‘Ground war is not a viable option with Iran,’ stirkes on U.S. facilities in Iraq

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Hours after Iran called an attack on two US bases in Iraq, tensions between the two countries are ratcheting up.

Rob Boone, U.S. Army veteran and Columbia College associate vice president overseeing global-military installations, said troops deployed in the Middle East are doing their jobs.

"They're doing contingency plans, they're training, building their combat power, going through drills and going through a lot of planning," Boone said.

Although the idea of war is further down the road, Boone said Iran's terrain would not be viable for a ground war. He said Iran's influence in the Middle East and the mountainous region around the country's capital would make it very difficult for strategic warfare.

"We don't have as many installations in Iraq anymore so it's obviously where they can target the most Americans that's probably and it's probably strategically closer in range of their weapons systems so that'd probably why they went ahead and targeted that," Boone said.

Boone said the Iranian government targeted al-Asad airbase and another base in Erbil because the facilities house a lot of Americans. He said the targets were also strategic for their weapons.

"In the end, I mean nobody wants a ground war, nobody wants to continue this conflict whatsoever but in the end, if it happens we'll be prepared to defend America, I do not see a ground war cause there's just no viable option," Boone said.

Boone believes the current fighting will continue going back and forth.

"It's kind of tit-for-tat right now," Boone said. "It's not going to halt anytime soon."