US officials say Israel has narrowed its targets against Iran

U.S. officials believe Israel has narrowed its response to the Iranian attack on what these officials describe as Iranian military and energy infrastructure.

There are no signs that Israel will attack nuclear facilities or carry out assassinations, but U.S. officials stressed that the Israelis have not yet made a final decision on how and when to proceed.

The region is eagerly awaiting Israel's response to Iranian rocket fire on October 1, which Iran says was a response to Israel's invasion of Lebanon and the assassination of its allies, including Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas in Tehran and the powerful leader of Hezbollah. be, Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut.

The Iranian attack caused little damage in Israel.

The US does not know when Israel's response might come, but officials said the Israeli military was ready and ready to deploy at any time once the order was given.

U.S. officials stressed that they have no information suggesting the response will occur today, but acknowledged that Israel has not given them a specific timetable – and it is not clear whether Israeli officials have even settled on one yet have agreed.

U.S. and Israeli officials said a response could come during the Yom Kippur holiday.

Israel has shared more information with the U.S. about the retaliation, the officials said, but has withheld many details out of operational security concerns. The US stands ready to protect its assets in the region from an immediate counterattack by Iran, but is unlikely to provide direct military support to the operation.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant last night and they discussed broad considerations for an Israeli response. However, it is not clear whether Gallant provided specific details. Her call came after an Israeli cabinet meeting about the retaliation, but Gallant did not share the specific targets discussed at that meeting.

U.S. officials have continued to call on the Israeli government to keep its response proportionate, stick to military objectives and avoid oil, gas and nuclear facilities.

President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also did not discuss details in their call this week, U.S. officials said.

Biden urged Netanyahu to focus on the humanitarian situation in Gaza and Lebanon and urged him to end the fighting. The US president also stressed that Israel must reflect on how difficult it is to successfully wage the war in Lebanon and face a strong threat from Iran on a second front.