Israel aims to conclude its conflict with Iran soon: Reports

Israel is aiming to wind up its conflict with Iran at the earliest while seizing the momentum created by the US strikes on major Iranian nuclear facilities, said Israeli and Arab officials in the know of things. Israel is expecting to complete its military objectives in Iran in the coming days, thereby creating an opportunity to wrap up the fighting, said Israeli officials, as per a Wall Street Journal report. However, a lot will depend on Iran’s response and until then the situation remains dynamic.

The US has told Arab officials that Israel is seeking to end the fight soon and asked for the message to be passed along to Iran. Tehran has, however, responded that it isn’t yet ready to back off, as it feels compelled to respond to the US attack on its nuclear sites, the officials said.

The American strikes on Iran’s three most important nuclear facilities have helped bring Israel closer to its objective of destroying the nuclear capabilities of Iran. Israeli officials are now hoping for Iran to come to the negotiating table and agree to end its nuclear enrichment programme.

Israel is prepared to use its air force to strike Iran in the future if it sees it is trying to reconstitute, said Israeli officials.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel was “very very close” to achieving its goals and added that Israel wouldn’t be dragged into a war of attrition.

Israel has followed a similar model in Lebanon, where it continues to strike Iran’s ally Hezbollah regularly despite a ceasefire agreement in September.

“They attack, we’ll attack,” an Israeli official said.

Meanwhile, Iran's state TV announced the beginning of Iran's ‘Operation Glad Tidings of Victory’ against the US forces in Qatar's Al-Udeid Air Base. Loud explosions were heard across central Doha and the northern city of Lusail on Monday (June 23) night, as several projectiles lit up the Qatari skies, according to reports by Reuters and AFP.