US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday he would not support any Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites in response to a missile attack by Iran and urged Israel to take action “proportionately”.
Biden spoke a day after Iran fired more than 180 ballistic missiles at Israel, which he had previously described as “ineffective.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to make Iran pay for the attack.
“We will discuss with the Israelis what they are going to do, but all seven of us (G7 countries) agree that they have the right to respond but They should respond proportionately.”
Some analysts said Israel’s response would likely be more severe than when Iran fired missiles and drones at Israel in April, suggesting it might this time target Tehran’s nuclear or oil facilities.
Asked whether the US would support an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear sites, Biden told reporters: “The answer is no.”
Biden said more sanctions would be imposed on Iran and that he would speak to Netanyahu soon.
“Clearly, Iran has lost its way,” he said.
US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said the administration wants to align its position with Israel on any response to Iran’s attack, but also recognizes that the Middle East is on a “knife edge” and that there are broader tensions between both Israel and the US. Could put the interests of the company in danger.
Speaking at a virtual event hosted by the Washington-based think tank Carnegie Endowment, Campbell reiterated the US view that what Tehran did was “grossly irresponsible” and there should be a “payback message”.
“I think we’ve tried to underline our support for some of the actions that Israel has taken,” he said. “We have real caution about expanded or substantial ground operations in Lebanon,” Campbell said.
Israeli forces are locked in a war with Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters on its northern border. On Wednesday, eight Israeli soldiers were killed – the heaviest casualties suffered by Israeli forces on the Lebanon front in the border-striker conflict between Israel and Hezbollah last year.
Iran said on Wednesday that its missile volley – its biggest ever attack on Israel – was over, barring further provocations.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
