US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday (local time) that he was against Israel over its reported plans to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities in response to Tehran’s missile attack on the Jewish nation and insisted that Tel Aviv must act “proportionally”.
Reacting to reports about Israel’s plans to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities and oil rigs in response to Tuesday’s attack on the Jewish nation, Biden said that Israel has the right to defend itself, but it must do “proportionately”, The Times of Israel reported. He also spoke to G7 leaders about the possibility of imposing new sanctions on Tehran.
After the G7 meeting held by telephone, the White House said Biden had coordinated the multilateral launch of new sanctions against Iran. G7 leaders, including Biden, “clearly condemned Iran’s attack on Israel”, which marked a dramatic escalation of tensions in the Middle East.
LATEST ON ISRAEL-IRAN CONFLICT:
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Biden said more sanctions would be imposed on Iran for Tuesday’s attack on Israel and that he would speak soon with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. When asked for a response about Israel planning to attack Iran’s nuclear and oil sites, Biden said, “The answer is no.”
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According to analysts, Israel’s response will be more severe than when Iran launched missiles and drones at the Jewish nation in April, suggesting it could target Tehran’s nuclear or oil facilities now. Other experts argue that the US should try to moderate Israel’s response in a bid to prevent a regional war in the Middle East.
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Biden said he would speak to Israelis, including Netanyahu, about their plans to attack Iran, while insisting that Tehran was “way out”. He said, “We will discuss with the Israelis what they will do, but all seven of us (the G7 nations) agree that they have the right to respond but they must respond proportionately.”
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Meanwhile, Israeli officials have told their US counterparts that they are still setting targets and timing for a response to Iran’s missile attack, a person in Washington familiar with the discussions said, Reuters news agency reported.
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Iran’s missile attacks coupled with Israel’s attack on Hezbollah in Lebanon have raised tensions in the Middle East, where the Biden administration rushed to end a ceasefire in the nearly year-long Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, as the threat loomed over the possibility of all-out war in the region.
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According to Israeli officials, Israel is likely to attack Iran’s strategic infrastructure, including gas and oil rigs, or nuclear facilities. Attacks on Iran’s air defense systems and targeted assassinations could also be a response, Axios reported. If such a plan goes ahead, it could mark another confrontation between the two countries, while also severely crippling Iran’s economy.
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On Wednesday, seven people were killed in two Israeli strikes in central Beirut that hit an Islamic rescue center linked to Hezbollah, and destroyed the building, Lebanon’s National News agency reported. The attack hit an apartment building in the Bashoura neighborhood, close to Lebanon’s parliament, the closest Israel has come to the country’s seat of government.
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Hezbollah fired a pair of drone strikes overnight in central Israel on Rosh Hashanah – the Jewish New Year – but no one was reported injured. The IDF said it shot down two hostile planes, and a third landed in an open area near the Bat Yam suburb of Tel Aviv, The Times of Israel reported.
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Meanwhile, Israel targeted a weapons depot in Syria’s Jableh countryside and other targets in a coastal city in the western part of the country, the country’s state media reported on Thursday, The Jerusalem Post reported.
(with input from Reuters)
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