Tel Aviv, March 3 (Reuters) - The Israeli military has prepared for a campaign against Iran that could last several weeks but is unlikely to see the deployment of ground forces, a military spokesperson told reporters on Tuesday.

"We have prepared a general scope of weeks," Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said in an online briefing, adding that the duration of the military campaign could change, depending on developments. He described progress so far as positive.

When asked if Israel could deploy ground forces to Iran, Shoshani said that was unlikely.

LONDON, March 3 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said it was "sad to see" the relationship with Britain was "not what it was" after Prime Minister Keir Starmer initially held off giving military support to the strikes against Iran.

Trump said the likes of France had been more supportive and said he had never expected to see the once "most solid of all" relationships change in this way.

TEL AVIV, March 3 (Reuters) - The Israeli military deployed additional forces to southern Lebanon overnight, to take up what a military spokesperson on Tuesday described as defensive positions to protect Israeli civilians and strategic sites from any potential Hezbollah attack.

"We're only at the borderline area in a defensive manner to prevent attacks against civilians and very strategic important points," Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said in an online briefing with reporters.

Israel on Tuesday said it was establishing a buffer zone inside Lebanon and had ordered its troops to seize additional positions across the border, as several projectiles were fired from Lebanese territory into Israel.

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I have authorised the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to advance and take control of additional strategic positions in Lebanon in order to prevent attacks on Israeli border communities," Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a statement.

It has been nearly 50 years since the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini recorded speeches calling for an Islamic revolution from a country home in an affluent village west of Paris.

But the inhabitants of Neauphle-le-Chateau have still not got over their famous guest, as the US-Israeli war against Iran puts the spotlight back on the ayatollah's legacy.

PARIS, March 3 (Reuters) - French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot held a call on Monday with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi to discuss the Iran war and both agreed to work on de-escalation, Barrot's office said in a statement.

Both ministers committed to seeking a political solution that would guarantee collective security and take into account the aspirations of the Iranian people, the statement said.

Barrot "reiterated the Iranian regime's responsibility for the ongoing escalation, after it unjustifiably attacked several countries in the region," the statement said.

KABUL, March 3 (Reuters) - At least 42 civilians have been killed and 104 wounded in Afghanistan in the fighting with Pakistan between February 26 and March 2, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said on Tuesday.

(Reporting by Mohammad Yunus Yawar, writing by Sakshi Dayal; Editing by YP Rajesh)

Israel said it carried out strikes on Beirut targeting Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah on Thursday, while Lebanese state media reported an Israeli drone strike killed a Hamas official.

Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war on Monday, when Hezbollah attacked Israel in response to the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during US-Israeli strikes over the weekend.

Israel has since struck targets across the country and sent ground forces into border towns.

March 3 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he expected the war against Iran was "not going to take years", as the conflict widened with Israel attacking Iran-backed Hezbollah targets in Lebanon and Iran hitting Gulf states that host U.S. bases.

U.S. President Donald Trump initially projected the war to last four to five weeks, but since sought to justify a broad, open-ended war on Iran.

Netanyahu rejected the idea of the conflict lasting years, like previous wars in the region.

By Andrea Shalal and Andreas Rinke

WASHINGTON, March 3 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump hosts German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House on Tuesday for talks on sensitive topics ranging from U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran to Trump's new tariff threats and the German leader's recent visit to China.