US media reported today that Trump said he would not rule out sending ground forces to Iran, emphasizing that the joint US-Israeli "Operation Epic Fury" has made "extraordinary progress," having killed 49 Iranian senior leaders, including Supreme Leader Khamenei, on the first day. He stated that if the situation requires it, he would deploy ground forces and warned that the conflict could last for weeks or even longer, while admitting that US military casualties may increase.
A spokesperson for the US Central Command said that as of March 2, Iran's retaliation had resulted in 18 injured US service members, higher than the initial report of five injured service members on Sunday morning. In addition, six service members died in Kuwait. A US official said that the six were all Army soldiers belonging to the same logistics unit.
Comment: Trump's bold claim of killing Iranian high-ranking officials and his refusal to rule out ground forces, while admitting rising US casualties and the possibility of a prolonged conflict, essentially pushes a precise strike into the full-scale war track. It aims to crush Iran with intense military actions but must face the continuous casualties caused by Iran's retaliation. This approach of escalating aggressively while exposing risks will only lead to complete chaos in the Middle East, with sharply increased risks of regional conflicts spilling over and getting stuck in a long-term quagmire.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1858599521163337/
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