According to the Anadolu Agency, five days into the escalating conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran, the thunder of airstrikes and missile launches is no longer the only focus. Behind the dramatic headlines lies a quieter but more decisive question: who can actually afford to keep this going?
Present U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested the operation could last “four to five weeks” or longer. But analysts say wars are rarely dictated by timelines alone. They are shaped by stockpiles, strained defenses, economic pressure and, ultimately, public tolerance for prolonged fighting.
“Among past US air campaigns, the longest was the one against Serbia in 1999, which was for about 90 days,” said Ryan Bohl of RANE Network. “Trump’s four to five weeks timeline may be reasonable, but it could be even shorter than that.”
According to United States Central Command, more than 50,000 US troops, 200 fighter jets and two aircraft carriers have been mobilized. Nearly 2,000 targets across Iran have been struck. It is a show of overwhelming force, but even superpowers face limits.
Joze Pelayo of the Atlantic Council issued a stark warning: “US interceptor stocks could genuinely hit critical lows within days, given the intensity and frequency of Iranian attacks, which appears to be precisely Tehran’s strategy.”
Iran has responded with more than 500 ballistic missiles and over 2,000 drones, including its widely used Shahed-136. These cheaper, mass-produced weapons allow Tehran to pressure defenses without exhausting its own resources too quickly.
Israel, meanwhile, continues to strike while relying heavily on systems like the Iron Dome to shield its cities. But analysts caution that coordinated attacks involving Iran and Hezbollah could push those defenses to their limits.
For now, the war remains intense but measured. Whether it stretches into months may depend less on firepower, and more on endurance.See_More…