Hossein Salami, Commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), delivers speeches while attending an anti-U.S. and anti-Israel rally marking the anniversary of the U.S. embassy occupation at the former U.S. embassy in downtown Tehran, Iran, on Nov 3, 2024, two days before the U.S. Presidential elections. (Photo by Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto)
The Iranian regime is planning “a strong and complex” response against Israel’s wave of airstrikes on regime targets, Iranian and Arab officials told The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
Following Iran’s massive ballistic missile assault on Israel at the start of October, Israel responded with a wave of precise strikes , hitting Iranian territory for the first time.
Iranian leadership at first appeared to downplay the strikes but have since vowed a “painful” response , with some reports suggesting it could come even before Tuesday’s U.S. elections and could be carried out from Iraqi territory .
Speaking to the WSJ, informed officials said Iran is planning a more powerful attack than the two previous missile assaults in April and October – using larger missiles than before.
An Egyptian official said the regime had signaled a “strong and complex” response in private messages while other Arab officials said Iran informed them that the response would not just involve the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) soldiers but its regular army – the Lebanon Armed Forces (LAF) – as four of its soldiers were killed by Israel.
“Our military lost people, so they need to respond,” said an Iranian official. He reiterated that the attack could be partly launched from Iraqi territory and would likely target Israeli military facilities – “but much more aggressively than last time.”
However, the official added that the attack would probably come after Tuesday’s election to avoid influencing it in favor of Donald Trump, but before the inauguration in January.
According to Western officials, the regime’s leadership is still discussing possible options for the attack, including the possibility of its proxies attacking Israel to have a measure of deniability and possibly to prevent further strikes on Iranian territory.
The WSJ reported that Egyptian, Bahraini, and Omani officials received warnings from Iran in response to U.S. messages cautioning the regime against further action.
While Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and its military officials continue their threats in recent days, on Sunday, President Masoud Pezeshkian said Israel’s strike couldn’t go unanswered but added that “the type and intensity” of the strikes depended on whether a ceasefire could be reached in Lebanon or Gaza.
In response, Israeli leaders have reiterated the military’s high level of readiness to deal with threats.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed Israel had already struck the regime’s “ soft underbelly ” once. The IDF also estimates that its strike completely stripped Iran of the ability to defend itself against future airstrikes.
Israeli officials warned that the next strike could reach Iran’s oil and nuclear facilities, which Israel refrained from striking last time in response to requests from the Biden administration.
The U.S. government recently warned the Iranian regime, “We won’t be able to hold Israel back , and we won’t be able to make sure that the next attack will be calibrated and targeted as the previous one.”
The United States announced the deployment of additional military forces and equipment to the Middle East as well.
“The Secretary of Defense ordered the deployment of additional ballistic missile defense destroyers, fighter squadron and tanker aircraft, and several U.S. Air Force B-52 long-range strike bombers to the region,” Pentagon Spokesman Maj.-Gen. Pat Ryder said on Friday.
