions of his second term: whether to launch military action against Iran.

In recent weeks, the United States has deployed its largest collection of military assets to the Middle East since the Iraq war. On February 23, a second aircraft carrier group, the USS Gerald R. Ford, was spotted off the coast of Crete in the eastern Mediterranean.

Trump’s public stance has shifted in recent days. After weeks of urging Iran to strike a deal, he posted a video from Fox News host Mark Levin arguing that negotiations with Tehran were now pointless.

The prospect of military action faces significant political and domestic constraints. Analysts note that American casualties could trigger backlash among voters, particularly within Trump’s MAGA base and among the broader public, which is more cautious about war than inaction toward Iran.

A recent University of Maryland poll found that a quarter of Republicans oppose a US military intervention in Iran, while 40 per cent support it; the vast majority of Democrats expressed opposition.

By Sabina Mammadli