TEL AVIV — Israel’s top military and political leadership reportedly views Saturday’s pre-dawn strike in Iran as the first round of a fight to take out Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, but much hinges on Donald Trump winning the US presidential election on Nov. 5. 

“Israel must finish the job and carry out the real mission in Iran,” a senior Israeli diplomatic source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity.

It took Israel almost four weeks to retaliate after Iran fired almost 200 ballistic missiles at Israel on Oct. 1. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's aides and supporters urged him to take advantage of the Iranian barrage to strike the country's nuclear development and production facilities as well as potentially its oil and gas infrastructure. The attack was postponed at least once, according to the British Times. 

But the Biden administration privately and publicly warned Israel against striking these targets, and Netanyahu complied. While President Joe Biden might be considered a lame duck, he is still the commander in chief of the US military, on which Israel depends so heavily.