Could Iran strike Israel while the world watches the US election?

Israel is bracing for a possible attack from Iran as the US election unfolds, in retaliation for Israeli missile strikes on Iran last month.

At the start of October, Iran launched a ballistic missile attack on Israel, leaving Israel to strike its military facilities on 26 October, killing four Iranian soldiers and a civilian.

Since then, leaders of the two countries have engaged in a war of words and threats against each other.

At the time, Iran said the Israeli strikes had only targeted Ilam, Khuzestan and Tehran provinces but satellite imagery later showed damage to the rural Semnan province, where there was a base run by the Revolutionary Guards, which builds ballistic missiles and launches rockets as part of its space program.

However, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has since then issued stark warnings that "the enemies, whether the Zionist regime or the United States of America, will receive a crushing response".

Khameni’s chief of staff also said last week that the Iranian response would be "fierce and tooth-breaking".

According to Israel’s Channel 14, there are more indications appearing which suggest there will be an Iranian attack on Israel soon, possibly on the day of the US Election.

The outlet quoted an unnamed political source as saying that Israel’s response "will be harsh and decisive" in response to any Iranian attack.

The report also added that authorities in Israel are assessing carrying out a "pre-emptive attack" against Iran or waiting for the US Elections to conclude.

Israeli commanders have also noted that if Iran does attack, they will respond quickly, stating that Iran would have little protection since their air defence batteries were damaged on the 26 October strikes.

Iranian threats

Several Iranian officials have made threats to Israel in recent days.

Iran’s foreign minister on Tuesday reiterated that his country does not seek an escalation in the Middle East but reserved the right to defend itself against Israel's attack with a "measured and calculative" response.

The Iranian Air Force Commander, Hamid Vahedi, said: "Any mistake by the enemy [Israel] will be regretted…we will sacrifice our last drop of blood to defend the homeland", according to the Iranian Mehr news agency.

The Wall Street Journal also quoted Iranian and Arab officials as saying that Tehran has warned that they are planning to launch a "strong and complex" attack. The officials said the potential strikes would involve more weapons and warheads.

Some reports state that Israeli intelligence believes the next Iranian attack could come from Iraq, where Iran has close allies who are equipped with ballistic and cruise missiles.