Washington, DC, Oct 26: US forces in West Asia are prepared to launch new, potentially major military operations against Iran within 96 hours of receiving an order from US President Donald Trump, with sufficient forces deployed in the region to carry out the attacks, CNN reported, citing two US officials.

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The scope of the potential operations would likely go beyond limited strikes on Iranian radars, missile launchers and other military assets that can be quickly rebuilt, the officials told CNN.

"It will be a big effort," one of the officials told CNN. The report said the assessment had also been echoed by other current and former US officials familiar with internal military planning discussions, some of whom believe it is a question of when, not if, Trump will issue an order.

They believe the order could come any time before the end of the year, although most likely after the US midterm elections, CNN reported.

US officials acknowledged that Iranian forces are now more familiar with American military tactics, making it harder for the US military to destroy all intended targets. However, leaders at US Central Command (CENTCOM) and the Pentagon have been developing a wide-ranging target list that includes Iranian energy infrastructure, military sites and nuclear facilities.

Officials told CNN that Trump has not made up his mind on his next steps after the midterm elections, although he appears to be leaning towards ordering major military action. They cautioned, however, that the US President has previously appeared inclined towards certain actions before backing away at the last moment.

The White House declined to comment on the report.

A senior Pentagon official told CNN in a statement, "The Department is a planning organisation, and its job is to develop and execute military options ordered by the President."

Recent US intelligence assessments indicate that Iran and Yemen's Houthi rebels are taking the possibility of renewed US attacks, potentially alongside Israel, seriously, according to two additional sources familiar with the assessments.

If the US and Israel launch new military operations against Iran, Tehran and the Houthis would likely retaliate immediately by targeting American personnel and facilities across the region and potentially beyond, the sources told CNN.

An unclassified October 23 memo from Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to Secretary of State Marco Rubio said US intelligence had found that "Iran has substantially increased efforts to target US personnel" and that plotting efforts "have reached advanced stages in both the Middle East and certain other countries," CNN previously reported.

US intelligence officials believe Iran and the Houthis are unlikely to launch pre-emptive escalatory attacks against American personnel or Israel at this stage but would not hesitate to retaliate if Iran is targeted first by US or Israeli forces, one source familiar with the latest assessments told CNN.

The regional threat posed by Iran and the Houthis is also one reason the US is expected to continue quietly withdrawing personnel from its embassies across West Asia in the coming days, the report said.

The US Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is currently the only American diplomatic facility in the region under an ordered departure. However, one source told CNN that other facilities are expected to receive similar directives, while those without such orders would be scaled down under a personnel cap.

Additionally, nonessential US military personnel expected to deploy to West Asia as part of the next troop rotation have been told they will no longer be sent, according to a US official, further underscoring the possibility of regional escalation.

Despite an increase in the number of tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz, oil prices remain high, partly due to the threat of possible Iranian attacks. One US official acknowledged that the current situation around the waterway was "untenable" in the long term and could be a factor pushing Trump towards military action, barring a last-minute diplomatic breakthrough.

CNN reported that questions remain over whether the White House has a broader strategy for ending the conflict.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been pushing for additional attacks against Iran, but US officials have asked him to delay until the Trump administration is ready to conduct joint operations, according to two US officials and an Israeli security source cited by CNN.

"Netanyahu really wanted and tried to convince Trump for a joint attack in Iran before the elections, and Trump did not give a green light," the Israeli security source told CNN.

(ANI)