← Pentagon Ground Plans 2026
דיווח אמריקני: הממשל החל בהכנות לפעולה קרקעית באיראן — American report: the administration has begun preparing for a ground operation in Iran
On March 20, 2026, the Hebrew site of the Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom published דיווח אמריקני: הממשל החל בהכנות לפעולה קרקעית באיראן. The byline is Dudi Kogan (דודי קוגן), with the timestamp 20/3/2026, 15:11. The article says the Pentagon, the headquarters of the US military, had made detailed preparations to put American ground forces inside Iran. An American family should care because the subject is US soldiers on Iranian soil, not only aircraft. The article also carries denials that an order had been given.
Background for a new reader. The United States and Israel began bombing Iran on 28 February 2026; Washington calls its part Operation Epic Fury. Through March the argument in Washington was whether to add ground troops, meaning American soldiers physically inside Iran, to what had been an air and sea war. Israeli outlets, writing in Hebrew, Russian, Spanish, French and English, followed that argument closely and often passed on American reports to their readers. This page is one of those reports.
Evidence rating: MODERATE. The claim is that the Pentagon prepared a ground option, as CBS reported from unnamed sources and Israel Hayom relayed in Hebrew. President Donald Trump said he was not placing forces anywhere. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said preparations are not a decision and that he was not planning to send ground troops at that time.
What the article says
Kogan writes that the Pentagon carried out detailed preparations to deploy American ground forces inside Iran. He attributes that to CBS on Friday evening. He writes that, according to sources familiar with the internal talks, senior commanders had already filed specific requests, while Trump was weighing whether to order such a deployment.
הפנטגון ערך הכנות מפורטות לפריסת כוחות קרקעיים אמריקניים בתוך איראן, כך דיווחה הערב (שישי) רשת CBS.
Israel Hayom, March 20, 2026. In English, that sentence says the Pentagon carried out detailed preparations to deploy American ground forces inside Iran, as CBS reported on Friday evening.
Kogan writes that, as part of those preparations, a deployment of the 82nd Airborne Division was planned, along with two expeditionary units already on the way to the region from the US west coast and from Japan. The 82nd Airborne is a US Army unit of paratroopers. He writes that the Pentagon had also discussed how to handle the detention of Iranian soldiers and members of the Revolutionary Guards, Iran's paramilitary force, if an order for a ground entry were given, including where detainees would be taken.
Kogan quotes Trump, asked earlier that week in the Oval Office.
אני לא מציב כוחות בשום מקום, אבל אם הייתי עושה זאת – בטח לא הייתי מספר לכם.
President Donald Trump, as quoted by Israel Hayom, March 20, 2026. In English, that sentence says: I am not placing forces anywhere, but if I were doing so, I certainly would not tell you.
Kogan writes that White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt said, in a statement earlier that month, that the story was based on assumptions by anonymous sources who are not part of the president's national security team. He writes that she added that Trump always keeps all options open, and that anyone who hints he prefers one option or another proves they do not know what is really happening. Israel Hayom spells the first name Caroline. The NBC and CBS pages spell it Karoline. The "earlier this month" wording matches a denial NBC published on March 6 about a different story, the report that Trump had shown private interest in ground troops. It is not the statement CBS printed with this March 20 report.
Kogan also writes that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told NBC on Thursday that Iran is ready for American ground forces to enter the fight. The quoted line is "we are waiting for them," with a claim that Iran could handle them and that it would be a big disaster for the Americans. That is Araghchi's statement, as Israel Hayom reports it.
The CBS article, opened for this page, is dated March 20, 2026. CBS says multiple sources briefed on the discussions said Pentagon officials had made detailed preparations for deploying US ground forces into Iran, and that senior commanders had submitted specific requests. CBS says it was unclear under what circumstances Trump would authorize troops on the ground. CBS quotes Trump: "No, I'm not putting troops anywhere," and "If I were, I certainly wouldn't tell you." CBS quotes Leavitt.
It's the job of the Pentagon to make preparations in order to give the Commander in Chief maximum optionality, it does not mean the President has made a decision
Karoline Leavitt, as quoted by CBS News, March 20, 2026. The same sentence on CBS continues that, as the president said in the Oval Office the day before, he is not planning to send ground troops anywhere at this time. CBS says the United States is preparing to deploy elements of the 82nd Airborne into the Middle East region, not that those soldiers had been ordered into Iran. CBS says thousands of Marines were being moved to the Middle East: about 2,200 Marines and three warships had left California, a second Marine unit since the war began, and a first unit sent from the Pacific was still on the way. CBS says the military had discussed where Iranian soldiers and paramilitary operatives would be sent if the president put American forces on the ground. CBS's page does not include the Araghchi quote.
What other reporting and posts add
- CBS's own words. CBS News posted the story on X on 20 March 2026 at 18:43 UTC: "BREAKING: The Pentagon is preparing detailed plans for a possible U.S. ground force deployment in Iran, sources say." The status number of that post was not returned; its short link is https://cbsn.ws/4bsFiCw. (capture: twitter/t49__v584.md)
- The same-day White House answer. The same Friday, a White House spokesperson, not named in the posts, said: "The Pentagon's plans to send ground forces to Iran do not mean they will be deployed at this time." MonitorX, citing CBS. Iraq's state news agency ran it under the headline "White House: Plans to Send Ground Troops to Iran Are Not Currently on the Table." (captures: twitter/t50__v589.md, twitter/t50__v592.md)
- "No plans," as the wires put it. Several accounts posted the White House line the same day, for example: "JUST IN: White House says President Trump has no plans to send US troops into Iran." Remarks on X. That wire wording is shorter than the spokesperson's sentence above, which admits the plans exist. (capture: twitter/t50__v593.md)
- Araghchi on camera. Israel Hayom quotes Iran's foreign minister telling NBC Iran is ready. A Libertarian Party clip posted 13 March 2026 shows Abbas Araghchi, asked whether Iran fears a US invasion, answering: "No, we are waiting for them." Libertarian Party on X. (capture: twitter/t56__v672.md)
What it shows
Israel Hayom told Hebrew readers on 20 March 2026 that the US administration had begun preparing a ground operation in Iran, with commanders filing requests and the 82nd Airborne moving. On the same page sit Trump's "I'm not putting troops anywhere" and Leavitt's "it does not mean the President has made a decision." That is the pattern documented in No Boots on the Ground: the denial and the preparation, in the same article, on the same day.
Check it yourself
Research captures: twitter/t49__v584.md, twitter/t50__v589.md, twitter/t50__v592.md, twitter/t50__v593.md, twitter/t56__v672.md
Last Updated: 2026-09-26