Iran will deliver a “definitive and painful” response to Israel's recent attacks, likely before the U.S. presidential election, a senior Iranian source told CNN on Wednesday.

“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.

The comments mark a shift from Iran’s initial stance downplaying Israel's October 25 strikes, which Israel openly acknowledged as targeting Iranian sites for the first time.

While the source did not specify a date for the retaliatory action, they indicated that it would “probably take place before the day of the U.S. presidential election.”