Iran to carry out "definitive and painful" response to Israeli strikes, high-ranking source tells CNN

 Israel’s recent attacks on Iran will be met with a “definitive and painful” response that will likely come before the US presidential vote, a high-ranking source told CNN on Wednesday.

The remarks signal a departure from Iran’s initial attempts to downplay the severity of the strikes carried out by Israel on October 25, which marked the first time Israel has openly acknowledged striking Iranian targets.

“The response of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the aggression of the Zionist regime will be definitive and painful,” the source, who is familiar with Iran’s deliberations, said.

Although the source did not provide an exact date for the attack, they said it “will probably take place before the day of the US presidential election.”

CNN has reached out to the Israeli military for comment on the remarks.

In his initial response to last weekend’s strikes, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei opted to give a more measured response, saying the strikes should “neither be exaggerated nor downplayed.”