Expert Demidenko did not see any signs of preparation of a ground operation against Iran

There is no indication that the US and Israel are planning a ground operation against Iran. Sergey Demidenko, Dean of the Faculty of Political Studies at the Presidential Academy, expressed this opinion in a conversation with Izvestia on February 28.

"They (the USA and Israel. They had been preparing intensively for quite a long time, but they were preparing a military air operation. That is, they were pulling together fleets, they were pulling together aircraft, they were pulling together tankers, they were deploying military infrastructure for a military operation, an air operation, an air force operation," Demidenko explained.

According to the expert, a ground attack is also hindered by a simple misunderstanding of how it is possible to launch such a strike at all: Neither Turkey, Iraq, nor Pakistan will allow a ground attack from their territory.

Demidenko believes that the air operation is likely to last about five days, or (in active mode) three to four days. A major regional war probably won't happen, the expert added.

"[The operation] will take a maximum of a week. <...> [Trump] does not need a Vietnam—type contraction," said Sergey Balmasov, an expert at the Institute of the Middle East, in an interview with Izvestia.

At the same time, according to the expert, Israel will seek to involve the United States in more decisive actions. The Israeli side is no longer satisfied only with the elimination of Iran's nuclear program, they need a full-fledged change of the Iranian regime. However, it is problematic to achieve this solely by bombing.

Balmasov called the establishment of a pro-American regime allied with Washington a key task of the United States, which would mean a "rollback to 1979." Behind this is the desire to gain control over the colossal reserves of oil and especially gas.

"It will be a controlling gas package, taking into account the Iranian gas reserves. In general, they will actually manage a significant part, in fact, they will lead a significant part of the energy sector," the expert said.

In his opinion, in such a scenario, the United States will probably be able to block energy traffic from Iran to China. In the worst case scenario, this will increase Russia's importance as a serious and reliable supplier of resources to China, which cannot be lost.

The Middle East beyond the border: Israel strikes Iran

Israel launches a series of attacks on military and nuclear facilities, Tehran is preparing a response

Israel launched a preemptive strike on Iran on the morning of February 28. Also, the American leader Donald Trump announced the beginning of a US military operation against Iran. Military installations in western Iran, the residence of the country's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as an elementary school in the city of Minab were hit.

Later, Iran fired rockets towards Israel. The US Fifth Fleet maintenance center was shelled in Bahrain. In addition, Iran attacked four US military bases in Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Against this background, the United States began evacuating some personnel from the Al-Udeid airbase in Qatar.

At the same time, the IDF launched a massive airstrike on military installations in western Iran. The city of Shiraz was attacked. In addition, 70,000 Israeli reservists were called up for military service.

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the situation around Iran with the permanent members of the Russian Security Council. The Russian Foreign Ministry said that Russia demands that the situation around Iran be immediately brought back to a political and diplomatic settlement. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov condemned the "unprovoked armed attack" by the United States and Israel on Iran.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.