Tehran is planning a “strong and complex” retaliatory strike against Israel set to exceed last month’s nearly 200 ballistic missile barrage, according to Iranian and Arab officials.
The Islamic republic is set to utilize its full military assets with even more powerful warheads and weapons to directly attack Israel in response to the Jewish state’s retaliatory strike on Oct. 26, which killed four Iranian soldiers and decimated Tehran’s missile production sites and air defense systems, the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Our military lost people, so they need to respond,” an Iranian official told the WSJ, noting that Tehran has already issued warnings of the looming attack to its Arab diplomats.
The officials claimed the attack could use Iraqi territory to launch the operation and that it would target Israeli military facilities once again, “but much more aggressively than last time.”
The looming strike would also not be limited to the ballistic missiles and explosive drones Iran used in its previous two attacks on Israel this year, the officials added.
The attack is also being planned with the US presidential election in mind, with Iranian officials claiming they did not want to interfere with the outcome.
Iranian officials said the attack would come after Tuesday’s voting but before January’s inauguration, with Tehran strongly preferring Kamala Harris over Donald Trump, according to US intelligence.
US intelligence officials have previously warned of Iranian threats against the former president. A hacking attack against the Trump campaign was also linked to Iran, which officials said was an attempt to meddle in US election process.
The broad outline of Tehran’s attack was delivered to officials in Egypt, Bahrain and Oman, who then in turn handed the details over to American officials.
The US has repeatedly warned Iran that there would be “severe consequences” if the Islamic republic were to attack Israel or America, calling on the tit-for-tat exchange to end lest the entire region fall into war.
The warning came as Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed to retaliate against Tehran’s foes over Israel’s Oct. 26 attack.
“The enemies, whether the Zionist regime or the United States of America, will definitely receive a tooth-breaking response to what they are doing to Iran and the Iranian nation and to the resistance front,” Khamenei said, referring to Tehran-backed terror groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.
The effectiveness of an Iranian attack remains to be seen as Israel has bolstered its defenses since the last attack on Oct. 1, including the delivery of an American Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system.
While Iran’s Oct. 1 strike targeted military sites, the attack resulted in the death of one Palestinian man working in the West Bank.
A repeated exchange of fire may also cause more problems with Tehran as the Islamic republic is poised to suffer greater damage after Israel’s counterattack destroyed several of its missile defense systems, a warning to Tehran not to retaliate.
