Israel prepared for weeks-long Iran campaign, unlikely to deploy ground forces, spokesperson says

The Israeli military has prepared for a campaign against Iran that could last several weeks but is unlikely to see the deployment of ground forces, a military spokesperson told reporters on Tuesday.

"We have prepared a general scope of weeks," Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said in an online briefing, adding that the duration of the military campaign could change, depending on developments. He described progress so far as positive.

When asked if Israel could deploy ground forces to Iran, Shoshani said that was unlikely.

"I don't think that's something very likely at the moment for Israeli forces. There's not a practical idea at the moment that I know of," he said.

Israel and the U.S. have been carrying out air strikes against Iran since Saturday, triggering Iranian retaliation.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that the U.S.-Israel war with Iran could take "some time" but would not take years.

-Reporting by Alexander Cornwell and Steven Scheer; Editing by Aidan Lewis/Reuters