Iran to attack Israel within days – media

Tehran is planning to retaliate for last week’s Israeli bombing of Iran before the US presidential election on November 5, media outlets reported on Wednesday and Thursday, citing anonymous sources.

In the latest escalation in the Middle East, Israel conducted a series of strikes against targets in Iran last Saturday. The attack was in response to a massive barrage of missiles fired by Iran at the Jewish state in early October – which was in retaliation for the killing of Hezbollah and Iranian commanders. In an escalating spiral of violence, the two states have exchanged direct attacks several times this year.

A number of US news outlets have hinted that Iran’s response could come within days. 

“The response of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the aggression of the Zionist regime will be definitive and painful,” CNN wrote on Wednesday, citing a senior source familiar with Iran’s deliberations. The news network did not say which country the source is from.

CNN’s source did not provide an exact time for the attack, but said it “will likely take place before the day of the US presidential election” scheduled for November 5. At least three senior Iranian figures also vowed retaliation for the latest Israeli strike in statements on Thursday, although none mentioned a time frame.

The commander-in-chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), Hossein Salami, promised an “unimaginable answer” to the attack in a speech cited by Tasnim news agency.

The deputy commander of the IRGC, Ali Fadavi, said an Iranian response is “inevitable.” 

“For over 40 years, we have never left any attack unanswered,” he told Lebanese news outlet Al Mayadeen on Thursday.

Mohammad Mohammadi Golpayegani, a senior aide to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, similarly said Iran will provide “a harsh and regretful response” to the Israeli strike.

Two Israeli sources told Axios that intelligence points to Iran planning an attack in the coming days, potentially ahead of the US election.

The New York Times’ Iranian sources, however, reportedly said the attack is more likely to happen after the election, so as not to potentially improve former President Donald Trump’s chances of reelection.

Khamenei has ordered preparations for a retaliatory strike after judging that the damage Israel dealt was too large to ignore, the newspaper cited three officials as saying.

Tensions between Israel and Iran have spiraled since West Jerusalem launched its military operation in Gaza in response to Hamas’ surprise attack on the Jewish state in October last year, killing around 1,100 people and kidnapping more than 200. The subsequent Israeli operation in the enclave has killed more than 43,000 Palestinians, according to local officials.