American officials expect Israel will retaliate against Iran for its attack earlier this month before November 5, sources tell CNN, a timeline that would thrust the growing volatility in the Middle East squarely into public view within days of the American presidential election.

The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomacy, said that Israel had agreed to focus its next attack on military targets in Iran, instead of those related to Iran’s oil industry or its uranium enrichment efforts. The pledge was first reported by the Washington Post.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that his regime and not the U.S. will decide how to retaliate against Iran.

Netanyahu's office issues a statement regarding an assertion by the Israeli Prime Minister to Joe Biden about the response to Iran's missile attack on Israel on October 1, suggesting a more limited counterstrike.