US expects Israeli retaliation against Iran before election: Report

WASHINGTON

US officials anticipate that Israel may retaliate against Iran before the Nov. 5 American presidential election, CNN reported Wednesday.

Sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told CNN that plans to retaliate against Iran have been the subject of intense internal debate and the timing is not directly linked to the presidential election.

Despite Israel's internal debates on the timing, sources note that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is aware that a counterstrike against Iran could significantly affect the presidential race, complicating diplomatic efforts between Israel and the US for the last several months.

Officials from the Biden administration have been silent about the timing and targets of Israel's anticipated attack on Israel, following Iran’s missile attacks on Oct. 1, which Tehran said was in retaliation for Israel's actions, including the assassinations of a Hamas leader in Tehran in late July and the killings of Hezbollah and Iranian military personnel in Beirut in late September.

According to CNN, last week, during a telephone call, Netanyahu assured Biden that Israel would not target Iran’s nuclear or oil facilities during this phase of retaliation, a decision that was met with relief by the White House. Biden had previously urged Israel to avoid striking those sensitive sites.

The backdrop of the escalation is Israel’s offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 42,000 people, most of them women and children, following a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed nearly 1,200 people.

The conflict also spread to Lebanon with Israel launching deadly strikes across that country, which have killed more than 1,500 people and injured over 4,500 since Sept. 23.