Sources Say Israel Has a Plan to Attack Iran

Sources tell CNN Israel has readied its plan to retaliate against Iran, and they say the country is expected to carry out that plan before November 5—Election Day in the US. Sources earlier gave that same expected timeline to the Washington Post. The sources who spoke to CNN note that the timeline has been hotly debated within Israel's government, and is not directly related to the US election. Iran attacked Israel on October 1, and one official previously told the Post if Israel waits any longer to respond, Iran might see the delay as a sign of weakness. That same official said Israel's initial strike against Iran "will be one in a series of responses."

Earlier this week, Israel reportedly assured the US it would not strike Iran's nuclear or oil facilities—targets the US previously made clear it would not back, over fears that strikes on those facilities could lead to all-out war. "We listen to the opinions of the United States, but we will make our final decisions based on our national interests," the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in response, per the New York Post. As CNN puts it, "How the conflict unfolds in the three weeks before Election Day remains one of the biggest uncertainties for the [Trump and Harris] presidential campaigns." (More Israel stories.)