Israeli channel Hadashot 100 Shetach said the Wall Street Journal reported that the US military carried out covert strikes in Iran in recent weeks. The targets were missile launchers and other military equipment, and the aim was to avoid casualties.

Trump administration officials agreed not to publicize the strikes, the report said, out of concern that disclosure could harm Republican candidates in the midterm elections. Vance and Rubio were aware of the matter.

The report suggests the early-October pledges of no attack before November 3 were narrower than they sounded. The restraint covered publicity, not operations. It also fits what was already visible in late October: an admiral's briefing on attack options and reinforced logistics in the Gulf, both running ahead of any presidential decision.

The election is now past, and administration officials are reportedly split over whether to continue operations. Disclosure of the hidden strikes removes the political reason for secrecy. That makes it more likely that a broader campaign, already flagged as a possibility for late November, becomes public and continues rather than winds down.

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