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Report: U.S. Preparing for Ground Operation in Iran to Last Weeks, Officials Say

On March 29, 2026, Haaretz published Report: U.S. Preparing for Ground Operation in Iran to Last Weeks, Officials Say. No byline was visible on the page. The item says US officials told the Washington Post that the Defense Department was preparing ground operations in Iran that could last weeks. An American family should care because the deck describes special forces and infantry in raids on Iranian territory. Those would be Americans. The same deck says President Donald Trump had not yet approved some, or any, of the plans.

Background for new readers: On 28 February 2026 the United States and Israel began a joint air war on Iran. The Pentagon calls its part Operation Epic Fury; Israel calls its part Operation Roaring Lion. It came eight months after a shorter war in June 2025, when US bombers hit Iran's nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. The question running through this section is whether the air war turns into American soldiers fighting on Iranian soil. This article is filed under Pentagon Ground Plans 2026; the full article index lists every article on this shelf.

Evidence rating: MODERATE. Haaretz is passing on the Washington Post's unnamed officials. The visible Post lead, opened for this page, uses the same "weeks" claim and says the plans awaited the president's approval. The same day's Jerusalem Post, also opened for this page, says senior officials told it the operation would take months. The sources differ on duration, not on the preparation.

What the article says​

Most of the Haaretz body was behind a subscription wall when this page was written. What a reader could see was the headline, the date, a one-sentence lead, and a deck. This summary does not go past those lines.

The lead says the United States Defense Department is preparing for ground operations in Iran that could last weeks. It says the Washington Post reported that on Sunday, citing US officials. Haaretz links to the Post story.

The deck says that, according to the Washington Post, a combination of special forces and infantry would be used in raids on Iranian territory. It says those raids would fall short of a full invasion. It says President Trump had yet to approve some, or any, of the plans, according to the officials.

"The United States Defense Department is preparing for ground operations in Iran that could last weeks, the Washington Post reported Sunday, citing U.S. officials."

Haaretz, March 29, 2026, citing The Washington Post.

What other reporting adds​

The reporter behind the Post story. The Post's military reporter, Dan Lamothe, posted the scoop: "The Pentagon is preparing for weeks of ground operations in Iran, U.S. officials said, as thousands of American soldiers and Marines arrive in the Middle East for what could become a dangerous new phase of the war should President Donald Trump choose to escalate." (Dan Lamothe on X, 29 March 2026; research capture: twitter/t51__v603.md). A digest quoting the Post the next day gave the durations its officials used: one said "weeks, not months," another "a couple of months" (@ZackEiseman on X, 30 March 2026; research capture: twitter/t49__v587.md).

Critics said the plan could not work at all. One analysis the same day called a ground war in Iran "a physical and mathematical absurdity" (Teléfono Rojo, 29 March 2026; research capture: twitter/t51__v602.md). Joe Kent, Trump's former counterterrorism director, is quoted in a Reddit comment under the Reuters version of the story saying a Kharg seizure "would essentially be giving Iran a bunch of hostages on an island that they could barrage with drones and missiles" (research capture: twitter/t51__v601.md; original source not found).

What it shows​

Haaretz, Israel's paper of record, put the Washington Post's report in front of Israeli readers: the Pentagon preparing a ground operation in Iran expected to last weeks. The planning was for American soldiers, while Israel's own press reported that week that Israeli infantry would stay home (Israel Keeps Its Infantry Home). The same week, the White House was telling Americans there were "no plans" for troops in Iran (No Boots on the Ground). See Pentagon Ground Plans 2026.

Check it yourself​

Status: Donald Trump is alive.

Last Updated: 2026-09-26

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