Iran's supreme leader has instructed the country's Supreme National Security Council to prepare for another assault on Israel, The New York Times reported on Thursday.
The report, which cited three Iranian officials, said Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made the decision on Monday after reviewing a report from senior military commanders on the extent of the damage caused by last week's Israeli strikes on Iran’s missile production capabilities and air defence systems, critical energy infrastructure and a main port.
Khamenei was said to have told his associates that the scope of Israel's unprecedented October 26 retaliatory strikes was "too large to ignore".
Earlier Thursday, two sources in Jerusalem told Axios that Israeli intelligence suggests the Islamic Republic was preparing to attack the Jewish state from Iraq within the coming days – ahead of the US election.
The sources said the attack was expected to be carried out "using a large number of drones and ballistic missiles."
The The New York Times’ sources said, however, that the attack would more likely occur after the November 5 US presidential vote due to concern in Tehran that additional tensions in the region could boost former President Donald Trump.
On Thursday night, the Israel Defence Forces announced that aerial defence systems intercepted two drones that approached the country's territory "from the east," a phrase the military uses to refer to Iraq.
White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre warned the Islamic Republic on Wednesday not to respond to Israel’s Oct. 26 airstrikes.
Should Tehran choose to do so, “The United States will be standing by to assist Israel in its defence,” she added. Her remarks echoed those of US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, who stressed on Wednesday that Iran “should not respond.”
CNN on Wednesday quoted a “high-ranking” anonymous source as stating that Tehran would soon deliver a “definitive and painful” response.
“The response of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Zionist regime’s aggression will be definitive and painful,” the source said, adding that the attack would probably take place before the U.S. presidential election.
On Oct. 1, Iran launched 180 ballistic missiles at Israel in its second-ever direct strike on the Jewish state. While most were intercepted, an Israeli Air Force base suffered damage.
In response, on Oct. 26, IAF jets hit 20 sites in Iran in multiple waves, reportedly knocking out its air defences and significantly setting back its missile production industry. The Israeli strikes reportedly also destroyed multiple radar systems required to guide the Islamic Republic's ballistic missiles.
Initially, Tehran downplayed the Israeli attack, with Khamenei later saying that the strikes should “neither be exaggerated nor downplayed.”
For its part, Jerusalem has pledged a strong response should Tehran choose to launch a direct attack on the Jewish state for the third time.
“If Iran makes the mistake of launching another missile barrage at Israel, we will once again know how to reach Iran, with capabilities that we did not even use this time, and strike very, very hard at both their capabilities and locations that we set aside for now,” Israel Defence Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi warned on Tuesday.
