Israel’s counter-strike plans against Iran are ready — and American officials expect the attack to happen before the US election, according to a report.
A retaliatory strike from Israel — in response to Iran’s massive ballistic missile barrage against the Jewish state earlier this month — could put the growing conflict in the Middle East front and center for US voters before they head to the ballots on Nov. 5.
A source told CNN that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu closely follows US politics and that the timing Israel’s military response is not directly tied to the US election, because he’s worried about the political implications for Israel.
Israel’s strike on Iran would be done in a way to avoid the “political interference in the US elections,” another source familiar with the matter told the Washington Post on Tuesday.
Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that Iran will “pay” for the Oct. 1 missile attack, but assured President Biden last week that the Israeli Defense Forces response would be limited to military targets rather than oil refineries or nuclear plants.
The Harris-Biden administration had publicly stated their opposition to an Israeli strike on Tehran’s oil and nuclear sites, fearing that it could spark all-out war in the region.
“We listen to the opinions of the United States, but we will make our final decisions based on our national interests,” Netanyahu’s office said in response.
Other countries in the Middle East have also urged Israel to avoid targeting Iran’s oil fields, as it could cause a spike in oil prices.
Analysts have speculated higher gas prices, which voters have historically blamed on the party in power, could hurt Vice President Kamala Harris in the election.
The Post has reached out to Israel’s Ministry of Defense for comment.
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where some 42,000 Palestinians have been killed over the last year according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, has emerged a major issue among Democratic voters — especially young Democrats.
Gaza health officials do not differentiate between terrorist deaths and civilians.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin penned a letter this week warning that the US could pause military aid to Israel if it fails to facilitate more humanitarian aid to the decimated enclave.
The letter was notably not signed by President Biden or the vice president — neither of whom has publicly threatened to halt military supplies to Israel despite growing pressure from the left, according to CNN.
Iran fired nearly 200 missiles at the Jewish State on Oct 1, killing one Palestinian man in the barrage that targeted Tel Aviv and other population centers. Most of the missiles were intercepted.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed the attack was in direct response to the recent assassinations of Hezbollah founder Hassan Nasrallah, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh and an Iranian general.
On Sunday, US officials announced it will send an advances air defense system — Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) — and troops to Israel even after Iran warned Washington to keep its forces out of the country.
Austin authorized the deployment of the THAAD at the direction of President Joe Biden, said Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder.
The system is designed to shoot down ballistic missiles like the ones the Iran fired into Israel.
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