Iran is preparing a fresh attack on Israel within days, intelligence officials believe.
Tehran is expected to launch the attack from Iraqi territory using drones and ballistic missiles, possibly before the US election, Israeli officials told Axios.
The attack would be intended as a response to Israeli strikes launched against Iranian military sites over the weekend.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, said Tehran had the right to defend itself, describing Israel’s strikes as “evil committed by the Zionist regime”.
However, the supreme leader said it was up to Iranian officials how to respond to Saturday’s early morning strikes by Israel, rather than issuing a warning of imminent retaliation.
Israel used dozens of aircraft, including F35 stealth jets, refuelling aircraft and drones, to attack Iranian military sites on Saturday after Tehran launched 180 missiles towards Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in early October.
Officials believe that pro-Iranian militias launching the attack from Iraq could be an attempt by Tehran to avoid another Israeli retaliation against strategic targets in Iran.
Among the Iran-backed groups in the region is the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which has been targeting Israel with drones.
US officials are said to believe that Iran could implement its plan quickly but they did not know if a decision had been made to launch such an attack.
CNN also reported that a high-ranking Iranian source has said the country was planning a “definitive and painful” response to Israel’s strikes and that this would be before the end of the US presidential race.
News of plans for a fresh Iranian response came as Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, said the country had attacked Tehran’s “soft underbelly” in its recent strikes.
“The brash words of the leaders of the regime in Iran cannot cover up the fact that Israel has greater freedom of action in Iran today than ever before. We can reach anywhere in Iran as needed,” Mr Netanyahu said.
Israel’s strikes against Iran on Saturday made Tehran more vulnerable, having taken out air defences and “planetary mixers” used to make solid fuel needed for ballistic missiles.
A spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry said on Monday that Tehran would “use all available tools” to respond to the Israeli strikes.
