As First Week of Conflict Ends, Targets Expand; Israel Says Coming Days Could Determine War's Length

JERUSALEM, Israel – The fighting between Israel and Iran is entering a critical new stage, with both sides expanding their targets and the conflict rippling across the region. U.S. officials say Washington is prepared for a prolonged confrontation, while Israel warns that the coming days could determine whether the war spreads even further across the Middle East.

In Washington, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced that the United States is prepared for a prolonged confrontation with Iran and has the military resources to sustain it.

"We've got no shortage of munitions. Our stockpiles of defensive and offensive weapons allow us to sustain this campaign as long as we need to," Hegseth stated.

According to a report from Reuters, the joint Israeli-American campaign against Iran is now entering a second phase. Two sources familiar with Israel's strategy indicate that the next stage will focus on ballistic missile facilities buried deep underground.

The war is nearing the end of its first week after the opening strikes reportedly killed several top Iranian leaders and triggered a broader regional confrontation. Iran has responded with attacks on Israel and strikes in the Gulf and Iraq, while Israel has also targeted Hezbollah positions in Lebanon.

Israel’s military says it has already destroyed hundreds of above-ground missile launchers capable of targeting Israeli cities.

Israel continues bombarding key Iranian sites as the campaign intensifies.

The Israel Defense Forces issued an evacuation warning to Iranian civilians near Tehran ahead of new strikes.

Israel Defense Forces Persian Language Spokesman Lt. Col. (res.) Kamal Penhasi declared, "Urgent warning to all individuals located in the Abbas Abad industrial area and also the Shenzar industrial area near Sharif Abad in eastern Pakdash: In the coming hours, the IDF will operate in the area, as it has in recent days across Iran, to strike military infrastructure of the Iranian regime."

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As the conflict widens, Iran is also accused of striking other countries in the region, including Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on Thursday, "Today, a terrorist act was committed by Iran against the territory of Azerbaijan and the state of Azerbaijan. The territory of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic came under fire from unmanned aerial vehicles launched by the Iranian state."

He continued, "The targets of the attack were civilian facilities, including the Nakhchivan International Airport and its terminal building, a school, and other civilian sites, all treacherously struck by Iran. The State of Azerbaijan strongly condemns this heinous terrorist act. Those responsible must be brought to justice without delay."

A new front could also be forming along Iran’s western border. U.S. and regional sources say Washington and Jerusalem have quietly approached Kurdish leaders in Iraq and among Iran’s Kurdish opposition groups about opening another front against Tehran.

Along the mountainous frontier between Iraq and Iran, Kurdish Peshmerga fighters are reportedly mobilizing, as American and Israeli airstrikes weaken Iranian positions in the region. Iran has already responded by striking Kurdish headquarters inside Iraqi Kurdistan, warning it will retaliate against any cross-border attacks.

Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon believes the international community must recognize the broader threat posed by Tehran.

"We have to finish the job. We have to dismantle the machine of terror," said Danon.

He added, "Iran has struck more Arab countries than Israel has in its entire existence. This is a regime going down and trying to set the entire region on fire as it falls. It will not work. Be patient. We are advancing. It is only a matter of time before the rocket fire is minimized and their capabilities are dismantled. Every day, their capabilities shrink."

Security concerns are also affecting daily life in Jerusalem. Authorities have temporarily closed the Temple Mount and other holy sites in the Old City to worshippers of all faiths.

Dean Elsdunne, international spokesperson for the Israeli Police, noted, “Home Front Command directives called for the temporary closure of holy sites here in the Old City of Jerusalem, including the Western Wall and the Temple Mount. These precautions have already proved necessary. An Iranian warhead landed just a few hundred meters from the holy sites only days ago during Ramadan.”

Meanwhile, tensions are rising along Israel’s northern border as Hezbollah increases its attacks and Israeli forces reinforce positions near Lebanon.

Osher Chen, a resident of Kiryat Shmona near the border, commented on the hardship for people who fled their homes after Hezbollah rained rockets down after October 7th, 2023. "To return once again to a reality where you are attacked and don’t have time to defend your life… There are children here and elderly people who don’t have the strength to run to shelters, especially when they’re far away," Chen said.

Israeli leaders believe that the coming days could determine whether the war remains contained or spreads further across the Middle East.