Iran is planning to retaliate for Israel’s bombing of Tehran last week, possibly before the US presidential election on November 5, according to US media outlets

Israel conducted a series of strikes against Iranian targets last Saturday. The attack was in response to a massive barrage of missiles fired by Iran in early October. The Iranian missile attack was in retaliation for the killing of Hezbollah and Iranian commanders.

Tehran is expected to launch the attack from Iraqi territory using drones and ballistic missiles.

RT reports: A number of US news outlets have hinted that Iran’s response could come within days. 

“The response of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the aggression of the Zionist regime will be definitive and painful,” CNN wrote on Wednesday, citing a senior source familiar with Iran’s deliberations. The news network did not say which country the source is from.

CNN’s source did not provide an exact time for the attack, but said it “will likely take place before the day of the US presidential election” scheduled for November 5. At least three senior Iranian figures also vowed retaliation for the latest Israeli strike in statements on Thursday, although none mentioned a time frame.

The commander-in-chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), Hossein Salami, promised an “unimaginable answer” to the attack in a speech cited by Tasnim news agency.

The deputy commander of the IRGC, Ali Fadavi, said an Iranian response is “inevitable.” 

“For over 40 years, we have never left any attack unanswered,” he told Lebanese news outlet Al Mayadeen on Thursday.

Mohammad Mohammadi Golpayegani, a senior aide to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, similarly said Iran will provide “a harsh and regretful response” to the Israeli strike.

Two Israeli sources told Axios that intelligence points to Iran planning an attack in the coming days, potentially ahead of the US election.

The New York Times’ Iranian sources, however, reportedly said the attack is more likely to happen after the election, so as not to potentially improve former President Donald Trump’s chances of reelection.

Khamenei has ordered preparations for a retaliatory strike after judging that the damage Israel dealt was too large to ignore, the newspaper cited three officials as saying.