Iran preparing to strike Israel potentially before US election, report says

Israeli intelligence has claimed that Iran is preparing to attack Israel from Iraqi territory in the coming days, possibly before the US presidential election on November 5.

The attack is expected to be carried out from Iraq using a large number of drones and ballistic missiles.

Israel and Iran have engaged in a series of tit-for-tat military strikes, part of broader Middle East warfare set off by fighting in Gaza.

On Saturday, Israeli military aircraft struck missile factories and other sites near Tehran and in western Iran in retaliation for Tehran’s October 1 barrage of more than 200 missiles against Israel.

Explosions echoed across Iran on October 26 night as Israel launched projectiles from over 100 aircraft targeting "means of producing missiles."

The Israeli offensive, which targeted 20 sites across Iran, lasted several hours and concluded around 5am local time (02:30 GMT), IDF officials told The New York Times.

Earlier, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei directed his military forces to prepare for a retaliatory strike on Israel, aiming to deliver a "fitting response" to recent Israeli attacks on Tehran’s defense systems.

According to The New York Times, three Iranian officials reported that Khamenei instructed military leaders that Israel’s aggression cannot be ignored.