NEW YORK, March 28 (Xinhua) -- The Pentagon is preparing for weeks of ground operations in Iran, as thousands of U.S. soldiers and Marines arrive in the Middle East for what could become a dangerous new phase of the war should U.S. President Donald Trump choose to escalate, The Washington Post reported on Saturday.

Any potential ground operation would fall short of a full-scale invasion and could instead involve raids by a mixture of Special Operations forces and conventional infantry troops, the newspaper quoted officials as saying on the condition of anonymity.

Such a mission could expose U.S. personnel to an array of threats, including Iranian drones and missiles, ground fire and improvised explosives, the report noted, adding the Trump administration in recent days has vacillated between declaring that the war is winding down and threatening to amplify it. ■