Israel is ready to attack Iran – the attack is expected before the US elections

Israel’s counterattack plans against Iran are in place – and American officials believe the attack will take place before the US elections, according to a report.

A retaliatory strike by Israel – in response to Iran’s massive rocket fire against the Jewish state earlier this month – could put the growing conflict in the Middle East at the forefront of U.S. voters’ minds before they go to the polls on November 5.

A source told CNN that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is closely following US policy and that the timing of Israel’s military response is not directly related to the US election because he is concerned about the political implications for Israel.

Israel’s attack on Iran would be done in a way to avoid “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 rocket attack, but assured President Biden last week that the Israel Defense Forces’ response would be limited to military targets and not oil refineries or nuclear power plants.

The Harris-Biden administration had publicly expressed its opposition to an Israeli attack on Tehran’s oil and nuclear sites, fearing it could trigger an 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 responded.

Other countries in the Middle East have also called on Israel to avoid attacks on Iran’s oil fields as this could lead to a rise in oil prices.

Analysts have speculated that higher gas prices, which voters have historically blamed on the ruling party, could hurt Vice President Kamala Harris in the election.

The Post has contacted Israel’s Defense Ministry for comment.

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza, in which some 42,000 Palestinians were killed last year, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, has become a major concern among Democratic voters – particularly young Democrats.

Health authorities in the Gaza Strip do not differentiate between terrorist and civilian deaths.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin penned a letter this week warning that the U.S. could suspend its military aid to Israel if it does not provide further humanitarian aid to the decimated enclave.

Notably, the letter was not signed by either President Biden or the vice president – neither of whom have publicly threatened to cut off military supplies to Israel despite growing pressure from the left, according to CNN.

Iran fired nearly 200 rockets at the Jewish state on Oct. 1, killing a Palestinian in the barrage that targeted Tel Aviv and other population centers. Most of the rockets were intercepted.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed the attack was a direct response to the recent killings of Hezbollah founder Hassan Nasrallah, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh and an Iranian general.

On Sunday, US officials announced they would send an advanced 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 approved the deployment of the THAAD at the direction of President Joe Biden, said Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder.

The system is intended to fire ballistic missiles like the ones Iran fired at Israel.