Israel sent troops into southern Lebanon on Tuesday and warned residents of more than 80 villages to evacuate as the Iran-backed militant Hezbollah group said it was ready for an “open war” with Israel in the wake of the US-Israeli war on Iran.As the war in West Asia intensified, US President Donald Trump said the US had “the capability to go far longer” than its projected four-five-week time frame for its military operations against Iran and didn’t rule out the possibility of putting troops on the ground.Israel sent additional troops into southern Lebanon on Tuesday and ordered residents of more than 80 villages to evacuate as the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group said it was ready for an open war. Across Tehran, the sound of explosions rang out through the night and into the early morning hours on Tuesday, as the US and Israel have continued to pound Iran since killing its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday.Tehran and its allies have hit back against Israel, neighbouring Gulf states, and targets critical to the world’s production of oil and natural gas.The Iranian Red Crescent Society said the US-Israeli operation has killed at least 555 people. In Israel, where several locations were hit by Iranian missiles, 11 people were killed. Israel’s retaliatory strikes against Hezbollah killed 52 people in Lebanon. Iranian state TV said strikes caused two explosions early Tuesday at a broadcasting facility in Tehran, but said no one was injured.Responding to queries on sending ground troops, Trump said, “Like every President says ‘there will be no boots on the ground’, I don’t say it. Ground troops will probably not be necessary, but can be used, if required.” “Boots on the ground” is a military expression for deploying combat troops on foreign soil rather than relying solely on airstrikes, drones, or naval forces.Trump defined the primary US objectives as the total destruction of Iran’s missile, naval and nuclear capabilities, alongside the permanent cessation of its support for regional armed groups.The assertions came a day after France, Germany and the UK announced to “work together” with the US in the region. The US has also found support from Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. All the countries have issued a joint statement condemning Iran and calling its actions “reckless and destabilising”.As Trump said operations were likely to last four to five weeks, Washington urged Americans to leave major parts of West Asia immediately, warning of “serious safety risks” as tensions continued to escalate across the region. The advisory covers Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.Iranian news agency Tasnim said US-Israeli fighters struck central Tehran on the fourth day of the war.Saudi authorities said two drones hit the US Embassy in Riyadh, causing a limited fire and minor damage. Trump has vowed retaliation for the attack on the embassy and for the death of six US service members since the military action started on Saturday.Iran has struck energy infrastructure across the Gulf, sending global oil and gas prices sharply higher. Qatar’s state-owned petroleum company has suspended all LNG production after two of its facilities were hit.Also, Iran hit sites across Israel, with the Israeli military reporting missile interceptions over West Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Eilat.