Iran War Day 28: Pentagon weighs 10K troop deployment as Rubio says war will end in weeks

On the 28th day of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, Secretary of State Marco Rubio predicted the conflict would end within weeks as talks with Tehran continue. The Pentagon is reportedly weighing a plan to send thousands more troops to the Middle East. Meanwhile, the chief of staff of Israel’s military reportedly warned that the nation has overextended its manpower and its military may soon “collapse."

WSJ report: US considers expanding military footprint in region

The Wall Street Journal reported late March 26 that the Department of War is considering sending up to 10,000 more troops – likely including infantry and armored vehicles – to the Middle East. It’s unclear where the forces would be deployed, but they would likely be “within striking distance of Iran and Kharg Island,” the outlet reported. The plan would add to the thousands of troops already heading to the Middle East.

Rubio says campaign ‘on or ahead of schedule’

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that the U.S. military campaign in Iran is “on or ahead of schedule” and said the Trump administration expects the operation to end “in a matter of weeks, not months.” Rubio said the U.S. has made significant progress in degrading Iran’s military capabilities, Reuters reported.

“We are ahead of schedule on most of them, and we can achieve them without any ground troops,” Rubio said.

He added that Iranian talks are “going very well” but “we have some work to do.” 

Israel strikes Iran’s weapons facilities

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said March 27 that it had struck the “most central site in Iran for the production of missiles and naval mines,” according to the New York Post. The strikes came just hours after Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened to “escalate and expand” its attacks on Iran. Iran’s military quickly vowed retaliation. 

IDF chief of staff warns of ‘collapse’ due to Netanyahu's overextension of limited manpower

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid warned March 26 that Israel is heading toward a “major security disaster,” accusing the government of waging a multi-front war against Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon while also being forced to deploy security details to address Jewish terrorism in the West Bank – all without sufficient resources or planning.

“The bottom line is: The government is sending the army into a multi-arena war without a strategy, without resources, and with far too few soldiers,” Lapid said in a social media post late March 26. 

Lapid cited a classified briefing with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, who reportedly told the political-security cabinet March 25 that he was raising “10 red flags” that the IDF “is on the verge of collapse.” Lapid added that in all his 13 years as a member of Israel’s security cabinets, he doesn’t “recall a warning as grave as the one issued” by Zamir. 

He said Zamir reported he is being forced “to transfer more and more forces” to the West Bank “because of Jewish terrorism,” referring to settlers who have recently increased violent attacks on Palestinians with the aim of driving them from the region. Lapid also called on the government to “strip authority” from far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, “who openly supports Jewish terrorists,” and to “deploy all enforcement capabilities.”

As Zeale News has reported, radical Jewish settler attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank have reportedly become a near-daily occurrence since the outbreak of the Iran war on Feb. 28. Palestinians in the West Bank have for years faced land incursions and violent attacks by radical Jewish settlers.

“Starting last night, Prime Minister Netanyahu will not be able to say, ‘I'm not responsible,’” Lapid said. “The warning was given by the Chief of Staff, but there is no single figure in the security system that does not stand behind it.”

Report: DOJ confirms that Iran-linked hackers claim breach of FBI director’s personal email

Iran-linked hacker group Handala Hack Team claimed responsibility for a breach of FBI Director Kash Patel’s personal inbox. The group published photographs of the director and his purported resume online. According to Reuters, a sample of the material uploaded by the hackers “appears to show a mix of personal and work correspondence dating between 2010 and 2019.” A Department of Justice (DOJ) official confirmed to Reuters that Patel’s emails were compromised, though the official did not add any details.