WASHINGTON, March 2 (Reuters) - It will take time to achieve U.S. military objectives in Iran and additional U.S. casualties are expected, U.S. General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Monday.
The U.S.-Israeli air war against Iran expanded on Monday with no end in sight. The U.S. military said Kuwait’s air defenses had mistakenly shot down three American F-15E fighter jets during an Iranian attack.
“This is not a single overnight operation. The military objectives that CENTCOM and the Joint Force have been tasked with will take some time to achieve, and in some cases will be difficult and gritty work,” Caine told reporters.
A fourth U.S. service member on Monday died of injuries sustained in the U.S. operation against Iran.
During the same press conference, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that military operations against Iran would not lead to an “endless war” and that the aim was to destroy Tehran’s missiles, navy and other security infrastructure.
“This is not Iraq. This is not endless,” Hegseth said.
(Reporting by Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Doina Chiacu; editing by Susan Heavey and Michelle Nichols)
