The Pentagon directed the U.S. military’s Central Command to finish preparations for resuming large-scale combat operations against Iran, Axios journalist Barak Ravid reported, citing senior American officials. The directive set no date for an offensive, and President Donald Trump hadn’t made a final decision on whether to resume the fighting, Ravid said in a report for Israeli broadcaster N12.
Preparations, Not a Launch Order
The reported directive concerns preparation for possible combat operations. It sets no launch date. Ravid’s report also says Trump hadn’t made a final decision on whether the fighting would resume, so whether the preparations will lead to an offensive remains unresolved.
Those distinctions sit at the heart of the report: Central Command received an order to complete preparations, but the timing and final decision remain unsettled. The article doesn’t report that operations have begun. Instead, it describes a possible return to large-scale combat and attributes its account of the directive to senior American officials quoted by Ravid.
American and Israeli sources told Ravid military action could happen before the U.S. midterm elections. They also said it might come before the Israeli elections, which will be held a week earlier. The report presents those windows as possibilities, not confirmed dates for an attack.
Targets Named in the Report
If extensive combat operations resume, they’re expected to include massive bombings of energy, infrastructure and nuclear targets in Iran, Ravid reported, citing sources familiar with the matter. The account names those three potential target categories, but gives no specific sites, operational timetable, or proposed scale beyond the description of massive bombings.
The report describes a military preparation directive and the possible scope of a future offensive, while making clear that no date has been set and Trump hasn’t made a final decision. Sources cited in Ravid’s reporting supplied the potential targets and possible timing; the article doesn’t present them as an announced U.S. military plan with a confirmed start date.
The report was updated on October 8, 2026, at 02:30. It provides no further details about the preparations, locations involved, or whether the directive includes specific operational steps beyond completing preparations for a possible resumption of large-scale combat operations against Iran. It also doesn’t say an offensive is inevitable. The possibility remains conditional: extensive operations could resume, and, if they do, the reported targets would include energy, infrastructure and nuclear sites.
The account leaves both the decision and timing open. Its key reported facts are that the Pentagon directed Central Command to prepare, the directive contains no specific launch date, and Trump hadn’t reached a final decision, while American and Israeli sources described possible timing around elections and potential targets inside Iran.