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US President Donald Trump told Israel not to worry about the ongoing flare up with Iran, saying he doesn't expect the conflict to drag on much longer.
He made the comments in a series of remarks on Wednesday. Trump made his most direct pledge during a phone interview with Israel's Kan public broadcaster. Asked about the escalation, he didn't mince words. "Israel should not worry. You know why? Because I'm the president and I will take care of Israel," he said. Later, in the Oval Office, a reporter pressed him specifically on how much longer the latest round of fighting might last. His answer was short: "Not too long."
He went on to talk more broadly about the wider conflict with Iran, again predicting it would wrap up soon, though he didn't lay out any actual timeline. "I don't think it will be very much longer. I don't know how much more they can take," he said of Iran.
It's worth noting Trump has made similar predictions before. For months now, he's said the war would end fast and that Iran would eventually give in, but that hasn't happened yet.
What Triggered the Latest Round of Fighting
Trump's comments came just days after hostilities between the US and Iran suddenly reignited on Sunday, breaking a month long stretch without military action.Over the weekend, US forces struck rocket launchers located on Iran's Larak Island. Iran responded by firing missiles at both Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. Things escalated further on Tuesday, when the US hit additional Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz, marking the most intense fighting seen since July.
Iran Accuses US of Targeting Civilians
Iran claims one of Tuesday's US strikes killed four people at a wedding, and it labeled the strike a "war crime." In response, Iran launched a series of retaliatory attacks against US bases spread across Jordan, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Iraq.US Central Command pushed back on the civilian casualty claim. Speaking to Reuters on Wednesday, the command said the US military "never targets civilians, unlike the Revolutionary Guards."
